: CLC has a recommended part on their SUP page for venting the
: interior to avoid damaging decompression when you go from a hot
: car to cold water. The design lets air in and out but not water.

: I've never seen one of these before, is it needed?

: Thanks,

: Jim

Hi Jim

Trust me you definitely need a vent, and for the volume of a SUP, the Gore Tex vents will not do the trick. I live outside of Santa Cruz, 10 miles from the ocean at 2000 ft elevation. For my maiden voyage of my Malco SUP last year, the ocean temp was 55 degrees. My house above the fog was at 85 degrees when I got home. I could hear the two Gore tex leash plug vents I installed hissing away when I got home, but they could not release pressure fast enough. The pressure changes from the temperature increase and the external pressure decrease due to elevation, led to the strips on the bottom explosively lifting off the rails to an amazing popping sound like a popcorn maker. Had to do some major surgery, replacing strips. re-gluing what was left, and re-glassing most of the bottom of the board. Brad from WSS set me up with a brass screw-in vent and it works great. Board recovered nicely and it's hard to tell what happened. Malcolm's design for this board is incredibly fun to paddle. My bottom line is use a screw-in vent - it's easy to install and the Gore tex isn't worth the risk.

I posted a pictures and a tale of the rebuild at

http://www.schweizersurf.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=108&sid=68d06d9671e9b43497f2435d351608ad

Al