This might be something surfding can comment on later.
Anyone care to state the pros and cons of using the colored foam versus spraying a white blank?
I think the big difference is the time you save, but is that all there is on the plus side?
Sounded like working with two colors of foam can be tricky once you get down to the fine sanding.
Way back in the early 70’s a guy I got boards from would tape off the blank and spray the blanks with different patterns. It was pretty cool compared to a pigment or a tint because you could see the texture of the foam under the clear glass.
Haven’t tried a colored blank myself but from what I read on earlier threads, the colored dust from a colored blank is a mess and will get on other boards, etc.
On the other hand you’d never have crystallization from paint, or worry about paint lifting off by sticking to tape.
like anything else, just trade-offs, nothing’s perfect!
I was getting that same impressions about the colored blanks. Lots of colored dust to deal with. I think what ding said about the two colored blanks scares me the most.
I haven’t had much luck coloring the foam after I shape it so I don’t do much of that either. Just stick to white if I seal a blank, and put the color in the lamination. I have done a lot of spray can color, but that’s not a recommended process. You can do some interesting things painting the rails or doing pin lines that way.
Going to join Bernie for one day on Kauai at the end of the month. This will be my first surf trip off island since 1978.
It's funny that you brought this subject up. I just started to glass a colored 9-3A blank from US Blanks that Charlie Wong shaped. Yes yellow and blue foam dust all over Charlie's shaping room. I love the idea that I can just free lap with clear and no pinlines are required.
BTW, my buddy Bucky and I surfed Pakala's on Kauai this past June. It's wasn't to big but those little waves were perfect. It was the first time I surfed there since 1980.
Bernie went over a month or 2 ago, and surfed Hanalei. He decided to go back so I’m just meeting him on the last day of his vacation and we’re going to surf all day if the gods let us.
I surfed Pakalas in 1978 with a friend, spent about 5 days in Hanapepe and had a great time. Head high with long rides and only 4 guys in the water. The water was kind of murky though, just like Shark Country.
Rode air mats at Poipu with my kids and that was a lot of fun. Every wave was over head. Going to take the air mat and fins again.
The colored foam is just like the white foam for US Blanks. Charlie now likes shaping US Blanks more than he like shaping Clark Foam. I ran two blue high density 1" strips of foam along the stringer and the rest of the blank was yellow. This blank was $205 so it was a bit pricey. It was funny because the room was filled with yellow, blue and greem foam dust.
Riding mats at Poipu is much more scary than riding a board at Pakalas. Especailly "Brenekes"(sp). The water's always murky at "Infinities". I haven't ever heard of a bite there though. Kokua would know I guess. I've heard the rumours about the resident "Tiger" there but don't recall any recorded bite. Great damned wave though. If you like lefts. Lowel
Howzit McDing,I Had a friend who was surfing Pakalas and a big tiger just came up under him like a rocket and knocked him off his board but that was all except he did the paddle in in about a minute and he had a huge ding in the bottom of the board from the sharks nose. Somewhere's between 5 and 10 years ago a local kid was boogie boarding Brenekes and was attacked by a tiger but he fought like hell and kept punching him in the nose till he finally let go swam away. I think he lost part of one of his legs but lived, it can be a strange place but when you figure out how many people body surf and boogie board there and only 1 attack in modern day history is pretty amazing.Aloha,Kokua
Howzit sharkcountry, Now that I have moved off the island bernie has been to Kauai once and now both of you will be there, just had to wait til I left before you two start going over there, Darn I am bummed. Have fun and get some waves for me and if you talk to anybody just ask them if they know Wildog or Kokua Fiberglass, tell them you are friends of mine. Aloha,Kokua
This will be the ice breaker for me and my family as far as going off island on a vacation without them. If Bernie wasn’t going over again, I probably wouldn’t be going either. I think that it’ll be easier to go to Kauai to see you when you come back.
When you get back, I’m going to make sure we both get over there and see you. Otherwise in a few years, we’ll come to where you are.
My little one is talking about going to school somewhere on the mainland. Either on the West Coast or in Northern Arizona. My older daughter will probably graduate in 2 years, so I know I’m going back to Cali once a year during the next 2 years, if not for the next 5 years. I just have to drag Bernie over there when I go, or he’ll have to drag me over when he goes on his next business trip.
Take Care… Harry
PS. The trip before the last time we went to Kauai, the weather was terrible. We went straight to Waimea Canyon and to the Kalalau lookout, but it was socked in. On the way down we were planning to go to Barking sands and polihale, but the radio said there was a tornado warning for that area.
The next day we were planning to go to Poipu, but went to Hanalei, and cruised around that side. On the way back to Lihue, we heard that someone was bitten by a shark at Brenekes. We never got out to Poipu on that trip, so the on the last trip we stayed in Poipu.
Howzit sharkcountry, I think the local kid who got hit at Brenekes was the same one if it was in the last 10 years. I think they even gave him some kind of an award for what he did but the incident is fuzzy in my brain right now. One of these days we will get together for sure since I know that even if I just come for a vacation I will spend some time on the North Shore with my friends who own Kua Aiana and I can come to town side and get together with you and bernie then also. Aloha,Kokua
It shapes out really nice. Just have two sanding blocks for each side and blow the finished blank off before glassing. Tee-Bands look good as well with solid colors:
