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These repair ideas are intended for people who have standard surlyn bottoms and foam tops and are not really relevant for owners of Kenu boards which use what we believe are better, longer lasting materials such as vinyl tops and special hard bottom plastic.

 

Things you will need:1. Hot glue gun and glue sticks 2. Quickfix repair sealant 3. Razor 4. Acetate 5. Hot gun

 

Note: The smartest thing to do when you buy a new board is to save your receipt. Remember that no manufacturer has a warranty against creasing.

Because of new government environmental regulations, manufacturers are being forced to use new foams that are more prone to delaminate than foams in the past. Also, you may have bought a board made in China or some other third world nation where they are not quite as concerned about quality or materials. If you do have a delam, etc. take the board back to where you bought it immediately- get a refund and buy another board that was made in the good old U.S.A. Maybe if you are lucky, that won't fall apart too!

1. Installing leash plug- Decide where you want the plug on the top of your board. With a Philips head screwdriver, push through the board till you almost come out through the bottom. Carefully put your 2 fingers there to feel for the end of the screwdriver to prevent the bottom from delaminating as you carefully push the driver all the way through. On the top, squirt in some Quickfix or waterproof caulking to seal the hole and screw in the plug with a large flathead screwdriver from the bottom. Use hot glue for a faster job.

2. Delaminations- On most nose, tail, and rail delaminations that are small to a few inches long, squirt in hot glue quickly in uniform lines onto the core foam and then either hold or tape in place for 5 minutes. On the outer seam put another small bead of hot glue or Quickfix to seal it.

3. Dings- Fill with Quickfix, or if it's a big hole use hot glue and even cut a replacement piece of foam and hot glue it in if you have to. Seal all seams with hot glue or Quickfix.

4. Bubbles on top- Take it back to the dealer if you can, or carefully slice with a razor on the side of the bubble and squirt in some hot glue lines quickly and press down on the bubble for a few minutes. Contact cement could also be used if the bubble is real big. Because there was a bubble, the top foam has expanded and probably will not fit perfectly when you press it down. Trim off any excess foam and put a bead of Quickfix or hot glue on the seam.

5. Bubbles on bottom- Take it back if you can, otherwise do the same as for bubbles on the top. On some glued type boards, try reactivating the glue under the skin by heating the top skin carefully with a hotgun, or just press real hard on the bubble to try to get it to rebond.

6. Creases- A crease means your board has been overstressed and damaged. Stand up your board and grip the nose with one hand while pressing in the center of your board with the other. You'll probably notice that the board feels much weaker. To fix the crease you can use a lot of Quickfix to fill the crease if you want to make the bottom smoother, but this will make the board heavier and will look pretty bad. No board manufacturer warranties a board against creasing, so there is not much you can do besides saving it to use it as a spare, or sell it.

7. Animal scratches, small holes- Hot glue down any raised foam pieces, or fill with hot glue or Quickfix.

8. Rough rail foam- Hot glue or cut off any excess foam.  For super smooth trick rails, place clear sheet of Acetate on area, and iron at low heat. Cool with moist rag and then peel off. Practice this on an old board first before you try it on your good one!

9. Water in Board- All boards will absorb some water. As they get older the foam cells open up due to the sun, salt water, and stress. There is not much you can do besides rinsing your board with plain water and standing your board up at the end of a session to let the water drip out from the bottom. Keep all holes and dings repaired with silicone or hot glue.

10. Too much rocker- If your board is negative or positive rocker, try either bending a warm board carefully by hand, or lay a weight on it overnight. Be careful when bending or laying weights (books,etc.) that you do not crease the board. Sometimes these steps will help for awhile, but usually the board will return to the bad rocker.

11. Board fading- Some foam colors like purples, blues, pinks, etc. will fade over time. There is nothing you can do besides replace the fading foam, which is probably not worth it. Keep your board out of the sun whenever possible, don't leave it baking in the car, always cover with a board bag when not using.

12. Cleaning board- Rinse board with plain water after every use. To clean off wax on top, let board warm up in the sun for a few minutes, (or use hair dryer) then scrape off old wax with stiff cardboard. To clean bottom- in a well ventilated area, use mineral spirits (paint thinner) and a rag. Wipe off immediately after with plain water.

TIPS: 1. Safety first. Take your time, be careful with sharp knives and hot tools. 2. Use contact cement, mineral spirits only in well ventilated areas. 3. Contact cement will bond immediately on contact with itself. Keep glued items carefully separated and positioned before contact.