Cork deck, wood veneer bottom composite surfboard

Hi guys, this is my first post here on Swaylocks… I´ve been playing with composite surfboards for a while a made some full balsa composite with parabolic rails like Bert Burger and some others the same way, but with cork on deck. Both construtions came impressive light and strong, but for shortboards my bet is that they don´t have the magic flex like normal poliuretane boards have.

So I started mind constructing another compsands a here´s my first approach: I shaped an 5’9’’  in a 1# eps with 1/8’’ balsa center stringer (just for hold the rocker), then vacuum bag the nl-20 corecork on deck until the bottom edge with 4 oz fiberglass underneath. After true in the bottom edges, vacumm bagged a wood veneer on bottom. As I thought that it would be too much flexy, I´ve put a carbon fiber tape.

Can´t wait to finish and test it!

Has anyone built something like this to share ideas?

Thanks!

 

Stretch surfboards

skip the wood and just use texalium like stretch

or the new carbon/kevlar net weave with a strip of carbon down the middle

or just the carbon down the middle and a biaxial or triaxial woven cloth

wood’s gonna soak and turn black on you sooner or later

Right on Oneula! I live in Brazil and unfortunately we can´t easily find texalium…

I made one with cork bottom, but it didn´t feel good in action. Would like to put something on bottom to increase the resistance, but maybe too much fiberglass isn´t a good idea, because it´ll make a stiff board, do you agree? 

Thanks!

 

Just FYI, texalium is a purely cosmetic finish:

“Hexcel texalium is a type of fabric used mainly for cosmetic reasons
having the same properties of standard 6 ounce fiberglass cloth”

Found that on an eBay description (http://www.amazon.com/Hexcel-Texalium-Fiberglass-Cloth-582219/dp/B0035DCW64), but have read it directly on Hexcel’s site also. I just couldn’t find it quickly on their site.

 

How do you know it’s too flexy if you haven’t put the outer glass on yet? 4oz. under and 4oz. over should give you a nice strong build.

I don’t build my own boards, but have been riding bamboo and cork skin boards for the past 4 years.

Search for posts by user “drewtang” on here, he’s got the cork build dialed in:

https://www.google.com/search?q=drewtang+site%3Aswaylocks.com

 

Your board looks really good. Finish it, ride it, then make another based on how this one rides.

Hi Lawless, thanks!

Well, before glassing them I always make a flex test: put the shape on the ground, bottom up, and lightly press with my foot in the center of the shape. This way I can have a basis on how it will be when final glassed =)

I didn´t put cloth under the veneer, just thinking to make it as closer as I can to the PU ride feeling…

Do your boards have center stringer? The first board with cork deck that I made, could not believe on how both strong and flexibe it is…  

Drew´s boards are amazing!

 

 

Another photos of the shape. Started glassing, but as we got some swell coming, I believe that I´ll use my free time to surf hahah… Hope next week it will be ready for a test…

Hey Marcos,

My boards do not have a center stringer. They are 1.5# EPS.

All mine have been made by Drew. I’ve been riding bamboo/cork boards for 4 or 5 years now and I’m totally sold on them.

All mine have had glass under the deck veneer, whether it’s bamboo or cork, and Drew has always put carbon rails on them to control the flex.

 

Do your own thing though and figure out what works for you. You’re going to learn a lot more and have much more confidence in your build by experimenting and figuring out what does/doesn’t work for you. Looks like you are off to a really good start. Make sure and post more pics as your build progresses!

 

Here’s a shot of my last cork board, shaped by my friend Tom and glassed by Drew:

http://forum.surfermag.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=2230794

 

Here’s a bit of context on what led me down the path:

http://www.phoresia.org/?p=510

Hey David, I think just like you, great posts at surfermag and phoresia!

Yeah, I´m just begginig my experiences and still had to learn a lot, but I have the time and available in my favor, I´m in no hurry =)

Here are some photos of an unglassed shape that I made some months ago. It surfs very well, but with a touch more of flex it would be a magic one…

(can´t fix this upside down photo haha…)

In a couple of days I´n finishing that shape, and we´ll get a good swell on the way! In some days hope be able to comment about how it works…

Thanks! Cheers

Looking forward to following this thread.

Cheers.

Thanks Huck!

.

Finished and counting the minutes to drop into the sea… Pretty strong construction and the weight it´s 2.270kg (5,01 lbs) not bad… The dims are 5’9’’  x  18 5/8’’  x  2 1/4’’

Hope test her a lot to be able to fine tune the next ones!