Four boards were donated by some of the local Porthleven surfers to get the Groms started. Two were snapped clean in half, one had a broken tail and one had several large dents from a nasty accident with a reef. All boards in need of some serious TLC then...
Armed with the most basic of tools the Groms were set going; scraping back old wax, removing deck pads and stickers, cleaning off dirty marks.
The next step was to begin sanding and cutting back the old glass and resin around the larger dents and breaks – keying the surface ready for patching up with new glass pieces.
The fish with the tail break was carefully glued and clamped into position. This will be patched up with glass later.
The two snapped boards needed some serious attention. The break line was cleaned up and old glass cut back. Slots were cut either side of the stringers at the break and pieces of hardwood were cut to fit the slots. The boards were then carefully re-aligned, propping up at the nose and tail to recreate the stringer curve correctly. Foaming polyurethane glue was used to give a strong bond and to help close the gaps and firmly bond the hardwood strips in place. The whole board was then taped firmly to a desk to keep it in line and secure while the glue dried.
So far so good...
