How a board is installed and used, and in what environment it is installed, are factors that greatly determine the boards' life.

Even a good installation can get out of adjustment over time. The action of the board in use tends to work deck attachments loose, and shims can slip. If the stand is not level or squared up with both assemblies on the same centerline, the board can experience unusual torque or track to one side.

When we receive boards back from customers who want their board resurfaced, we inspect the boards for cracks. One cause of a structural crack is if the board has been tracking to one side and repeatedly hitting the front rail support. If the interference continues without correction the board will crack at the point of impact. If the crack is detected while it is small, it can be arrested; but if the crack is over 1" long, the board is destined to crack across the top skin. If a crack progresses up to the top of the reinforcing rib, the board can crack all the way across the top skin in a single dive. The board will make a creaking, crackling noise when in use, before this happens. The noise is a warning to take the board out of service.

Corrosion of the boards is likely in environments of high humidity with chlorine in the water vapor. Corrosion can be the cause of many small cracks underneath the board. Our first rule of maintenance is to hose the board & stand down with fresh water every day.

The slip-resistant material on the surface does wear off. Factors involved in preserving the life of the slip-resistant surface are: careful maintenance, careful handling when the board is removed & stored for the off-season and barefoot-use-only by the divers. With year-around use there is year-around wear. You must refer to our Care & Maintenance Instructions. Some very active diving schools send the board back to us for refinish every 3 years, but more often the boards that come back to us for refinish are about 5 years from the last refinish.

If the slip-resistant surface is not slippery, and there are no cracks in the board, there is not a reason to send the board back for refinish. Some customers simply want a pretty new finish; we do warn the customer NOT to paint it, not to refinish it by any other means than sending it back to the factory. We have seen some tragic results of well-meaning attempts to refinish the boards. Non-factory refinish attempts often result in a board that is more slippery after the work is done than it was before the attempt was made. Also, the factory methods may not be able to get the added material off, so the board is ruined. Do NOT attempt to remove the old finish by sandblasting. That is a quick way to make scrap metal out of an expensive diving board.

The recreation models of our boards, 14' Duraflex and 16' Duraflex, appear to have a greater longevity either from less use, or less hard use. We receive these boards back for refinish over a life-span of 20 to 30 years. Our high performance models under daily hard use, if maintained properly, can have a life of 5 to 7 years. Any boards younger than 5 years that develop cracks may not have been installed properly.