Open them for all air travel and/or, drives on very hot days, or leaving them in a hot van or car.
Just don't forget to close them back up before hitting the water.

i was wondering this too, so I'm glad you asked. So can I assume it's OK to leave it shut between daily sessions? Is that what most people do?

I have flown with a windsurfing board from London to Auckland with the vent plug in. I only realized when I sat in my seat and prayed my board would be ok and then just tried to forget about it as had 24 hours flying to get through. I got to Auckland and pulled it out of the bag and the board was fine. Phew!!! I would recommend taking the plug out though!

In a windsurfing forum I read that the luggage compartments in planes are pressurized to some degree (around 11,000').

Thanks for all the info. I will definitely release the vent before I fly (and keep my fingers crossed).

delamination because you forgot to open a vent depends on the board, and is just some additional stress that cumulate in time. In the same brand, same model, some will delaminate after 20mn of tropical sun on the beach, other will survive years of plane trips. No way to find out before it is too late :-(

Kami, it can delaminate! See www.gong-galaxy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=3925 Umberto cleaned the board with acetone (first mistake) then let the board dry 20mn in the italian sun, with the black carbon exposed, and it delaminated. I had the exact same model and left it under the Corsican sun with no damage, and it is the only delamination we heard on this model.

So delamination [1] can happen [2] it is a lottery [3] it is repairable

I guess heat also soften the epoxy and can help delamination. I read somewhere of an extreme case of delamination on a plane, the boards were touching a warm/hot wall of the cargo bay, close to the reactor.

PS: note how people can freely speak of potential defects/issues on the Gong forum, and that ... Umberto still uses Gong gear :-)

My own board are laminated with 4 and 6 oz glass with epoxy resin clear pigmented. I use 2 layers of carbon glass under the deck pad so sun exposition cant heat to melting the EPS core. I think it's a silly idea from Gong to show off black carbon job on its board despite of the quality shape they are able to do

Only delimitation i care is from dropping from airplane transit on rails. The drop shock use to burst off rail . This is kind of horrible ding for me after arrival destination.

So my last evolution in building board is the use of http://www.resoltech.com/IMG/pdf/DS-1600-V5.pdf.
I use this resin as primer to seal the EPS and stick EPS to usual lamination resin. Rolling this resin in 2 light passes built an adhesive, resilient and shock absorber layer . And as a thicker stuff than laminating resin avoid to sip extra useless resin in EPS core . It's lighter job saving approx 500 grams of resin on 7' 27" blank.
Don't use micro cell/ resin anymore. No more sanding on microcell plasta as well.





Just open air valve while fixing ding to let "breath" the board to avoid bubble while resin goes off

Kami said..
I think it's a silly idea from Gong to show off black carbon job on its board

Yes, it actually act as a solar panel: a black layer under glass... customers loved the look however...

It is nice that people are now used to the "brushed carbon" look that gives some sun protection without too much weight, but it was judged ugly in the beginning.