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Do I have delamination?
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Jim.od3



Joined: 25 Aug 2012
Posts: 90

PostPosted: Sat May 18, 2013 12:00 am    Post subject: Do I have delamination? Reply with quote

I bought a used Mistral Flow last year toward the end of the season, and took it put for a spin today...my first time out this year. The board felt funny under my feet just in front of the back foot strap. Upon closer examination I found a soft area about 6" x 4". It's like an indentation under the hull. The outer hull still has its normal shape, but there's no structural support in this area. I can push the outer skin in about 3/4" before it hits the core of the board. Is this what people refer to as "delamination"? Or is this more likely damage from an impact?

The skin cracked too. I don't know if it happened today due to repeated flexing, or if the crack was there all along, but some water definitely got in. I think the previous owner screwed me. Fortunately I didn't pay very much. Can this be fixed? Any suggestions?
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KevinDo



Joined: 02 Jul 2012
Posts: 426
Location: Cabrillo Inside

PostPosted: Sat May 18, 2013 12:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sounds like you have a soft spot

http://www.boardlady.com/softdeckanalysis.htm
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Jim.od3



Joined: 25 Aug 2012
Posts: 90

PostPosted: Sat May 18, 2013 6:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yep. Board Lady refers to it as "soft deck" on her site. Thanks for the reference. Looks like it is repairable, but may require vacuum sealing, which I've never done. I wonder if I could just inject the foam with the outer shell still in place to keep things compressed. Then once foam sets, cut away the hull over the soft spot and rebuild the deck with fiberglass/epoxy. I've never tried a board repair before, so if I am barking up the wrong tree, please chime in.
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MalibuGuru



Joined: 11 Nov 1993
Posts: 9288

PostPosted: Sat May 18, 2013 7:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Best to take it to a pro unless it's a cheap board. In that case you could inject it with epoxy, and put a couple of bricks on top to hold it to the foam. You could not do this with a delamination bigger than 8"x8".
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swchandler



Joined: 08 Nov 1993
Posts: 10588

PostPosted: Sat May 18, 2013 8:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bard's right, you could do the easy epoxy injection if the area is not too big. However, the worrisome thing is that you can push it in 3/4". That's not good at all, especially if there is any signs of cracks in the deck.

I have a couple of boards that have been fixed by epoxy injection, and I've never had a problem afterward, so it can work. In the end, if you elect to inject the area with epoxy, be sure to use a slow hardener to reduce excessive heat during the curing process. You definitely don't want to fry the EPS foam core.
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Jim.od3



Joined: 25 Aug 2012
Posts: 90

PostPosted: Sat May 18, 2013 11:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Epoxy like this? http://www.amazon.com/Epoxy-Superbond-Resin-Kit-Included/dp/B007GD6Y7W/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1368939026&sr=8-4&keywords=Slow+epoxy ?
Or high density expanding polyurethane foam?

Any tricks for how to about "injecting" this stuff? Sorry . . . Never done this before.
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Jim.od3



Joined: 25 Aug 2012
Posts: 90

PostPosted: Sun May 19, 2013 12:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here's the urethane foam I thought might work. http://www.amazon.com/Urethane-Includes-Excellent-Flotation-Insulation/dp/B007V231P6/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1368939551&sr=8-11&keywords=Polyurethane+foam

I figured something that expanded would fill all the voids nicely. Seems like the advice is to inject epoxy though.
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swchandler



Joined: 08 Nov 1993
Posts: 10588

PostPosted: Sun May 19, 2013 3:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you elect to use epoxy, you should go with quality products like the West System brand. You can buy them at any West Marine store. If you have to buy online, there was a link for West System below the epoxy product you posted. By the way, the Superbond epoxy was a bonding adhesive that wouldn't be the best configuration for your needs. What you need is West System 105 epoxy with 206 slow hardener, or maybe even the 209 extra slow hardener to keep the cure temperature to a minimum. For the injection process you can use West System 807 Syringes. I would also recommend picking up a copy of West System's free User Manual, Product guide 002-950. I covers all their products, and it includes all the information you need to use all of them. It's an outstanding resource.

Regarding use of expanding foam, I wouldn't suggest it unless you properly prepare for it and know just how much material to use. That would require removing all the compromised materials first. Not the easiest project to begin with.
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Jim.od3



Joined: 25 Aug 2012
Posts: 90

PostPosted: Sun May 19, 2013 9:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks so much for the detailed info!
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morpheus



Joined: 20 May 2013
Posts: 3

PostPosted: Mon May 20, 2013 9:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jim.od3 wrote:
Thanks so much for the detailed info!


Thanks from a newbie too.
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