I scored an old windsurf board off craigslist for $20 (7'10 x 26 x 5). It has some cracks and is in rough shape so I don't think stripping it will be a big issue, also there is a lot of foam to work with. My question is there is a hole starting about 4'5" from the nose, I assume this is where the sail attached. The hole is about 12" long x 1.5 inches wide and goes all the way through (see picture). My question is what would you fill this with, and should I shape the blank so the hole is directly between my feet, or further towards the tail? I plan on fiberglassing the inside walls of the hole to make it rigid and filling it with something. Should I do that? I am going to either shape a 5'4 or 5'8" mini simmons or a 6'4 hybrid shortboard.
Paint will not cover the seams. Paint is a thin film you will have to use some compound filler to hide the seams. Might think about camoflague the seam. an acid splash or geometric design might work.
Artz I used the can foam to cover the seams. It worked ok. When I said the paint didn't cover well I meant it didn't come out white like i want it. I can still see the brown through the white. Kind of like when you paint a wall without using primer first. The orginal color bleeds through. I thought the regular paint would cover the brown better.
Yeah Stevo I used #36 sandpaper on a sanding block. It worked pretty well. I used the same paper and block to do the rails. This foam was really shitty. It had voids and holes in it all over the place. It kind of reminded me of blow foam because of the voids. When I got the shape I wanted I bought a can of "Great Stuff" foam in a can and sprayed it in some of the big holes and around the foam I put in the mast holes. I tried using white spray acrylic to paint the board this weekend, but it didn't cover very well. I am going to go to the hobby store and buy some liquid acrylic paint and roll it on this weekend. I will take some pictures and post them.
^I did that same thing with a mistral superlight (which was neigher super, nor light) glassed over the mast strack and daggerboard
Looking good!
What did you use to knock the foam down flat, just a bunch of elbow grease and a coarse sanding block?
I’m looking at getting my own strip down build going pretty quick!
I found an old wind surf board in my uncles back yard hidden behind a tree. It’s about 11’ 7" I was thinking about filling in the mast holder and make a sup out of it,
yes , hicksy and I , a few years ago
I vowed , 'never again !'
short answer =
buy a blank
close to the size of the board you want to make
then you will have the required rocker , foil , thickness , much more easily
cheers !
ben
Well I own it now so I am doing something with it. If I end up with a pile of foam dust and a good beer buz I will consider it a good night!
Chippy did you have issues shapping the blank or did you have issues filling hole/glassing? I know you can use spackle to fill minor dents and holes, but I'm not sure it will work in this situation.
Bojangles,
The slot you see in the board is for a removable skeg.
While Chippys answer is probably the simplest, you got the board cheap so you might as well experiment with it and your only out $20 if it doesn’t work.
How I would repair it depends on what the core of the board is. You should strip it first & figure out if it is EPS, styrofoam(bead type), or polyurethane foam, and if it has a stringer. If there is not a stringer, just fill in the hole with a block of the same type of foam (glued in with white polyurethane glue such as Gorrila) and shape as you normally would. I wouldn’t put the hole in the middle of your new shape(front to rear) it might fold in half under stress since that is the weak spot; I would put it as far forward or backward as possible.
If it has a single stringer, probably the easiest thing to do would be “sister” two pieces of stringer(say, 16" long, one on each side) of the existing stringer that spans the hole and glue to existing stringer; fill in the gaps with the appropriate foam and shape away.
Good luck!
Those early '80's windsurf boards were brown polyurethane foam, so any resin works.
Slot is for daggerboard, hole for mast track. Fill with leftover foam from other parts of the board, or 2 part blow foam, the closest to what it's made of.
Thanks Parthenonsurfer.
Great ideas. I will be stripping it this weekend. I fell like a kid getting ready to open a Christmas present! Hopefully when it's done I don't feel like I just got a sweater from my grandma........
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Chippy did you have issues shapping the blank or did you have issues filling hole/glassing? I know you can use spackle to fill minor dents and holes, but I'm not sure it will work in this situation.
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both
maybe since it is 7'10 , if you REALLY are determined to strip it and make 'SOMETHING' out of it , go with something like , oh well, say ...7'10 x 22" [?] x 3 1/2 [max] mini mal / "funboard"
All my boards [bar two ] , have been 'strip and reshape' jobs...so I remember the work involved , versus using a blank ...
I'll see if I can remember / find the thread , sometime [..."ozlocks" , maybe ?? ]
? We 'may ' even have scored a windsurfer 'blank' , complete with metal inserts or something odd , thinking about it more ?
(....it WAS YEARS ago now , my memory forgets .... I've made HEAPS of FINS, since then , so , there is a different 'focus' , nowadays [ yes , the pun was INTENDED ... I take ..er...a "few" photos , too, you may have noticed ?] )
" Hopefully when it's done I don't feel like I just got a sweater from my grandma........"
haha !
classic , mate !!
well, you may ... so prepare yourself mentally , mate !
But , you never know , eh ? ....you might get lucky ...
....it 'might ' just end up being / looking like a 'socks and jocks from mum' job !! [four sizes too big , and 'Y- FRONTS' , of course ! ...which you can always use to put the apples in , that you pick from your fiends orchard ?!]
I think , however , that you "may" find , by the time you have finished stripping , filling holes, shaping , glassing , sanding , finning ...that you may reach the same conclusion that I did ...
....and , that it will have cost you a 'bit' more than the " $20" , all up ! [ But what the hell ... if it's what you REALLY want to do , by all means , give it a TRY , I suppose ?! LOTS of work , though , is what I am saying ...blanks are easier / more simple ...WHY would we want to make it difficult for ourselves , eh ?]
I reckon you will learn PLENTY , at least !... so please ...can you pass it on , here , eh ?
By the way , 'bo' ...
I would give the " beer buzz" thing , while stripping it and shaping it with electric , sharp tools , a BIG miss !...you will need ALL your concentration powers , [and ten fingers and two hands , and intact focus ] , TRUST me !!
cheers !
ben
Go on do it striping is easy 20min job remove deck and bottom skin template inside the rails
if its pu blank inside the finished board will be soft so no light 4oz glassing
Fill hole with an off cut after shapeing maybe easyest
little trapezoid i squeezed out of a snapped windsurfer.
http://myeyeswontfocus.tumblr.com/post/11248943909/shaped-down-a-broken-windsurfer-blank-today-into
Thanks for the info LeeD. I was hoping it was PU. I want to laminate with Suncure.
TomMorth I have some 6oz left over from my last board that I think I am going to use.
SurfBum that looks clean. You have given me the hope I needed!
I have a poly windsurfer I’ll be doing the same with (haven’t tackled it yet) good luck!
