How to repair an old surfboard

[@phildurnford5479]

This is perfect, I am trying to do this with my first surfboard too that has taken a beating over the years. BTW lived on Rob and Sam's couch for 4 months in Coral Gabels and organically found this video, small world! Great to see WaterLust in action. I hope all is well and excited to try these at home techniques.

[@chrispewkreme]

Very simple explanation and use of ordinary tools/material! I've got a old 10'2" Aipa that desperately needs restoration. Made in the 80s but hoping to keep it goin for another 30 years

[@zachmccutchen8821]

Sick project!!! Getting ready to do some full repairs on early boards I shaped, that have gotten dinged up and cracked all over. Going to draw a lot of inspo from this!

[@wileyrobinson2331]

Quick tip.. having a more “runny” consistency in you resin/q-cell mixture will allow any air bubbles to rise to the top and escape. Blocking in those air bubbles would compromise the structure of the repair.

[@Eashlynne]

Could you use a little heat to help prevent the bubbles?

[@alt7320]

I've been going back to this video over and over again as a reference as I fix the delam spot on my longboard, just now getting to smoothing everything. Considering painting it next just like this one. This video has been a huge help. Thanks!!

[@Jim-fe2xz]

Using the plastic film to help with smoothing the fiberglass edges is a great tip! Feathering those edges is always a pain & can often mess things up.

[@2012truth1776]

Awesome!!! Im so thankful I grew up in Florida, and got into Surfing early in life, it’s such an amazing feeling surfing. And so good for the Soul !!! Awesome video!!!

[@barclaysauers255]

I laddy, that appears to be a fine old Scottish surfboard. Showing war wounds from many righteous battles in the line-up. Giving it a whole lotta love with razor blades, grinder and elbow grease will give it new life. The main thing, as you well know, is to keep your wood stiff. Good show and happy trails.

[@SuperMilocat]

Awsome tips, thanks. I have a 9' Stewart looks just like yours did (no airbrush). Your delam and painters plastic tips will help me a lot. I thought this may be a lost cause but you have totally motivated me.

[@odi726]

Amazing repair and paint job, congratulations!!!

[@mitchellgould]

Nice video, the board turned out great! I'm embarking on a similar project so this really helps!

[@mitchellgould]

@@Waterlust Hey Mate! What hardener speed did you use (fast, medium, slow) and how much epoxy did you go through (couple of quarts)? Thanks!

[@mitchellgould]

@@Waterlust Thanks, I went with the medium which should be good for my climate!

[@jerichoa]

Picked up a sup and needing to bring it back to life. Thanks for this video!

[@benjahmusic]

sick, I remember talking about this at the beach

[@Greg-tj8rg]

Awesome video, great message of picking something up that is banged up and unwanted and fixing it up to be great again. I wanted to get my first board and thought about getting a wavestorm but after thinking about how much foam goes into a surfboard I felt guilty at the thought of buying a new one. Well just the other day someone was offering a Becker for free, just had to drive about 45 mins to pick up. The nose is pretty badly banged up, I can see the wood and all. I'll have to watch another few videos about nose specific repair and get it patched up.

[@martacreates]

this was really helpfull! thanks man! My board is 25 years old and it is in need of some repairs haha

[@Winter_B12]

Thats older than me lol

[@DABTX1]

Yeah!! Good stuff!! I'm getting stoked up to do some repairs here in BRAZIL!! Maybe the resins will be a bit different??!!

[@johnmoss4553]

Thanks for the help Patrick switching from shaping to renovating is hugely cost effective and has easier turn arounds. Cheers!

[@ramiroorozco4176]

aaagh that surf spot at the end

[@IIrandhandleII]

What is the best way to dry the underlying foam?

[@danboughton2158]

So it's been almost a year since i saw your video, I have gone deep in research of Epoxy resin as apposed to ..... blah blah. Bottom line dude, THANK YOU! I have been scoring cheap damaged boards in Dana Point thrift stores....repairing them... and surfing them thanks to your guidance. I am an ole Redondo Beach surfer kid from the 70's and after a LONG military career i am back in the water...but long boards this time. THANK YOU TO YOU AND YOUR LADY!!

[@cjpthompsonful]

Can you post a follow up to show how the paint held up?

[@petermosinski]

This is great. I’m going to use the micro balloons to fix some repairs on my paddleboard before I paint or epoxy tint it

[@chrisdyer6370]

Don't use micro balloons. Gently sand back the area around the ding. This will later blend the new glass into the old. You then cut out the damaged area. Next stage is get some surfboard foam and cut a shape to exactly fit the void you've created. Now glue the foam in with some micro balloon. Leave to cure and then sand back the new foam slightly lower than flush with the old to allow for the fibreglass. Now using tea, coffee etc stain the new foam to blend into the old. Now fibreglass the area with a slight overlap of cloth. Sand back and now apply a hot coat to sand back flush with the original hot coat.

[@chrisdyer6370]

You use foam to fill a void because you need the properties of the materials you use to be consistent where possible. Microballoon is many times denser than the foam and in time the foam will break away from the microballoon fill as the board flexes and compresses over time. You'll then need to cut out the microballoon 'plug' and do what I've suggested you do in the first place.

[@megbadman]

i just got a hand me down surfboard in need of some love, hoping if i watch enough videos i’ll figure it out. does anyone know other online communities with tips and helpful explanations?

[@rgvkid250]

Great Video! We aren’t all pros at surfboard repairs but some of us have the courage to do a DIY. It may work, it may not, but if we can get a few more seasons out of it then it’s worth the trouble and will always be a learning process along with great pride and memories! From our it it looks like it turned out pretty darn good! Curious if you felt the need to sand And polish the board after the final coat of roll on paint? Im not familiar with boat paint but would think with roller would leave orange peel?

[@jonniw6254]

Would fiberglass resin work fine?

[@yianniskininis7644]

Greetings from Greece! Thanks for the video! Is this painters plastic something special? Is it thick or just simple thin plastic? Thanks!

[@deadacclmao4751]

Your videos are amazing, you deserve for subscribers.

[@nicolaslecras6974]

Amazing video very inspiring ! You don't need to use a spray varnish coat to protect the paint ?

[@skooterbob]

What sanding disk grits were you using at first?

[@Waterlust]

Depends on what job you’re doing. 80 grit is probably the most abrasive we’d use to start, or 120 if we want to be more careful. If the paper is too rough, you may accidentally take away too much too quickly. Conversely, if it’s not abrasive enough and have to leave the pad on the board for an extended period of time, it can create too much heat that melts the interior foam. All about finding the right balance 👍

[@bellpaleale]

Easy and cleaner way to remove the glass on a delamination patch is using a cutting wheel on a dremel. Just be careful how long the wheel is held in one place because you can scorch/melt the resin on both sides of the cut.

[@gersonpineda9768]

Muy buen trabajo 👍.😁😁gracias

[@maaya8775]

Hey thank you! Does anyone have the cliff notes? Like 1-2-3 presto? T🌻😊

[@jomabab]

What grit sandpaper did you use on your orbital sander?

[@TromboneAl]

I did this, and it looks great. BUT, note that it adds a lot of weight to the board.

[@Njsrufrider]

What should I do if I have fiberglass cloth visible on my board? Like what you have at 3:10, but with no holes, cracks or dents? the nose of my board is like this to b/c I've had it for 20 years and Im trying to save it

[@williamjoyner3768]

I just bought a vintage board made in the 80’s so now I’m trying to get it fixed up and repainted. I want like a custom paint job should I go to a surf shop or like a car paint place

[@miadeans2697]

Could you use glad wrap/plastic wrap instead of painters plastic?

[@yeahnah1130]

Mia Deans have you tried it yet?

[@ciaranwalters4658]

Yeah, use it all the time

[@SuperLegendaryG]

Hey man! Great job! When you finished painting the board did you have to seal it over again with clear epoxy or something?

[@Waterlust]

Nope! The benefit of that kind of paint is that it can serve as the outer layer. We have a couple more videos on our channel that highlight the process in more detail

[@CarlosLopez-ku9mn]

La novena maravilla!!!!

[@neaneawy]

Your video has inspired my daughter and I to refinish a banged up SUP we received for free. Is it possible for you to list the products you used? I love your video. You really did a great job making the process seem manageable. I'm not a boat person, so the types of products you use sound like a foreign language to me. I did go to a marine store and bought a small two bottle set of epoxy to fill the holes I need to fix. What weight fabric should I buy? What products do you use after you fill the holes?

[@LazyPirate8]

I work at a park and they were just about to toss away this surfboard so I saved it. Like I was just about to buy a new one but I'm better off like restoring a board. Whe I was younger I always wanted to surf but I never got a surfboard, so now I'm just gonna slowly pick up on restoring this board and learn how to surf now that I'm 26 and broke 😅

[@javierflores6691]

What do you do after painting? Did you reapply resin or gloss?

[@jimcamp2423]

My Dad did that for his 3 sons. Trimmed the edges and stripped the shell of fiberglass completely off. There's a solid shorter blank to reshape a new board, especially from a thicker longboard like that. You can cut the wet foam out completely, it's a cancer anyway. Who knows what mold spores are in that foam and sealing that in isn't doing a repair job any favors. If you can imagine a early 1970's squash tail single fin, that's what my younger brother ended up with in sea foam green. The older brother and myself had the rounded pin tail, his a clear foam finish, mine was red. Anyway, they were reshaped and completely glassed. It was a lot of work but Dad staged it, used the right weight fiberglass and we surfed those for our teen years.

[@shlomi12124]

Best video I saw. Thank you for sharing. I have also surfboard.. not so much old. But I want to repaint it and fix some dings. I have question about the boat color you used. "Polyurethane finish.. " showd up on color package. It is ok? (This type of finish) Because you used epoxy in the video. I'm new with all this stuff

[@breannamacneil9703]

Waterlust could you paint underneath the epoxy then pigment it a similar colour as the top coat so that you get a more opaque look

[@kruisinwagen]

Great vid, thanks.

[@TheKingsbeast]

How much did all the materials cost? Fiberglass, resins, micro balloons, etc

[@482racing]

Wonder why you didn’t just single sheet glass it after the repairs?

[@braedyncwiklinski6887]

How well did the boat paint do? And did you put a hot coat over the paint or na

[@jonasschaab7355]

I really love your video. I am working on a similar board and the video helped me solve them. I started with a ding all epoxy kit, to just try out how it turns out. This went well. I am curious, do you ever tried the epoxy from ding all? Does this make a difference to the one from total boat?

[@theempoweringjourney6185]

What a repair mate !! Good job!!! I need to do almost the same on mine and I've never done that before. So thanks, you gave me hope ahah ! I want to know how much resin did you buy for all of the board ? Pint, quart or gallon? And how much resin, hardener and thickener did you mix approximately. I have really no idea.. Thanks for your answer :D

[@theempoweringjourney6185]

@@Waterlust Thanks a lot mate ;)

[@ARAYASMEDIA]

hi i was wondering if i should use a clear coat primer on the board ? i have bought all of your recommended supplies. please let me know if you recommend the primer! good job on your boards!

[@ARAYASMEDIA]

@@Waterlust awesome! how many coats of paint did you use ?

[@cdebaun100]

If I have a bubble that goes across the stringer how should I approach that? Just do it the same at if it wasn’t on the stringer?

[@bowloforanges]

I know this is old, but did the weight of the resin on that large hole have any effect on the weight of the one side causing any balance issues? My nose was a fat bubble so I removed all the glass and now I’m just worried about creating a really heavy front end.

[@Waterlust]

We didn’t notice any imbalance, but on another board we repaired a hole that was so big we used expanding foam to fill the void and then glass over. That helps avoid the weight issue and also is a stronger repair. If you look for the other surfboard repair tutorial on our channel, we walk through the technique there.

[@noahsharp656]

Does the plastic not stick to the resin once it’s cured??

[@noahsharp656]

Waterlust thank you so much!

[@Itsahardknocklife9690]

Dude I got glass bubbles powder, is this the same or similar to micro balloons? Maybe a stupid question but I’m literally just starting out and yours is the only channel I’m using because I don’t want to get caught up with a million different methods from many different people who may all have their own techniques

[@kylieolsen712]

Such a good idea to use boat paint! What brand of boat paint did you use? How is it holding up now?

[@blueskymut]

What is the purpose of the thumbs down on any video? If you don’t like it, just move on to the next one. Or maybe leave a polite, informative and helpful criticism. God Bless all.

[@sallyharden9058]

How did the total boat paint work? I have a few boards that need a similar treatment and I was wondering if the paint worked out and also did you use the wet edge total boat paint?

[@sallyharden9058]

Thank you!!!!

[@mees3749]

@@Waterlust if i would only wanna paint the rails of my board will it stay on as good you think?

[@mees3749]

@@Waterlust would it be any different with another type of paint? Thanks for the quick response by the way!

[@mees3749]

@@Waterlust alright! Thanks again

[@joe1008]

@@Waterlust yeah dude im fixing up a board right now and wanna re paint the whole board what paint should i use?

[@soulesperanza]

How did you get the painters plastic off? Before the epoxy gets dry?

[@ciaranwalters4658]

I use cling film. Works great and really smooth finish

[@waxxoffmusic]

wow such a good video

[@mrhempilll]

I am repairing a fiberglass canoes and I tried your painter's plastic tip. What a nightmare! I just spent 3 hours grinding the resin back off. You didn't mention what mil plastic you used .31 mil painters plastic. I did my best to level it out and remove the wrinkles to no avail and they all showed up on the surface.

[@paddleforlife7644]

What type of paint was it that you used?

[@alexiscanales4925]

any suggestions for what I can use to hold my board up while I work on it?

[@alexiscanales4925]

@@Waterlust Building one sounds fun! Thanks for the inspiration. I took woodworking in high school, maybe I can channel some of that lost knowledge, lol. blessings from santa cruz

[@emans4seam]

Is that long sands?

[@1967250s]

Nice repair. Shame you had to paint over the original stickers and markings though. And love your Vizsla! Sadly, my vizsla just went over the rainbow bridge last week.

[@dhambassador7527]

@@Waterlust couldn’t you tape over the logo(s) before paint ? May sit a little lower but eh. Good stuff !

[@Cuisinenomade1]

Hey thanks forsharingbll those videos, they are really helpful. I got a shortboar, extremely light and fragule so i must do a big repair on it but besides that i want to reinforce itwith epoxy and more glass all over, but after dewaxing i find all those little dents all over the board, in some there are little crack that go all the way to the foam and others like the one you had here on the bottom where the foot falls. How would you go about it since i want to laminate all over after the repair, with all those little pressure dents? Sgould i try fill them up with the microbaloons mixture nd make the board flat again before glassing? I would love to know your thoughts, thanks! And subscribed!

[@Cuisinenomade1]

@@Waterlust FYI, I researched and found that the best option is making a putty with both products, add Q-Cell or microbaloons to make it light, and easy to sand (none add structural strength) and fluffy and the add Cab-O-sill also known as fumed silica and other names, to make thick and it doesn't run. A paste with only Cab-O-Sill will make a good glue for broken in half boards, still adding some Q-cell to make it light and easy to sand. I figured I would share, in case you do not know yet. Cheers!

[@stevehops2825]

Probably should have taped around the two decals. Stewart and Colin deserve to be preserved. Otherwise good work.

[@juan4realz942]

Dude this vid has me stoked. Appreciate it greatly. Question. The paint didn't make the board feel weird or nothing?. I picture Paint chipping and having a weird feeling. I've never worked with boat paint before. Thanks dude

[@juan4realz942]

@@Waterlust yeah that's what I was worried about. Hitting a sand bar and so forth. I'm going to use your items list to get what I need. Thanks for the free advice and video buddy. Bless you and thank you for the response

[@juan4realz942]

@@Waterlust dude...... . Thank you for the knowledge. That's awesome idea.. Interested to see what else you put out In the future.

[@rq5663]

The re filler needs to add new fragment of foam to prevent an increrases in the weigth

[@Surfmus]

It would've been better to complete delaminate the surfboard. Skin it, reglass it and it would have been a new board.

[@treakins2664]

Dude...love this. Just wondering if its worth all the hours to repair a beginner board I just bought. It looks like a lot of work, and I'm not opposed, but how long did this take you in actual hours?

[@treakins2664]

@@Waterlust Its February...so I have some time before any beach trip would happen so I'm going to give it a shot. You have links to the necessary repair products handy?

[@camiologytv7149]

I’m gonna do a similar repair project soon, will be posting it soon.

[@Offenberg89]

GM.. hmmm. you live in Florida? Or the board from FL?

[@jasont4620]

I have a similar board that I would like to sell and not knowing much about boards. What do you suggest in sale price?

[@Rywatts1998]

I bought one for ten bucks that is almost identical to this

[@tonybeatbutcher]

To cut out the bubble, just sand on the fiber until it gets thin, and than cut it with a razor blade.

[@ciaranwalters4658]

Dremel all the way... get a nice clean cut

[@surfbrophil]

I liked your video and what you were trying to accomplish but I would not have painted the board. The reason I say that is the paint won't last very long on the board and the value of the old board went way down. I was looking for a video on foam crack repair on a board and watched your video. One thing that I noticed that you mentioned using epoxy? Did you use epoxy or poly resin? There is a difference and they shouldn't be intermixed. I would have used a pigment on the micro balloons to match the board color. That way you show its age and also keep the Stewart labels which are so cool and classic. That plastic tip is a good one on large repairs, wax paper does the same thing and and works well with small dings and no impact on the environment.

[@surfbrophil]

@@Waterlust Well, you don't have to worry about the sun fading it anymore!

[@mikemalo6336]

Dead credit card, library card, whatever, just needs to have a 90 degree edge and made of stiff plastic = pretty good squeegie!!

[@tundahking]

That board is not very old if you have futures in it

[@StarNestEngineering]

Hi im 15 and i also repaired a ding on my surfboard! Ps i have a video on my channel!

[@DillonRust]

I wonder if you could make a successful small business out of repairing and selling old boards. You could buy busted boards for $50 and then re-sell for $200 or something

[@patefutch6168]

Great job lol just wished you could have kept the name on

[@RammingSpeed3]

if you love your ocean, dont use plastic

[@davi1]

great repair work but you ruined it by painting it.

[@rq5663]

Noooo, you ruined a stewart board adding extra weigh with the paint, sorry

[@chrisdyer6370]

Shame. All those repairs are an old board's history. You've completely eradicated a lovely old board's soul for the sake of a youtube video.

[@hafzamacie8858]

Mine works too. I used the Stodoys plans and performed it without any problems.

[@dudeleboski2692]

Dremel tool

[@Aratkape101]

too much talk

[@Waterlust]

hard to teach without talking 🤣