I have built aircraft wings. I have built aluminum surfboards. The engineering is similar. The aluminum is different. I used AC 43.13 techniques and Grumman canoe materials. There is a 12’ Grumman canoe from the 70’s sitting in my dad’s back yard and it still looks brand new. Old fiberglass canoes, on the other hand…
My 10’ 4" SUP weighs 27 lbs and can take more stress than any fiberglass coated sponge of similar weight. The alloy used in quality boat building will not corrode or deteriorate at temperatures below 650 degrees. It can be polished to a mirror finish and formed to any contour. I am developing better (quicker) ways to ensure water-tightness. The nice thing about it is that the small amount of waste is recycled. I am also working on fin designs, probably a penguin inspired empanage.
Ford Motor Co. told the Wright Bros that an engine with weight and power requirements to make them fly was impossible.
Gismo - love to see pics of your aluminum boards. Henry Ford was an ardent supporter of Hitler - love my F-150, but Ford did miss the mark sometimes, eh? (my wife hates 'em, pleaded with me not to buy mine, but its been a reliable old workhorse)
27 lb for a 10-4 is not out of line with a wood board of the same size. It sure would be cool to see a construction thread on a Aluminum board. The very least some pictures of Aluminum board. If you don't have pictures you don't have anything ! Huck I guess Women don't like pick up trucks. My wife doesnt like my truck but said one of those big extra cabs (Ram ) with the plush seats,AC,pour everything would be nice. (Keeping up with the general contractor next door ) Cant imagine filling the gas tank on one of those ! My wife has never ever bought gas for her car and has no idea. To her it's all about fashion !!
[img_assist|nid=1058636|title=Aluminum SUP prototype 001 fitting a deck|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=640|height=480] I need a bigger shop with an ai compressor to make this perfect. I’m a little scared about how easy it was to build. It’s a bit of a barge but I picture it being a blast around piers. Real wave boards coming soon.
Howzit Wood_Ogre, One thing I learned living in Hawaii is you don't buy new cars or trucks since all they do is rust away before your eyes. I used to buy the rusty old VW vans for putting my tools in and boy did I get some strange looks from the tourists when I would drive by them. Aloha,Kokua
As a W.A.V.E. Hollow teamrider back in the 70’s I was given a nylon honeycomb board then later when I pushed for lighter, an aluminum one. It worked good but dented. I got hammered at El Capitan on a big day and the lip drove my knee thru the deck thereby sinking it. At that point I dragged it over the rocks, threw it up on the lawn and took out my PUPE pintail.
Yes, you do need to say more. Did you notice any design flaws on the board that broke or do you blame all hollow cores? What guage, alloy and hardness was the aluminum? What size and shape was that board? What kind of rib/stringer structure did it have? Have you tried a hollow board in the last 40 years?
[img_assist|nid=1058675|title=top of the line roof rack|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=0|height=0][img_assist|nid=1058676|title=maiden voyage of Al sup|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=0|height=0]
I strapped it on my roof with a tire under it and dropped it in a slough near my house to try it out. It glides well and the tire made a nice seat for my son.
I know I’m being a kill-joy, but if auto manufacturers, and aircraft manufacturers are leaving metal in favor of the strength to weight of composites and carbon, isn’t an aluminum board a step in the wrong direction?
actually , some very expensive cars were made from alluminium panels........and also the mighty Landrovers , the king of 4x4's ! ( IMO) I had a series 2A Landrover trayback years ago , and it was often used to pull the flashy upmarket all-terrain vehicles out of bogs when they got stuck !.......it once pulled a Toyota Landcruiser with an 18ft half cabin boat in tow , up a steep boat ramp , when the boat trailer had dropped over the edge of the concrete ramp at low tide.
Indeed. Audi is using Aluminum in their best cars and aircraft manufacturers are only using composites (completely unrelated to surfboard constructions) to save money. Boeing still uses aluminum alloys and that's why their jumbo jets don't delaminate and fall apart like an airbus. Its a little like the difference between a Land Rover and a Saturn Vue.
When I was in Vietnam in 1968 the Vietnamese would cut the end of the beer cans and soda cans and pound them into flat sheets. then carfully double lap the edjes one can to the next and then pound them flat untill they had large flat sheets of metal which they then used for siding on their houses. So now with all the aluminum beer cans I figure this method would make some hellashis aluminum surfboards . Surf your Bud !! Cut back on your Schlitz !! Do they even make Shlitz anymore ?
I once owned a painted hollow board called a W.A.V.E. not sure if it was Al but it sounded like it. Cant remember if it had a pressure valve / plug....
If you’re scared about your board coming apart at 37,000 feet, don’t make it out of 2024 T3, don’t let Goodrich ATS (formerly Tramco) perform heavy inspections on it, and wear an oxygen mask instead of pressurizing the cabin.
