Some months ago I bought two new boards: one for me and one for my son.
The same model but in two different dimensions with two board bags and the rail's savers. I made the wire transfer on the 21 of december 2021 and the 19 of january the boards finally arrived. I used the board with big waves once and three times in small conditions. These are the results:
I think you will find that brand uses polyester fill / gloss coats over epoxy. As you can see sometimes there is a bond issue.
I'm guessing Gong FSP 2 technology? Similar experience, bullseyed the rail with my knee, plus a few other minor dings from knocks. The gel coat doesn't bond well, I think it's ester resin too, not epoxy, as when sanded I could smell styrene. The composite underneath is ok, you can do repairs to the gel coat with regular clear epoxy (gorilla glue clear) filled with microspheres, moulded to the shape of the board using stiff plastic film (lever arch file holder pockets work well).
Sold mine, as I didn't like the board looking tatty after a few months and the hassle of fixing chips.
So you smacked the sh1t out of your board with a carbon axe and surprise surprise it has a few dents. Must be someone else's problem obviously 
Daveb27 wiiiiiiinns! For Hilly the problem should be of this nice person with the hammer and his organization:
But unfortunately for me the Nicolas Hily "TECH ADVISOR" of Gong wrote me
"A hot coat is a thin layer of resin, and what you see is not a weakness of the board, but shocks caused by your paddle.
Your board is not broken, and is in perfect structural condition.
I am sorry but these shocks linked to your paddling technique will not be taken in warranty."
The best at the end:
"We sell direct, you save money" there is another explanation: we sell direct so you can't bring the board back to a shop for a total refund.
The prize is be very careful with this brand. I bought another board in 2018 for my son a 7'6 Mob 120 Woodckfusion and I sold it immediately after some expensive reparartions because it seems made of thin paper and I said never more Gong. When I saw the video on Youtube with the hammer I said "they have learned their lesson" so this year I bought these two boards. I had a lot of boards (an Oxbow, two Naish, two Fanatic, one Starboard, two Sunova) but with none of them I had this problems. GONG? NO THANKS!
A la merde comme a la merde!
- Linkus, on the video, it is a mallet (rubber), not a hammer
- Your rail dings on the FSP pro (grey) seem normal to me with no protection (paddle or rail). Carbon is very stiff and very brittle, hitting two carbon pieces directly together will damage them. Or metal on carbon: a metal hammer will destroy it.
See Jim Terrel on this: www.seabreeze.com.au/News/Stand+Up+Paddle/Why-did-my-paddle-just-break-With-Jim-Terrel-from-QB_10635727.aspx "Sharp impacts, UV and scratches are the kryptonite to anything made from Carbon Fiber. Just one scratch can lead to a breakage further down the line"
- The last pic looks like a knee hit (above the rail saver, noticeable depression around the crack), no board will resist unless weighting a ton.
I have ultralight boards that are looking much worse than yours (1.5kg less, normal weights ones are OK), but it is only the varnish/paint. And not only Gong, but a Gerry Lopez too (special ultralight full carbon one, not the normal production). I use helicopter tape on my paddle. From time to time I just "wet" the dings with some resin, pulling it tight (it should not run) with a gloved hand for a quick and easy hotcoat fix. Or just spray some varnish.
Nicolas Hilly is right: the structure is intact.
And as others like Daveb27 said, it is alas due to the use of a polyester hotcoat, (I guess for an easier production) as detailed on the tech info the board web pages. The structure underneath this cosmetic layer is sound. Sanding epoxy is much harder to mass-produce I guess, good epoxy sanders are hard to find.
I guess your post shows that production boards are always a compromise that cannot please all people: some people will want a hammer-proof board, others will want a light and lively boards, others will care deeply about aesthetics, others will love the shape, others the price... Myself I am looking for a stellar lightweight shapes twice cheaper than others so I can build a quiver and not lose much on resale (I even paid my last board, a rare ultralight version second hand which WILL ding easily, more than a new one). I like to have fun in waves with my boards, I don't care about their looks. But others have other priorities, and this is why many brands exist, and local shapers that can offer you the kind of compromise you personally seek.
Thanks for posting.
Knowing they use poly resin with epoxy sounds nuts as you can see in the 2nd last photo of bonding issues.
The board has the clear rail saver (Gong) and on my paddle there is a rail guard Rspro. The photos 1, 2 and 4 are the hits under the clear Gong rail saver. If I remove the rail saver the finish goes away with it. The board is soft and the finish is hard. That's all. This is not my first board and I used this board 1/30 of the times that I used my last Sunova Shroom. The Sunova has some light scratches but is absolutely perfect and the carbon rails are like the first day.
The worst thing is that I don't know how these holes or dings are made. The sensation is that the board is so incredibly fragile. And the mine is not the carbon version. But for Gong that's normal. The finish is only useless weight, you can remove it and the board is ok! For me, no. You say: "the boards are compromises", yes but you can't publicize your board hitting them with a gummy hammer when your boards are so badly built. Last friday I sold off the board with the board bag and new quad honeycomb fins for 400 euros after two persons rejected the board. I'm happy because I stopped getting pissed off. Go supping is one of my favourite pleasures in my life and Gong ruined it for me.
Fortunately "ex malo bonum" from bad things good things are born, I bought a delightful, well built, elegant, enjoyable Jimmy Lewis Super Frank 8.6. For me "no more Gong" and it's the second time I say it. I hope I have given correct information to those who want to buy a new board because in this forum I have learned many good things.
Unfortunately the people must accept a lot of compromises paying less. I had a lot of boards, also a Hypernut carbon for my young son but none of them is remotely comparable to this.
Select to expand quoteLostSkill said..
Knowing they use poly resin with epoxy sounds nuts as you can see in the 2nd last photo of bonding issues.
I know, yes?
I was so surprised to learn that it is done by a lot of surfboard companies, glassers and ding repairers... it apparently simplifies a lot the sanding and saves a lot of time, and time is money...
I even stumbled on this thread where a "Bert Burger" (rings a bell?) said some years ago: "the best results ive had is epoxy all the way to sanding stage ,then after sanding ,polyester gloss coat, the polyester dries way harder and scratch resistent gives a way better shine ,because youve cut it right back to a real thin layer ,its very flexible and will bend with the epoxy [...] the poly bonds no problem coz its a sanded surface ,you do have to make sure the epoxy is fully cured tho or else you get sticky spots..... the poly is way easier to cut and you get a harder crispier shine .where as the epoxy is a little harder to fine sand coz its a little more rubbery ,it also scratches easier as a finished product"
www.swaylocks.com/groups/hotcoat-epoxy?page=1
Things are never black and white, always compromises of some sort...
I have the same board and my rails are far worse. So long as water is not entering i am not bothered as it's only cosmetic.
To my disappointment, after my session today I discovered water bubbling from the handle. I peeled back the grip and found a long crack alongside the handle.
I was about to purchase a longboard sup and sup foil package but am now afraid of the quality issues.
Thoughts?
Cracks along the handle can happen on all brands, (even boards 3 times as expensive as Gong: google "leak handle XXX" for any XXX brand) especially if you apply pressure on the deck with your knees (knee paddling is often the culprit). Even PVC sandwich can flex a tiny bit, and it may thus happen.
However, on the Gong boards this is not a serious issue, as since 2013 the handle (and all the inserts: straps, fin boxes, leash plugs...) are encased in a waterproof PVC foam insert, so the water that gets in is minimal, doesn't go into the EPS foam blank, and can be removed completely.
I had some cracks before 2013, but not once on my many Gong boards since. I am 100kg, but I never knee paddle, I am either prone or standing. But of course, as with any water in boards, you should try to (have it) repair(ed) ASAP.
The Gong forum has a complete section on repairs, with some on the handle. Links to it are banned here, but for example look for the topic "Fuite par la poignee de la Zuma FSP", you can see how a customer posted a problem similar to yours, and got a lengthy discussion (2 pages) with the Gong team (even with the boss himself) to determine exactly the problem and come with a solution.
