A bit of a ****e experience, really.

Current favourite board, only a few months old.

Took it for a surf at Greenmount the morning of the 5th Jan. Rain squalls still coming through thanks to TC Seth.
Came in and there's a horrible situation where a poor guy is getting CPR on the beach. Apparently had been going on for 15 or so min when I walked past the scene to my car (pretty much walked right past it). I'd guess another 20 or so min before the ambo's turned up. Poor guy didn't make it. News reports said was a 60 yo body boarding, hit a sand bank and went into cardiac arrest.

Anyway, board was rained on after being rinsed, jammed it in the bag and essentially forgotten about.
The scenario with the body boarder was such a downer (and I'm not even friend nor family!), that i left the board in the bag and ignored it.
Finally got the enthusiasm to surf again yesterday. Pulled the board out of the bag and the board is covered with tiny blisters.
Internet searching suggests osmosis or 'humidity' blisters in the paint.
There's even some older threads on here that verged on getting violent about these blisters in/on SUPs - maybe 'cause more SUPs are painted than otherwise.

These threads imply that we should all know about this. I didn't. Maybe this thread will help someone else avoid making the same mistake?

Cheers!

Wow in all my years I've never heard of this ever. I never wash my boards in fresh water post surf I just stick them in the bag until next time I use that board. I know some who wash and de-wax after every surf but seriously they must have so much time on their hands and have OSD because that's ****** nuts. Oh and I do look after my boards but come on washing and drying a board after a surf is crazy ****.

Apparently the same mechanism as with 'glass boats (the gel coat, at least).

And yeah, pissed and disappointed.... very disappointed. Not a cheap board.

I've emailed them already. No response. Not counting on one, sadly.
Twas a pop-out not a custom (I know, I know).

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/Review/Fanatic-paint-bubbling?page=1
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Stand-Up-Paddle/Review/Fanatic-paint-job-problem

Adding insult to injury, while the board generally goes straight in the bag at the end of the surf, I ALWAYS wash and wipe (kinda) dry my boards when I get home.

Just wasn't feeling it after the poor guy died on the beach. Got home, put the board in the rack, and walked away.

From what I've read on the interwebs, these are classic 'put away wet' spots, and if the company even responds to my email (I might call 'em anyway), they'll likely show me the door. Best case scenario, they might point me to an 'authorised' repairer.

..... it does sound like the 'humidity blisters' sometimes go away with time, but chances are slimmer with the Qld humidity.
Some say you 'pop' them with a pin and squeeze any water out.
Others, sand and repaint. But that board's finish is unlikely to ever be matched, so would be a repaint of the entire board.

At least I wasn't the guy on the beach, or any of his friends/family, so I can't complain too much.

Nope - not the same quality.
I'm trying to avoid saying the name, but probably one of, if not the biggest seller of expoy boards world-wide...

I'm sure you even know the board I'm talking about. Certainly not hard to work out.
After hiring one in Waikiki 6 or so years ago, it's been my 'dream board'... albeit in the old construction not the new construction that I had to 'settle' for. Dream to ride, but I've already had a couple of issues with it.

Adds to the hurt - is/was my dream board.

damned67 said..
... and I'll be sure to ride my Creative Army Cruz tomorrow.

I am in the same category of never drying boards before they go in the bag and never had a problem in 30 years. Also, never had an epoxy board. Sorry for your ****ter of day.

I agree macaha not 30 coats of Automotive paint!

I think it depends on the paint, and yes definitely osmosis. And I don't think there's any difference between polyester and epoxy resin underneath. I've had some fins do it if I put them in covers wet. Other fins with different paint don't do it. Sorry I haven't made a list of what does and what doesn't. I just don't put wet fins in covers any more.

Hey, if nothing else, this has been one of the more active topics on the forum for a little while!
Cheers All!
And Happy Oz Day (if we're still allowed to say that).

Agree about time someone injected this joint

Still waiting on the final outcome of the warranty claim - I haven't been given a solid 'no' yet, so fingers crossed. Will hopefully have a final outcome in the next day or so.

Nonetheless, I stripped the wax off the board this arvo - figured if they decline the warranty, then I want to get it repaired ASAP as I love surfing this board.
Interestingly, there were quite a few patches of small blisters under the wax. This confuses my weak mind. The blisters are theoretically due to osmosis from being trapped in a humid environment - wet board in a bag (or dry board in a wet bag).
As I've read, and why it really only occurs with 'painted' boards (thus somewhat prevalent in SUPs, apparently) is that paint doesn't form a perfect seal. With time in a humid environment, the moisture permeates (via osmosis, I guess?) and gets under the paint forming blisters. Arguments on the 'net suggest that this effect is more common with poor paint prep or painting enviroments (dust) - supports the imperfect seal idea.
So then, why do the blisters form on the deck of the surfboard? No question that when we wax - whatever way we wax - we get a bunch of wax bumps, or whatever you want to call them. That said, by the time you've built up your wax bumps, there is going to be a film of wax covering the deck. All of the deck. The spaces between the bumps. When I wax up before a surf, I indiscriminantly rub the block of wax over the deck, albeit with a focus on where my feet, hands and butt have worn down said bumps, but generally all over - theoretically maintaining a thin film over the entire deck.
Like the underside of the board, the blisters are in clumps. Not one here and one there, but clusters of them.
Now, if we draw a line between A and B, shouldn't the wax pretty much prevent the osmosis due to the wax forming a barrier? Not only because it's going to theoretically 'seal' the paint, but because of it's hydrophobic nature?
Does this thin film that I'm referring to get 'washed off' when surfing, particularly in summer?
If I wasn't so lazy, or enjoying my beer, I'd go and pull out oneof my boards and scrape my finger nail between some bumps.
Is there a scientist in the house?
Is there a psychologist in the house? am I over thinking this?
Is this the longest post on this side of the forum in many moons?

On the positive side, this is the first time I've stripped the wax off this board and there's not a single depression/heel dent that I could see (granted, in the less than perfect light). I'm a big heavy dude, that is not light on one's feet, particularly when 'popping up' - kinda more like a 'stomping up'. This thrills me, simple things amuse simple minds, as it give me more confidence that if warranty claim gets the big 'denied', the board is certainly worth repairing properly. Plus, it's such a great board to ride.

If you've read this far, congrats.... or maybe you need to go surfing?

Good on you, Damned67!
You made my day. I read ALL your previous posts and didn't say "a picture tells 1,000 words" which I thought was very mature of me.
Did I say good on you yet?
GOOD ON YOU. Really.

damned67 said..
Interesting that you mention a 'picture' - I deliberately didn't post any pics or name the companies involved until this was sorted one way or another. Just didn't want it to spiral down the gurgler.

Good on you for that, too. (I hate the premature name and shame approach, was just curious to see the paint and the bubbles, less so the brand... and anyway, no need now . There's a bloke in another room maligning a whole company because a transfer is coming off his board. Your way is better.)
Glad things were resolved so well.

Just you for, Greeney...

Onya, Damned67. I agree with 515.... Great follow-up service from the company involved.

Greeney said..
Good on you, Damned67!
You made my day. I read ALL your previous posts and didn't say "a picture tells 1,000 words" which I thought was very mature of me.
Did I say good on you yet?
GOOD ON YOU. Really.

Yeah what Greeney said good onya mate