Quite the pessimist.
But…What would achieve better understanding? Snapping it, and thereby forcing to rethink construction technique? or maybe a board that is indestructible but performs only marginally? Both will teach something about the construction i suppose…guess we’ll have to wait and see. I for one, hope the board flies. Six pack of Lowenbrau says it does.
sub deck is glued on.
Interesting construction techniuqe…really. But a six pack of Newcastle says she snaps the first go out…that is if you surf her like a real board.
Trust me… This thing ain’t snapping. Two reasons why: If you felt it, you would see how stiff and strong it is. seocond, most of its use will be on florida’s gulf coast and the occasional trip to the east coast, the largest wave it will ever see might be just over-head high. The construction of this board is much beefier than those airplanes in the pics above. Check out the videos of the planes flying. The stresses on that airframe must be rediculous.
I weighed The board so far. Its at just over 3 lbs.
The other mold is done.
You’d be amazed at how strong the ocean is…
Sometimes we forget just how powerful the ocean is. Next time you’re out, take a minute to sit down on the inside and let the little whitewashes push you around in a foot of water. Brings us back to that inner child where we used to run and play in the tiny white wash, and reminds us how powerful even the tiniest bit of white wash is. The ocean can move mountains, after all…
Can’t wait to see the finished product/documentation and report of it’s maiden voyage and subsequent voyages thereafter.
yes , I hope you have someone lined up to document your maiden voyage , and I hope you get some good waves to try it out in .
The fins look nice …
cheers !
ben
Hey ipcdefg…
I’m sure others out there are keen to know just as I am, so can you explain your mold process a little further in depth?
Questions i have:
Are you embedding the fin half way, or all the way in to the mold material?
Once you’ve made the mold, do you lay the materials like carbon fibre/wood/veneer etc into that and then pour resin in?
I dont quite get the process…
Cheers
Ant
As for fins, This is my first attempt. I have molded fiberglass cowlings to cover airplane engines, and fiberglass fusalage parts before, but that is using much different techniques using temporary one time only foam molds. I will use foam molds to make my rails. I will go more in depth on the molding process when I mold the other fin.
***Thanks to my friend Gabe for giving me fin molding ideas!!!
And I’d like to mention that if it wasn’t for Gabe, I wouldn’t be doing this screwball project to begin with. He told me all about hollow wood boards on our way back from a weekend trip to Sebastian Inlet.
Also Gabe let me borrow his digital camera so I can take pics.
Thanks again!!
Gabe for president!
6 pages in and I still have no idea how you decide what bits & pieces to use, and where. CA. Carbon tow. Its a whole new language, let alone surfboard construction.
Have you posted this on a model airplane forum? I bet your cohorts over there would be more qualified to provide feedback wrt structure & components vs. anticipated loads & performance than we are in here. At least, most of us…
And molded hollow rails to come? Stop it, you’re killing me. 
6 pages in and I still have no idea how you decide what bits & pieces to use, and where. CA. Carbon tow. Its a whole new language, let alone surfboard construction.Have you posted this on a model airplane forum? I bet your cohorts over there would be more qualified to provide feedback wrt structure & components vs. anticipated loads & performance than we are in here. At least, most of us…
And molded hollow rails to come? Stop it, you’re killing me.
A big problem with the r/c airplane hobby is that nobody builds airplane kits anymore. The industry has moved tward pre built almost ready to fly airplanes which need minor assembly to complete. There are only few people building kits these days, and a tiny fraction of those people actually deign and build their own aircraft. So in the end, there is just a few scattered builders without any contact. Its rather unfortunate. Thats where I fall in.
I have searched but I have not found many sources on this sort of constructioin, I just thought of new ideas as I went along and combined many different composite construction techniques that I have learned.
Quite the pessimist.
But…What would achieve better understanding? Snapping it, and thereby forcing to rethink construction technique? or maybe a board that is indestructible but performs only marginally? Both will teach something about the construction i suppose…guess we’ll have to wait and see. I for one, hope the board flies. Six pack of Lowenbrau says it does.
Dont get me wrong. I hope the board works/holds up. If it is built as ultra light as he is implying I think itll snap. Actually from the looks of it she aint gonna be to light. I say anything under 4 lbs, maybe 5lbs snaps. But as I said, I hope I eat my words. But I just think the pressure points and stresses so different that they will expose the fallacy that just because this sort of construction technique works for wings means itll work for boards. It does peek my curiosity about just how light I could build a board and it be structurally sound. But then weight is just 1 piece of the puzzle is it not?? Also I wonder if it is built solid enough if it wont be to stiff?? Guess we’ll see. Going out for that Newcastle now. Cheers!!
Its looking like about 8 lbs
Remember: At the beginning of this project, I never said that Im trying to make a lighter surfboard. Im trying to make a lighter hollow wood surfboard.
The best part of this project is that it is letting me explore all kinds of different composite construction techniques. Its like a personal exploration in my building style. I love working on it.
I did some more work. I started making the molds for my hollow kevlar rails. I loosely tacked on a sheet of 1/16" two-ply balsa along the edge of the board (see pic surf43). Im using the balsa sheet to act as a removable mount and stiffener for a foam block.
First I tacked on the balsa then I sanded the balsa to match the existing rails. Then I sprayed the balsa with 50/50 water/alcohol to soften up the wood up and allow it to contour to the board. (see pic surf44) Then I used 3M spray adhesive to attach foam blocks (see pic surf 48)
Check out my home made foam bow. It uses a 13.4v 10 amp DC power supply. That runs through a home-made temp control and into my bow. The cutting wire is steel fishing leader. Its a little stiffer than Nichrome and works best at High power and short bow distances. Like Butter. Im cutting the strips of foam (see pics surf45 and 46)
Here is the set up for making the other fin. Each layer is lined up.
1: 3/4 oz cloth
2: veneer strips
3: carbon tape
4: veneer strips
5: 3/4 oz cloth
I lay each layer into the mold individualy, and then brush resin in between. pic surf 27 shows how it will sit in the mold without any resin.
I say anything under 4 lbs, maybe 5lbs snaps. But I just think the pressure points and stresses so different that they will expose the fallacy that just because this sort of construction technique works for wings means itll work for boards.
My two cents:
The stringer / ribs offer minimal strength, other than compressive…
Laminated rails greatly increase the resistantace to flex…
The CF under the skin adds a lot of strength…
Weight adds up fast on the rails…
Lighter exterior glassing is OK…
My boards are overbuilt, despite the feeling of the inner frame which usually feels very fragile…The sum of the components add up to an incredibly strong board…Never had a hint of a crack or a snap…
BTW, light boards are way overrated…Except when carrying the board around…In the water I love every pound…Especially when it gets overhead…Come surf with me and see for yourself…
Paul
BTW, light boards are way overrated
thank you !
while I don’t particularly like how waaay heavy Hicksy’s ‘hollow wooden surfbords’ are ,
I even less enjoy[ed] how waaaay light the majority of wafer thin thrusters I have tried feel, to this wafer thin surfer .
Even if you were referring to ‘h.w.s.’ boards , Paul , I feel the same way about foam and glass thrusters . I’ve said it before , I’ll say it again …a bit more weight [in the board] helps me get down the face on those stronger offshore winter days. Makes up for my lesser weight.
Glad I am not the only one who thinks that way here …I was beginning to wonder if perhaps I am mad / the odd one out at swaylocks [and , wouldn’t THAT be a strange thing , indeed ?!]
cheers !
ben
Wuhuu! Me too! I already mentioned it to Paul, so might as well put it here…
My hws is going to be heavier than anticipated so what I’m doing, is loosing a couple pounds of weight off meself 
… that should even things out eh?
Yes its a bummer lugging the log around but I’m probably goinna have to sew a carry harness… its about a 6km hike donwhill each morning and the same back up in the afternoon for me… but it should help keep me in shape.
(so chip, your not the only madman around)
129 wake ups left…
LP,
Over here, on this side of the planet, modern surfers want and need lightweight boards.
And besides, dont think for a minute some of “us” arent going “man, now why didnt I think of that”. Im pretty sure your the type of guy who wants to blaze his own trail so to speak…copying methods invented in the 1920’s isnt your bag right?
I guess some dont understand the concept of setting DESIGN GOALS and sticking to them…not you of course…youre sticking to your target. A fine engineering effort.
Keep chargin!
