glassing on first board

General Discussion
1

Well, my first board is all shaped, save some final sanding and touches to the stringer. Looks pretty good, I’m really happy with how it looks !!

One problem I ran into was I ended up taking more foam off the deck than I was hoping to, probably 1/4" I know the foam gets softer as you go deeper. I am going to have a glass shop laminate and set the fin boxes (I’ll go through that learning process later) Should I have a deck patch added or will 2 layers off 6 oz help make up any loss of deck strength? The board is a 7’ “big guy” thruster using a 7’3" R supergreen blank?

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to Swaylocks over the years, this BB has given me the knowledge and confidence to attempt this project !!!

JN

2

Depends on how big the “big guy” is, I suppose. Two 6’s will be pretty strong but a patch, maybe 4oz, would make for some cheap insurance. It will cost you weight but I think it’ll be minimal.

3

Hey Jimithesaint,

Look at your old boards.  Where are the pressure dings and how bad are they?  If you are one of those individuals who constantly cracks the glass near the stringer then you might go for a patch.  If you are a big guy the weight difference won't matter.

PS- Did you get my email?

4

Personally, I would only do a Double 4oz. You already got a heavy blank there, and double 6, especially with a 4oz patch, your gonna be like oil tanker. And unless your gonna be jumping on the board, I would not worry about the deck.

Just my 2 cents, -Travis Johnson

5

I’d have to agree with Paloke…

Double 6 on a shortie is just too much. If you’re really concern you can have them lay a 3” wide strip up the stringer. Most big guys I know push in the foam right next to the stringer, one of the few dents that actually compromise the glass layer.

Though in reality it’s mostly cosmetic. It’s a deck, it should be covered in wax. Dents do nothing, except maybe make a familiar place to lay your feet.

6

Of the pros’ boards that I’ve repaired, upon asking them, their favourites were the ones with the heavily dented decks.

7

I would imagine they would say that there favorite boards had massive pressure dings is do to the fact that as far as shortboards go, weight is everything, and the lighter the glass job, the lighter your overall weight should be.

8

Or, You could go 6 and four on the deck with an extra 4 oz. stomp pad where the rear foot goes(and/or front foot). I’d rather have it a bit stronger than lighter.