I am a high-school student looking to build a kite-surfboard. I am 5’ 6" and 120 lbs. I would like to get some advice on where to start, what programs to use, what materials to use, how long will this project take, and about how much will it cost me? I am a complete beginner so anything helps!
Hello young Finn,
Fun project. Our first board was a school project for/with my son. Are you already a kiter? Do you have boards for reference?
What sort of CNC and programs do you have access to already, or are you going to get it cut ‘outside’ ?
The big suppliers in the US (Foamez, Greenlight, Fiberglass Hawaii) have board-building kits and how-to advice on their websites.
You will need to find out how much extra ‘stuff’ (reinforcements and straps and fittings) are needed for a kite board.
So add the base kit+extras+tools+cutting charges (if not cutting at school) for a price estimate.
As far as time…depends on how much CNC and how much handwork and how quickly you catch on to glassing and sanding.
For kicks, look up the Nelson Factory videos on Youtube and see how they use CNC and vacuum bagging (not mandatory) to assemble boards.
Let us know how it goes.