Keith Malloy likes to be self-sufficient, and fixing your own dings properly is easy if you know how to do it right. Photo: YouTube//Screenshot
Fixing dings is something every surfer should know how to do. Sure, getting someone to do it who does it very well is probably better, but part of surfing is surfing in places a little off the beaten path. Should you (hopefully) end up lost somewhere far from that path, where the waves are cranking over shallow reef, you will likely do a little damage at some point, and being able to fix that damage could mean you’re able to surf more of those cranking waves. Keith Malloy is a pretty self-sufficient guy, and he’s done his fair share of surfing in cranking waves, so he’s become a bit of an expert in surfboard repair.
This video featuring Malloy is a few years old now, but the basics of ding repair remain the same. “Dings happen,” reads the YouTube description. “You could take your board to the surf shop for a repair, but knowing how to fix it yourself is a good skill to have.”
There are plenty of products out there that do the job as a patch, but nothing beats a repair done with the right stuff. No SunCure — although that stuff sure is great in a pinch — and definitely no cramming wax into the ding and covering it with duct tape. Resin, catalyst, Q-Cell, a strip of fiberglass, and sandpaper form the basis of what are really required for a permanent fix. It’s important to know that poly boards differ from epoxy surfboards, as well. Learn it. Do it. Know it. And surf longer on it.
