i have been riding my latest longboard which is a 9’6" triple stringer. it’s a big log, i love it. the only thing i’m not happy with is how the deck gets pressed in. it seems like the 3 stringers make it easier to dent it up. having the 3 high points makes the glass more prone to falling below those points. anyone have this?? well anyway…i’m putting in a deck patch for my next board. when and how should i glass it in?? put in between the other 2 deck layers?
…it really doesn’t matter where you put the patch in, as long as you get it there.Yes between the layers or under all the layers is best.Herb
also make sure you don’t cut the glass at a right angles to the stringer/stringers. Make the deck patch a triangle, with the point right on the center stringer. Run the deck patch all the way to the tail. I like mine to cover about 1/3 of the board.
If you’re like me and you have bony knees and MUST knee paddle ALWAYS, a simple deck patch (even 8oz Volan) won’t matter…you’ll still get those depressions. I’d say a deck patch just slows down the process, but personally I don’t think it matters much and have kind of grown accustom to the depressions. They’re nice little slots to place my surfing bumps -ha! However, if it gets to the point where the deck starts to delaminate, that’s bad. Check out Rich Harbour’s site on design under “denting” - he discusses a remedy to this problem. http://www.harboursurfshop.com/design.html#denting
I fold the patch lengthwise along the stringer and cut an arc so that when unfolded, it has a symmetrical egg shape at the front. Laminate at the same time as the main lamination layers. I find less problems with fraying if it is under the main glass layer. That would be for Silene glass which will be invisible or nearly so. With Volan you should consider masking and trimming the patch first as it will be quite visible… loose strands and ragged scissor cuts will be more obvious. Volan should probably be done separately and under the main laminations. Cleanlines, correct me if I’m wrong on this. Check a Longboard Magazine design issue and you will probably see some boards with visible volan patches cut in butterfly shapes, etc.
why can’t it be cut at a right angle to the stringers??
teddy, the reason you don’t want to cut it at a right angle to the stringer, is. It will be like a knife edge right there and could cause the board to break right on the deck patch line. By cutting a ark, or a tringle you don’t have this problem.