Those of you that have made your own bodyboard using these tecniques could you please submit some photos of them?
HOla, I’ve got no pics on the process, since I had no digicam when I was a custom BB builder. But here are some pics of finished and well used boards.
NOTAKOOK!!! Are you talking about glueing the EVA deck to the shaped XPS core??? Be careful, the correct process is this:
1-Glue XPS sheets
2-Shape XPS core
3-Glue HIPS or PVC slick bottom
4-Sand edges of slick bottom flush to the nose, rails and tail surfaces (sand from slick to core, trying not to lift slick off)
5-Glue EVA or PE deck to the core. Deck overlaps slick bottom over the nose, for about 10-20mm. Deck runs over top part of the rails.
6-Sand edges of deck flush to low rails and tail surfaces (sand from deck to core, trying not to lift deck off)
7-Glue EVA or PE to the tail
8-Sand edges of tail flush to low rails and slick bottom surfaces (tail doesn’t overlap slick, for water flow)
9-Glue EVA or PE to the low rails.
10-Sand low rails edges flush to deck, tail and slick (sand from rail to deck, tial and silick, trying not to lift rail off)
11-Iron, using wax paper and an iron, all the EVA joints (I’ve never used PE, so I don’t know if PE would shrink too much).
Post pics, Notakook!!!
Hola,
In this pic you can see my old BB waiting (forever?) for new low rails pieces on a corner of my workshop. You can see also some scrap sheets of XPS and EPS I used for BB cores, and one of the 3 cardboard templates used.
Again, I don’t know why is so difficult for you to find any brand of contact cement especially developed for EPS. I can find it esily in Spain at any hardware store. This is exactly the one that I use: Rayt “Novopren C-721-A”
It’s a Spanish company, but maybe have distributors overseas.
thanks for your post Neira and everyone’s contributions…interesting stuff
hey nota, glad to hear it worked out for you, i use that glue when i am putting stringers in on EPS boards and it works well,although i use a no name brand you can get at Canadian Tire( a auto and hardware chain of stores that is a cornerstone of Canadian society), as for the EVA , i am not sure, I have never tried the 3M spray but you could use a small bit of an epoxy glue, i don’t imagine a two sheet XPS blank will really flex a whole lot anyway. check out cold cure epoxy, they have a glue that they recommend for a lot of sporting equipment like cross country skies that still require some flex. let me know what you use and how it works out, as soon as I can get some materials and time I want to try this. There are so few bodyboarders here you just can’t buy a decent board.
I figured there was a cheap alternative for gorilla glue but haven’t had them time to find it. Yes Niera thanks abain for all your help. I’ll def. try and post some pics soon. Boards actually coming out ok.
Ready about to build a body board and have a few questions.
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found 2 inch blue xps foam from Lowes & pink at Home Depot. Any difference?
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Is it safe to use a single 2 inch sheet, or is it better to glue two 1 inch sheets to equal 2 inches?
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for the bottom- found iron on melamine plastic that is used for covering particle board for shelving, anyone used this?
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would Formica laminate be too stiff for a bottom? Home Depot has 24 x 48 inch sheets for $8.
Thanks for all the previous info.
Jim
Quote:
Ready about to build a body board and have a few questions.
- found 2 inch blue xps foam from Lowes & pink at Home Depot. Any difference?
In fact, easier to build. One sheet of 2" has the thickness of (my) 2cm+3cm sheets. Thew only difference is: 2sheets glued are stiffer than 1 single sheet, for the same overall thickness. Some guys I built BB for, reported they liked more the 1 sheet boards than the 2 sheet combo. I prefer 2sheet.
Is it safe to use a single 2 inch sheet, or is it better to glue two 1 inch sheets to equal 2 inches?
It’s safe. It depends on preferences: flex (maneouvers) or stiff(speed). You can also take the “tube stringer tech” for adding some stiffness to the single sheet. The problem is about drilling a hole truly parallel to the bottom and deck surfaces for approx. 20" from tail. I’ve never done it.
for the bottom- found iron on melamine plastic that is used for covering particle board for shelving, anyone used this?
Wow, didn’t think about that before! Seems OK for me. Are they wide enough for a BB??
- would Formica laminate be too stiff for a bottom? Home Depot has 24 x 48 inch sheets for $8.
Which thickness?? If it’s around 2-3mm anything could work. Iron-on melamine seems a good choice.
Thanks for all the previous info.
Jim
Jim, post pics!!!
GringoJim,
One thing about the iron-on melamine: you need to apply a gentle amount of heat to the iron to melt the glue from the inner side of the melamine. It’s not a problem when using it over a wood shelf or any board piece, but STYROFOAM SHRINKS UNDER HEAT!!!
It would be no problem if you are able to apply the same heat over the whole bottom surface, so the core will shrink approx. 2mm along the whole bottom.
If you don’t do it carefully, you’ll end digging bumps or channels, which melamine will not be able to fill.
Go on!!
With the melamine plastic, instead of iron it on, glue it? Lowes has it, $24 for a roll of 24 inch by 96 inches, good for 2 or 3 boards.
Have no idea if & how the two material adhesive agents would react with foam.
Right now I’m checking out places around town for supplies, should start the first board in a next week or so.
OOOOPS!!
The glue on the inner side of the melamine!!! I didn’t think about it yesterday, but I’m pretty sure it’s some kind of SOLVENT CONTACT CEMENT which will melt both EPS and XPS foam.
If you are kind, you’d be able to get a sample of the melamine sheet (or tape) at your hardware shop, and test it over a XPS piece, ironing it at home.
If you find a NON-SOLVENT CONTACT CEMENT, take a piece of XPS with you and ask the shop owner to open a can and pour a drop of it over the foam.
I alwasys test materials before buying them. Smile and be pollite!!!
Got some plastic from a hardware shop.
It’s one of those roll up plastic sled toy things. 42 inches x 22 inches. $3.49
Lowes has blue Dow foam. 2 inch thick, 24 inches wide, 96 inches long. Half sheet, tounge and groove. apx $11
For the deck I’m going with a thin yoga mat.
And of couse, will use NON-SOLVENT CONTACT CEMENT. Suggested from Neira.
Will get started in the next few days.
Hey guys,
I know this is kind of an old thread, but does anyone have pics of the building process?
Thanks!
later
Sorry for bringing this up again, but is this what I should be looking into for the bottom of a bodyboard?
HDPE Film
Thanks!
later
edit: URL was too long
Quote:
Sorry for bringing this up again, but is this what I should be looking into for the bottom of a bodyboard?
HDPE Film
Thanks!
later
That looks like the stuff that was recommended. I’m not positive that the material at the following link is HDPE, because Tek Supply doesn’t say, but I think it is.
I’ve had a 1/16" sheet of this serving as temporary flooring in a high traffic area for a year, and it shows no signs of wear. It also claims UV resistance, and has a
slick and a slightly textured side, which might be handy:
BTW, you might want to start using TinyURL to post those long links. It converts the link you cited above to:
which is much easier to deal with on the forum.
TinyURL site: http://tinyurl.com
-Samiam
Thanks alot, I thought that was it.
I’ve never seen TinyURL before, thanks for the heads up.
later
anyone use fiberglass for the bottom slick??..WAVE REBEL bodyboards are now produceing epoxy bottom bodyboards and claiming them to be the fastest…after seeing one in action last weekend id have to agree…those boards HAUL!!!..im building a couple for friends and one for myself…ill post pics when im done…
Yes… 30+ years ago. Followed by epoxy and vinyl resins, flexible compound curve bottoms and epoxy, polycarbonate, ABS, PVC internal skeleton (also hollow), multi-density laminated PE and PVC foams, etc.
For the cheapest, no-brainer, pure down-the-line, rip-your-hair-off speed: the basic paipo. A flat sheet of smooth sanded and waxed 1/4"-1/2" exterior grade plywood. Cut template oversize and modify as desired. Finless, no leash, learn all about edge control. Great for the heaviest waves, and duck-diving is a dream.
For more sophisticated equipment:
http://www.paipo.com/html/indexFrame.html
Well, some tiem since last post about this theme.
2 months ago, Daniel, a local bodyboarder contacted me for asking me if I could teach him how to build a bodyboard.
I agreed, but only if he had a workshop to fill with XPS foam dust. Fortunately, his father has one.
I’ve posted a slideshow at youtube (sorry for the quality) which shows the entire sequence (4 days).
The sequence is exactly the same one I used when I bulit custom bodyboards some years ago.
-Gluing the core
-Shaping the core
-Gluing the slick bottom
-Gluing the elbow pads
-Gluing the EVA deck
-Sanding slick and deck excess
-Gluing EVA rails
-Sanding rail excess
-Cleaning glue lines with turpentine
I hope it could be interesting for some of you:
(Yep, that’s me on blue sweater and blue t-shirt!!!)
Hey Neira, thanks again for the very interesting and informative thread. One question though, I can’t get youtube through the firewall here at work but how did you get your logo stamped on the other boards you posted pics of earlier?
cheers