Hey Roy, James’ board is looking great. Still working on and off on that other project we discussed.
Red, thats a great looking board as well, looks very much like the way I did mine.
OK update time.
Glassed the bottom and wrapped the rails, got lumps, rough bits, really shiny bits but no dry bits (i think one out of three ain’t bad…) blew air into the vent hole and air came straight back out at me, so the fin box is sealed.
Starting to attack the lap folds with a surfform, not sure if I should use wet and dry to flatten out all that’s not flat after that. Gave it a cheater coat so I think it will be safe. Is this what it’s meant to look like? I feel like hitting it with a belt sander. Any ideas before I completely frig things up?
Dont worry about buffing the bumps down, it always looks like you’ve taken an axe to it when you start scratching the glass. When you glass the deck the evidence will disappear. I’d use a soft sanding pad on a disk sander or the surform, I find I get more control with the disk sander.
less than a week to go till the launch…any pre match nerves??
No nerves about riding it, just panicking a bit with how it looks at the moment. I’m sure it can only get better. Shitty weather this week though. I’ll post a piccie of the bottom tomorrow shiny bits, bits that feel like sandpaper etc. Have to give it a decent gloss coat.
This is what I have to sand (see attached). I can see some slight opaque parts in the epoxy and I’ve put it down to froth in the resin when I put it on.
Do I sand back to just above the cloth? Then give it a gloss coat…maybe?
I still have to do the deck so should I do that first then sand back? Hopefully this will be less stressful…
Looks like there is quite a bit of resin in the you laminate, but it might just be the picture.
I’d give the bottom a sand with a disk sander and soft pad. Got to watch and go really carful so you dont burn thro the weave. Dont touch the rails as you run the risk of exposing cork and having to repair with more glass etc and it will set you back in time. After the sanding everything should be hidden when you apply the hot coat.
The resin should be hard enough now to sand, I tried sanding one board too quickly and the resin went tacky.
The board will look pretty rank after the sanding, but will shine again once the hot coat is on.
wont be ready for the monster swell coming, hopefully the weekend will be good and banks galore
the boards looking like it wants to float, leuurrvely colour! I can’t wait to get the rails on mine so that I can get some resin onto it, it just completely alters everything about the way it looks. I’ve had some real kak to contend with since returning from Devon, there has been so much rain and humidity that everything has gone a bit of a funny shape, seems to have been cured by de-bending and clamping then glueing the deck and bottom on. Need to find more cork now for the rails.
Gray,
just got back from Croyde, took your advice and visited Puts (very flat that day, and a hell of a walk from Ruda with a 7’6"). Also got lashed in the Thatch on your recomendation, nice pint, excellent natchos. Spent virtually all week in the water, I am now a surfing god (well, less crap than I was before). Pissed down all week…Brilliant.
Had a really good look at what I’d done to the hull. WAY too much resin, I ran a straight flat sanding block over it and there were lumps and bumps everywhere. So I started levelling everything out and could not believe how much extra I’d put on. White dust everywhere!!!
Worked out what I’d done wrong. Because it was cold when I laminated, the resin was thicker than usual and didn’t spread very well. In an attempt to wet out the glass cloth I put on too much.
I’ve got about 2 more days careful sanding to do, laminate the deck and give it a gloss coat. Looks like this weekend is out now, I’ll try for the following weekend.
Finally done!! (if the last coat of spar varnish I just put on is alright when I check it in the morning…)and I’m stoked. It was cool to make, but next one is going to be eps/epoxy. And I’ll get the outline this time. I still can’t believe that I forgot about the cork until after I built the frame. I guess I have always had a problem with rushing into stuff. Oh well. Foam shouldn’t be as much work for sure. Gonna take the board out to Westport WA. On Saturday. Never been there, but closest decent surf that I can find on the internet (I’m posting From Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada). Hoping she 's rides as good as she looks. Good luck on the sanding there Hicksy. Can’t wait to see yours up, and to hear how it rides…
Come on, you can’t just say you’ve finished and not post a picture. What if something happened to the board on your maiden voyage/trip. There’d be no memories left of a pristine job…
Still swearing at my board…but should have it done by this Sunday, no kids around tonight wooo hooo…
Hicksy, just a thought, I got some good advice off another post for smoothing out a board. I used cabinet scrapers, which shaved the resin off and no problem with going into the weave. I did this after I hot coated to get the odd bump down making it all level then going at it with wet and dry.
Bunnings didnt stock them, well the 12 yr old professional tradesman! told me they didnt have then, Got them from a place on balcatta rd, called Arbotech (i think thats the name)
Got my 2nd fish underway for a mate in Sydney. Adopting a few new techniques, which if they work I’ll post some pics.
Jase, didnt want to say anything about the nachos, but mate they are the best in west country I reckon. My mates reckoned they added a little something special to them. Good to see after 6 years they are still up to scratch. After a sesh in the thatch even a medeocre surf session can be turned into epic. Hopefully yo can ride the hollow at putz when its working. Weather over there looks to be shocking, thats what crushed me in the end. When is the expected maiden voyage?
Hi Gray, we’ve found cabinet scrapers good for epoxy also. I read in woodenboat mag. about a Norwegian boatbuilder who used them for epoxy/mahogany runaboats, he scraped the epoxy while it was still slightly soft between coats.
Here’s my new Paipo spoon ready for the upper deck. Regards, Roy
Thanks for that guys, I’ve just about finished the sanding now but I’ll keep that in mind for future reference.
You are a glutton for punishment aren’t you Gray… should get easier each one you do. Mind you I’m planning the next one too, something for my girls, smaller 6’ mini mini mal that Daddy can ride (float) on.
That cabinet shaver, is that like a spoke shave? I used one of them on the rails when I was shaping them up just before the sanding.
Roy, nice board and particulary nice strides! I have 100% scottish blood coursing thro me,though my wife says my accent is a bit watered down, I dont think so, most dont understand me. I will take a pic of my new board with my kilt on.
Never tried scraping when the epoxy is soft, but it is a great way to go, very satisfying process.
Keep us posted on how the paipo handles in the water.
A bit watered down, I couldn’t understand a word you said the other day…nah, only joking.
Roy, have you got an accent, other than knew zelanda. Imagine that, a cross between NZ and Scottish, good luck trying to order Fush arnd Chups. (lol, roll around the floor)
the weather over here is seriously shocking, the week we were down Devon was the same week that village Boscastle got washed away, we saw trees floating round the bay at Croyde days later.
The board is going slowly at the moment, what with having 9 doors to hang at home and no spare cash for cork or resin at the moment. I’m having problems finding cork in the right sort of sizes and at the right price (as close to gratis as posible is always good) I did think of using laminate floor expansion strips but not so sure now after having a go at sanding them, didn’t sand smooth. I’ll keep you posted. I am hoping to test before the end of our summer, not that it makes a hell of a difference over here, all sort of blends into one long crap season.
Where in scotland you from? Why have they got a statue of Mel Gibson at the bottom of the Wallace memorial tower?
There’s suppose to be some great surf around scotland if you can stand the frostbite, any suggestions?
Spar varnish? what is this? We have a chain of local grocers shops in England called Spar, it’s not their own brand of surfboard resin is it, cos judging by their garibaldy biscuits it aint gonna be up to much. No really what is spar varnish, and where are the pictures?
I rushed into this one too, I’m still trying to source stuff (cork in particular) and buying bits as I go along, this forum has been great for info and ideas.
Kilted surfers unite!! Eagerly awaiting that kilted surfer pic, Gray! Perchance do you play the pipes too?
FBLA - spar varnish I believe was orig. designed for boats - all the teak / other brightwork / woody bits that needed some protection from the salty sea. Ah, here we go - fabulous Googling…: "Exterior varnish with good water resistance and the capability to resist weathering. Named for its original use on the spars of ships. " I.E. marine varnish.
