Leaving air vent open while sailing

17th February 2011, 03:29 PM

Hi,
while sailing my board, i realised about that my air vent was still open, so i sailed back in and closed it.
just wondering, there was water flowing over my board would this have any impact on my board and if so how can i fix it.

thanks

COACHG · 17th February 2011, 08:54 PM

Water in a board is never good. One method to get water out is to put the board in a cool, dark place on a warm day with the goal of lowering the board's temp. After the board cools, set it out in the sun on a warm/hot day. About every 20 minutes you will need to turn the board on its side to dump the excess water. When water is no llonger bubbling out of the board repeat the process but this time take a paper towel, twist the end and stick the twisted end into the vent plug. The paper towel will absorb the moisture.

You will never get all of the moisture out, but enough to prevent major damage. Alternate method is to have a shop do it. They will drill holes and attach vacume to vent then run vacume for a few days.

Coachg

18th February 2011, 09:40 AM

Thanks for the advice, just another question:
if i leave it longer will the problem become worse?
thanks

COACHG · 18th February 2011, 12:27 PM

The sooner you can get out the better. You want to get it out before it has a chance to spread and bond with the EPS core of your board. How much worse it can get depends on how much water the board takes in and how warm the temps are.

Think about boiling water in a hot water kettle. How do you know when the water has boiled? The whistle goes off right? When the water is heated it becomes a gas-steam-that expands. If you have water in your board and the board is exposed to heat-sun-with the vent plug closed, the pressure has to go somewhere right?

Coachg

18th February 2011, 03:39 PM

Thanks for the advice, i tried what you advised and found out there wasnt a lot of water in there, just moisture
but there was quite a bit of sand and dirt in there. Is this normal? and how might this have happened.

COACHG · 18th February 2011, 08:53 PM

The water we sail in is not pure H2O. It carries many passangers-sand, dirt-that it will leave behind when it changes its state from fluid to gas inside your board.

Sounds like your board will be ok. You just have to make sure you open the vent every time you are done sailing or if you leave your board in the sun for an extended period. There are a couple of tricks to prevent you from repeating the error.

1. Use a marker to mark a line where the vent plug is tight. When you loosen the plug you will see it doesn't line up with your mark.

2. If you use a two-bolt Chinook system put your vent plug inside the base upside down and close the base. The plug won't get lost and you can't put your extension into the base with the plug in it.

3. Put your fins screws in a plastic bag with your vent plug. Every time you go to attach your fin you will see the vent plug and remember to put it in.

Coachg

17th February 2011, 03:29 PM	#1
starboard kombat 122 Guest Posts: n/a	Leaving air vent open while sailing Hi, while sailing my board, i realised about that my air vent was still open, so i sailed back in and closed it. just wondering, there was water flowing over my board would this have any impact on my board and if so how can i fix it. thanks

18th February 2011, 09:40 AM	#3
Unregistered Guest Posts: n/a	reply Thanks for the advice, just another question: if i leave it longer will the problem become worse? thanks

18th February 2011, 03:39 PM	#5
Unregistered Guest Posts: n/a	reply Thanks for the advice, i tried what you advised and found out there wasnt a lot of water in there, just moisture but there was quite a bit of sand and dirt in there. Is this normal? and how might this have happened.

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17th February 2011, 08:54 PM	#2
COACHG Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Northern California Posts: 146	Water in a board is never good. One method to get water out is to put the board in a cool, dark place on a warm day with the goal of lowering the board's temp. After the board cools, set it out in the sun on a warm/hot day. About every 20 minutes you will need to turn the board on its side to dump the excess water. When water is no llonger bubbling out of the board repeat the process but this time take a paper towel, twist the end and stick the twisted end into the vent plug. The paper towel will absorb the moisture. You will never get all of the moisture out, but enough to prevent major damage. Alternate method is to have a shop do it. They will drill holes and attach vacume to vent then run vacume for a few days. Coachg

18th February 2011, 12:27 PM	#4
COACHG Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Northern California Posts: 146	The sooner you can get out the better. You want to get it out before it has a chance to spread and bond with the EPS core of your board. How much worse it can get depends on how much water the board takes in and how warm the temps are. Think about boiling water in a hot water kettle. How do you know when the water has boiled? The whistle goes off right? When the water is heated it becomes a gas-steam-that expands. If you have water in your board and the board is exposed to heat-sun-with the vent plug closed, the pressure has to go somewhere right? Coachg

18th February 2011, 08:53 PM	#6
COACHG Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Northern California Posts: 146	The water we sail in is not pure H2O. It carries many passangers-sand, dirt-that it will leave behind when it changes its state from fluid to gas inside your board. Sounds like your board will be ok. You just have to make sure you open the vent every time you are done sailing or if you leave your board in the sun for an extended period. There are a couple of tricks to prevent you from repeating the error. 1. Use a marker to mark a line where the vent plug is tight. When you loosen the plug you will see it doesn't line up with your mark. 2. If you use a two-bolt Chinook system put your vent plug inside the base upside down and close the base. The plug won't get lost and you can't put your extension into the base with the plug in it. 3. Put your fins screws in a plastic bag with your vent plug. Every time you go to attach your fin you will see the vent plug and remember to put it in. Coachg