Numerous pressure dings on 3 new boards: a worrisome trend?

If it's in an isolated area, put a patch of fiberglass over it. I do that with all my boards right in the middle, between my feet bc I tend to put my knee down when popping up.

 

You're boards probably all have 4oz glass, combined with cheap blanks that they buy in bulk and depending on what brand it's probably CNC made (computerized). Call a shaper who SHAPES, consider having a 6oz glass job done and you will see an improvement with the thicker glass job. With the cheaper blanks the styrofoam gets really brittle in the core, without someone actually doing the shaping there is a lot to be missed. Currently shaping my own board and going with the 4oz just to see how well the decking holds up, if there's too many dings I'll move to 6oz. Apparently, you're heavy on your feet, which isn't a bad thing, but you'll have to adjust your boards or deal with the dings.

 

Show some images. What kind of boards are you buying? Dings on the bottom? Dings just don't show up on the bottom for no reason. Tell your kids to take better care of your equipment. Pressure dings are quite normal on the deck. You say you have how many years experience?

 

LeastCoast if you just go with just 4 oz., in my opinion, your going to put your heel right through it, just my .02.

 

Pretty much. I'd lean towards a really light glass job problem over a problem with the blank. Only the top guys should be riding light glass jobs but they get 400 boards a year for free so who cares. We all don't have that luxury though. I'd go so far as to say boards with 4oz glass jobs are basically disposable. The average guy seems to get about a year or so out of them before they're pretty beat up. If your not trying to pilot the next aerial revolution go with 6oz and the board should last you for years.

 

I would say it has to due to #1 of your conclusion... Shaping off too much if the blank. I had a board shaped and it's totally the softest board I got and I even had them put on heavier glass...

They also say that a board / resin should cure for a while after - like 4 weeks... So if they where freshly glassed that might be it too..

I would suggest next time purchasing your boards from Belmar area surf shops- really the only quality boards made for quality waves.

 

The deck of the red board looks completely typical to me for a board with a couple years of normal use. If the blue board looks like that after just a few sessions, that looks like a lightly glassed / over shaped blank, possibly related to shaping in those strange channels near the rails by thinning out the deck. Is that something you wanted? I'm curious what is the function of those?

 

Interesting:
"Deck Channels (also referred to as "grab rails", "love handles", "channel tops", "thumb rails", "parabolic air grippers", etc..., etc...) are nothing new. In fact they've been done as early as the mid-80's. People will debate who had it done first by saying that it was "so and so" in Florida in '84 or "that one guy" in Santa Cruz in '83. One thing for certain is that once you have them, no other board will ever feel the same. Most apparent is the feeling of having your hands grip right into them. It's snug under your arm, easy to grip, confident when diving under waves and just plain out feels good to grab onto. Performance aspects are more subtle to differentiate between other deck channels upon first look. Like individual shapers making individual boards, deck channels can be shaped and designed with characteristics associated with any particular shaper. Each of our boards have deck channels hand shaped into the board before getting laminated. There's no machine or router bits or power tools involved. Putting in deck channels involves eyes, hands and an intuition for how the board should perform. Just about every single Stretch board has deck channels. Incorporated with our EPS TECH, they provide: strength, moderated flex and comfort. We shape these into the boards with a smooth edge rolling into the channel and a sharper edge closest to the rail. It allows your thumb to slide and lock into the channel. It also increases board strength. The deck channels follow the outline of the board which gives it the same effect as having a "parabolic stringer" setup. It helps to reduce torsional flex. We also control the foil of the deck channels. This is the depth with respect to its position on the board. The deepest part of the deck channel is always at the center and up towards the nose, where you'd typically grab onto it. The foil will taper out when you get closer to the tail so that the flex is still there and it won't feel rigid. We used to only put deck channels on certain boards after Nathan requested that we put them in his. Since then, everyone who tries them says they can't ever go back. They add some time and labor to the construction process compared to traditional methods but the feeling of having them in your board far outweighs the extra little bit it takes to put them in."
Quote From : http://www.stretchboards.com/contact/faqs.php#faq10

Not sure if that helps with your dings... But that board is totally wrecked! Looks 10 yrs old with someone who has heavy heels!

 

Is that a real 'stretch' board?? If not- maybe it was an inexperienced shaper taking off too much foam on the top while trying to incorporate the rails

 

Stan,
I build my own boards with EPS blanks with two layers of 6 oz. cloth on the deck & bottom with epoxy resin and I have issues with compression dings. If You use the boards as hard as I do they are going to show it. If you use more glass to alleviate the ding issue then you will have more weight to contend with. I'd rather have a light board , wear it out and get another board in the rotation. Best wishes Bro.

 

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this in this thread but has anyone noticed all the 4oz glassed al merricks in brave? I really like them but I would never buy one with 4oz.

 

What company made the blue board, because honestly, the cheap price lures the customer in, sorry to say. Just guessing but the board doesn't look to thin, the glass job must be sub-par. I really want to know what company made this board, so other people are in the know.

 

Its fairly simple to understand. Todays boards are glassed super light for performance so they do not last. If you breathe too heavy on them they can pressure dent. Older boards from late 70s early 80s were glassed heavier and typically had a gloss finish which greatly strengthens the boards. I have many 70s and 80s boards which are still completely rideable/functional due to the build quality. Boards today are throwaway, most have single 4 oz older boards tended to have 2 or even three layers or glass then a gloss coat. Its a trade off/ lightweight = performance but sacrifice durability.

 

The industry standard is and usually uses 6 and 4 oz. for the deck and 4 oz. for the bottom, pros usually have 4 oz. top and bottom and they only use the boards a few times and that's about it. The strength of today's resins and glass are far superior then that of the 70's and 80's, which in turn make the surfboard lighter.

 

from spring to fall i usually get 2 boards , by the end of fall those boards are well played out , dings on the decks even with 6 oz s cloth . buy it , ride it , dings happen . if your looking to find one thats not so easy to ding . try a lib tech , they seem to last a bit longer . just not the same as a hand shaped board .

 

I believe standard is double 4's on top, single 4 on bottom. To add strength they go up to 6 and 4. As far as the people i've ordered boards from anyhow. Or theres "s" cloth. I got my new board with 6 and 4, with the 4 being that s cloth. We'll see how it holds up.

I have a heavy foot so that damage looks about right. Maybe an elbow, or knee hit it a few times as well. But that is life, get thicker glass jobs. I'd guess the op's board was a light density blank matched with a light glass job.

 

THIS is the "industry standard" for most board builders. all stock CIs 6'4" & under are glassed w/ that schedule & will carry the "UL" lam on the bottom of the board near the tail. all other major board manufacturers use basically the same lay up, w/ some variation (SUPER! brand boards are glassed w/ a layer of 4oz S glass on the deck).
& has been noted, while light glassing plays a role in deck denting, excessive or severe denting is most often the result of an over shaped blank or poor foam quality. i couldn't tell the brand on either board in the pics, but if they're having serious dent issues, then i'd be willing to bet they're some super cheap chinese poly crap like a Strive or something.

 

nj42, what do they do with over 6'4?