A 100w lamp or similar will work ok for the heating if you want to use the L285 resin.
I use WEST epoxy or R&G/ resin L+CL hardener
I’ve also tried easycomposites EL2 system but that seems to be more sensitive to curing conditions.
1 Like
Can I use this carbon cloth Kohlegewebe 160 g/m² (Style 442-5 Aero, Köper) 100 cm | R&G Faserverbundwerkstoffe and this resin Epoxidharz L + Härter L (40 min) | R&G Faserverbundwerkstoffe ?
Yes, twill (Köper) describes the way it is woven. If you want to wrap it around edges (like the esc cavity of your board), twill is the right material. Works best with a vacuum bag to keep it in place. If you just need a flat patch, you can as well use plain woven (Leinwand) which is usually cheaper.
160-200g/m2 is a good thickness to wrap around edges. For a flat patch you can also use thicker material like 300g/m2. That resin seems ok too, 40min should be enough for a small patch. Time can shorten if temperature is high.
1 Like
Even though that may seem like a lot of money, it’s going to the the money you lose if you sell a self repaired board anyway.
If you’ve never glassed before I strongly suggest trying to do a general repair on a surfboard which is far simpler and then see how good you are at it.
That damage to your board is in the most critical part of the board so needs to be done properly. It’s pretty scary reading some of the advice being given on fixing it.
I’d contact a few places and also ask how they plan to fix it.
3 Likes
What do you suggest needs to be done?
I asked what the company will do and they told me that they will increase the area of the hard foam block. So they will probably cut the glass-fiber and the foam around the mast box away and replace it with a higher density one.
They will also put a few layers of carbon on top.
@Jezza the board has lost a lot of its value anyways, just because of the fact that it is broken. A proper repair from a company would not really help in this case…
I would take it to someone that repairs efoils or foil boards. Let them properly assess it and quote on the repair.
Whether you like it or not it’s devalued the board. I’ve seen guys pay less than half the normal value of boards simply because of the foil mounts being repaired. I’ve seen some sell as low as £500.
If purchaser knows the repair was done properly and will not risk breaking again, then a lot of value is added back onto the board.
At the very least, some of the fibreglass on the board need to be removed to see where and what’s failed before you even get to starting the repair.
Another option to consider is buying a new Fliteboard Air board only - likely around 1,400 Euro
or a used Fliteboard board only from a Fliteschool.
Don’t spend the 600 to repair but sell the broken board as is and get back out foiling
Thanks, don’t think it’s worth spending the 600€ as well. I don’t like the old fliteboard air and the new one has a smaller battery compartment into which my battery does not fit.
I will try to repair it myself. If I can brake it myself, I can repair it myself.
1 Like
Join the Fliteboard Facebook group and get some advice there. You may even find pictures of the issue you’ve had.
1 Like
Well it is a DIY biased forum so hope it goes well.
One other suggestion is to buy some inexpensive glass cloth and do a layup on a piece of wood so you get some hands on experience with handling the materials, time frame before expoxy starts to harden, mess control etc.
1 Like
So, I finally managed to repair my board myself. First of all I got a rotary tool and cut the crack free. This is how it looked under there:
The flange of the mast box does really only go as far as I cut the glass-fiber away. In the second picture some foam is visible, after I cut a little more away.
I then glued the piece back in and sanded it flush.
After that I sanded all the resin and paint away in the area I intended to put some carbon fiber cloth.
I cut some 245g/m^2 carbon cloth in preparation for layup and laid four layers of this cloth on top each other.
The ends frayed a lot, probably because I have never done this work… But I might have a solution to hide that. 
After curing for 24h I cut the mastbox free with a rotary tool.
If I am allowed to say so myself: I think I managed to cut and sand that out quite nicely.
With the help of a halogen light and some tinfoil I even managed to cure the resin for more than 15h at about 55°C. The thermometer only shows 50°C but after bringing the light a little closer, it actually went up tp 56°C and stayed at that temperature for the duration of the night.
This is how it looks with the mast.
Today I managed to do a testride and what can I say? It rode as nice as always and holds strong! I only rode half a battery, so about 45 minutes but tried turning and carving to both sides as hard as my skill-level allows me to. Everything held up and I am confident it will for the lifetime of the board.
Now to how I will hide the ugly fraying: In the long-term I will put a final big sheet of carbon cloth on the whole underside of the board, just for astatic reasons and because carbon just looks cooler.
For now I will try and cover the end with a black wide brim of colored resin. I will take the board to vacation in Croatia in a few weeks and want a somewhat pleasant looking board.
An extra layer of resin is needed anyway, just to be able to smooth a few “dents” out and for extra protection of the carbon.
5 Likes
That is awesome that you got it fixed and your back on the water.
Some of the epoxy resins I used a long time ago would react negatively to UV exposure so had to be painted over. Perhaps they have evolved to not have this limitation.
Congrats!!
1 Like
looks good! Congrats
1 Like