Gong RIGID BOARDS Série Guide De L'utilisateur page 31

IMPACTS, BREAKING AND WEAR
The use of the Boards sometimes leads to breakage due to shock or too much pressure, but also to an excessive
repetition of stress.
Impacts:
Whatever they are, even minor, they can cause damage. Always inspect your Board in case of shock or suspicion
of shock. The slightest impact will force you to take it out of the water, dry it and repair it.
TIP: it is said that any ding that gets stuck to the fingernail must be repaired.
There are quick repair kits available to finish the session, which react to the sun. These are makeshift repairs that
must be followed by a real repair in the following days. Don't let your Board rot for a few poorly repaired dings.
Be careful when you dry your Board: never expose it to the sun. It may cook even faster because the presence
of water in the foam increases tenfold the effects of the sun on the expansion of the core. Insert some paper
towel into the ding and let it absorb, changing it regularly.
You will find on our Forum and our website hundreds of pages of repair guides.
Breakage:
Here it is the drama. A wave crashed right on your Board, you stuck the nose in the bottom, it got stuck on
the wet sand and you pulled it off with force, you landed flat on top of it: your Board is bent, even broken in
two pieces! It's rare, but it happens and not only at Jaws. Remember that the efforts at sea are considerable;
much greater than you imagine. A cubic meter is a ton, so imagine this weight coming on at the speed of the
wave... Nothing can resist it.
So, to avoid this: never let your Board find itself in these situations. You never let your Board go under the lip or
stick to the bottom, and you land smoothly.
What if it happens? A folded Board is fairly easy to repair, but it's a lot of work. A two-piece Board can also be
repaired, but it will almost cost the price of a new Board.
Wear and Tear:
Like any object, a Board wears out when you use it. And each one will give it particular stresses. Some people
are very gentle, and others are brutal without even realizing it. The wear and tear of a Board is therefore extremely
variable. We calibrate the constructions of our Boards for intensive use. Team GONG uses the production Boards
all year round for pictures, pleasure and aging tests. It comes from our interest in producing the best Boards
possible, by being users and owners first. But reinforcing a Board to protect it from everything is impossible.
Everything that is normal wear and tear and your own to assume, and must be treated with rigorous maintenance.
SPECIAL NOTE: accessories and Fin boxes form hard points. In spite of particular care during their installation
and the consequent reinforcements, they are by nature a zone of tension. A shock on the side, excessive
pressure on the top, a Fin that touches the bottom etc... all these stress factors can make a box or insert move.
Inspect them after each session, each shock and before the next session for cracks or salt marks. You must
then immediately make very serious repairs. Taken in time, this problem is minor. Taken too late, your foam is
full of water and it's a disaster.
EN
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