Tiny bubbles in new surfboard

plzyplzyplzy's picture
plzyplzyplzy started the topic in Sunday, 16 Jan 2022 at 10:03pm

Hi! My first post after lurking for awhile now. I thought you guys would be able to help...

I was waxing my new surfboard for the first time and noticed some tiny bubbles at the tip of the board. They arent super noticable but are there. See pics:

https://i.postimg.cc/9M8PCdbv/PXL-20220116-022055397.jpg

Is this anything to worry about? Will it potentially cause issues down the track?

Thanks for your opinions!

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Tuesday, 18 Jan 2022 at 6:42pm

bump

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Tuesday, 18 Jan 2022 at 6:59pm

It's kinda hard to tell what might be causing them...dust maybe?

My guess is that they won't reduce board strength but it's reflective of quality. If you're in a position to speak to the shaper and feel comfortable doing so, I'd bring it up with them. Keep the tone inquisitive, not accusatory.

lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy Tuesday, 18 Jan 2022 at 7:02pm

Can’t quite tell in the photos but I’d guess either air bubbles in the glass or else in the foam where they sanded the blank down to.

tubeshooter's picture
tubeshooter's picture
tubeshooter Tuesday, 18 Jan 2022 at 7:25pm

Weird ...
Zoomed in ,the dots seem to have linear and parallel pattern like fibreglass does . I doubt it's dust or air bubbles , I'd assume they'd have a random pattern.

lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy Tuesday, 18 Jan 2022 at 7:24pm

Maybe shingles then TS?

tubeshooter's picture
tubeshooter's picture
tubeshooter Tuesday, 18 Jan 2022 at 7:32pm

haha , wrong colour.
It looks like braille to me . The shapers not vision impaired is he...?

campbell's picture
campbell's picture
campbell Tuesday, 18 Jan 2022 at 7:46pm

Could be "drain out" , if the resin takes a bit long to cure ( too cold or not enough catalyst usually) you can get bubbles or whitish cloth look a bit like what you have in that picture ,the resin literally drains out of the cloth instead of setting after lamination , ugly but not really structural , they would have sealed it when putting sanding coat on after most likely. That is with polyester resin. I am not that familiar with epoxy , that board maybe a epoxy by the looks? HS? so not 100%

tubeshooter's picture
tubeshooter's picture
tubeshooter Tuesday, 18 Jan 2022 at 8:08pm

Chinese epoxy board.??

I've seen that before but it took a while to click , I've seen it on boats , .It looks like 'osmosis blistering'. In which case is very bad.
A photo in this link is very similar.
https://epoxycraft.com/top-tips-best-ways-to-use-epoxy/fibreglass-boat-r...
But I'd be taking it back if it was new , not repairing it.

How could it happen to a new board.??
Probably glassed it with moisture in side the foam in humid conditions and the problem could be made worse by storing the board in a salty boardcover .

I'm not categorically saying it is that , but it certainly looks like a good possibility.