"i would never use epoxy. sure, it’s probably a lot more pleasant to lam being non-toxic and all, but if you wait more than a day to sand, it must really be a bitch to get through. also (the biggest thing for me)…NO FLEX!!! epoxy longboards ride WAAAAYYYYYYYYY too stiff for my taste. "
this was a reply to another thread where i suggested the guy having problems with his polly. layups try epoxy…
not sure about the stiffness thing on a longboard because i have not yet done a longboard with it… any comments.
i personally doubt that this is true with the RR and Fiberglass Hawaii clear based on feel of the short boards i’ve built???
As for the sanding, I have waited many days before sanding and it is a bit harder but your using a machine so not too bit a deal. also when it is “hard” it is harder to sand into the weave…
that comment from the other thread was mine. a local shaper (deerfield beach, florida) / long time friend started doing epoxy for all of his longboards about a year ago, and although he loves it i must say that i was really disappointed with the result. it’s fine off the tail, i suppose, but every time i step to the nose in small, crappy, weak surf it just buries. same thing with an epoxy walden magic model i tried prior to buying my robert august “what i ride”. if i do say so myself, i’ve got a pretty smooth step to the top, and the robert august noserides great in weak, crappy, south florida surf (and even better when the surf is good)…but epoxy longboards just don’t hack it. i’ve never worked with epoxy myself, but the comment about sanding the next day was directly from my shaper buddy who uses it all the time. he says if you wait more than a day it’s like sanding through concrete. regardless…it’s poly for me.
I think you’re mixing nomenclature a bit. “Epoxy” as in machine-made, lightweight, 12 pound, sandwich foam, third-world, stringerless longboards are crap for noseriding. You’re absolutely right, no flex, no hold in the tail, slapped around by 2" chop and 2 knot wind.
But “epoxy” as in hand shaped blanks laid with several layers of 6 to 10 oz glass and laminated with epoxy resins surf just as well as any poly/poly longboard. They are only stiffer if you really overdo the glassing schedule to try to make them as heavy, on purpose, as, say, a Walker old man blank glassed with 2 layers of 10 oz volan. If you just shape & glass like normal, you get a 18-19 lb 10’ board that flexes & rides just right and happens to be a lot more durable and won’t outgas ethyl-methyl badshit in your glass shop or your car.
no, i was definitely referring to my experience riding hand-shaped boards laminated with epoxy resin as well as boardworks popouts. it didn’t provide the same flex as my poly boards, and the ride was just too stiff for my taste. i think i’ll just stick with poly resin and keep my respirator handy. besides…i like heavy boards.
Hank Johns built a board with Rich Harbour using a Clark Blue and 2020 resin for the laminate. This comes out a bit MORE flexible than a standard poly board and at similar weight. He claims that it’s the best noserider he’s ever had and has friends who have tried it that agree. Everybody should realize that “epoxy board” is a very broad statement. There are dozens of different variations (you mentioned two completely different constructions) and the few choices allowed in the polyester world are shallow by comparison. This is just one reason why epoxy will be the future. And I know that all these choices seem caotic but with time and experience clarity will yeild a superior product.
It already has…poly is crap…repeat crap… !! You can get exactly what you want with epoxy, make it heavy…or make it light…one thing for sure,it will be stronger. Too hard to sand is silly, that is a non issue and pretty damn funny…have fun…