Surfboard ding repair kit: do it yourself | Photo: SurferToday.com

It happens all the time. Surfboards are fragile objects of design. Even the most careful surfer will, one day, find a crack on his favorite surfboard. So, how can you fix a surfboard ding or rail shatters?

Assessing the damage is a priority. After washing the tears away, we need to analyze carefully how seriously hurt the surfboard is.

If you've broken the magic stick in two but don't want to give it up, you should consider visiting a professional shaper.

If you're simply repairing a small-to-medium crack, then you can do it yourself, no worries.

In the end, the ultimate goal is to protect the core - the inner foam - from the destructive power of salt water.

Water can easily and quickly damage your surfboard forever. If your board is not properly sealed against H2O, it will become yellow, heavy, and rotten with time.

Forget the old surfers' formula: duct tape and wax. While it might serve as a temporary solution in a pinch, it is definitely not recommended to fix dings properly.

If you own a polyurethane foam surfboard, note that there are excellent ding repair kits on the market.

For general touches, you can purchase specially formulated UV-curing resin for repairing both epoxy and polyurethane surfboards.

Take a look at the best surfboard ding repair kits.

Damaged surfboard: learn how to repair dings and cracks

Surfboard Ding Repair 101

Ready to save your surfboard from the hospital bed?

  1. Make sure you've cleaned the board. Remove all traces of sand, wax, and salt;
  2. Squeeze the crack to check if there's water trapped inside. If it's completely dry, you can carry on;
  3. Apply the desired amount of resin to the damaged area. Do it in the shade with a disposable, sturdy instrument - a wooden stick, for example;
  4. Make sure to spread the product over the entirety of the ding, pressing out any bubbles and filling cracks and crevices;
  5. Cover the resin with a plastic sheet to mold the resin into the proper shape;
  6. Expose the resin to sunlight. You'll notice that it will gel and then harden within five minutes;
  7. Reapply additional resin, if necessary, to fill up gaps and low areas;
  8. Finally, once dried, sand off rough and excess resin using light sandpaper. You'll get a smooth, flat finish;

Bigger dings may require fiberglass cloth. It will strengthen larger areas and surfboard foam that might be exposed.

All you have to do is cut the fiberglass patch slightly larger than the size of the repair area, then press it into a thin layer of resin.

Fit over the "wound," add more resin, and expose to sunlight.

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