boardsurfr forum posts in last 60 days

Keolu said..
I had a similar problem with a Gong inflatable board after only 2 months. My board looked just like your pictures. Gong was not helpful so I decided to fix it myself by peeling back the deck pad and patching up the hole. The repair didn't work and the bubbles began appearing in other areas. Since the board was trashed anyway I ripped open the board to see what was going on. Inside the board was filled with spider web-like strings attached to the underside of the casing (which I presume is to keep its shape and not blow up like a basketball). These strings were becoming separated from the casing in areas and causing the aneurysms. I'm not sure how that caused the air leak but it was more complex than just patching a hole. I hope yours is an easy fix.

Do you have any pictures? Were the initial bubbles all next to inserts? When you peeled back the deck pad, did you peel from the outside, or make cuts in the bubbles?

I got an inflatable wing board for traveling, and have used it a bunch of times to get used to it (and because I actually like it better than my wider hard board with the same volume). It has developed air bubbles near the foot strap plugs that are slowly growing. I've contacted the store about warranty, and the brand stated this would be an easy repair (injecting glue). Board repairs around here are typically done by a boat builder that's some distance away. I don't know how much experience he has with inflatables.

I think I can do the repair myself, but am not sure about what glue to inject. For hard board repairs and a few builds that I have down, I have used contact cement and E6000, both of which worked fine. But I'm not sure if they are ok for the inflatable, too.Has anyone done a similar repair, and advice on what to use (and perhaps other tips? Thanks!