Should I fix a small scratch on this hydrofoil wing?

[DariKite]

I have a Cabrinha CRX hydrofoil. I barely scratched the rear stabilizer wing. It's a 1 mm deep at most. The carbon composite is now exposed.

I know that with surfboards you need to keep the board off the water until you seal with epoxy because if the foam gets wet it means trouble. But what about hydrofoil wings? Is there a problem if water touches the carbon composite material? I just want to know if I should bother fixing it or if I can use it as it is.

How could I fix it? Just add some paint?

[SMJ]

I would just use epoxy on that one - probably not big enough for carbon fiber repair.

You can buy Epoxy Resin Colorant to color match it. Then sand smooth.

[OzBungy]

Three options:
1. Do nothing. Go ride.
2. Sand it smooth. Go ride.
3. Put a little epoxy paste on it. Sand smooth. Go ride.

My preferred option is 3, followed by 2. It depends on whether the damage extends to the carbon or just the paint. I prefer to avoid sanding the carbon. The paint is sacrificial, the carbon is structural.

I quite like to spray paint my foils, mainly to keep the sacrificial paint layer on the top for sanding. At the moment I am enjoying the exposed carbon look of my foils. I'll probably paint them sometime.

I use PC-7 and PC-11 epoxy paste. It sands well and can be smoothed with a wet finger (wear gloves) or alcohol/methylated spirits/denatured alcohol. Try and get the epoxy smooth and don't smear it around too much so you don't have to sand too much. You can mask it and/or clean off the excess with alcohol.

[JTKiter]

I agree with OzBungy's options. Sand it a little and go ride. It's nothing to worry about. My old hydrofoil wings are all banged up but work fine.

[DariKite]

I use PC-7 and PC-11 epoxy paste. It sands well and can be smoothed with a wet finger (wear gloves) or alcohol/methylated spirits/denatured alcohol. Try and get the epoxy smooth and don't smear it around too much so you don't have to sand too much. You can mask it and/or clean off the excess with alcohol.

I can't buy PC epoxy pastes where I live. I only have Solarez epoxy resin. I will use that and update how it goes. Thanks!

[Robsw6]

Alternatively…., mask off the smallest area of the scratch, v lightly wet & dry sand the scratched area , then colour match & use a car touch up pen - then as good as new!

Did this on a new foil that got grounded before I had a chance to use it

[Flyboy]

I would just use epoxy on that one - probably not big enough for carbon fiber repair.

You can buy Epoxy Resin Colorant to color match it. Then sand smooth.

That's a pretty elaborate process.

My wings ended up getting scratched or dinged on a regular basis - just small imperfections for the most part. Sand them off a bit. Apply a fairly thick layer of epoxy resin. Allow to thoroughly dry. File off the larger raised areas of epoxy, then use a fairly coarse sandpaper to smooth it down further. By this time the wings feel almost completely smooth to the touch. There will still be some very light visible surface scuffing. This could be smoothed out with fine sandpaper ... but I'm not sure its worth it as there is inevitably going to be more scratching in the future. My goal is to make it feel smooth rather than have it visually perfect.

[Jyoder]

Just go ride. It’s fine like that. Once you have a lot more dings, or are bored with no wind, then patch it with filler. Only really matters if you’re racing or very focused on efficiency. For most kitefoil, you won’t notice a difference.

I wish I took a picture of my old Zeeko foil at the end. It looked like I took a shotgun and sword to it and it rode fine.

[Flyboy]

Just go ride. It’s fine like that. Once you have a lot more dings, or are bored with no wind, then patch it with filler. Only really matters if you’re racing or very focused on efficiency. For most kitefoil, you won’t notice a difference.

I wish I took a picture of my old Zeeko foil at the end. It looked like I took a shotgun and sword to it and it rode fine.

It's certainly true that I've never actually noticed any change in performance of a foil due to scratches & dings. I think it's more psychological.

[oregonkiter]

Crazyglue + baking soda sprinkled on top. Wait 2 min, then sand