take a gander...
Y'know, now that EPS is available, that spoon looks a lot more buildable. I used to think poorly of carving out and "wasting" all the foam between those rails. I did one once in primitive fashion using scraps of old foam, but it came out heavy and I really missed the floatation and paddle-ability, not to say the wave catching capability, of a foamie kneeboard. Those low-flotation hulls just don't take off too well.
Appears to be nicely made, though.
This board was built with expanding pour foam from a fiberglass supply store. Basically mix a can of one stuff with a can of some other stuff and pour. Better, easier, faster, than using actaul foam IMO.
As far as wave catching ability, I've never had a problem. In fact I find they actually take off quite well. The shape of the hull really makes it or breaks it. In my experience with this board, the take off is incredibly fast - dare i say exciting - compared to a regular stand-up board.
As far as flotation, you trade it for diveability. You'll never get cleaned up by an outside set because you just dive under, deep as you want.
Oh I hear you loud and clear about diving under and swimming along the bottom. My kneeboards were about 4'10" with deep "Shoe" style knee wells. I rode various spots on the North Shore including V-land, Rocky Rights, Gas Chamber, Pupukea, Log Cabins and of course Pipeline. Deep diving and finning along the bottom was essential to getting out at all those spots, and my foamie had small enough volume so I could still do that. I think I weighed about 180 at the time, used Super Extra Large Duck Feet for motive power.
I thought that usually a spoon was first shaped from foam, the bottom and rails glassed, then the deck foam removed, and the deck side glassed further. Using expanding foam, is there another method? Seems the ad is your board of made by someone you know.
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I thought that usually a spoon was first shaped from foam, the bottom and rails glassed, then the deck foam removed, and the deck side glassed further.
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That's how you build the first one, then you splash a mold off that and you can do all sorts of things.
Check out flexspoon.com it’ll tell you what you need to know about building one of these.
This board was created using a basic block of EPS i picked up for a few bucks from a plce where they make the stuff. Shaped it into a hull, then laid up the glass over the hull. popped the glass off and had my shell. pour foamed the rails. laid up the glass for the deck, made a fin, and that was it. sounds simple but its a lotta blood sweat and tears.