Starboard--Unplugged

[BigSlaveDave]

So, yeah i paddled out and surfed today, and when I was walking back up the beach I went d'oh, I took the plug out earlier and forgot to put it back in.

So, it that really bad on a Starboard, and any of you guys got any tips on how to deal with that?  I got it standing on tail in my garage with an electric heater running at medium underneath.  I've an attachment for my shop vac that would fit right in that little hole.  Would I suck out it's guts if I stuck it in there?  Never had to remember these things on my prone board.

Homer Simpson goes Sup surfing....d'oh.

[PonoBill]

The vacuum cleaner will do nothing except shorten the vacs life--series wound motor that relies on air cooling it. That scream you hear when you hold your hand over the nozzle is the death rattle of an uncooled motor running at much higher RPM. But hey, go ahead. No one listens to that advice. Certainly not my brother.

To use vacuum to dry out your board you need a hole for the air to get in though, then make it's way slowly through the EPS, then carry some water with it.

Drain as much water out as you can, then put the plug in and leave it in unless you're doing something that might cause big changes in pressure, like driving over mountains, taking it on a plane, or leaving it in the sun on really hot days

Otherwise, leave it in. you'll do far more damage with the occasional Every Pinole Sucks (EPS) bath than you will from small pressure changes.

[Off-Shore]

I've done the same thing. The first thing I'd do is stick your board on a bathroom scale. Or weigh yourself and the board and then just yourself and see if you can estimate how much water has got in. If it is just a little, I'd leave it like you have with it on its tail and a small amount of heat or dehumidifier. If there is a lot of water then the best way is to use a vacuum bag set up. I've yet to invest in this myself but it is probably the only professional way to get water out of a board apart from spinning it.

[stoneaxe]

Of course I don't listen to you. I've used my shop vac a 1/2 dozen times to get water out of my board. I won't need to any more since my vac bag system is almost done but it worked just fine, never burned out, caught fire, or anything....
Your basic home depot Dewalt shop vac with a precision adaptor (duct tape) holding it over the small holes I drilled in the tail. Left it running for 4 hours. I've had the same vac for 10 years, still works just fine. Last board I did was badly waterlogged. Daughter was "borrowing" it and didn't realize there was water getting in. Pulled out a little over a 1/2 gallon of water.

[BigSlaveDave]

Of course I don't listen to you. I've used my shop vac a 1/2 dozen times to get water out of my board. I won't need to any more since my vac bag system is almost done but it worked just fine, never burned out, caught fire, or anything....
Your basic home depot Dewalt shop vac with a precision adaptor (duct tape) holding it over the small holes I drilled in the tail. Left it running for 4 hours. I've had the same vac for 10 years, still works just fine. Last board I did was badly waterlogged. Daughter was "borrowing" it and didn't realize there was water getting in. Pulled out a little over a 1/2 gallon of water.

This sounds like a good plan.  Hmmmm......care about my $59 shop vac for doing boring things, or care about my $1000 SUP that I have a blast with?....I dunno.

Should I drill a hole somewhere else in the board to allow air passage, then plug it up with an epoxy / chopped fiber mixture?

Thanks,

Dave

[1tuberider]

You could  stuff a paper towel in the hole leaving a lot exposed to the air to help wick the moisture out while it is sitting.
It will be hard to have the hole at the bottom. You can try various positions to help the water move and hope it wicks out. It may be out of commission for a while. I usually did this technique before I would do a ding repair.

[stoneaxe]

I drilled four 1/8" holes in the bottom of the tail of the board. The other hole was already there from the ding, you can just leave your plug open. I taped the vac to the small holes, stood the board on its tail for some gravity assist and let it run. Once I felt it had done as much as it could I sat the board out in the sun for a couple of days to try and get the last little bit out. (take the tape off and stick a twist of paper towel in, if it comes out wet, more vac time) It was noticeably lighter and properly balanced/weighted again. I injected a little gorilla glue into the holes and let it sit overnight to fully expand and cure then sanded the area lightly and put a small glass patch on it. A little paint and you can't tell it was ever done.

Despite disagreeing with my bro about using a shop vac I did this all outside away from my house. it's never caught fire but it DOES get hot.....and I also just spent a few hundred on a vacuum pump and fittings partially so I won't have to do it that way again.

Sometimes I wonder about you bro. I KNOW how you treat your expensive gear....pretty much everything gets beat to shit yet you are concerned about your shop vac?........

[Bean]

+1 on the paper towel wick.  Plus, get the board in a room with a dehumidifier if possible.  If you don't know the original weight, weigh it now anyhow so you can keep an eye on the progress. 

[eeck62]

You should take a read on the Boardlady's site, she an expert on getting water out and provides a lot of how-to, experience, and data.
http://www.boardlady.com/repairmenu.htm