Traditional hand shaped surf boards (made from PE/PU) are notoriously easy to damage and even the slightest of cracks can cause severe damage if left untreated.

Fixing up your own “dings” (cracks, holes etc) is an important part of being a surfer & will ultimately save you the hassle of taking it into your local shaper as well as paying substantially more than if you we’re to do it yourself. It's also very important to fix all your dings if you have any surfboards for sale.

Although messy, the process of fixing a ding certainly gets easier the more you practice. Below you will find a basic guide to get you going & as well as some of YouTube’s best videos and some direct links of where to buy your ding kits. Happy ding fixin

  Purchase a Ding Kit

Before you attempt your first repair its good to get an idea of what you’ll need. You can easily pick up a ding repair kit from a surf shop or online (see below).  But here is a typical list of what to you’d need.

Be sure to check what your ding repair kit contains before purchasing it. For those looking to get a more substantial inventory we’d suggest the following:

* Sandpaper
* Fibreglass
* Masking Tape
* Q-Cell
* Mixing Cup
* Sanding Resin & Catalyst
* Acetone
* Wax Comb
* Knife / Blade
* Paint Brush
* Safety Goggles & Mask

Ding Kits

A quick guide to fixing small dings

Although each ding can vary massively (from a small crack all the way to a clean snap) for general small to mid size dings, following these instructions will put you in good stead...

1. Cut away damaged area (make sure its dry)
2. Clean & sand (use low grit sand paper)
3. Tape the area
4. Prepare the Q-Cell (for foam dings)
5. Pour the Q-Cell
6. Sand smooth
7. Cut fibreglass
8. Mix resin
9. Apply the resin & fibreglass
10. Sand again
11. Apply another coat of resin (hot coat) for a finish
12. Wet sand (for a gloss finish)
13. Let it cure (for 1-2 days)
14. Go surfing

Where to buy a ding kit.

There's no shortage of options when you're looking to buy a ding repair kit, especially online. 

We've picked out 4 ding kits (below) to get you started - 2 for traditional PU boards and 2 for epoxy.

solarez-epoxy

Solarez UV Cure Epoxy Ding Repair - Surf Repair Kit

  • These resins cure exceptionally dry unlike other UV cure resins that cure tacky.
  • No mixing necessary. UV curing assues complete hardening.
  • Provides complete crosslinking; Remarkably tough and resilient
  • Eco-freindly ZERO vapors, non-flammable.

    Check for pricing: 
    Amazon - USA

solarez
Solarez Polyester Ding Repair

  • SOLAREZ repair putty is a mixture of clear non-yellowing high strength fiber reinforced polyester resin and an amazing solar activated catalyst. There is no mixing required just use it right from the tube. It gels in 30 seconds curing in 3 minutes - but ONLY when exposed to sunlight. Solarez clear polyester resin 2oz tube. Proprietary formula assures that millions of fiberglass fibers are throughly wet-out and evenly dispersed in every dose. Bubble-free mixture. Denser cross-linking and surface cure. No residual peroxides. UV stable.
  • Comes with 60/240 grit sand pad.

    Check for pricing: Amazon - USA


Solarez Polyester Pro Travel Kit

  • 4 Oz Dual-Cure Laminating Resin & 2 Oz tube Solarez UV Cure Polyester Ding Repair
  • 2 Oz tube Solarez UV Cure Microlite Microballoon Ding Repair
  • 5" x 5" sandpaper in 60, 150 and 320 grits, Spreader
  • 1 Oz bottle of acetone, 200 square inches of 4oz S-glass
  • 38" fiberglass rope, High-quality stainless steel scissors
  • Masking tape, Catalyst, Mixing cup, Stirring sticks, Razor blade, Clean-up pads

    Check for pricing: Amazon - USA

Solarez Epoxy Pro Travel Kit

  • ZEROVOC styrofoam-safe UV-Cure fiberfil putty  WAHOO 2-Part Epoxy Resin  Solarez FLEX wetsuit and deck pad repair  Fiberglass cloth and rope, Stainless steel scissors  Applicators, Sandpaper, Eco-friendly clean up solvent  Masking tape and razor bladetape, Catalyst, Mixing cup, Stirring sticks, Razor blade, Clean-up pads 

    Check for pricing: Amazon - USA 

Videos 

Once you've got a good understanding of the basics, you've cleaned up your board and you've bought your ding repair kit, the next step is to find a good video on youtube.

Below you'll find 5 videos which will cover the majority of repairs. 

Fixing a small sized hole


Fixing a large hole, tail or nose


Delamitation


Repairing a fin


Stringer repair


Happy Ding fixing!

 

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