How to Refurbish Surfboards

Restore your old surfboards.

Surfing is a water and board sport that involves riding a surfboard over the ocean waves. As a sport, surfing demands skill and concentration, since it can be very dangerous because of the unpredictable element of the environment. That is why the equipment--the surfboard--is very important for every surfer. If you want to keep your board safe and make it look as good as new, you may want to learn how to refurbish surfboards.

Things You'll Need

• Sponge
• Multipurpose cleaner
• Sandpaper
• Knife
• Resin
• Brush
• Fiberglass cloth
• Scissors
• Surfing wax
• Cloth

Instructions

1. Clean your surfboard to remove all dirt and sand particles. Use a soft sponge, warm water, and multipurpose cleaner. Leave the board to dry before proceeding with the refurbishing process.

2. Treat the surface of your surfboard with rough grit sandpaper. This step is necessary because it will make the resin substance adhere better to the surface of the board. If there are any loose fiberglass parts or parts that stick out, cut and remove them with a sharp knife.

3. Make a resin mix following the instructions on the package. Also, make sure the resin matches the color of your surfboard as closely as possible.

4. Apply resin to the damaged areas and holes with a brush. Coat the cracks thoroughly, but with a thin layer of resin.

5. Cut fiberglass cloth into a size that is roughly the same as the damaged area, or even a little bit smaller. If the damaged area is big, cut three or four pieces, each smaller than the previous one. Make the largest piece of cloth roughly the same or slightly smaller than the hole. Saturate all cloth pieces with resin mixture.

6. Place the fiberglass cloth over the damaged area that has been coated with resin.

7. Make the area smooth and even, so the repair blends seamlessly into the surfboard surface. Trim any excess while the resin mixture is slowly hardening. Remove any air bubbles from under the cloth. Note that the fiberglass cloth will actually be the new surface of your board. Wait until the board hardens before proceeding to the next step.

8. Treat the whole surface of your surfboard with sandpaper, starting from a rough, 100 grit paper, then moving on to 200 and 400, to finish with a polishing, fine 600 grit sandpaper.

9. Apply specialized surfing wax onto your surfboard, using a dry, soft cloth.

Tips & Warnings

• Consider storing your board in a board sock, which is a cloth sleeve for a surfboard. This will protect the surfboard longer.

• It is extremely important to wear a protective dust mask over your mouth and nose while refurbishing your surfboard.

References

• OTESurf: Surfboard Repair
• Surf the Drift: How to Fix a Surfboard Ding