Which brand blank do you buy and why?
I’m trying to get an idea of what kind of blank i should start with.
Thank you in advance to any help
Not being a smart ass.
I use US blanks for all boards long, short and in between.
Why?
Lots of blanks to choose from.
I get custom order blanks in about a week or less.
Quality and US blanks will stand behind their work.
Check out http://www.usblanks.com
The 6-5 A in Orange foam is killer and the A or the R have volume for a first go.
Best Matty
Do you want Polyurethane blanks or EPS? I work with EPS or XPS most of the time.
I like the Marko EPS blanks, but usually make my EPS and XPS blanks from block foam. I think any superfused EPS blank from the major blank makers is probably good. Marko blanks are molded with a basic shape and rocker (like a poly blank would look like). Other EPS blanks are rectangular slabs with a precut rocker.
XTR makes a great XPS if you can get it.
You really cannot go wrong with any of the ‘Big Three’ for Poly. Millennium, Arctic or US Blanks. Marko for EPS… Access and availabity are what it is about. Easy to get a custom US Blank when a supplier like Fiberglass Hawaii is in you backyard. Harder to do in Humbolt or the Oregon Coast. We don’t get weekly service in Oregon. So find a supplier near you. Any of the above are excellent. With the quality available these days what blank you use is a matter of personal preference.
I always ask posters, especially new ones, to say where they are at and what kind of surf they have there. An intelligent answer needs more initial info. If you are in the Left or Right Coast, I have different answers. If you are in Hawaii, the answer is different too. Europe/Australia/etc? Don’t know what’s available, I can make an educated guess, but I can tell you who to ask, (Huie? etc.) and I also can recommend there too. Here’s where I’m coming from; I am in the US and when Clark stopped making foam, I shaped every type of foam that was sold here in the US from then until now. I have at least three different brands of foam in my bay right now. They all have good qualities and I can discuss each one and describe each density.
If you are in the US, here’s my 2c… US Blanks is great if you know what you want in terms of rocker, stringer, etc., it gets a bit soft the deeper you cut. Marko is great for first time hand shaped EPS boards if you know the range of rockers you want. EPS should always be filled in my opinion before glassing so if you have never used Epoxy resin, save EPS for later when you have the skills. If you want light & strong and know rockers, etc., Artic is great foam, specially the yellow (but you have to order 16+ blanks or find a supplier who charges an upcharge). Millenium is an improvement over the old post Clark formulas (like Bennett) & they do rockers too like US Blanks. Most blanks available in the United States are make outside of the country. Aussie blanks are made there. European blanks are usually imported and you are limited in choices as far as density & rocker as they are imported by the container. If you are starting out and shaping your first board, do some pre-shaping design work & find who has the blank that is closest to what you want to make. Remember that you will be cutting a little bit off the tail & nose before shaping. Don’t be cheap and go for the cheapest you can get. Learning does cost money but it’s worth it when you make a great board! If you screw up your shape, just design something smaller & then re-shape it. Back in the day we stripped longboards and tried to get the shape we wanted (we sketched it out on notebook/draft paper) out of the stripped longboard blank! Just my 2c as you asked the question!..
That was perfect I live in central Florida so I will look for the closest one here but I was also hoping could you explain the rocker and stringer and how I should chose blanks based on that and where I live?
Where in CFL? Your best bet is probably USBlanks in Melbourne.
Cocoa beach, Melbourne is right next-door lol
Us blanks in Melbourne, fl are great people. Super friendly willing to help in any way. Fiberglass florida is about 5 mins from us blanks and you can get all your glassing needs there. Mandi is a pleasure to deal with, great prices as well. I believe they also carry some Arctic foam.
Mitch
thank you mitch. also is there a store around melbourne that sells a lot of the shaperssupply.com items?
Sorry not sure about that. I am in Daytona and there is not much around here, i mostly order online or have acquired them second hand. Any tool you need in particular Pm me and I will see what I have.
These folks are practically in your back yard. I’ve dealt with them for about 5 years. Always positive experiences.
The Surf Source, Inc.
52 West Third Street
Atlantic Beach, Florida 32233
Their website is www.surfsource.net
They carry US Blanks and TecCel foam. I’ve used both brands of foam and actually prefer the TecCel when I can get it.
There you go. Good info. Good Sources. A blank supplier can give you info on rockers. They’re not going to sell you a gun blank for Florida surf. They will steer you right. They want repeat customers. Surf Source sell tools. Check out their website. Lowel
Hey JT-
We can get you blanks quick and reasonable if you order four at a time. Custom blanks are only a few days away. We supply quite a few East Coast shapers with their blanks as our turnaround times are quickest around. Let us know if we can help.
Best of luck.
Brad
Yes surf source is has it all. Best thing is you get next day delivery in Florida. Keep that in mind if you ever get in a jam and need something fast.
thank you everyone for the much needed information, i finally have enough to get started.
Once i finish getting the rest of my supplies i will post pictures of my progress.
If there are any other tips anyone can give me that would be wonderful, but thank you to everyone who has helped me.
I’m from Indialantic and get most of my supplies from fiberglass florida, USBlanks, and resin research in indian harbour beach. All of these guys are very helpful and will get you what you need. Don’t pay for the expensive shipping of blanks and resin when it’s in your backyard. Items you can’t find locally just order online.
I’m on the west coast and I have bought from them in the past when they have great deals often that are better than what I can get here even with discounts. They are really great guys, quick to ship, answer questions, etc. As far as shaping goes here’s what I would suggest. I would recommend you download one of the free shaping programs, I am partial to shape3d lite for “rough drafts” and plan out your board (I use the full version for non-customs, i.e., models). Your rocker center point is very important and will set the a mellow curve you want and nose & tail rocker will follow. Print out your deck rocker if you are having your first board machined (I hope not). If you are planning on hand shaping (I hope you are) match the closest blank in the US Foam catalog to your planned shape. Remember that you only want to remove 1/8" max of foam (after skinning) to get the proper deck foil. Reduction in thickness comes off the bottom. US Foam has great glue-ups and in most cases the blank is even down the length. That means you can start by cutting the bottom first before you skin the deck. Inspect the deck of the blank for irregularities, & twist. Reject any blank you think is wonky. Cut the bottom to your thickness & foil (+1/8") before you flip the blank and you will be golden! PM me if you know the size, dims of the board you want to make and I will give you my 2c. I do a few boards and ship for the Jacksonville area so I know the surf in North Fla a bit. Just my 2c…
Just got me an Arctic 7’2 F green that I’m going to make a rendition of the GH Astro egg. I use this blank because it is the only one I can get my hands on in Texas. That’s right-the only one in the entire state. Much thanks to Tim from Mongrel Surfboards.