How not to love your surfboard to death

OMG. There’s a ding. There’s a crack. There’s something I cannot even describe on my surfboard. Now. What should I do? Do I take it to a surf shop to get it repaired, or can I do it myself?

⚠️ Welcome to the world of dings

My first board was an epoxy Bic. It was indestructible. Two layers of epoxy will do it. Oh, the stories of abuse that board could tell you—I was not above dragging it behind me on the beach.

But as I graduated to a fiberglass board, I started learning quickly that there are countless ways in which it could get damaged. Even without trying. It could be a shallow sandbar or rocky bottom that dings the bottom at best—or rips out your fin box at worst. Or you could accidentally walk into a wall or drop it while taking it off the roof of your car. Guilty.

😩 Dumb things I’ve done to my boards

There’s more. You could do stupid stuff like storing your board tail-down on gravel. Or stacking boards. And now I’ve chipped a tail and have pressure dings to repair. Not to mention not securing your boards on a windy day—and not one but two of them landing on the leftover construction rods sticking out of the ground. I knew something like this would happen. Argh.

You know, I once heard that you can damage your board by sitting on it. And ever since, I’ve been trying to figure out how exactly that would happen??? Because it never occurred to me that the person who said it didn’t mean sitting on your board in the water, but on the ground. That’s just disrespectful. Not to mention idiotic.

😢 When a shortboarder breaks your heart (and rail)

And then. Then there are other people. My beautiful, never-to-be-made-again Fineline longboard had a nasty encounter in the lineup with a shortboarder. He literally ran it over—his fin going through my rail, about 10 inches deep. I was inconsolable.

🌈 Learning to let go (of the color match)

But when it came to the repair, something new happened. I took it to the local surf shop—Rider Shack on Washington Blvd in Los Angeles, if you know it. Sure, they could repair it. And would I like a color match? The color match would cost as much as the repair. And ladies and gents, for the first time in my life, I was like: nah, it’s okay. I actually surprised myself.

Listen—it’s a very pretty board. 9’6″, mint and magenta, my favorite colors. And at the time, I could afford the color match. I don’t know what possessed me! But just perhaps, in that moment, I realized this is not the last time I’ll be getting my surfboard repaired. And what does a little cosmetic inconsistency matter when faced with the pure joy of surfing? Just like that, I was cured.

🧰 DIY or surf shop?

But enough about me. Should you repair your board yourself or take it to the shop?

First of all, consider this: Are you the kind of person who baulks at any kind of DIY (like my husband)? If yes—and you can afford it—take it to the shop.

🔧 DIY repairs for minor damage

If it’s a pressure dent, a crack in the resin but not in the foam, a rail chip, maybe a small puncture—and it’s clean and dry—you can do it yourself. Depending on what your board is made of, you’ll be using a hot glue gun on foamies, or sun-cure resin (like Solarez) if it’s fiberglass. The experts say: sand your sun-cure resin afterward. I don’t think I ever have.

💥 DIY for bigger holes = enter at your own risk

Now, if you have bigger holes in your board—like the ones those construction rods put in mine—it’s a toss-up. Do you want to feel like MacGyver, or do you want peace of mind? Obviously, I wanted to feel like MacGyver.

I was working with fiberglass boards, so I needed poly resin, hardener, some fiberglass cloth, and Q-cell. You can get all of it in the Ding All kit. Apparently, you could use Splenda instead of Q-cell if you ever run out. This just sounds fantastical—won’t it dissolve along the way? Well, I’ve never tried it, so I wouldn’t recommend it.

✨ Optional glitter, but not optional safety

I did, however, add glitter to my poly resin for some pizzazz, and I don’t think it affected it structurally. Next time, I’m gonna mix it with food coloring and report back. The hardest thing when repairing with poly resin is that you’ll need to sand it down—unless you pressed it very neatly and smooth in the first place. If you don’t have an electric sander, it’ll take you one hot minute.

🚫 Important warning: don’t mix up resins

Warning: If you’re working on epoxy boards—let’s say a Walden, Takayama, or McTavish—do not, I repeat, do not use poly resin, because it can melt an epoxy board. You can epoxy a poly, but not the other way around.

🧼 Know when to leave It to the pros

For anything other than a ding, hole, or crack—think twice about attempting it yourself.

If the damage appears waterlogged—kinda squishy and brown—or you see any bubbles or lifting (that’s delamination), or anything to do with a stringer or a fin box—take the hit and take it to the shop.

I’m sure there are some DIY wizards on YouTube who are just dying to show you how you can do it yourself to save some pennies. But at this point, you’ve got to think about the bigger picture—and support your local surf economy.