Can environmental hazards (sun, salt) damage the foam inside my board?
Yes. The inside of the board – the part that gives the board its soul and flex – yellows and becomes brittle as a result of environmental threats. As a result, the density of the foam decreases and your board looses its elastic abilities to “snap back” to its original shape when flexed on a wave. Simply put, the performance of the board is compromised. Over time, the board will feel stiffer and fail to best follow the shape of the wave. Finally, the core of a board with foam decay becomes more prone to compression ‘”dings”.
