For a month or so I've suspected I've had a very slow leak on my iSUP (a Naish One Design N1SCO board). As I'm lazy, and the board is used usually a couple of times a week, I've been leaving the board blown up and on the car's roof rack. I usually check the pressure before paddling, and it's often lost around .5 PSI over a week. At first I thought it was a valve issue, but at the May Bank Holiday weekend, I was down at the GBSUP race in Cardiff (great event!) and I noticed a few tiny bubbles forming in the Welsh rain as we were waiting to launch. On closer inspection, there was a small scratch and a tiny spot of damage near the nose of my board. There was no issue during the race, although I'm sure it slowed me down significantly! 😅
So, once safely home, it seemed a good time to dig out the repair kit from the board bag and put it to use.
Most iSUPs will have a repair kit included. It's usually a small orange container containing patches, glue and a valve spanner. It's worth noting that some kits do not include glue (I think it's due to storage issues), so it's worth checking yours to see what's included. If you do need glue, your board manufacturer or supplier should be able to tell you what sort of adhesive is needed.
With my board, I put a couple of PSI of air in to check that the leak was were I thought it was, and with a bit of water I was able to confirm the leak. Bigger leaks can usually be heard and the air can be felt!
Once the hole was identified, I cut one of the larger patches down to size, giving a decent amount of material on all sides of the hole. The corners of the patch were cut to a rounded profile, and the patch was offered up to the board to check.
A marker pen was used to draw around the outline of the patch.
The area to be covered was gentle sandpapered, as was the inside of the patch.
Once sanded, the area was cleaned with alcohol and the area thoroughly wiped clean to remove any residue.
The tube of glue was then opened, and the marked out area was covered in glue, followed by the inside of the patch.
The glue was then left for 5 or so minutes to dry.
The patch was than carefully lined up and firmly pressed into place, taking care to remove any bubbles underneath. I used the back of a spoon to firmly push the patch down in all direction.
Once the patch is on, any excess glue can be cleaned up.
The board was then deflated and left to dry for 24 hours.
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