Since you guys were talking about Rhyno Foam, and US Blanks, it should be included on this thread that both are available from Atlantic Surfoam (Melbourne, FL -321 259 1508) and US Fiberglass (Outer Banks, NC -
252 491 8535). Both companies are dependable and able to ship any size order quickly.
I’ve met zeph, he’s a nice guy and I’m glad he joined in on the topic. I can use the opinion of someone that is doing really high end boards.
Maybe everybody should refocus on what we all want out of blanks and blank companies versus who has the best toilet paper in their bathrooms, so to speak. You might like those big giant rolls while it doesn’t fit on my roller.
The guys that are focused on making a living are well advised to look at numerous factors; shapeability, deliver, rpice stability, cell structure for consistency, painting, compression, density below the skin, machining capability, weight, pukas, gassing, sensitivity to heat, flexural characteristics, stringer quality (straightness, rocker accuracy, blunting of tools from wood) etc. .
I don’t think any of us can absolutely state there is only one company out there that fits every single criteria that clearly makes them head over heels better than everyone else.
However, there are certain things that currently are self evident. The foamers making blanks that can’t withstand a hot day on the beach w/out problems…or having to treat your surfboard like it is an ice cream…should be nixed off the list entirely.
The blanks that gas after you have put all the time and effort into shaping, painting and glassing it should realize that giving you a replacement blank doesn’t begin to compensate you one ioda and that they have committed a cardinal sin by making foam that causes gassing (delams).
There isn’t really any excuse for crooked stringers…sorry, but that’s the truth.
The statement that “our cell structure is uniform thru the entire blank” is pretty much b.s. and even harder for the foamers to prove…you want to state that? Let’s see THE PROOF.
As far as the wanting to get rid of your Walker blanks…there are probably quite a few people out there that will be happy to take them. I personally haven’t shaped Walker Foam in the past and heard negative statements about how they paint and very positive statements about how they shaped. All I can attest to is that I was given 2 Walker formulated blanks that was put thru the Ice 9 pouring equipment and it was the best foam I had ever shaped or some of the best over the last 3 decades. My experience was apparently very much like Terry Martin’s experience with Just Foam. I also painted the board (it painted excellent), glassed, and sanded the board out. In another thread I weighed the blank and digitally weighed it at every stage of it’s construction. (Somewhere in another thread…look around, you’ll find it).
BTW…I was told that Harold (Walker) tested quite a few foams for compression by using a ram and pressure gauge to see how easily they dented. He did this on the outside skin, then milled 1/4" off of each and tested, and so on. Some fared quite well where others dropped 40% to 70% of their skin strength…very revealing I would say. Some very popular user friendly blanks are also very weak, especially in the hands of shapers that weren’t around before close tolerance Clark blanks. So if they are doing full choke thicknessing off the deck to get closer to the bottom because they still are figuring out how to turn rails…er, good luck (I feel bad for their customers). It is a very strong advantage to have the ability to correctly restructure a blank when needed, and there aren’t that many of us left out there (sad to say).
So what do we shapers care about?
Price: (TDI blanks are petrocemically based & vulnerable to oil increase MDI are not)
Quality: (of foam, wood, rocker specs, servicing)
Delivery: (is my board ready yet? You gotta have the foam to make the board to get paid.)
Variety: of available blanks (if I can’t shape the dims outta yer blank, who else do I use?)
Blank density options: (proper weight for the board order. More dense/less glass or in reverse?)
Everyone has realities that vary and can differ greatly. To each their own.
Above all else… have fun shaping.
blair foam in oside the prices are great…talk to dave pearson…at ezera surf he will give the low down…
Website?
Depth of catalog?
Sensitivity to heat?
Any reports of bubbles, weird anomalies with blanks, etc?
No shaper wants a board that bubbles up under a black logo…
Builders want to feel like they can build a red or purple or navy blue board without it self destructing. I had a black stick back in the Clark days with no problems…so what is the deal these days?
We put our heart and soul into boards and it is very discouraging to have them f–k up due to something beyond our control…what gives?
We want to be free to create and offer the customer options not limitations and having to sign a waiver or release of liability!
WHERE HAS THE CAREFREE SURFBOARD GONE!???
dude go talk to them i don,t have time to hold you hand there in the old green valley shop…the blanks are good …and rusty is useing the …the end… it s a surfboard not a racecar…
Hey DK…I don’t wanna hold your hand either. That’s why I told you to go call Oprah. But that was just a silly joke. I just pM’d you telling you I felt for you and asked a few questions and made some suggestions as to why you got treated the way ya did.
I’ll give you my next wave…
Any reports of bubbles, weird anomalies with blanks, etc?
No shaper wants a board that bubbles up under a black logo…
Builders want to feel like they can build a red or purple or navy blue board without it self destructing. I had a black stick back in the Clark days with no problems…so what is the deal these days?
Hey DS,
I have several black surfboards, shaped / glassed by BD, (probably 3 or 4) and haven’t had them bubble up under the lams or at all. I try to keep them in the shade, but they have been in the car during hot weather and in the sun some, glass jobs are spotless, blanks are Blair and walker…Maybe the glass job on the ones you speak of weren’t performed to par and that’s why they bubbled…i.e. weak glass job = damage = room for water to seep in and expand causing problems…
my $0.02
Quote:
I wasn’t speaking of my stuff per se…I was stating some of the problems that other people have cited having on Sways…point being that there are a lot of foamers out there these days and this results in wide variations of what the consumer may end up with.
As it stands, there isn’t any criteria or standards established that surfboard manufacturers can access much like Saftey Hazard Sheets or other informational data common to resin and other materials. Clark had printed material but in this era we now have unprecedented numbers of blank manufacturers going into business and vying for market share.
While competition is good in a free enterprise system, the danger is that questionable material (the blank in this case) may serve to alienate customers buying th conventionally made surfboard. We can hope that the market sorts things like this out, but there is still a risk factor that one needs to pay attention to.
The assumption that it looks like Clark, smells like Clark, and sands like Clark…therefore it must be the same stuff is far from the truth. Some people are stating that their experience with the new foams are actually better than Clark Foam ever was. Some people hated Clark Foam even in their hey day. It’s interesting to see how many people raved about Walker’s foam and others couldn’t stand it. I shaped the Mowses formula from Walker poured thru Ice 9’s equipment and it was some of the very best foam I’ve ever shaped.
That experience brought me to wondering how much the actual equipement lends to the entire experience. How much is the mix of chemicals, the pouring equipment, and other unforseen aspects lending to a superior blank?
A lot still remains to be seen/
I was having a think about blank companies in Australasia (more specifically NZ) over the last few days as well as prices on surfboards in general. PU/PE surfboards in NZ start at around $850 NZD ($650 USD). Not pointing the finger at Australasian blank companies but it seems they’re more expensive over here than over there. Custom rockers are not something I’ve heard a lot of either. Is it a volume thing? Also I cannot find any mention of a surfboard specialist EPS manufacturer anywhere in Australasia. Unless Core Fusion are doing something with themselves. Sounds like you shapers in the US might have a better deal when it comes to blanks.
G’day Deanbo,
Surfblanks Australia does custom rockers for an extra $6.00. But they have such a choice of rockers I have yet to find the need to get them to make one up.
As for dependable, I always receive my blanks from them within about 3 days,(unless I order something extravagant) and I am over 200km away.
The couriers delivering one of the boxes over the long weekend dinged one of the blanks. I rang up Surfblanks and it was replaced straight away.
Excellent service and extremely good foam IMO.
I recently tried some blanks from a different supplier, very soft core heavy blanks, most had air bubbles and were very thirsty.
They were about 10% cheaper but they charge heavily for delivery, and with the extra work involved and the surprises when you skinned them they actually worked out more expensive.
As far as EPS in our part of the world its just as easy to get one of the big Polystyrene mobs in the city to cut your blanks for you. Whatever grade you want, whatever shape you want.
You just have to ask for some samples so you can see what their foam is like.
I recently put back together a couple of boards built with Marko EPS. I personally think (and this is just my opinion ) that the EPS i have seen from some of the EPS companies in Sydney is superior.
I also think that the PU foam in this country is so good that guys are reluctant to start using the EPS.
Regards
Daren
AND…you can count me in as another happy Surfblanks customer…
From the the first point of contact with an efficient , polite young lady on the front desk
to receiving my order…10 days later and 2,500k’s to a remote location, zero damage…
foam quality, rockers and glue-ups nothing short of excellant…
Quality…price and service from a family owned and operated business…
( and I’ve heard the 'ol bugger who runs the show actually surfs,and knows a thing or two 'bout surfboards…)
Sammy