Has anyone bothered to butcher a hot tub cover and fillet the (most likely) 2 lb. eps out of it? The internet takes me through random train of thought paths and this is how I know that hot tub covers are made out of eps. At least, the ones that I happened upon are. Made with different densities, of course. What I don’t know, however, is whether or not they are made with large enough slabs (20" wide or bigger) to work with, or if they are made with narrow strips… So yeah, why don’t I just buy a blank? Well, cost is an issue, and I enjoy the process of starting from scratch…so I have made a few from xps, and some with eps/cedar/ or balsa veneer. The learning curve, the reinvention of the wheel, the excitements and letdowns of xps cheapness and delamination…The last was 1 lb eps wrapped with corecell, that was #6, lookin’ good, but I won’t know how she rides until spring…my closest break is Pt. Judith, RI, and I only have a 4/3 at the moment. Aside from the corecell and epoxy/glass, I like being able to go to Home Depot or my family business (construction) shop to get what I need to go nuts in my cellar for hours on end while my Olivia watches the screaming baby. So if yer pickin up what I’m laying down, and this isn’t a ‘Go Green’ scheme, but maybe it could be, because recycling is next to godliness in this day and age, I’m wondering if I should post a thing on craigslist saying ‘gimme yer old hot tub cover!’ ok, layit on me.
do you live next to a old hot tub cover graveyard or something?
who just sees these things laying around?
I’m picking up what you’re laying down…the bong in your cellar, that is…
ZING!
HaHaaaa! Yeah dude, on the left side of my house is the Hot Tub Cover Graveyard, and on the right side of my house is the EPS Recycling Station! I am stuck between the two of them, but the workers hustle so fast that I can’t snag even one loaf of foam offa them! Naaw seriously, niether of those entities exist in my area but that’s the thing: if I STARTED a link or a sign of interest on a site like craigslist, then maybe I could snag the cover offa someone’s deadbeat hot tub before they have it junked, you know? I guess I should take this as an indicator of further replies, but I was just curious if anyone had ever tried to uncovered the archaological dimensions of said spa coverfoam…
I laughed out loud when I read that response , so with that said and with respect, I don’t see anything just ‘laying around’ that I can use to make a board…I either gotta make it/ find it/ buy it 
Save up 15$ and go to home depot and buy a 2"x4’x8’ sheet of unmolested eps foam.
I’m soon to start one…My favorite dog (rip) used to sleep on the hot tub and caved the cover in. I’m thinking of a major recycling experiment here, but haven’t done it yet so have no words of wisdom to convey. I chucked the last hot tub cover that was caved in (is this a theme here?), so you may be on to something. That said, the home depot approach may be cleaner/easier. Incidentally, I also used to occassionally surf Pt Judith (year round)…Now of course I have trouble getting in the water when it’s below 60!
I own a pool service company and have repaired foam on many of these covers after customers or their kids thought they could stand on them. Not sure of the exact #, but I don’t think it’s 2# looks more like 1# to me although it is thicker than what’s available at HD. The covers have an aluminum channel at the fold just to keep them for sagging under their own weight. If the foams plastic cover which is just taped shut is compromised it’s amazing how much water the foam can absorb.
Dpicton
No idea but hot tub covers but once you conquered that project…I remember an article in one of the mags about surfing in cuba and that the boys down there would crack open trashed refrigerators and take the foam out of the sides to make blanks…Though i’v e thought about doing it just couldn’t find a fridge conveinent enough(location wise) to gut…but then again just another thought for a future “recycler” project
Chris
Alright, then…I guess I won’t steal up to some weekender’s chalet by moonlight with my boxcutters and gut their hot tub cover. But I will gut one at a dump, if I see one…I am definitely into using ‘found’ materials, but I think I’ve heard enough about caved in, soggy, most likely one lb. density foam to make me want to stick with going to Home Depot for now, like I’ve done for every board so far, ‘cept corecell- and you gotta go elsewhere for any other than 1 lb. 2 inch slabs. Thanks for the replies; now I kin let this thread crawl off an’ die in peace.