This seems to be the week to finish, balsa/ veneer boards, this one is a bit different being a kneeboard!
I would like to thank Bert, Greg and Sabs for all the helpful posts over the last few months, without you guys and the swaylocks community I would never have got this off the ground.
For those who are interested, the board is 5’10" x 17" x 23 3/4" x 18", construction is 3mm balsa over 16kgm3 eps, with 2oz under balsa, 2oz bottom and 4oz deck. I incorperated 2mm douglas fir perimeter stringers inside the balsa rails, and finished with 2 pac over the epoxy. Made a few mistakes, learned a lot, board weighs 6lb, next one will be nearer 5lb. I am a bit nervous of how it will ride, much thinner(2")than my normal boards, with concave deck ala Bert, and release edge on tucked rail thoughout. Sorry about the crap deck pad, but I wanted to ride the board before splashing out £45 on a decent one!
Thanks again for all your help, and thanks to Hicksy for the laminate! I will post pics on resources soon.
I’ve gotta admit, I am just as stoked for you Mark, as well as Oneula, Pete, Jarrod, DanB (I know its coming soon)…as I was for myself. I absolutely know how it feels to pop one of these out of the bag after the first pull; the final pull; to get the gloss going; to go surf it. Amazing, isn’t it?
Beautiful work. Looks like it will absolutely fly.
Bert, Sabs, CMP…look what you guys have done. Wood over EPS is making a strong showing with the backyarders in 2005!
Since becoming an active Swaylocker last summer, I’ve even run into a few others out there in the water & at the beach. That in itself is so cool - to recognize a guy from his board or his artwork - but I simply can’t wait to run into another woodworking Swaylockian one of these days…
I’m giddy as a schoolgirl about all of us & our wood boards. I’ve spent the last couple months rearranging - and cleaning out - my shop, so I’m ready to perform a little more quality control and a lot more economy of movement on my next project. I’ll start gathering materials together this weekend…you guessed it, another wood over EPS. Soooo stoked.
It’s going to be interesting to see when the big names start catching onto this. They have to be seeing these boards, they have to be seeing the momentum, they have to be getting worried!
It’s going to be interesting to see when the big names start catching onto this
Are you trying to say we’re not big names… now my feelings are hurt I completely agree with you Benny. Its exciting to see each new board come out. Every one that I’ve seen is completely amazing, this one included! I can’t believe first attempts are coming out so good. The rails look like they turned out really good. Be sure to let us know how its surfs.
Hey Benny, I’m also going into a major garage remodel after I finish my board.
all the wood boards popping out are looking great. I can’t believe I bought my pump around Thanksgiving and I have not started my wood sandwich.
There has been a lot of great craftsmanship in all the wood detail work everyone has been doing.
Sabs, is that balsa rails with dcell covered in cherry wood veneer? How thick is your veneer. I really like the light colored rails with the darker red wood deck and bottom. b.t.w what are the dims.
Mark, great looking board. It looks like the rails are fairly thick pieces of basla bent and scarfed. bottom skin first, then top, then clamp on the rails?
Thanks for the nice comments, I just hope it rides ok!!!
Photo was taken on the Crozon Peninsula in Brittany after a nice session last September. I bought the resin from Matrix in Bristol (sicomin), balsa from model supplier, glass from Seabase and Local Boatbuilding supplier (SP systems make the glass), and the eps from a local builders merchant.
Hope this helps, If you need any help send me a pm.
flattered that so many are trying this technique , but also almost overwhelmed that it could snowball into something , havent been on for a few days and come back to 3 new balsa boards that all look red hot in there own unique way , and not one was done exactly like mine , i think petes was the nearest to my technique but he had one to look at …
all you guys have blown me away with the skills and ingenuity its taken to get these started …
markyv , bet just like the others you will get some serious interest when you walk down the beach …
What have you started here? I haven’t even been to the beach yet and have the first 2 guys to see the board want one of their own. I know that there will be problems down the road, but just knowing that you have obviously overcome them, and that we were all given a leg up by you makes me feel somehow safer!
I am halfway through number 2 already, a 7’ 2" mini mal for my very understanding wife. This is so addictive, I can’t say it beats riding waves, but it is so so satisfying, I think the reaction of people when they first pick the board up says it all, they can’t believe it and I know it can be lighter and stronger. The proof though will be in the surfing, I have gone out on a limb a bit on this one with the shape, after reading yours and gregs posts over the past few months thought to hell with playing safe, no point in making a copy of my poly boards, so went for lowering the rocker curve in the tail, concave deck that is 2" thick in the middle( my last board was 2 5/8") and tucked rails with a release edge nose to about 1ft from tail where the rails harden. I have mounted the fin boxes in high density foam (it’s my windsurfing background,making stuff too strong!) but this ties the skins, so that may be the first mod, to rout it out and glass the fins on, as I think this may stiffen the tail too much, i’ll let you know.
looks like you have done an amazing job, cant wait to hear your comments on how it rides compared to your poly boards,i don/t know how you feel but this method of board building just seems so much more rewarding than the normal way , well done, pete
I took my board to the beach this morning and I was surprised by the response. People were actually asking me about the board.
I though I would pass on a tip that Greg gave me about setting the fin boxes. He recommended that I “Post” them. I did this by routing the fin boxes as you normally would. Then I took a drill bit that was as wide as the box and by hand (do not use the drill) I bore two holes per box that went to the underside of the deck skin (do not pierce it). These get filled with resin when you install the boxes.
I can’t wait to see number two.
Bert, any chance of you giving any hints of what problems we might encounter down the road so we can start thinking about ways to address them?
I took my board to the beach this morning and I was surprised by the response. People were actually asking me about the board.
I though I would pass on a tip that Greg gave me about setting the fin boxes. He recommended that I “Post” them. I did this by routing the fin boxes as you normally would. Then I took a drill bit that was as wide as the box and by hand (do not use the drill) I bore two holes per box that went to the underside of the deck skin (do not pierce it). These get filled with resin when you install the boxes.
I can’t wait to see number two.
That process violates an FCS patent. The patent covers making a hole from the bottom of the box to the other deck and filling it with resin. You almost certainly have no need to care about that.
However, a simple way NOT to violate the FCS patent, that will work even better, is to epoxy a wooden dowel, tight fit, into that same hole. You heard it here first, IP free!
In either case, the flex of the deck and the flex of the through post (or through hole) is quite different, you will need at least one 4 oz glass patch covering each finbox and extending in all directions from the posts about one inch. Otherwise the deck will tend to delan right next to the post.
Here I am on my first board and I’m already violating patents. However, I would see definant benifits of using wood. I’ll give it a try on my next board. Thanks for the tip!
I’ve spent the last couple months rearranging - and cleaning out - my shop, so I’m ready to perform a little more quality control and a lot more economy of movement on my next project. I’ll start gathering materials together this weekend…you guessed it, another wood over EPS. Soooo stoked. 
I completely agree with you Benny. Its exciting to see each new board come out. Every one that I’ve seen is completely amazing, this one included! I can’t believe first attempts are coming out so good. The rails look like they turned out really good. Be sure to let us know how its surfs.