No more nose jobs!

bred2shred · Joined: 02 May 2000 Posts: 989 Location: Jersey Shore

Option #5

Accept that boards can get damaged (in just about any way conceivable, not just from slamming the nose). Get yourself a little supply of fiberglass cloth, epoxy, sand paper, and acetone and if you ding your board - fix it yourself. You'll save time and money and learn a thing or two about board construction & repair. If your board doesn't have any scars, then it hasn't been ridden hard enough.

sm

scargo · Joined: 19 May 2007 Posts: 394

If you search the forums for Deviator, you'll find lots of information. Most of the comments are unfavorable, but I used one for a couple of years and think it's a good product. Because of the tremendous leverage supplied by a falling mast, it's vitally important that you use a two-bolt base (as recommended in the product literature). But aside from that caveat, I think it's a good solution, and one that you can toss aside once your skills allow.

BTW, the cons include that it can make the sail harder to switch when waterstarting, that you can pinch or bang your foot on it, and that it could possibly damage your board by allowing the mast to pry-bar the mast foot out of the board's deck. The last of which is the only one that concerned me, but I think it's adequately addressed by a two-bolt base. Anyway, I got catapulted plenty, and hard, and it saved many nose jobs.

scargo · Joined: 19 May 2007 Posts: 394

Oh, and to add to shred's point about board repair, West Marine sells a great little $30 kit for board repair. It contains pre-measured packets of resin and hardener, fairing & adhesive fillers, fiberglass fabric, and all the application stuff you need. It wouldn't be adequate for hard-core boat repair, but that's what makes it perfect for working on small areas of board damage. The only additional things you'd need are a few sheets of sandpaper and a small rattle can of paint (auto parts stores tend to have the best selection of colors).

http://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-system--fiberglass-repair-kit-105-k-repair-kit--12954095

boardsurfr · Joined: 23 Aug 2001 Posts: 1266

Put foam on it, and learn to repair it. You'll still be able to see damage with nose protectors. I have used them for about 5 years, and had to repair the nose twice during that time. I left them off after the second repair, and had much worse damage after just a couple of months.

Nose protectors will not completely prevent nose damage. They will work fine in many crashes that may ding an unprotected nose, but if you crash hard enough, the nose will break. That's fine - something has to give, and a nose job is cheaper than a new mast. Once you learn how to repair the damage, chances are you'll say "I should have done that earlier".

I have used the Deviator in the past. I did its job, but is a pain when waterstarting, so I stopped using it. In Bonaire, almost everyone stays in the shallow water, so it's not an issue.

I have the Ion mast pad, and I think it probably works as well as nose pads. But it can get in the way every time you grab the mast, so I don't use it often (mostly when I'm planning to work on loops). For nose pads, I now cut up some surfboard traction pads that I can get in any surf store.

Brian.bigfella@gmail.com · Joined: 11 Jun 2012 Posts: 127

There is literally no down side to padding the nose, other than looking like a dork. We're windsurfers, so most of us look like dorks already.

http://boardlady.com/noseprotection.htm

cgoudie1 · Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2016 7:29 pm Post subject:

Even though it makes no sense, the resale value goes down if you
pad the nose.

-Craig

p.s. Just stand next to a Kiter with shorts over suit, and you'll look plenty
cool.

swchandler · Joined: 08 Nov 1993 Posts: 10588

Craig, I'm with you. I have trouble thinking about padding up my boards. I takes away from the essence of what they are, and I think by adding them, it suggests that I can't practically use them without protection.

However, I will admit that I always wear a helmet.

boardsurfr · Joined: 23 Aug 2001 Posts: 1266

U2U2U2 · Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2016 11:56 am Post subject:

If inclined
The use of deck pad material, comes plain , cut your own shape, 3M adhesive back is my preference.

The use of a pad on the mast, ION makes one for both RDM/ SDM .

I FEEL neither of these will totally prevent nose crunch / damage, it's a added precaution

Brian.bigfella@gmail.com · Joined: 11 Jun 2012 Posts: 127

If you're doing it DIY, I'd go with something beefy. Footpads aren't made to distribute the force of impact, they're made to make sure your feet are grippy and comfy. These 1" gym mats are fairly cheap and stronger than heck, plus they're specifically made to catch heavy, falling objects and not crack what's underneath. They also come in different colors so they're a little less ugly. The downside is weight. Even if you only use 1/2 sqft it's almost 2 pounds. Helps trim the board I guess.

Again, they won't prevent every ding. But I don't think anything will.

http://www.rubberflooringinc.com/interlocking-tile/1-sports-play-tile.html