What’s worse than a toothache, hitting your thumb with a hammer or forgetting your paddle at home? Getting a ding on your SUP or surf board! What else is there? Whether you did it or your “buddy” returned it to you like that and didn’t tell you, it’s happened to all of us. Who you gonna call on Maui when it happens to you? Gramps, at Rocking Chair Ding Repair in Haiku, that’s who.
Gramps has helped me wipe a few fiberglass tears and shrug off the epoxy blues and sorrows of mysterious dings and other nightmares; like when my downwind board took flight off a rack only to hit the side of my house requiring serious surgery. After I picked myself off the floor I reached for my phone and immediately called Gramps. He told me my options and although I may have required oxygen at the time, my board was going to make it. Sure enough in no time I was back in action on Maliko!
Here he shares his years of wisdom and knowledge on how you can keep your shiny, slick stand up paddle board ding or hole free. But first meet Gramps:
![gramps1[2]](https://suzietrainsmaui.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/gramps12-786x1024.jpg)
“Aloha, My name is Richard commonly known as “Gramps”. I started surfing in 1963 at Bolinas Beach in Northern California. In 1964 the local surf shop put me to work helping to make surfboards. I moved to Maui in 1986 to work for Sailboards Maui, building surfboards.
Here are some tips to help keep your SUP in good working order.
1. The sun is very wearing on these boards. Try to keep your board in a cool place as much as possible.
2. Check your board after each use, even a small crack will let water in.
3. Most SUPs are built light not strong. So be careful around rocks, cement, car racks, truck beds, garages etc.
Happy Surfing, Gramps!
![Gramps sign[2]](https://suzietrainsmaui.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Gramps-sign2-300x145.jpg)
Suzie Cooney, CPT
Suzie Trains Maui, LLC
