White Marks & Blotches on Surfboards:

 

Out of the thousands of surfboards we have made at our factory, we have seen every problem and know every solution possible. However, one stumped us for a while. White marks began to appear on the outside of some surfboards - new and old - for almost no reason. In all cases we knew the board had cured, was in perfect condition, and had no obvious other damage. Some thought it was bloom in the resin - OK except it happens on boards made with Polyester Resin which doesn't suffer from bloom, and we always use anti-bloom in our Epoxy Resin. We also use anti-bloom thinners when we apply White Flash!, which is a solvent based speed coat. The white blotches happened to one in every 200 surfboards approximately.
 
The problem looks like this:
 
White Marks The problem is not with the surfboard - it is caused by plastic migration from the inner liners of certain boardbags. The plastic is a cheaper polypropylene liner known to cause migration under certain conditions - but especially heat and salt. How do we know?  Because the same problem always happens with certain boardbags, and never with others, and this was the one variable we did not investigate at first. It was only when a new board got stuck in a bag did we realise what was happening. The board had no wax, so it had to be another cause.
  
The problem with plastics is well known - and it is especially well known with polyprops, especially the white woven type. (Cars suffer with it on the inside of windscreens just above the dashboard. It transfers to glass and plastics easily)
 
 
How do you prevent it?
  •  Buy a quality boardbag - check the liners to ensure its not the cheaper white woven polyprop type.
  • If you have a board bag, turn it inside out and leave it in the sun or heat for several days before use.
  • Wash your board with fresh water and dry it throughly before bagging.
  • Never leave your board in the hot sun, or worse in the car in heat, inside a new board bag.
  • The problem is worse with speedcote boards, although not exclusively.  

Please note:  This problem is not covered by our warranty - you should seek redress from your board bag reseller.