Anyway, I’ve been searching the forum about the subject - Board with no stringer, but haven’t really found the info I was looking for.
So hoping perhaps someone could point me in the right direction, or tell me about this.
What are the up and downsides from making a board with no stringer?
Is it possible to make a strong board with no stringer?
I’m still in the process of searching for information, but my plan was to end up making a Course Racing Kiteboard
For those who don’t know what I’m talking about, this is the kind of board:
Try searchng under “stringerless” in the archives. Tons of info.
You can make a strong, stringerless board, and there are a lot of differences in their construction and performance, most notably in the flex department.
Aha, thanks a lot, my bad I didn’t choose the right words in my search =)
You are right, tons of info!
I guess it only becomes a problem with a stringerless board if you are making something huge like a long board or a standup, and perhaps the heavier load from using the board with a kite.
But if the board gets enough layers, it must be enough to handle the load.
I have been wave riding with a kite and a normal surfboard (with stringer), and I know they are not as though as a kitesurfboard, and only after a couple of sessions, I can see pressure marks on the board from heels.
Im not sure, but I don’t really think kitesurfboards are made with stringers, they just have a lot more layers of epoxy.
My brother-in-law only kite surfs. No flat water stuff at all. He’s a surfer turned sail boarder turned kite boarder. We’ve modified regular surfboards using carbon fiber and hardware and he’s used them with great success. I’m sure you know this, 'cause you’re in the kite world, but the emphasis now is on performance, whereas historically it’s been on durability. EPS comp sands and EPS with S cloth are getting the results people are looking for… both with and without stringers. Due to the increased speed and power in kite surfing, a lot of guys like the added flex of stringerless blanks due to the added stiffness of skin constructions.
I’m only newly into wave riding, but yes, its all about performance, most “real” surfboards only lasts one season or less when its used by a kitesurfer, but that doesn’t matter when you get the best performance of a board…
But that is Wave riding, what I’m aiming at, is Course Racing, and a board that goes huge upwind, and performs in light wind condition.
So, mainly I just need a board that is strong enough to withstand that extra load from the kite, and being slammed in choppy water conditions.
The correct shape of the board is something I have to experiment with, since the conditions can be very different, from choppy water to small waves and flat water, the flex of the board will defiantly have a role to play here.
