I’ve fixed almost everything that would appear on a typical list of surfboard dings.
My experience of repairing started years ago when I joined surfing.
Back then, I would simply stuff Suncture on the ding, even without barely sanding it. The process would leave something ugly, but it was functional.
However, Suncture would only work for the small cracks and dings. Anything substantial would require more material or even a visit to the repair shop.
My repair shop would always do an impressive job, but I realized that surfboard repair is a skill any surfer ought to learn and improve on.
Today, every time I do a board repair, it’s always a helpful experience.
It’s quicker and cheaper than visiting the shop. But more importantly, it gives me a personal connection with my epoxy board.
And the good thing is there’re plenty of threads and good tips on how to perform a successful repair on your surfboard.
Sure, your first few attempts might come out botched, but you gotta keep trying.
Of course, to do a better job every time, you need to have the right tools.
You can’t miss a surfboard ding repair kit. And in the section below, I’ll share some of the surfboard ding repair kits you definitely need to have in your repair arsenal.
Table of Contents
- 1 Table of Contents
- 2 Quick Comparison Table!
- 3 The Best Surfboard Repair Kits For The Money
- 4 #1 SOLAREZ UV Cure Epoxy Ding Resin - EDITOR'S CHOICE
- 5 #2 SOLAREZ UV Cure Air Travel Kit – Best for Travelers
- 6 #3 Ding All Super Polyester Repair Kit – Value Surfboard Repair Kit
- 7 #4 Ding All Q-Cell Filler – Best for Epoxy Resin Kit for Filling Scrapes
- 8 #5 Phix Doctor Sun Powered Epoxy Kit
- 9 Best Surfboard Repair Kits Buying Guide
- 10 Wrap Up: Our Choice
Table of Contents
Quick Comparison Table!
The Best Surfboard Repair Kits For The Money
#1 SOLAREZ UV Cure Epoxy Ding Resin - EDITOR'S CHOICE
- Quality
- Price
- Our Rating
Solarez UV Cure Ding Resin is fantastic.
We cracked our SUP, just a step-stone coming out of the water. I got in touch with the supplier, and they suggested Solarez Ding Resin.
Getting this on my hands wasn’t by chance.
And so far, I’m impressed by its performance.
First, quickly effecting the board repairs is such a blessing. It comes in a handy and travel-friendly bottle design with a tight screw cap, so I can carry it around and apply it whenever I need to.
Next, this UV resin has simple and easy instructions to follow.
You see, I’ve had experience with several resins before, and the biggest challenge is usually measuring and mixing for the right results.
Solarez resin takes the guesswork out of it. There’s no mixing or anything. Just prepare the epoxy surfboard, and spread the whole resin straight from the tube.
And the good thing is this is the product you need for all your surfboards, whether polyester boards or epoxy surfboards. It also works well for many other composite materials.
I was also interested in the binding performance, and the Solarez Resin kit doesn’t disappoint.
It works exactly as advertised. It’s an epoxy resin with a solar-activated catalyst, so you need UV light for it to work. It takes less than 5 minutes to cure.
The resin doesn’t leave a gooey mess as other epoxy resins do. However, it comes out slightly tacky, but the assumption is you’re going to sand it off.
I’m impressed at how it takes care of all the dings and hardens the affected sections.
It’s eco-friendly, too, and I no longer have to wear face masks or cover my face when applying this UV resin.
Solarez doesn’t smell either and is inflammable. Getting it off my hands is also effortless, but you’ll need soaps mixed with baking soda.
Finally, the Solarez is a value pack and includes fine-grit sandpaper for smoothing the surface once you’re done with the resin application.
Pros
- Multi-purpose; ideal for polyester and epoxy boards
- Reliable binding
- Easy to use
Cons
- Effective under UV rays
#2 SOLAREZ UV Cure Air Travel Kit – Best for Travelers
- Quality
- Price
- Our Rating
The SOLAREZ Air Travel is my go-to ding repair kit when traveling.
I’ve been using it since I began surfing, and it’s the stuff I always carry with me on my surf trips. I even have one in my car’s trunk and once in the garage for home repairs.
It’s such a convenient surfboard ding repair kit; very portable, and at only 2 oz, it should be the perfect fit for the nomadic surfer.
SOLAREZ Air Travel Kit is also quite handy and perfect to tag along with in your surfing expeditions.
I also got this Polyester board resin because it seals out water that would normally soak the gloss coat on my board.
See, my main concern with board repairs is achieving a watertight seal. Most resins do the sealing half-heartedly, discoloring my board.
The SOLAREZ UV Cure Resin Air Travel is different. It’s a fiber-reinforced resin that works well and won’t leave your board with a yellow resin-like most options do.
Keep in mind it’s suited for polyurethane boards alone and won’t work for epoxy surfboards.
Using the SOLAREZ Air Travel is effortless and quick.
I’m not an expert in ding repair, so my ideal resin kit should be easy to use.
SOLAREZ Air Travel ticks this box because it doesn’t require mixing solutions in any ratio. It’s grab-and-apply stuff. All you need is a popsicle stick (mixing sticks) for application, and you’re good.
It’s great stuff to have in your glovebox, especially if you’ve a surfboard.
I’ve used it on several serious repairs and leaks to my epoxy surfboards, especially in conditions where I wanted to get back to the water quickly.
And let’s just say it works wonders. The repairing epoxy resin cures hard and gets me surfing in a moment.
Like our top pick, it’s a solid UV resin, so it needs exposure to the sun’s UV rays or artificial UV for UV curing.
SOLAREZ UV Cure Air Travel is safe to use and won’t require a mask or anything.
The repair kit also includes two grit sand pads in its product package.
Pros
- Travel-friendly
- Reliable
- Easy to use
- Highest quality resin
Cons
- Requires UV light
#3 Ding All Super Polyester Repair Kit – Value Surfboard Repair Kit
- Quality
- Price
- Our Rating
Ding All Super Polyester Repair Kit is the ultimate repair surfboard kit.
It has all the basics or at least what I need to repair my surfboard.
Ding Polyester surfboard ding repair kit works great and has repaired all the dings, nicks and cracks on my surfboards.
The resin and hardener on the Ding All Repair kit effectively fix the dings on your board.
There’s also some sun cure, and it does a nice job of fixing the epoxy boards. It hardens the board well and eliminates any signs of dent or rip.
Even better, it won’t leave your board tacky or anything. It dries super smooth and nice. However, I would advise you to get finer grit sandpaper than the one supplied for sanding purposes. Finer sandpaper will blend the patch job just right.
The Sun Cure resin doesn’t take much time to dry, especially under direct sunlight.
And the good thing is the sun cure resin covers a large part and will help cover a large section of your surfboard.
Accessories on the Ding All Super Polyester Repair Kit don’t end there; it is more than a standard repair kit.
You also get a cup for mixing the sun cure solution for ding repair.
There’s also a special Q-Cell filler. It does a great job of filling the scuffs, marks, rough edges and other hollow spaces present.
But if your board isn’t white, especially on the patch you’re working on, I recommend you skip the Q-Cell on this polyester resin. While it makes the resin easier to manage, it dries white, so it may contrast the color of your board.
Overall, the Ding All Super Polyester Repair Kit has a good set of starter items you need to start your epoxy repair.
However, you may need some extras such as masking tape, gloves, and acetone.
Pros
- Complete kit; come with all the supplies needed
- Sun Cure dries quickly
- Works well on a damaged surfboard
Cons
- You may require some extras
#4 Ding All Q-Cell Filler – Best for Epoxy Resin Kit for Filling Scrapes
- Quality
- Price
- Our Rating
The Ding All Q-Cell filler is fourth on our list of the best surfboard ding repair kits.
It’s a super-fine powder and the perfect option for bulking out the filler for large dings, scrapes and big gouges.
Personally, I use it as an effective replacement for foam. It’s a much more economical option for thickening the existing Polyester and fiber-reinforced epoxy resin.
When mixed with a sandable resin, it makes a nice “Foam white” fill the paste that will cover or add bulk to any large scrape or dent.
When mixing with sanding resin, you need to take caution because it puffs a little, but with proper tools and practice, you’ll be impressed at how easy it is to mix and apply.
Performance for this filler is also quick, regardless of the existing temperatures.
And since it has a quick drying time, it doesn’t get sticky or leave a gooey mess on your board.
But the best part, at least in my opinion, is the tough lamination strength. It lays down super-nice and binds with the existing materials for more strength and resilience.
It is more resistant to wear, water seepage or breakdown. Simply put, it’ll allow you to get back into the water, and you won’t even notice the extra layering.
You won’t need a mask to apply Ding All Q-Cell Filler because it’s free from VOCs or other toxic elements.
Pros
- Nice filling element
- Resistant to wear
- Inexpensive
Cons
- Not available in a travel-friendly size
#5 Phix Doctor Sun Powered Epoxy Kit
- Quality
- Price
- Our Rating
Phix Doctor Epoxy Kit is a must-have repair kit and probably among the best epoxy repair kit there’s in the market.
The kits will work on your dings like a champ and restore your board to its original shape.
It also comes as a package consisting of dura epoxy resin, fiberglass cloth and mixing tools.
The dura resin and sun-cure are, in particular, handy repair components for surfboards. They harden your board nicely without leaving a sticky mess.
The Phix Doctor epoxy repair kit is rated to work well with different kinds of boards, from polyester surfboards and epoxy surfboards to fiberglass surfboards.
I find it super-convenient to bring the kit with me to my water because it’s ultra-portable. It’s also packed in a convenient bottle, and I can bring it with me wherever I go.
Overall, the Phix Doctor is a super epoxy repair kit and has exceeded my expectations.
Pros
- Portable
- Easy to use epoxy resin
- Package includes mixing sticks, fiberglass cloth & mixing tools
Cons
- Requires sun UV to dry
Best Surfboard Repair Kits Buying Guide
With so many surfboard repair ding kits in the market, choosing the right one for your needs can be nerve-wracking.
But not when you’ve a guide to help with the selection.
And in the section below, I’ll share two of the critical elements to consider when selecting the best surfboard repair kit.
Type of Surfboard
The most important thing to consider when selecting a surfboard is determining the type of surfboard.
Surfboards come in different materials, and consequently, their patching needs are also different.
For example, a repair kit for polyester is very different from an epoxy surfboard.
Budget
The other thing is the price.
While some kits are expensive, you don’t have to break the bank.
Instead, choose a repair kit that is within your budget. More importantly, it should fulfill all your ding repair needs.
How to Repair a Surfboard
In the section below, I’ll share a step-by-step tutorial on repairing a dinged surfboard.
It’ll save you from the exorbitant prices of your local surf shop and give you more confidence in your next project.
1) Have all the necessary tools
The first step to patching your board is collecting everything you need for the task ahead.
Some of the essentials for surfboard repairs include:
- Fiberglass: It strengthens the patchwork
- Sandpaper: smoothens the repair dings section to a flat surface and removes smooth debris
- Masking tape/Duct tape: shields other sections from resin
- Q-Cell: filling cracks and gaps
- Cup: For mixing the patching components
- Acetone: Provides a clean working surface
- Mask: Protects you from the harmful fume
- Razor blade: Removes the loose debris after patchwork
- Paint brush, mixing sticks & mixing cup
2) Clean the damage
You must work on a clean surface.
So, before anything else, and depending on the nature of the ding, use acetone/ fiberglass cloth or razor to clean the patch area thoroughly.
3) Sanding
The next step is sanding the problem area. It’ll show the exact spot.
Take care not to overdo it.
4) Use the masking tape.
A masking tape should protect the un-dinged sections of the surfboard. It ensures that only the dinged area comes into contact with the resin.
5) Apply Q-Cell
Q-Cell binds well with your surfboard material.
It adds bulk to the hollow sections that might have resulted from the cracks and cuts.
6) Sanding
Sanding again is necessary to eliminate the extra Q-Cell.
It evens the surface and eliminates any superfluous material.
Best Surfboard Ding Repair Kits Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: How much time do I need after repair to get back in the water?
A: Manufacturers sell their repair kits as instant performers.
However, I would recommend you give your board at least a day.
Q: Polyester VS epoxy kit; which is better for me?
A: The best resin is determined by the types of material for your board.
That said, understand epoxy is resilient and doesn’t smell like polyester. But it’s much more expensive.
Q: Can beginners use surfboard ding repair kits?
A: Yes, surfboard ding repair kits are suitable for a wide range of users, starting from beginners, intermediate to advanced surfers.
Q: Can I surf with a cracked surfboard?
A: I wouldn’t recommend it.
Water might get into the crack and eventually ruin your board.
Wrap Up: Our Choice
Our winner for the best surfboard ding repair kits is the Solarez UV Cure Ding Resin.
It’s a fantastic surfboard repair kit that works on all the repair needs of your epoxy or fiberglass surfboard.
The resin has incredible strength and holding power to bind your broken or dented surfboard.
Plus, it’s easy to use and won’t leave your board looking gooey.
