BOARD DURABILITY

SURFBOARD GUIDE - GENERAL BOARD DURABILITY

PRESSURE DENTS, DINGS, AND BROKEN BOARDS

So, you’ve been surfing your new board the past couple weeks and go to load it in your car when you notice some dents on the deck. WHAT THE HECK!? We all know the feeling but don’t fret, pressure dents (even big ones) are normal to see even on fibreglass /epoxy boards.

Pressure dents on the deck are caused by a few things. As their name describes, the constant pressure that your feet and knees produce onto the top of the board compresses the foam over time. Many times, people worry that this means the board is of lower quality or that it’s going to affect performance, but this just is not the case. You can buy a $1200 board that will dent on the first session out (ask the pros).

If you surf, you WILL damage your board. Some of us have broken new boards on the first day! An elbow can crack a rail. Going over the falls can add an unwanted nose job. A knee can expose a stringer. A shallow duckdive can dislodge a fin box. Many times, it’s not even while surfing (a doorknob or seatbelt buckle). Sometimes damage just magically appears (aka the phantom ding). There are even cases where the lip of a wave crashing just right results in a snapped board. Bottom line, if you want to keep your board in perfect condition, hang it on the wall and try something else. SURFBOARDS WILL DING.

SO WHAT ARE THE SOLUTIONS?

The answer is easy, don’t surf. Sounds intense but unfortunately damaging your board is just part of the game of surfing. Especially as you learn, we all go through the growing pains getting to our knees first before standing or falling on top of the board. While our boards are definitely strong, they are not indestructible.

Your only other option is more resin and/or more fiberglass cloth. A thicker glass job is stronger and will resist pressure denting, however, more glass equals more weight. More weight means a heavier, less manoeuvrable board. The balance is a delicate one. We’ve done our best to balance performance and durability.

WHY NOT MAKE SURFBOARDS INDESTRUCTIBLE?

Performance, performance, performance... While you may not notice it at first our B Softboard has more manoeuvrability than some other brands who make the so-called “bullet-proof” surfboards. These “bullet-proof” boards are great for travel; however, they are not always the greatest to surf especially for those who really want to progress onto green waves. With that said, our boards are still extremely tough - it’s one of the benefits of soft boards in general. Again, we’ve found a great balance between performance and durability.