A Question ???

I have never built a board and until recently, just started doing my own ding repairs. I have a friend who is willing to give me an old beat up board. Rather than buy a fresh new blank, would I be better off taking this old board, stripping off the glass and get the feel of the tools and foam for the first go around. Thank You.

Better to fix up the beater. Buy a blank and start your project from that point. When you finish your new board- one you took from start to finish without the hassles of stripping the glass and patching the holes etc. you will have something to be proud of. It will be something to remember forever and no doubt will be one of your most memorable surfboards. Oh yeah! the beater you fixed…find a worthy recipient, some kid or a friend and give it to them. Now you’ve got a new board AND a friend to share waves with. Priceless. Tom>>> I have never built a board and until recently, just started doing my own > ding repairs. I have a friend who is willing to give me an old beat up > board. Rather than buy a fresh new blank, would I be better off taking > this old board, stripping off the glass and get the feel of the tools and > foam for the first go around. Thank You.

I wasn’t trying to snub your question, I’m sure you’ve got plenty of surf mates in the lineup. I’ve only stripped and reshaped on board and the results were less than what I hoped for. The problem is that if there has been significant ding repairs etc., once you strip the glass off you will be faced with a pretty daunting task. There will be yellowed and rotting areas of foam, deep holes where the ding resin bound with the glass and foam and pulled out. You can do a decent job cleaning up an old beater by repairing the dings, sanding well and then epoxy coating select panels or the whole board. At that point you might have a board worth the cost of a couple of blanks at least or materials cost for your first board. Tom

R.I. If your luck is anything like mine, the compromised looking strip and re-shape will be your most enduring board. It will be the one that show’s up at the beach year after year in the hands of some starry eye’d grommet and will be the one you will be forever judged by, no matter how many sweet, functional, clean shapes you do after. This has been my story…sad but true, but also pretty darn funny. Go for a new blank and like tom said, fix up the beater and restore it’s soul. Have fun. Scott.

I wasn’t trying to snub your question, I’m sure you’ve got plenty of surf > mates in the lineup. I’ve only stripped and reshaped on board and the > results were less than what I hoped for. The problem is that if there has > been significant ding repairs etc., once you strip the glass off you will > be faced with a pretty daunting task. There will be yellowed and rotting > areas of foam, deep holes where the ding resin bound with the glass and > foam and pulled out. You can do a decent job cleaning up an old beater by > repairing the dings, sanding well and then epoxy coating select panels or > the whole board. At that point you might have a board worth the cost of a > couple of blanks at least or materials cost for your first board.>>> Tom Tom, Thank you for the in-put. I do see your point. I thought never doing this before, working with the old board would just give me a feel of working with foam for the first time.

R.I. If your luck is anything like mine, the compromised looking strip and > re-shape will be your most enduring board. It will be the one that show’s > up at the beach year after year in the hands of some starry eye’d grommet > and will be the one you will be forever judged by, no matter how many > sweet, functional, clean shapes you do after. This has been my > story…sad but true, but also pretty darn funny. Go for a new blank > and like tom said, fix up the beater and restore it’s soul. Have fun. > Scott. Scott, I guess it’s a new blank then. Thank you also.

Now that you decided on a new blank I would be interested in where you are going to purchase it. I live in South Jersey and have a hard time securing blanks. I order them from WRV in NC and they ship them up to Virginia Beach where I pick them up. Maybe you could get one from Bunger on LI. Good Luck, let me know how you make out, it’s worth the effort. Frank I have never built a board and until recently, just started doing my own > ding repairs. I have a friend who is willing to give me an old beat up > board. Rather than buy a fresh new blank, would I be better off taking > this old board, stripping off the glass and get the feel of the tools and > foam for the first go around. Thank You.

I have never built a board and until recently, just started doing my own h20Fxk, I was either going to wait until a buddy of mine who owns 1 of the local surf shops here, did his ordering or another friend of mine who is about to start his 1st board ordered. The biggest problem is: We are looking for another home. We have been here 28,almost 29 years.I’m only 15 miles from the Atlantic, but we want to be no more than 2-5 miles, with land, @ least 1 acre.Our home has a 2 car garage, which leads right into the family room.So forget sanding and glassing there. Where we are,it’s an up-scale, professional type neighborhood, so a shed in the back is also out. I can hear the neighbors now!!! With the additional land we will put up a work shop. Part of it for me and the other for my wife as she would like the space for her art work. So, my board building is on the back burner until we are outta here !!! We have looked @ appox. 40-50 properties since Memorial Day, weekend. BUT I have something today, that I never had as a younger man. It’s called PATIENCE. Thank’s for your interest. R.I. surfer

Out of economics…my first couple boards(shapes) were strip downs…and it was probably a good thing too!being that I was all of 12 years old! but the glassing came out good? or maybe it was the wood fins? Could have used Swaylock’s then,huh Jim!..Herb.