Surfboard ding repair: when to fix a ding, and when it can wait

What a ding repair costs depends on how many dings there are, where they are and whether the colour has to be matched; the guide prices from the job sheet in our Currumbin Waters workshop are in the table below, and Joe confirms the exact price from a photo. Whether it needs fixing before your next surf comes down to one question: has the fibreglass skin been broken? If it has, keep the board out of the water until it is sealed.

Every surfer has stood in a car park looking at a fresh ding and wondering about both of those things. We repair boards every day, so here are straight answers.

Looking for prices? Every guide price from the job sheet, for surfboards, longboards, foils, skis and boats, is on the surfboard repair price list.

The one test that matters

Has the fibreglass skin been broken?

A surfboard is foam sealed inside a thin shell of glass and resin. As long as the shell is intact, the board is fine. Once it is cracked or punctured, water gets into the foam, and that is where the damage really starts.

Press gently around the ding with your thumb.

• If the glass is dented but unbroken and nothing moves, it is a pressure dent. It is cosmetic. You can keep surfing.
• If you can see a crack, feel a sharp edge, or the glass flexes or clicks, the skin is open.
• If water beads out when you press, or the area looks darker than the rest, water is already in.

If the skin is open, stop surfing that board until it is sealed.

What happens if you leave it

Foam soaks up salt water. The board gets heavier. On a PU board the wet foam goes brown and soft, and the glass around it can start to lift away. That is delamination, and it turns a small repair into a large one. On an EPS board water can travel further through the foam before you notice.

Then the sun gets involved. A wet board left in a hot car builds pressure inside, and that can push the glass off the foam from underneath.

A ding caught the day it happens is a small repair. The same ding after a month of surfing can be several times the work.

Fix now, or fix soon

Fix before your next surf:

• Any crack or hole you can catch a fingernail in.
• Anything on the rails, nose or tail. They take the most knocks.
• Cracks around a fin box or leash plug. These are structural, and they get worse under load.
• A crease across the board, especially one you can feel on both the deck and the bottom. A crease is a board that has started to snap.

Can wait, but keep an eye on it:

• Pressure dents on the deck from your feet and knees, where the glass is unbroken.
• Fine surface scratches.
• Yellowing.

If you are stuck somewhere and want one more surf, a strip of proper ding tape will keep water out for a day. Treat it as a bandage, not a repair.

What a proper repair involves

For anyone curious about what you are paying for:

• The board is dried out first. Sealing water in is worse than leaving the ding open.
• Damaged glass and any rotten foam are cut back to sound material.
• Missing foam is filled and shaped.
• New fibreglass is laminated over the area, overlapping onto good glass.
• The repair is filled, sanded flush, and colour matched to the board.
• It is finished to match the rest: matt, or polished if the board is gloss.

All of it happens in our factory, and every repair is done by Joe. EPS and epoxy boards are repaired with epoxy, never polyester. If the board needs more than a patch, such as a faded rail or a full respray, that is on the paint and respray page.

What it costs

These are the prices on the printed shortboard job sheet in Joe’s workshop, for PU or EPS boards. The full surfboard repair price list covers every craft.

Longboards use the same list, with a few additions.

A few notes on reading that list.

It gets cheaper per ding, because much of the time goes into setting up, mixing and finishing. If the board has one ding you know about and two you have been ignoring, do them together.

Colour match has a wide range. A white board is the simple end. A faded tint or a spray takes real time to mix and blend, and the price follows.

A snap is not always the end. A good board is often worth rejoining. A tired board that was already heavy and yellow may not be, and Joe will tell you.

Is it worth fixing?

Sometimes it is not, and we would sooner say so than take your money. A rough guide: if the repair costs more than the board is worth to you, and it is not a board you love, put the money toward the next one.

Boards people do love are a different sum. Old single fins, a first custom, a board somebody’s dad shaped. We restore those too, with respect for the original scars, as one of the reviews below puts it.

How long it takes

It depends on the job and what else is on the bench, so Joe gives you a time when he quotes. Several of our Google reviews mention a quick turnaround, including a longboard repair that, in the owner’s words, “was finished within a few days”. If you are visiting and need a board back before a flight, say so up front.

Getting a quote

Text a clear photo of the damage to 0422 435 689. One close up, one from further back so Joe can see where on the board it is. You will get a price back. Or just bring it in. We are open Monday to Friday 9am to 4:30pm and Saturday 9am to 12pm at 2/14 Nuban St, Currumbin Waters, and you do not need to book.

We repair any brand of surfboard, in PU or EPS, plus soft tops and surf lifesaving boards. Fin boxes get their own guide, boats and Jet Skis have the fibreglass boat repair guide, and everything else is on the surfboard repairs page.

Questions

More answers in the Cross Design FAQ.

How much does a surfboard ding repair cost?

It depends on the number of dings, where they are and whether colour has to be matched. The guide prices from our workshop job sheet are in the table above, and Joe confirms the exact price from a photo of your board.

Can I surf with a ding?

Only if the fibreglass is unbroken, such as a pressure dent. If the skin is cracked or open, water gets into the foam, so keep the board out of the water until it is sealed.

Can you repair epoxy and EPS surfboards?

Yes. EPS and epoxy boards are repaired with epoxy resin, and the shortboard price list covers PU and EPS boards.

How do I get a quote?

Text a clear photo of the damage to 0422 435 689, or bring the board to 2/14 Nuban St, Currumbin Waters during opening hours. Quotes are free.