Dark Boards.....Too Hot?

[GURGLETROUSERS]

A telling quote from Dan, who was quoting the expert chemist!

'She said that the reason people love Goretex over most other similar products is because Goretex is both highly breathable, NEARLY WATERPROOF, and almost totally windproof.'

If those were her exact words, isn't saying NEARLY WATERPROOF a little more misleading than correctly saying it is NOT COMPLETELY WATERPROOF?

Isn't that the prime objection to its use as a vent material in in expensive windsurfing board, which practically lives in, and under, water?

[McSurfin]

Theories are good, but sometimes the proof is in the pudding as they say
Carbon Art has been using goretex vents in their boards for almost 20 years - the ONLY failure has been from someone removing the protective cover and tampering with it. Keep in mind a vent plug is not the same as a jacket that is worn, gets dirty, is exposed to sunlight and is constantly flexing/moving/rubbed etc. So yes goretex vents are awesome, just don't mess with it and you'll be sweet
The actual amount of air that is moved in/out of a board is perhaps less extreme than people imagine, and the board deck doesn't actually remain pushed under water for any extended period of time - so no need to worry about sucking in water in a temperature change. It is actually possible for a board to have no vent plug at all as long as it's built well...and yes this has been tested on many a board back in the day, even on extreme pressure changes of air travel!

As for the original dark board question - they do get hotter, which means they're a greater test of your board build as any defects in the lamination process would show up a lot quicker with extreme heat. Proper curing of an epoxy laminate should also include a heated 'baking' - so there's no way your board should start going mushy on hot day. At the end of the day if it's built well, there should be no issues, but there's no harm from being sensible and avoiding leaving a black board in the sun all day...or any coloured board inside a locked up car on a hot day

[marc5]

Yes, an old thread, but I couldn't help reviving it when I saw the ads for the latest version of my favorite but mostly black board, a 2015 RRD Firemove:

http://www.robertoriccidesigns.com/equipment/blog/firemove-v3-out-now/

Just as I wondered earlier in this thread, the new version is nearly white! Do you think it is simply a fashion statement (long skirt/short short), or did they have some issues and customer comments that convinced them to go white? White boards are cool!

[NOVAAN]

Had both black and white. For all the above reasons I do not buy dark colored boards any more. White with a blue or red stripe is ok with me...

[rollerrider]

Of course black gets hot in the sun. DUH. Also EPS foam has a low melting temp. 165 degrees I think.

[DanWeiss]