I screwed up a $1M surfboard and almost quit my job

My biggest break, but also my biggest challenge.

The creator of Baywatch watches my youtube videos?! When I got a phone call from Greg Bonann, I couldn't believe it. He hired me to fix two of the priceless surfboards from the original show!

Download the Rogue Wave Surfboard Repair App

List of tools and supplies I use can be found here:

Follow me on instagram :
@rogue_wave_LA

Thanks to Greg Bonann, Baywatch, Local Motion, Tiffany Todo, Chrispy Designs, and John at Boardlams for making this one possible!!!

@LocalMotion @Baywatch @BoardLamscom @ChrispyDesign

0:00 Intro
0:46 Damaged boards back at the shop
1:20 Removing fins
2:51 Logos
3:35 Removing Fiberglass
5:23 Restoring the foam core
6:57 Paint problems!
9:39 Testing logos from Boardlams
10:00 Glassing logos (Laminating)
12:25 Fins, delam problem
13:54 Fixing delamination on logo
16:42 Hotcoat 1 and fixing razor mark
17:24 Meltdown!!
18:17 Glosscoat, final sand, polishing
19:29 Before and after
20:00 Dropping boards off with Greg


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[jackucthatjack]

Life lesson to be learned from all of this. " treat every customer's board like its a $1, 000, 000 board"
Nice job.

[donovanscott]

Respect for not throwing in the towel. I'm sure the end product didn't meet your standards but the fact that you stuck in their says a lot about your devotion. Good stuff!!! 🤙🏽

[ricardomontes]

Curious why you chose sparkling instead of, industry standard, Q-cel for the foam restoration. The sparkling might explain some of the laminating issues you had. Laminating with pigmented resin as opposed to painting the foam would help with fiberglass adhesion to the blank as well.

[wtnickred]

Great story of overcoming big challenges and delivering in the end.

[Monstamonkey]

I found that coating the whole board before paint works well. You want the entire surface to have the same texture so the paint behaves the same way over the whole surface. I use micro balloons (Q cell I think you guys call it) rather than spackle though. Having some background in auto paint causes me to have a natural aversion to putting anything chalky under paint or resin. Also the micro balloon resin mixture keeps the materials the same and therefore compatible. About half a cup gets me through one whole side of a 6' to 6'6" board. It acts as a sealer too.

[yoyopg]

Some projects are just snake bit. One catastrophe after another. But how you bounce back from them is what counts. The primer costs and time fixing the subsequent delams may have blown your profit margin, but your honesty and transparency with this project should inspire tons of confidence with every prospective client. A terrific project to watch (if not to actually do). Thanks! Oh, and I'll can confirm the quality of work and service Boadlams provides. They transferred some custom art a friend of mine did for an Umalon board that came out amazing!

[mako]

35+ years of shaping, glassing and repair work. For fin removal use an oscillating multi-tool with a fine toothed, flush cut preferably for longevity. A must have tool. When skinning a board, instead of angle grinder use sander at the apex of rails and sand until almost through cloth. Avoid hitting the foam. Finish the cut with a razor blade only cutting the cloth being careful not to get into the foam. Another method to peel a board is to blow it up like a basketball before grinding the rails. Compressed air will peel the glass pretty cleanly especially on the deck side. The less foam damage the better.

Regarding your delamination issues. Resin and Q-cel for filler, not spackle. The less paint build up the better and let it dry completely between every coat. Always thin coats letting dry in between. If you apply the next coat too soon you've effectively trapped moisture underneath which will haunt you later. After final coat, let it dry twice as long as you think. A week in a very dry space wouldn't hurt. Resin hates moisture and is repelled by it. On a large area painted with red or blue in particular you have to pre-coat the board with lam resin before glassing. Squeegee it on thinly and evenly and make sure there are no drips. Some paints and some colors want to repel resin or react with the resin and crystalize. Precoating will reveal if you're going to have a crystallization issue before it breaks your heart when there is glass in play. If you get crystallization give a second thin coat of lam resin in that area before glassing. If you pre-coat both sides, use wax paper on the glassing racks to avoid lifting your paint from the foam when you flip. (I've learned that one the hard way) On your rails use bigger laps (an extra inch and a half of cloth all the way around) when going over a painted blank as the cloth doesn't seem to grip a painted blank like it does bare foam and keep a close eye on your laps until the resin kicks.

Glossing glass on fin: No need to mask and do one side at a time. Sand to 80 grit and no finer. We want the resin to grip the fin and resist sagging. Fins side down in the racks and do both sides at once. Kick it hot and don't overload the resin on or it will sag.

Lastly, know when to turn work away or refer a project to someone else if it is out of your comfort zone or something you've never done before. Cheers

[VonHeisenbergOG]

As a veteran contractor/carpenter, I know exactly how that feels. When everything is going wrong and you feel like giving up. Kudos to pulling through and documenting the process.
I'm not sure if it was in this video or another one, but you asked for advice on better concealment for a better overall finish. I think self etching primer would work well. It's used in construction and auto repair.

[Forever_broken]

Ill be honest. Ive been in automotive refinishing my entire life, and a lot of youre methods had me scratching my head.

[Akiran]

It's a pleasant surprise to see someone show their failures and challenges as well as their successes. The board came out sweet, nice work.

[martinwheatley]

I’m curious as to why the boards weren’t left as they were I’d have thought the valve would be in its original shape and condition?

[dfpguitar]

In experiences of painting walls with vinyl/latex paints I noticed it has a tendency to delaminate, so if you later press on it, those areas crack and fall of the wall.
The solution to remedy it is to dilute the paint with water and apply some thin coats before working upto pure paint.

I know the paint and resin coatings on a board are very different things but perhaps there is some transferrable logic here?

[leebrock]

Are the boards still worth the same if they were to sell as before?
I know sometimes restoring stuff can actually take away from the value.

[smallkinedings]

Happy for you that you got a result and I’m praying for you that they don’t delam in the future. With that amount of spackle and paint beneath the glass, that bond is going to be pretty dubious! Feel your pain and stress, the pressure on them would’ve been real real

[kickfrip]

Dude of course painting Crusty foam with no primer or anything is gonna give you that result.

At least you figured it out in the end 🤙

[robertical]

At what time wound you just make a new board, identical? The visible part of thr board is what it has value, you don't se the foam in the movie. Probably better to keep the original as it was an have a duplicate.

[rudyhonings]

that's like saving the air from an air balloon, making a new one and claming you've restored it!

[igthrwh]

Looks like a million bucks! Great video, I wanted more slamming of tools..

[Jim-fexz]

The boards look beautiful! Sorry you had so much trouble! Good to know when to set everything down and walk away for a while. I wonder if it was the spackle causing the delams. Over the years I've watched guys use it but it always worried me as it doesn't create a great mechanical bond to the foam. You do great work! Best of luck with future endeavors!

[shuya]

Am i stupid or does this just not seem like a "restoration" you basically just took everything off that made that board that board and then just built it with completely new parts ontop of the barebone. Might aswell have just replicated it.