Forum for kitesurfers
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isidrov
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Postby isidrov » Wed Aug 08, 2012 3:29 pm
Hi Everyone,
I've recently bought a race board (North LTD 69 2011) and I have a few questions on its maintenance, more like a general look after tips rather than specific for this board so any tips are welcome;
-Do you keep the fins on while travelling with the board on top of the car (travel around 30 mins at 100 Km/h)? I wonder if the pressure of the wind could damage the fins or its slots
-Do you unscrew the fins often from the board? Is this recommended or not recommended for any reason?
-I got few scratches where you can see the first layer is kind of peeling off, is there any product recommended to make sure the next layer is not going to be affected?
-Anything important to make sure the board can last for a long time? I can feel they are quite fragile!
Thanks!
Isidro
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borist
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Postby borist » Wed Aug 08, 2012 10:20 pm
Hi. First, get a good, nicely padded board bag. Keep the board in it as much as possible, when transporting or storing. Remove the fins when you'll be doing any driving at higher speeds and putting the board on a roof rack (I might leave them in for a very short, slow drive around the spot, but that is about it). As long as you are careful when removing and installing the fins, there should be no extra damage to fins or the board, so you can do it every time. I don't because it is inconvenient and I have plenty of room in my truck. I put covers on the fins and then put board into the bag. When removing the fins, be gentle loosening them. You may want to do it by first loosening both screws a little and then tapping the top of the screw thru screwdriver to knock the fin loose.
Try to avoid overheating the board. For example, if the board is left in closed car on a hot day and venting hole is plugged, skin may de-laminate (form a bubble). I believe your board has an "automatic" vent - goratex type, which I think is unreliable as I did see North LTD 2011 with a major de-lam on the bottom. if you have a vent screw, it needs to be loosened to let the board vent if there is gonna be larger temperature or altitude change (driving over a mountain).
These boards are so fragile that some damage is more-less inevitable, so have a good quality epoxy available at home (not the 5 min type) and learn how to do repairs.
http://www.boardlady.com is an excellent source of information on repairs. It is important to keep water out of the board so carry some sort of ding repair kit or marine epoxy putty, so you can seal a crack in the skin right away.
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isidrov
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Postby isidrov » Thu Aug 09, 2012 9:44 pm
Thank you for he useful tips Borist. I`ve ordered the board bag few days ago, I believe most of the damage has been done while carrying the board on top of the roof. Any shop you know that sells fin covers, in Europe if possible?
cheers
Isidro
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borist
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Postby borist » Thu Aug 09, 2012 10:59 pm
check with windsurfers or their suppliers, most if not all "windsurf slalom fin" covers will work, just give them measurements. if there are windsurfers in your area, ask them if any used ones might be available. I used to buy those things used in either shops or on swap meets. Used ones are usually as good as the brand new, just uglier and cheaper. i do not know of any shops in Europe, but there has to be still lots of them.
Cheers
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BWD
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Postby BWD » Fri Aug 10, 2012 3:43 am
Make fin cover from yoga mat or better from EVA floor pad from diy store.
Use duct tape if you are humble, something fancier if you have a long off-season.
FWIW these EVA pads are also great to make protectors for tips of boards inside boardbags when you go on a plane.
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RalfsB
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Postby RalfsB » Fri Aug 10, 2012 2:15 pm
I am not sure how much boardbags are needed and if fins need to be removed, especially if one is not traveling long distances but is more or less going to the local beach. I can imagine there could be a fast-flying stone in the air, picked up by a truck, that could hit the board or a fin, but does it happen often?
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wdric
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Postby wdric » Fri Aug 10, 2012 2:45 pm
borist wrote:Remove the fins when you'll be doing any driving at higher speeds and putting the board on a roof rack (I might leave them in for a very short, slow drive around the spot, but that is about it).
When you think about how much pressure you put on your fins while driving upwind and how much flex they apparently get and the fact water is way more dense than air, I would think leaving the fins in the board providing it is pointing to the front of the car then travelling along a road at 100km is a walk in the park for them and shouldnt damage at all
Fins are so thin that while pointing directly into the wind they would have very little drag.
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gbleck
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Postby gbleck » Fri Aug 10, 2012 3:04 pm
If your storing it in your car a board bag is a must. No matter how careful you will inevitably dink a rail on something. Just picked up a mystic kiterace bag. It works good but I would like fin slots so I can move the board fins on easy. Don't know about where you live but in the Chicago land area we call this road construction season. Nothing like trying to get fresh road tar of the nose of your board.
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davesails7
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Postby davesails7 » Fri Aug 10, 2012 3:16 pm
I've had a 2011 Cabrinha Raceboard for about a year. I transport it in the back of my trailblazer SUV. I didn't get a bag for it.
These boards are so big, you pretty much can't help banging into things on accident putting the board in and out of the car. After a full year, I've got lots of minor scratches in the gelcoat, but nothing too bad until the other day when I slammed the board into the stopper for the hatch as I was putting it in the car. Might need some epoxy for that one.
If I buy a new board I'm going to get a bag for it.
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borist
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Postby borist » Fri Aug 10, 2012 4:46 pm
wdric wrote:When you think about how much pressure you put on your fins while driving upwind and how much flex they apparently get and the fact water is way more dense than air, I would think leaving the fins in the board providing it is pointing to the front of the car then travelling along a road at 100km is a walk in the park for them and shouldnt damage at all
Fins are so thin that while pointing directly into the wind they would have very little drag.
My concern is not about whether air flow puts too much pressure on fin boxes. It is all the other nasty stuff that could happen. Like forgetting that you have extra 50+cm on the roof of your car and driving into a garage, extra forces that load up roof rack and straps that could fail, etc... Over the years I've seen few formula (wsurfing) boards blown off the car roofs due to some kind of attachment failure. If the board was in the bag without fins it survived OK, otherwise it was just a pile of rubble.
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