Changing rocker on a glassed board. Possible??

General Discussion
1

Hello all. Looking to see if someone has done the same as im thinking. My second board i decided to shape out of stringerless DOW styrofoam. After I glassed and rode it I’ve come to the conclusion that I hate the rocker in it. It is slower than my other boards, turns wildly and inconsistant. The rocker at the tips is about 3T and 7N and the apex is closer toward the tail. Id like to bring the tip numbers down. It was glassed with RR, 44 deck and 4 bottom. My idea is to cut it down the middle and glue in a stringer while applying pressure to flatten it without stripping all the glass. After everything sets, plane the stringer and wrap in just 4 oz. I was thinking of using luan for the stringer. Does this sound feasable? Id like to get some more speed and more controlled turning. The board is also set up currently as a canard and id like to switch to a thruster setup. Thanks for any input!!

2

Since you asked - No, it does not sound feasible to me. What it sounds like is a great excuse to build a new board! 

3

:slight_smile:

4

 

hey smovlov, volcoms?

just last week i changed the rocker on a board i made

but it wasonly in the tail, i took the balsa and glassfibre away in the tail

then i put the board in a different rocker bed, and used a lot of vacuum to rebend the tail in, with balsa again

it worked great…

 

for your board, with minimum effort there **might **be a way… to heat the board up to a high temp [deformation temperature, mentioned on the resinresearch.net website] , and use vacuum and bag to give a new shape in a rocker bed [heat resistant] but pm greg loehr about it - he will have tried it i guess

for your project, do you have vacuum? a rocker bed?

if not, i guess building a new one sounds like the best plan.

or chop up the tail, wings, shorter, whatever, even make it a twin?

i did that, results on the what are you working on thread…

5

Start completely over and make a new one with the rocker your would like.

Sell the board you made.

You will never improve your skills by doing such crazyness.

 

Sorry!

6

I agree with surfding that it's crazy, I would definitely just shape another, but if you're determined.....

Wouter is correct you should have a rocker fixture and vac equipment. A partial or full width veneer deck; or lighter, a strip of uni carbon (but very dangerous on extruded foam). It could be done w/o the vac, but that would be by far the best. The ''T-beam'' you're proposing would focus the load of the bottom skin trying to unwind from compression on that tiny juncture of web and flange.

Allow for ''springback'', it won't hold all the rocker change you try to force on it.

7

I have done it on a fresh XPS board with just 80% heat & vac bagged it to a new rocker bed but you will get spring back.

If your going to cut it up just make a new one or strip the glass off and reshape.

8

Thanks for all the imput. Its nice to have all these responses from pros. Ill just end up shaping another. I dig the planshape just think the rocker is too much.

 

wouter:

I used to own a volvo, then the name turned to ovlov (volvo backwards) then smovlov then smov.

Thanks again!