Long time no post but i would like some knowledge on a project i just took up. I have a 6’3 scott scott shortboard that is badly delamned and brown from being left in the sun. THe board was given to me for free and i figured it would be perfect to strip the glass off and try my hand at shaping.
Ive already begun to strip the deck glass that isnt a problem. It has glass on fins. Whenit comes to removing the bottom glass do i hack off the fins then remove the glass underneath? Also once it is stripped what basic tools will i need to work with the foam and get it ready for glassing.
I’d take a grinder and hack off the fins before removing the bottom glass. Cu them off and them grind down the resin Buildup till flush wih the ret of the bottom.
As far as tools go, that depends on how rough the foam is. I have stripped a few boards that needed only a 60 grit sandpaper sanding to get back to shape. But If the surface is rough you might have to power plane and or fill with spackle if there are really big chunks missing.
Other than that just normal shaping tools. Sureform, sanding blaock, sandpaper etc.
The best place to start a glass-removal job is by splitting the glass all along the middle of the rail. Use a dremel or even a circular saw with the blade set to 1/8" or so. The rails will be the hardest thing to get up, and the strongest (curve is less likely to flex & pop off) so you’ve got to start in the right place. Then you work your way along with something that can get under. I like a flexible metal barbacue spatula! It can fish right in there and separate the glass from the foam with minimal rail foam damage.
As for getting the fins off, it’llbee pretty hard to pry them off even it there is only an inch or two of glass holding it on… so I suggest grinding em down if you have access to a good sander
thanks for all the help but now i have another problem. What do i do about water damage. I have ripped the glass off and brough the stringer and leash cup flush to the foam. Do i use fresh water to clean off salt residue and then when that dries how far should i sand downward. Ive decided against changing anything but the tail shape being that i have minimal tools that are useful in working with foam and glass
I stripped a windsurfer hull using the method Benny1 described above - circular saw around the rails, plus peeling the glass. If there had been a fin I’d just have stomped it off. Instead, I had to deal with a fin box. Cut off the tail, there now!
Water damage: dry it out thoroughly, several days in bright hot sun, then shape as normal and glass it. Water generally won’t penetrate much into intact foam, only into crushed foam.
Stripping/reshaping/glassing anything that wasn’t immensely thick to begin with may not be productive use of your time, though it a simple nearly free way to do your first shape. Was for me.
Assuming you live on Oahu, there’s EPS available at Home Depot and other places that makes pretty fair inexpensive practice material. Then you have to seal it well, and glass with poly or epoxy. I’m thinking about this, but am committed to PU/PE boards, just got two more multistringer longboard blanks from Clark Foam today.
thanks yea ive thinned the tail and reached all white clean foam. super stoked. some areas have left some 1/8 chunks missing so the board will probably be reduced to an overall thickness of 2.5 from previosuly 2.75.