Hello, I just bought a 5'11 fred rubble from my local surf shop and took it out for the first time today. I surf in southampton,NY it was about chest high. I was only out for about 45min. I caught a wave and bailed and paddled back out turned over my board and saw there was a big pressure ding on the bottom of my board with a crack going through it. I know for a fact that i did not hit it on a rock because it was high tide and there was at least 7 ft of water between my board and the bottom of the ocean. I do not know what i should do will channel island take it back? Also if i get it professionally repaired will it affect the performance of the board at all? Sorry for all the questions im just really angry this happened i just spent $650 on the board and i only got to use it once. Thanks, Harrison
Don't sweat. That's a ding we've all gotten and it can happen just as easily on the first session on a new board as the 100th session on an old board. Its an easy fix for any ding repair guy, wont cost you much, wont affect performance. and no don't ask Channel Islands to take it back. Seriously, its not a big deal if repaired properly.
Thanks mitchell i guess i was just afraid it was going to affect my board. I feel better now thanks for the reassurance.
Man, I feel like all CI boards are glassed so thin. Mine got dinged up pretty bad too aftter a couple sessions.
while i've had several great CIs over the years, people would do well to remember that CI is a "performance-oriented, rider-based company". in other words, they don't give a **** about durability or longevity. if you want a CI & want it to last, custom order it w/ their "standard" glass job-6/4 deck, 4 bottom. that's still plenty light enough for the average, every day surfer. or, if you're heavier (200lbs+)/heavier on your fee, or don't care about weight, get the "gun" glassing-6/4 deck, 6 bottom.
Throw a fiberglass patch over it and put resin on it. Then surround the ding with cardboard and add lots of resin. Finally sand that ish flush with the rest of the board. Easy, inexpensive and durable solution.
No big issue to fix that mate. Enjoy the board! Remember dings and imperfections are signs of a board well used.
Getting a crack the first day is the worst. Last winter, I bought a brand new snowboard and, on the first day, a rock tore a huge chunk of p-tex off the bottom, exposing the wood core (much harder to fix than a surfboard). This summer I bought a new surfboard, dropped in on some guy's tanker and put a big crack in my rail the first day. goes with the territory when surfing in crowds. I'm not gonna lower my wave count just to save my board because people aren't making any effort to get out of my way. If the wave is good and people are lounging on the inside, I just drop in while doing my best not to bump rails. New or not, I can't let my board be so precious that it takes away from actual surfing. I usually fix my own dings, but your ding is kinda ugly (sorry), so I'd probably have a pro repair it as perfect as possible.
That is the exact reason why I buy all my boards second hand. With some patience and OCD you could get that board on craigslist for about half price with stomp on already. 650 for a new board is way out of my price range. Don't get it twisted though channel islands are great boards.
Same sorta thing happened to me and my merrick. Took off on a 2 footer, went for a head dip, got clipped by the lip and sucked over, and while trying to save my face i put a solid ding with my elbow. Freak accidents happen, but most of the time the repair man will fix it up to where you won't even notice.
You are the proud owner of used surfboard now. Clean the wax off of the deck and you can count the rides you actually stood up on through dents on the deck. Those boards are the 7 ply maple skate decks of surfboards- not meant to last and destined to break sooner than later. You just bought a top fuel dragster to go to the Qwiky Mart with and backed it into the gas pump. Thing is in surfing you are not supposed to crash. Might want to get a used BIC or NSP and surf instead of enriching Jake Burton and his pet surfboard company. But you had to see if a pro surfer hyped sled would make you a hero. No, grasshopper - the surfer makes the ride, not the equipment. It's the indian not the arrow that brings home the meat.
I feel your pain buddy. I dinged the nose of my new custom taking it out of the car after it's first session. If it's really a bad ding take it to someone who specializes in fixing boards. It's a new stick it will still look new. In the plus side, at least you got that out I the way. Next ding won't be so traumatic.
All my boards are glassed fairly light but my Merrick is the only one that gets a ding if you look at it. The glassing flat out sucks. They use a number of different glassing houses, some better than others. Mine was glassed by "Mystery Glassing" and if I ever bought another Merrick I'd make sure it wasn't from them. Sorry to hear about it. If there's no crack just ride it. Wait tiill you accumulate a few and get them all fixed at once. By comparison I have a DHD that's going on 4 years old, light glassing as well, but even the deck has hardly any dings. Lots of variables, hard to know when you buy one. Also have a newer Lost and the glassing is pretty good on that as well.
