advice needed on how to seal up strap inserts

jeremy · Since 18 Aug 2006 276 Posts Manzo & HR Obsessed

Hi.

I purchased a kiteboard recently off of ikitesurf.com, it ended up arriving with dry-out holes in the tail (obviously not a good sign). I plugged these up with epoxy putty, mounted the straps with the correct size screws, and the next day had a good 2-hr session on it. Well, turns out the board had those dry-out holes for a reason, the board took on a lot of water from that one session and was draining out many of the rear insert holes the next few days. I took off the traction pad and sure enough, many of the holes were punched through to the foam, one even had a rusted out screw still in it.

So, I was considering just sealing them up, but the epoxy putty I have doesn't bond to plastic, was wondering what is the best thing to seal them up with. Or, is it affordable to just take it into a repair shop and have the bad inserts taken out and new inserts installed (would prefer just one centered set).

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

borntofli · Since 29 Apr 2010 90 Posts

Throw it in the garbage and find another one.... must be like kiting on a lead plank when it fill w/ water...

beech · Since 21 Aug 2010 486 Posts Longview, WA Obsessed

if the ikitesuck seller failed to mention DRAIN HOLES in the board i'd have some words for him. but, yeah, that will make a good coffee table in your man cave.

Nak · Thu Aug 29, 13 7:33 am

Epoxy putty does a horrible job of sealing holes so that they are waterproof. It just doesn't flow in to every nook and cranny. Use some slow cure epoxy .I think your best bet is to turn this board into a strapless board. let it lay out in the Sun for at least a week before you fill the holes. Then fill every hole in the board. And you really should post the user name of the jackass who sold you the board, both here and on IKitesurf. if you really don't want strapless, NSI makes pads with inserts built in. I really don't know how tough it will be to get off the old pads though.

jeremy · Since 18 Aug 2006 276 Posts Manzo & HR Obsessed

Yeah, seller screwed me, claims board was only used strapless and doesn't know anything about the dry-out holes in tail, plus blames me and LF for the bad inserts. I have a Paypal dispute open, don't know if I'll see anything out of it. That's all the negative crap.

Regarding the board, it's a fun board, enough water's dripped out that it's down to 9.6lbs w/ straps/fins, I'm not to the point of writing it off. I'm going to let it dry out a bit more, then want to squirt something into all the bust holes to try and seal them up. They are the simple plastic inserts that you screw into (like on Naish boards). I was just wondering if anyone had a recommendation what to use to seal up the holes.

Surfwind · Since 24 Jul 2013 63 Posts

Personally, I would use West Systems G Flex Epoxy... I used this stuff to make a few Splitboards for Snowboarding and it's amazing, durable and designed for High Impactflexible applications. If I bought this board I would take the time to fix it.

That being said. That guy on Iwindsurf is a POS and should own up to being one. Karma will take care of that prick. I wish him many ripped kites. If you can afford it buying a different board and selling this one for beer is a good idea.

jeremy · Since 18 Aug 2006 276 Posts Manzo & HR Obsessed

I pulled off old pads and cleaned off the adhesive. Trick was to coat the old adhesive with corn oil, let sit overnight to soften the adhesive, and then scrap off.

I'm leaning towards using slow cure epoxy, at least it should bond to the glass at the top. I want to use the board with straps, it's a fast board and I like jumping.

I'm trying to decide between using NSI surface mount inserts versus drilling a few new holes between the bad holes. The NSI inserts look cool, just worried they will stay attached to the board, I've seen a NSI pad pulled off a board here, but don't know if it was properly installed.

cosmodog · Since 06 Oct 2005 204 Posts Stoked

I have used silicone on an old windsurf with leaking inserts. Worked fine.

Anthony · Since 07 Oct 2008 362 Posts Salem Obsessed **CGKA Member**

Jeremy

It sounds like the water is leaking into the core. That weakens the core. Sorry the board is trash in the end. Dry it out and seal the holes with epoxy, enjoy as long as you can. I have been screwed by dealer in the past who never checked a used kite before selling. I fixed so many holes in the bladder I finally replaced it. It was missing one of the lines. It took me nine months of asking, then telling him I was going to post his lack of action for him to sent me some used lines. He was such a jerk and full of himself.

wakeup · Since 11 Sep 2005 328 Posts always Obsessed

i know all of yall are into epoxy but cyanoacrylate or super glue is the best and is easier to apply with better results.
at the hobby shop they make two kinds - thin and gap filling. the thin is like water so when it goes in it fills the smallest of gaps and holes. the gap filling is good for filling voids.
I've blown out an entire edge of a wakeboard and fully repaired it with this
there is an accelerator that you buy that sprays on and instantly cures it. you could be out and riding right after fixing it.
fully sandable too

ldhr · Since 21 Jul 2009 1489 Posts Hood River XTreme Poster

NSI has peel and stick inserts that are bomber. They're made by 3M.
I have them on 2 boards and they work great.
http://www.northshoreinc.com/store/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=159&idcategory=38

Nak · Thu Aug 29, 13 11:43 am

Pepi · Fri Aug 30, 13 9:26 pm

I would say reality-wise those are not proper inserts and likely the person was beyond incompetent and made a bunch of holes straight through the glass and into the core.

To properly repair this board, here are a few steps to consider (yes this will look a lot of work, but it will permanently repair your board) :
*Silicone never works for this sort of repair, and Joby's suggestion is how I do a lot of repairs, but not for this big of a damaged area.

1) drill open holes in tail again - insert paper towel pieces into all the tail and the footstrap holes. Stand up board in a warm place (maybe in a sunny part of your yard). Heat blankets are good for pushing water out of core, but kinda unsafe.
The heat will cause expansion in the board each day and push the water out. The papertowel pieces will act as capillary wicks and pull the water out of the core.

2) After there is no more water coming out, now it's time to prep the area for repair.
Use 50grit sandpaper to sand off the paint all around the holed area of the deck at least as far as 1/2"-1" all around the area. (this will allow your repairs to bond to the glassed resin skin instead of the paint)

3) Hole Filling - This must be done in the evening, or when the board is cooling (contracting will occur from the cooling effect and pull resin in, instead of pushing resin out). Mix epoxy resin with either cabisol or microballoon filler (must mix thick enough to consistency of peanut butter). Use the epoxy to fill in the holes (use a baby feeding syringe if necessary to inject resin deeply into holes).

4) After the filled holes have cured, sand down and then use epoxy resin and sheet of fiberglass (2 sheets if it needs reinforcement for jumpint) that will cover the entire sanded area and then glass it into place. Same deal with the tail holes if necessary (although if properly done the epoxy with filler should adequately seal the holes).

5) Sand down all the repairs so that they are somewhat smooth and then put a new deck pad over the repaired area and enjoy the board.

6) Share details for the douchebag who sold you the board so that no other locals will get suckered by this seller again.

For more info go to this website. This lady is the goddess of board repair advice:
http://www.boardlady.com/repairmenu.htm