Repair advice for an old Mistral TCS Competition

[dpsilver]

My 10 yo son and I were out having a good time on a lake in Ct (lakes are great for learning- all winds are onshore!) this past weekend, and he got catapulted for the first time. He is fine- I am actually kinda proud of him for being so aggressive on his 5th ride or so- but the board, an older Mistral beauty, a TCS Competition, has a nice dent on the deck about 2 feet or so behind the nose where the boom head clunked it.

The dent cracked the tough outer surface of the board, and is about 5 inches in diameter, 1/2 an inch deep. I can see the foam inside. None of the outer surface of the board is missing- just cracked. I have no experience repairing boards, but am eager to get this one going again. I would really appreciate any advice on how to repair it. Thanks!

[JRuffus]

if its plastic, polyethalene..its a really tought fix as not muhc bonds to it. you can try West system Epoxy system...seems to stick to almost anything for a repair like that it should work regardless...west system isnt cheap be about $50 for the stuff but should do the trick.

OR, you can buy some plumbers putty, the same stuff as ding stick and just fill in the crack..all you need to do is prevent water from getting in for that tank. Could even go the silicon route, or blue gasket maker for automotive gaskets. dont go crazy trying to fix it right, just get it sealed. you could, sriously, just use Gorilla Tape...it will seal it, and hold up well enough for a while, then just keep taping it as needed. if you go the gorilla tape, put silocone or gasket maker in the foam let it dry then tape it. just looking to keep water out.

[armaswindsurf]

All that before is ok, and you don't have to get so crazy cuz anyway is the board that you kid is using for learning (meaning is gonna been hit many more times)

So, in my vast experience repairing (a windsurfer from Cuba!!!) I just want to give you 1 more advise, BEFORE DO ANY REPAIR, LET THE BOARD DRY FOR AT LEAST A MINIMUM OF 24H AND TRY THE SUN HEAT IT... CUZ THE WATER INSIDE BECOME STEAM AND GET OUT OF THE BOARD,TAKING AWAY THE EXTRA WEIGHT, AND BEFORE START REPAIRING.. LET THE BOARD COOL DOWN FOR A WILE (NEVER MAKE A REPAIR IN CONDITIONS THAT THE BOARD MAY GET HOT) EVEN THE MOST LITTLE HEAT CAN PROVOKE THAT WILE WHAT EVER YOU USE TO SEAL IS FRESH... AIR BUBBLES ARE GOING TO RUIN YOUR WORK MAKING IMPOSSIBLE THE REPAIR... as more cool the board... better.

And remember sand every surface that is about to receive any kind of glue!!!

[johnson_brian_j]

There are some good tips here:

http://boardlady.com/

I recently repaired a board with damage similar to what you describe, and I'm really happy with the results. Send me a PM if you want details.