I just finished this one : 6’2 x18.75’’ 2# EPS 6oz bottom / double 6oz deck 1/8’’ balsa core fins
Side fins are similar to the 5 fin bonzer template, but are enlarged (because there are only two) and the rear fin is 6’’ placed about 4’’ from the tail.
Surfed it one time in some overhead chunks. Good in the tube - which is what i made it for. I was worried about it breaking or possibly feeling floppy because of no stringer - but it had a VERY positive feel to it and it took some heavy wedges on the chin and came out unscathed - so far so good!
Wow, looks really cool! What kind of durability issues do you expect from a stringerless board, though? How’s the flex? How was shaping without a stringer to support the blank? Looks like a uper-fun board.
Is it just regular Home Depot/Wickes insulation EPS?
I’m going to make a junior mal for my kid from EPS and was thinking of just going stringerless to make it easy. On the glassing schedule tho, how is it handling up…from what i have read most go for a 4x4 on the bottom and 4x4x4 on the deck.
The foam is 2# EPS - I cut it out of a block that I bought from an EPS distributor.
The flex of the finished board feels good. One ‘flex test’ is to hold one end of the board underwater and slap the other end - you can see the board flex and spring back and vibrate. Other EPS boards with stringers do not flex much - a polyurethane board with have some good twang to it - this board is similar to polyurethane with a stringer on the ‘slap flex test’ haha.
Shaping it was not a problem - it was kind of flexible, but not enough to hurt the shaping process. It was maybe a little more flexible on the shaping stands than a ultralight Clark with 1/8 stringer (those were pretty flexible).
I dont know how it will hold up - only surfed it once - it does not have any noticable foot depressions (which i usually have after the first surf - i glass my own boards light) so thats promissing - and it took some thick lips on the head - so far so good - time will tell.
Side fins are around 3.5’’ tall with a 6’’ base. Rear fin is the true ames bonzer template at 6’’ tall. Cant is about 15-20 degrees. Toed-in so if you take a straightedge along the base of the fin - it lines up with the tip of the nose.
