I have been getting good information from swaylocks for years and learned a lot. Now I have to ask something.
Recently I have been working on my first longboard after shaping fishes and shortboards for 5 years for friends.
My first longboard came out as a more classic version of the Takayama In the Pink. I added some 50/50 rails and will add a single fin box only.
As a landlocked surfer I have to travel a lot to get my surf, that is not going to change soon. The board has to be strong.
Now my question: First I thought about glassing 6oz+Volan 6oz 3/4 patch on top and 6oz bottom+Finpatch Volan. I thought this would be enough. But I have just recieved a trimcraft Sidecut Fish I have been surfing a lot which has the same schedule on the top (6oz+6oz volan deck patch) and it already has some bumps on the 6oz area on the nose. As I am quite heavy (188lbs) and I will walk on the deck I thought about the following schedule:
4oz+4oz+3/4 volan patch 60z on the deck and 6oz bottom+Finpatch Volan. I use Hexcel 1522 and Silmar 249BB resin and a US Blank in 9’3 with a triple stringer. The board/glassing will have 3-4 weeks to settle down.
I want to surf the board like my old Surftech ITP - noseriding but also easy turning and fast gliding.
Is that glassing to heavy? As I will cut the Volan patch and the first 4oz layer around the blank I will not wrap it around the rails therefore it will come out with a 10 oz glassing aroung the rails (4oz last layer deck plus 6oz bottom) - is that too weak?
Although there is some merit to the idea of how various resin types interact with fiberglass treatments, I don’t think you need to worry much about Volan vs Silane. Your main objective will be to get an adequate glassing schedule under your feet. Ounce per ounce I don’t think you’ll find much difference if any between Volan and Silane. A more important issue is your blank density. Double 4 + patch for deck and 6 + patch on bottom sounds OK if you don’t want it to be ‘too heavy’ but that will always be somewhat subjective. Most modern boards that are not sandwich skin construction develop dents and dings fairly easily.
Hello; for a stronger board you need to use a density one up of the STD then add a Tband of high density foam and wood; this way is a great compromise between buckle/spring.
Then choose or order the blank with the thickness (bear in mind the rocker) similar to what is intended to not overshaping it.
The glass: 3 x 4oz on top and 2 x 4oz bottom all silane glass not crappy volan. There s no any premium volan fiberglass; volan is chromium bath; bad and nobody use it except in boating and some car fixers
Also bad for rookie glassers; hence the use of cut lapping technique and a problem for the sanding due to possible burn throughs (discoloration) with all those layers going on.
I ended up glassing it 4+4+6oz volan deck patch / 6oz bottom+6oz volan fin patch. Some white tint added. I turned out to be kind of heavy compared to the other boards I ride but feels more “alive” thank the epoxy pop outs. The board definitly has some kind of soul. I was always wondering about the discussion epoxy vs. poly and the blame most of the Surftechs get. Now I know why.
The board works great. Of course, after a few sessions I realized a few design flaws I had made. I added more entry rocker because these European beach breaks tend to close pretty fast. It worked. The tail has a little bit too much of foam. Sometimes it feels a little clunky in the tail therefore the next one will get less thickness.
I gave the board to a couple of other surfers, intermediates, beginners and experienced long boarders. The liked it all. Beginners finally got some waves, intermediates started to go to the nose, experts did what they can do best. I’m pretty satisfied.
Hello; may be next time you may read again my suggestion and try it; cause you put the same fiberglass weight but distributed differently; adding that with 6oz you finish with more resin and that s heavier and not good for the impacts.
Then I mentioned that the basic problem (think CNC shapes) is the overshaping due to not to choose the right dimensions (the right blank) and a thing that nobody cares and is more important than how much layers you are using; the density.
Then you used volan…
Do not know why you ask questions and decides to do whatever you want. If you think that your way is the best, better to give advice here (with your test, backgrounds, arguments)
-The shape to the right have too much wide outline to ride those faster beach breaks
Can you give me some details on the design? Do you put an edge on any of the rail, or soft round all the way? Hull bottom or flat. Vee in the tail, or flat? Concave in the nose of course. D fin or a box?
