Big dent at the edge (polyethylene board)

[KSH]

I have bought a new BIC surf board with a polyethylene shell.
Yesterday it got a dent at the edge- can this be repaired (for instanse by heating the board?).

Thanks

[oldmansurfer]

Wow I just had a sudden realization. That board is made out of the same material as my Scupper kayak. That looks like heat damage because polyethylene doesn't dent like that without heat at least not my kayak. I have rode waves with my kayak up over rocks in order to safely land on a coastline without beaches. It sustained no dents and no real damage other then some minor scratches. Wow so Bic is making boards out of that? Well my suspicion is that heat caused that and it would be difficult to get heat to make it go back to it's normal shape, however I know nothing about Bic surfboards

[jaffa1949]

The one good thing I can say about an impact dent on a BIC, other forms construction would be severely smashed.
Do you recall an impact? If brand new maybe a return to point of purchase if you have had no Impact!

If you are brave enough the hairdryer heat attack might work , or cause further harm!
Good luck!

[OlegLupusov]

I snapped my bic board two weeks after buying it! Crappy material! Cut my palms badly while trying to paddle back to shore through a rip current. By the time I reached the shore, the remaining layer on the non snapped side rolled like a shaving with very sharp edges. It looks very durable until it does not!

I guess the foam got destroyed inside and the material got pushed inside (no heat needed)

[oldmansurfer]

That is interesting Oleg, my kayak made out of the same material is tough, really tough as in pound it with a hammer and it won't dent. But set it on some hot rocks and it will conform to the shape of the rocks. Of course it is a bit thicker than the board. I guess maybe they got the idea from those Scupper kayaks but maybe in a thinner form polyethylene is not so durable.

[OlegLupusov]

Found some pics that I had sent to the bank for reimbursement

[oldmansurfer]

Wow that stuff is paper thin similar to fiberglass. Hmmm... well my kayak is probably like 0.25 inch to 1.5 inch thick extremely tough stuff. Maybe it's too heavy to make it thicker. My 14 foot kayak weighs about 45 pounds.

[OlegLupusov]

Yep! Very thin and sharp! got multiple splinters and cuts. Was lucky that my gopro fell off 10 ten minutes before the snapping accident and I had opportunity to put it back in the car.
I strongly believe that they should stick to making pens:)

[oldmansurfer]

That stuff shouldn't splinter, it's plastic

[OlegLupusov]

Probably, it shouldn’t. But it definitely does:)
It’s a mixture of the glue and fiber plastic quite similar to some kind of cheap metal or boats material. I didn’t take pictures of my hands but it took me a while to get all splinters with needles and squeezers. Why are you so sure your kayak is of the same material:)?

[waikikikichan]

That stuff shouldn't splinter, it's plastic

It may be made out of FRP ( Fiber Reinforced Plastic or Polymer ), not just "plain" plastic

[OlegLupusov]

Furthermore, the foam appears similar to soft tops. And different from hard boards. So, it could be easily destroyed by the impact

[oldmansurfer]

Probably, it shouldn’t. But it definitely does:)
It’s a mixture of the glue and fiber plastic quite similar to some kind of cheap metal or boats material. I didn’t take pictures of my hands but it took me a while to get all splinters with needles and squeezers. Why are you so sure your kayak is of the same material:)?

The promotion was how tough the cold rolled polyethylene was (but also how you couldn't let it get hot.) Perhaps it is a different variety of polyethylene my kayak is made from high density polyethylene perhaps the Bic is made from cross linked polyethylene which is not so tough but why? Why not use the tougher material? Tears can be mended with welding in the unlikely event they occur..... go figure