I want to make myself a 6’6", single-fin egg for the summer slop. I want to make the blank myself, the fin, everything; a completely hand made board. I tried to do this last summer, without seeking expert advice. It didn’t work, but it was fun. This year I want it to be fun and I want it to work. So, I’m going to take it one step at a time and I figure the first step is building my blank. I’m on a tight budget and I live in Nova Scotia, where I can’t buy surfboard blanks and I can’t afford to have them shipped. The materials have to be available at hardware stores, building supplies stores, and boat supplies stores. So who can tell me how to build a blank. What do I need and what do I have to do? Thanks for the help. jason
Jason, If you did it last summer, probably you may have the tools or you can borrow from someone, this helps you to cut down 2/3 cost. You may build your own blank out of EPS that only works with epoxy resin which may increase your total cost and time cost. I did it once and I finally found that the cost of buy a blank and the cost of build one is not much difference. At least the epoxy is triple expensive than polyester resin. For fun, its worth to try. Better check the total cost of building a polyester board and eps foam board, then consider which one you re going to proceed. Regards, Crabie
A few years back I made a trip to France. As you know surfers will find surfers. Well the guy that I ran into worked at the plant that I was sent to France to work for a few days. He took me to his house and showed me the boards that he had made for himself and his son. He told me that he would buy a block of foam, he could not get blanks in France. He would not use a planer because he was afraid of making a mastake, he only used sandpaper. He also made his own fins. He made himself a mold, would lay glass in it fill it with resin, and park his car on top of it to get all of the air out. Just thought I would tell you how someone else did what you are thinking about doing. Hope this helps.
I’m a little confused as to what the mold is for, if the guy had a block of foam already. Wouldn’t he just cut the foam block and glue in a stringer? What I tried last time was to cut the block down the middle, glue in a stringer (I used ash wood, a piece 6 1/2’ by 4" by 1/8"), then I cutout a rough plan shape and went from there. I didn’t use a planer. I took the bulk of the foam off with a surform and then used sandpaper to finish the shaping.
The mold was for making his own fins, not the blank. Sorry if I said it wrong.
I can certainly tell you how to make blanks. Halifax probably has a foam company but your looking for something so low budget that it will be very hard. Building a surfboard does take certain materials and tools that do cost a bit. This is not a lot but it’s more than a couple hundred bucks.
Thanks Greg. A few hundred bucks is about all I could swing, so I guess I’ll have to put things on hold. I have a friend who shapes here, so I suppose I could talk to him about using his facilities. He could get me a blank too, seeing as he’s about to order the blank for my new board anyway. thanks again, jason
Jason, When I was about 14 I built a board out of insulation foam. I cut the foam in 2 and glued in a pine stringer, with the rocker already cut into it. I took alot of the excess off with a hand saw, then went to #36 sand paper. Epoxies back then were viscus and hard to work with. That was the mid 60s. Besides that I was poor & cheap! I sealed the foam with shelac, then glassed it with polyester resin. I tried the same process a couple years ago, when I got back into surfing after a 30 sebaticle. I used water base paint instead of shelac. It looked nice but started delaminating after about a year. The project cost less than $100/US. Have fun. Tobes
Don’t try to make a polyurethane blank, it is hardardous for your health and you might poke your eye out kid!
Steve, is it really hazardous to my health? All I’d be doing would be sanding a block of foam, couldn’t I just use a mask?
I thought you meant actually mixing chemicals etc. I would always wear a mask. “We all wear masks…metaphorically speaking…”