Aw sh1t, here we go again........no "intro" post. And you failed Spanish, didn't you?? El Gato is masculine. Negra is feminine adjective. One cannot use them together. FAIL!! F!! for you!!! Now, about your boards........please include "obsessive compulsive" in your intro thread, along with naked peektures of you GF.
No pics rn but could use some advice. Current quiver is a 5'6" catch surf skipper, 9' catch surf log, two short boards that are my size for winter but both have a couple challenging dings, and a 5'8" fish with a gash and some cracks in the tail, been feeling desperate and was thinking of trying to get rid of the three real boards and scrap together money for a decent board for the winter, or maybe just fixing one of the shortys and dealing with the other one and fish down the road. Money is tight this time of year so if anyone can relate or has some quick advise it would be appreciated. Just trying to have a dependable shortboard for winter and not have to use a 5'6" foamy all the time
I say fix them yourself. Even if it's your 1st time, It's doable and you'll learn a lot in the process. A Ding All repair kit isn't very much at all and it can get your board back in the water for another year or two or longer if done right and you take care of your boards. I did an overhaul on one of mine recently and it's like new again. You can see where I did the repairs but they aren't so bad they are major eye sores. Best of all it's water tight again and rides like new. Way cheaper than buying another one.
Check this thread out. It's got all the info you need for the guy doing it in his garage or backyard. Don't worry about all the advanced level stuff with all the top notch equipment some are talking about. Yeah, it'll be good to get to that point one day. But just get the Ding All Repair kit, and follow the basic instructions along with some tips from here. http://www.swellinfo.com/forum/show...Bort-Repair-Thread&highlight=surf+bort+repair
Thanks DP, I prob just needed someone else to say it to me so I didn't take the lazy way out. Been so sick of fixing dings after this summer but not much of a choice now. I'll be hopping on that thread soon with updates on how I do.
That's the spirit. I'll say this, I never used tape before. I used tape this last round and it made life so much easier. I also think having a good razor blade was beneficial. I started with the sand paper that came in the kit but I also picked up a couple boxes of assorted sheets of finer grit sand paper (600-1200) to blend it as much as possible and finished by wet sanding with 1200 I believe. Like I said, it's not perfect, but it's back in the fleet and it's been fun watching other people ride it too, because I don't ride it enough with my other boards.
Right on, it just kills me not having a real board ready for when there's real waves..especially now!
I hear ya, it's worth the investment though. I knocked out about 9 repairs on one board in one day, it was ready for action the next day, but gave it two days before putting it back in the water. Only day you would be missing out on is today and maybe tomorrow and the next day, depending on how much work you have to do.
I'm getting ready to clean up and thin out my quiver, so I pulled most of my boards out today. Didn't pull out the longboard or the SUPs. I don't know how I'm going to get rid of all the guns, though. The Bushman is a custom shaped for Mick Lowe. It looks like a pure Pipe board...I rode it a few times in good Gas Chambers, but never in anything that used it's full performance. Awesome shape, though. I absolutely stole this Merrick. It's a custom, and if the surf shop guy can be believed, the guy who sold it is a ghost shaper for CI and this was his personal board he made for himself. I only used it a handful of times, once on a very good, big day at Laniakea. One of those two waves in two hours kind of days. The red Rawson, third board from top left, is probably my favorite board I've ever owned. It's a Tufflite, but the thing just plain worked in everything. If I could only have one board for the rest of my life, that would probably be it. Just so many good waves on that board, and it is simply indestructable. I lost it at least twice into dry reef with nothing but some scratches or small holes that just needed a little epoxy to fill up good as new.
That is not that many. Not much variation. But it is impressive. You need the longboards added, and an overhead view of all of them with the wax cleaned off.
I have a little shed that I store them in, along with the lawnmower and such. I should have unloaded all the guns before I left Hawaii, but I was hoping to either get sent there for work again, or else retire out there. Not much use for those boards in Rhode Island, and I'm not sure how much use a 7'6 will get in San Diego either. Plus, it seems that nobody rides these shapes anymore.
That was the first time I've had them all out and out of their board bags. I'm going to get some wax cleaner and clean them all up for storage and the upcoming move. I took all the leashes and removable fins off of the ones I'm not planning on riding the rest of my time here. I'd like to try to sell a few of them before I move...they're all just too big for most surfers nowadays. Not many folks are looking to pick up a 6'6 or 6'10, let alone the bigger boards.
One time i laid them out in a big circle, wax-free, size order, overhead view. All polished gloss, all resin tint. 6'4", 6'5",6'6",6'7",6'8",6'9", two 6'10" 's, 7'6", 8'0", 9'6"... I got rid of the 6'4". I am 6'5", old and really crippled. But i added a 7'0", another 7'6", an 8'6", a 9'0", another 9'6", a 10'... My best friend happens to best a world-class shaper... My wife understands. My quiver is lookin' very dried out and dusty. Achilles tendon rupture.