The maya people were wrong with the end of the world … so i started a new project.
This one i have it in my mind since long time ago.
A nice alaia made with foam (like the Wegener’s SeaglassTuna).
It`ll be 6’5’’ x 20’‘x 2 1/2’'.
I already made the blank from a big polyurethane pannel. It has a 7mm stringer and no “real rocker”
I am thinking to laminate it with 6oz and 6oz+4oz.
I wanna try something.
**1st: **with a brush, before the lamination part, make the color job. I wanna use resin, mekp and lot of pigment for a soid color. Brush the entire board (except the stringer) and let it kick.
**2nd: **After 4 hours do the lamination part with UV resin and no pigment, just resin and the fibre cloth. Like this i’ll know that the foam “sucked” enough resin.
**3rd: **Hot coat.
**4th: **Surf it.
**NOW the big question: **what u guys think about the **1st part **the color job? Or do it like this:
1st: lamination with no pigment
2nd: hot coat with pigment
3rd: gloss.
Next post will have some pictures of the project.
(It’s a low cost project: polyurethane pannel free, very low cost UV resin, free pigment … the cloth’s cost is also low 4,4€/meter)
foam alaia’s are great…your project looks fun…i built one of these in oct 2011 and this works good for me ,i am 80 kilos and built one ( 6 x 17 x 2 ) with totally flat rocker except a 2 " nose flip like a snowboard and I get waves no problem… it could be shorter…to much foam in one of these and it is hard to do an actual turn…
Do a foam stain. Tape a line at the rail apex or just below. Mix up tint and apply just as you are laminating with the squeegee. Pull the tape before its off but after you have remove excess resin. Flip and repeat. then lam as normal.
build_stoke - that’s a nice foamie, can u post more pics of it please? Mine will also have flat rocker except the nose 2,37’‘, that snowboard nose flip. I’m 88 kilos right now so 44 liters will float more than Titanic. I think it’ll have no damn flex because of the stringer that’s why i made it like a sarcophagus but don’t know if will work or not. I also wanna made the rails a lil bit rounded (16’’ from the tail till the nose).
pico - so there’s no problem to put some tinted resin before the lamination … i really wanna see the efect after the gloss - solid color and glossy finish. It’ll look like a cofee table.
Some more pics…the concave is 7/8 deep and starts 3 inches from rails. From the tail 40 inches forward or just over half way. I am not sure how round rails would effect it. My board also has side cut, it is 1/2 inch more narrow in the center. Hope this helps.
My concave and finless theory is this…the flat part of the board is faster than the concave part…that means the nose end will be faster which in turn keeps it going downhill… so as you “hull” ass down the line it will not slide out unless you want it to.
Disclaimer
This is the expierence i’ve had.
An example;
.A freind of mine had concave over 3/4 the bottom and had no control and it just wanted to slide out.
I am, very happy with my setup. I made and surfed a few ceder ones. So I had an idea what I wanted.
cuttlefish i wanna do mine 20’’ wide and 6’5’’ large, i have no fuckin idea how it’ll work but we`ll all see coz i wanna put a go pro fin plug.
The Albacore seaglass 5’6’‘x18 1/2’‘x 2 3/4’’ is about 36 liters and it’s for +70 kg (154lb), mine it’ll have around 43 liters. I’m 87 kg (191lb) i hope the volume it’s ok for an easy paddle.
I glued a 7 mm stinger so it’ll never crack.
Here the people are surfin longboard, short and funs and just few people mini simmons … and i think nobody ride alaias or foamie alaia.
Can’t wait to have it laminated and ready to soak it.
I guess it’s late to chime in on this, but can’t hurt.
I’ve built 3 alaias, using Redwood, Cedar and then Pine. all in the 6’ range. paddling them is insane. I don’t know how different it would be if I had used Pawlounia, but my planks just don’t float, meaning you’re basically swimming AND holding the board under your chest because it doesn’t even have enough buoyancy to push against you. That said, I’m convinced the knife edge of the wood alaia goes a long way in providing hold, I was mostly riding mine prone but seemed to have a good deal of control.
recently I bought the 5’6" Albacore. Now this is something that actually helps you try the feeling of finless riding. it might not be elegant, and it’s still super hard to control, but despite its size (I’m 6’3", about 185+lbs, and I should add 45YO), it’s surprisinglyeasy to catch waves on, and after a while you get the hang of the trim…now actual turns…we’ll see. I’ve only used it 5 or 6 times so far, but it is fun.
It’s definitely not worth the money they charge for it, I bought it online and was very disappointed when I got it: they make it sound like the surftech softop construction, and it’s really more like the foam boards you buy at costco (for $50…with fins and a leash), but in terms of fun I can’t complain.
