Are there structural advantages to a perfectly smooth ding repair over the slight bump of glass from a less perfect repair? Or is it just aesthetic?
(Assuming the uneven finish is a product of not sanding all the way to the fiberglass around the repair area during prep, OR filling the ding flush with the surrounding area before glassing. Not some other weird mishap)
Structural advantages to a flush repair? Probably not. Will it mess up the way water flows over the board? Probably not noticably unless it’s incredibly big and cobby.
On the other hand, feathering the edges of the cloth down to nothing make for a much better transition, you won’t have an abrupt hard spot that might not flex like the rest of the board. It could, if done really badly, a cobby repair could crack loose through all that. Or catch on something and tear loose in the worst cases.
Oh, and, if it’s done badly in that, with no real care about what it looks like, that tells me that either the guy who did it didn’t care very much or he didn’t know very much. Not a comforting thought.
Sandpaper is cheap
doc…
Most ding repairs I see (unless done professionally) aren’t sanded enough prior to the addition of cloth and resin, so being left proud of the board is the only way they maintain any strength. If they were to be sanded flush with the board all strength would be taken out of them.
So, I’d say it all comes down to prep on whether or not a repair is better off lumpy or flush.
Thanks for the insights Doc and Phebus!
Flush. (voice of experience)