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Water in the Core...
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Thurston



Joined: 08 Jul 2013
Posts: 101

PostPosted: Fri Sep 13, 2013 9:29 am    Post subject: Water in the Core... Reply with quote

So I noticed 2 days ago that I lost the circular piece that had a tie off point in the nose of my old longboard had somehow popped out and gone missing.
This left a 2"-3" diameter hole in the nose of my board, exposing core foam. I don't know how long ago this happened, but I definitely have some water in the core foam, probably a lot of it. I tried to let it dry out over the past couple of night, but the foam is still wet to the touch. Mad

What are my options here? I don't want to do anything expensive to fix it (it's a 20+ year old long board). I also unfortunately don't have time to get into an extensive project if that's what it takes. I do want to get back out on the water as soon as possible. Is there a simple way to get all the water out and repair the hole? Should I be looking into a new board?
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spennie



Joined: 13 Oct 1995
Posts: 975
Location: Thousand Oaks, CA

PostPosted: Fri Sep 13, 2013 9:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Stand the board nose down against a wall, put a shop-vac hose over the hole and leave it on for 1/2 hour, then stuff it full of paper towels and put it out in the sun for a couple of days. Patch over the hole & you're done! Low tech, but should be good enough for the board you're describing.
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Sailboarder



Joined: 10 Apr 2011
Posts: 656

PostPosted: Fri Sep 13, 2013 12:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I tried many things to dry my old long board with not much success. From my estimate of 15 pounds of water, there are still probably 10 in it.

My board soaked water for years outside, so the water migrated a long way in the board. You might be able to get better results since water may still be close to the opening.

Once you are done with drying, repair the hole as spennie said. No need to get rid of the board, unless it is now too heavy for you.

In my case, I was afraid that the board wouldn't pass freezing winter here in Canada due to expansion but it did well. And it spent several weeks in the water this summer without picking up more. We left it moored at the cottage. It easier for the kids to use it that way.
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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Fri Sep 13, 2013 12:33 pm    Post subject: Re: Water in the Core... Reply with quote

Thurston wrote:
Is there a simple way to get all the water out ? Should I be looking into a new board?

No. Yes.

ANY moisture in a core triggers terminal cancer (disingtegration), and even months of active (pumps, etc.), professional drying will not remove enough moisture to cure it. The vapor expands and migrates to contaminate and destroy the entire core. I'd buy a fish tank pump, pump air into one hole and out another (drill one if necessary at the other end of the board), set the board in the sun, leave it there for months, then patch the holes as best as I could ...


Naaaah. Never mind; it's doomed. Just do what Spennie said, then plug/cover the leaks and sail it 'til it falls apart. It might last years if seldom used and kept indoors otherwise. In the meantime, find a dry replacement in somebody's garage for the price of a tank of gas.

Mike \m/
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bred2shred



Joined: 02 May 2000
Posts: 989
Location: Jersey Shore

PostPosted: Fri Sep 13, 2013 3:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Drill a series of 1/4" diameter holes into the core in a grid pattern (2" or so apart). Keep drilling holes until you get to dry core. Let the board sit out in the sun for a few days so the core dries out. After the core is dry, fill the holes with expanding urethane foam to seal up. I wouldn't do this on a board I cared a lot about, but for a 20 year old board, it should get the core dried out quick and cheap and get you back on the water.

sm
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hilton08



Joined: 02 Apr 2000
Posts: 505

PostPosted: Sun Sep 15, 2013 1:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

What kind of board is it, epoxy or plastic?

Many of the older plastic skinned boards had a closed cell foam core that won't absorb much water, they were just heavy to begin with.
If the board has an EPS core, the manufacturer probably would have sealed it with something more than just the towing eye plug. The hole you have may be where they injected a PU foam into the core of the board.
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keycocker



Joined: 10 Jul 2005
Posts: 3598

PostPosted: Sun Sep 15, 2013 3:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

We have had success drying boards out but not in two days.
When you lay it up in the sun for several months just like spennie said, with a trash bag or black cloth on it, you can get good results.
If it migrated through the core it can migrate out just as well ,but it will take a long time.
Take his advice and open it up to fix the water over the next storage period.
We fixed one by cutting 16 ins off the front before we dried it. We thought it would sail like a shorter board.
Wrong. It sailed exactly the same. That part of the board is not in the water very much so has been omitted on modern big boards.
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keycocker



Joined: 10 Jul 2005
Posts: 3598

PostPosted: Sun Sep 15, 2013 3:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Good post Hilton If the OP. doesnt know already EPS is loose white bubbles.the other foams come in colors and are uniform in texture.
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dllee



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 5328
Location: East Bay

PostPosted: Sun Sep 15, 2013 3:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

As above, what company what model.
PU boards don't soak much water, and can be drained stood on the nose in 2 days. NOT nights.
Styro boards suck in water, might take triple the time to drain 80% of the water out.
My car has a problem. I won't tell you what car I have.
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nw30



Joined: 21 Dec 2008
Posts: 6485
Location: The eye of the universe, Cen. Cal. coast

PostPosted: Sun Sep 15, 2013 6:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

spennie wrote:
Stand the board nose down against a wall, put a shop-vac hose over the hole and leave it on for 1/2 hour, then stuff it full of paper towels and put it out in the sun for a couple of days. Patch over the hole & you're done! Low tech, but should be good enough for the board you're describing.

I'd go 4 or 5 days in the sun w/ the hole at the lowest point, but I wouldn't do the shop vac thing, that's a great way to burn out the motor, I've gone thru too many shop vacs already, not for that, but similar forms of abuse.
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