I have a john ashton that I love. I have used the hell out of it the past couple of years and really beat it up. Now the fiberglass is beginning to peel away in alot of spots. I had to switch to a backup board which is just not the same. I once heard something about having a board 'reglassed'. Is that really possible? If so, is it worth it, and where can I get it done?
You could call John and see if he could shape you another. It is however, very hard to recreate a magic board, but he might be able to get close if he has the original to go by. As far as re-glassing your board it would not be worth the effort in my opinion. If you need his contact info. PM me.
I agree, reglassing would not be worth it, if your board is in that bad of shape than reglassing would probably create more problems than it would fix.... it sounds like you could use some serious delamination repairs though... i would try getting those delams fixed and then if that doesn't work (or is not feasible) getting it reshaped.
If the board isnt taking on water and surfs good, then dont have anything done. The above poster is probably right though, you may have some bad delams. They would be worth getting fixed. They are easy enough to fix yourself, or you can pay to have someone to do it. Usually when you spot cracking, it is from delamination, meaning the glue underneath the cloth is loose, and there are soft spots on the board.
I've done both...(have Jon copy a magic board that was delaminating badly, reglass old boards myself) Both are a pain in the ass if you know what i mean... Jon's hard to find these days but i would still do it...his boards are great and he's probably going to have the best shot at approximating the old board - trust me it wont feel exactly the same but closer than something off the rack... Trying to reglass the deck your self is a huge hassle if you aren't already into repairs and isn't the project to learn on...
I have reglassed a board and it was easy. Did it with epoxy over old glass. If the the bottom is fairly solid take a utility knife and cut off the deck following a pinline around (if there is one. Fill in the low spots in the deck with light weight spackle, sand everything, even the old glass on the bottom. Paint the foam on the deck if you want, feather the edges of the bottom glass where it over laps the deck and glass with epoxy resin. You will want to glass the whole board, even the bottom. Expect the board to yellow more than poly but it will be solid. I re-did a walden mini magic and it is a solid as the day it was new (just not as pretty ). Hope this helps.
John is making yachts these days, guess the local shapers are going the way of the buffalo. They just can't compete with the new technology and pricing of the mass produced boards and still make a decent living............
yup thats pretty much it.... except you didn't mention stripping the glass of the bottom so did you glass another layer of fiberglass cloth right over the old bottom glass?
I did. Wasn't sure if it would work but I used course sandpaper and really roughed up the glass removing all of the clear coat. It stuck like glue and it looks pretty perfect other than the yellowing. I think the board is a bit heavier beacuse I layered up the new deck and added a tail patch.
gets heavy. i redid a board of mine . it works great, but the back end is a bit heavy. sometimes i think its good like that tho because it slows me down a bit and helps me tuck right inside.
