Interesting blog post on durability on Phorasia.org…
“Durability in surfboard construction is more of an intended outcome than a building materials-based issue. A polyurethane/ polyester surfboard can be made to last decades or months. So why has surfboard construction in the past twenty years ignored durability as a selling point? This is a question that plagues many American industries. Perhaps this may be one reason why American auto makers like Ford are facing possible extinction in the next few years.”
Every board I made is way durable. Epoxy and S cloth. Last time someone dropped in on me and we bumped rails, I didn’t get a scratch and they got the usual ding. Just this morning in the lineup this guy was complaining to me about some boards he bought from another shaper here. “Just too soft” to quote him. I do believe he will be ordering from me in the near future. Sure, my boards are on the heavy side. But it never stopped me from catching choke waves. My boards last for years, not weeks. Couple of months ago I broke my leash and watched my board do the pin ball machine thing all over the rocks and coral before I could get to it. Sure, I got a couple of small dings in the nose, but it would have destroyed a poly E cloth board. For sure my feet and hands got the worst of it. No sandbars over here.
By the way, not to talk stink about companies, but I had a brand new “DAKINE” leash that day. They did replace it for free, but after telling others I came to find out that alot of people had the same problem. Its was where the cord was connected to the rail saver. Seems to be the weak link. Just a small string that isn’t holding up. Maybe they’re working on it.
Good points. Though I would caution posters not to make this an EPOXY vs. POLY thread. The issue is much larger than that.
The reason I post this is I like two points that he makes, Poly CAN last for years. I also like the point about Ford and quality. The latter is why overseas production won’t have a place with core surfers in IMHO.
There are certain boards I personally will keep as POLY like fish and LBs that will last forever, have great tints and gloss and expected feel. For my performance thrusters I think my next will be epoxy because I like them light and I want them to last longer.
Just thoughts. Please don’t turn this in the the old Epxoy/Poly war.
Lap extreme makes the most durable surfboards in the industry ,using lap foam core and polyester or epoxy resin they will not pressure dent and will last longer than any board out their ,they have the highest strength to weight ratio than any polyester board ,and the same in epoxy we have design better fiberglass ,kevlar,carbon cloths, and resin to make the best boards possible …
we have been trying to sell the foam and technology to the industry, but we have found out that the industry dose not want a better surfboard ,they want a cheaper board that they can have made in china or where ever and make more profit …
So lap extreme has now started its own surfboard line call KRATOS SURFBOARDS using our exclusive foam core, and giving the boards a one year warranty on deck dents which you will not find on any other surfboard …
these boards are lighter ,stronger,have more flex,and surf better than any board you have ever ridden
we are also looking for team riders to help test new composite designs that we are working on, and we will keep on making surfboards the best we can using newer technology as it comes available…
I heard all this about LAP before, but when emails go unreturned and the web site had no details, I came to the conclusion that LAP wasn’t serious about supplying shapers with foam.
I didn’t mean to make this poly vs epoxy. My last poly board that I purchased was made for me by my good friend Kirk Pifer. That board saw 7 years of hard surf. I had him make it thicker and put extra of glass on it.
Puna, I enjoyed your post and wasn’t pointing any of my digits directly at you. I just wanted to caution others not to go polar on the topic if at all possible.
we put foam in the hands of every top shaper in ca. and hawaii JC ,eric,m tuten, with the same results its a little harder to shape like styrofoam, but the main thing is it last to long, shaper wold tell us they didnt want boards to last more than 6 to 9 month, the industry dose not want change,and we are the only foam with no voc’s,100%green foam so we decided to go another direction to make the best boards we can
If your foam is 100% green it is biodegradable, isn’t made from petro chemicals, and your plant uses solar or wind or other green energy as it’s only power supply.
That’s all just for starters. Someone more informed could name more green requirements.
Its not all about durability. Some people just like the ride characteristics of a 2 top 1 bottom 4 oz. glass job poly board. I personally like the epoxies, but different strokes for different folks.
sorry, pete…but richard is legit! that being said, his post, despite being a plug for his product, was right on topic with this thread, and brought into the field of “surfboard durability” something new to consider beyond the usual Pu/Pe vs. EPS/epoxy…and it’s something that warrants consideration.
would it have been better if I (or someone else not affiliated with LAP made a similar post)?
I don’t argue that Richard may be “legit” - but he 's constantly pushing product on the general forum.
Plus he refers to a web site that has absolutely no concrete information…no information at all really.
Check out Carve Nalu’s thread today for the stoke of Swaylock’s and you’ll see how Richard is simply hawking goods in total contrast…
I don’t care if he says to check out his web site or to call him and he’ll build you a better board… he’s still selling product and that is not the spirit of Swaylock’s.
constantly? – once. maybe twice (need to allow for the possibility of a thread i didn’t see). and right now, not at all. he didn’t start the thread…just shared some reasonably-related info for our consideration.
info on the website??..if the foam stands up to the claims, who cares?!
look at this recent thread…looks less like a sales pitch, but the end result is the same – here’s some foam, it was good, i’ll use it again, give it a try if you need foam. richard’s foam is something totally different (not PU, not EPS)…and in a thread focused on durability, his comment should be welcomed. surfboards last forever…why not have one that you can actually ride forever?! as i understand it, that’s precisely what richard has set out to create. we can’t shape boards without foam. if you want to shape something with durability in mind, why not give him a call?..(something that would be difficult if he never made this post, or provided his contact info…leaving you, me, and everyone else in the dark as to his, and his foam’s existence…so that we would continue to confine ourselves to PU and EPS blanks, and in our quest for a more durable board, waste time, money, and foam on dead ends of resin/glass combinations, when the real solution for the durable, responsive board we’re looking for might very well be richard’s miracle foam. i’m not saying it’s the answer…but it’s a possibility.
by the way, it’s “hocking”…not “hawking”. and you “may not care”…but richard is working very hard at developing new products to result in better boards for everyone…and he’s willing to share the building blocks with us all. THAT is precisely the spirit of swaylocks. why you gotta be so abrasive, man? seriously…ixnay on the negativitay.
Good points. Though I would caution posters not to make this an EPOXY vs. POLY thread. The issue is much larger than that.
The reason I post this is I like two points that he makes, Poly CAN last for years. I also like the point about Ford and quality. The latter is why overseas production won’t have a place with core surfers in IMHO.
for sure, Up until last year when i got over the whole retro thing, i had ridden my dad’s surfboard dating from the late 70’s to the mid 60’s exclusively(they coincidentally started breaking down around the same time) all are pupe, but the difference is in the glass job. the epoxy debate imho is more about having you cake and eating it too.
