oh batteries (please charge) - Featuring - James Kates and Shaun Manners

Shaun found his meaning for the week, after one session at a wave near his home left him sunburnt and broken hearted. His favourite board (shaped by his father, Mathew Manners) had creased after another failed attempt at a fly-away straight air. Knowing his father would not approve of this stupid style of surfing due to the impacts it can have on surfboards, Shaun quickly gathered the materials necessary to repair it (and even quicker, he tried to remember the steps required to fix his favourite board, the steps his father had passed on to him a few years back). Under a mountain from long ago, Shaun used too much cloth and sanded too aggressively, but nonetheless was determined to do his father proud. Eventually, after two days of ding fixing, which were accompanied by countless blurts of rage, the board was now heavier and stronger than it had ever been. “A true collab of father and son,” Shaun thought as he held the now fixed board up to the sun, exposing the weave where he had sanded too far. “Thank God I'm not at papi’s factory now, he would never let this thing leave the shop.” At that moment, he could almost hear his father's disapproving voice telling him to take it back into the glassing room and treat it to another hot lap. Shaun shook his father’s voice off as some sort of stoned induced PTSD as he threw the board into whatever trendy shitbox he was driving at the time. Despite the unappealing aesthetics of the ding, Shaun's favourite board was now back in working order, and that was the most important thing. This board would remain in Shaun's quiver for the next year and a half, as his hair grew longer and the board turned darker, he was able to find new feelings in the board that otherwise would have never been felt. This video highlights the importance of ding fixing. Here at Dow Dings, we hope to inspire the next generation to have a crack at fixing their own boards (or at least until the Dow Dings' repair factory is up and running). You don’t need forty new boards all sprayed the same generic way to enjoy the ocean. All you need is a resin supplier, a Makita sander, and a $44.99 automotive panel stand from Supercheap Auto.