So, i’m pretty broke at the moment, and thinkin about a relatively cheap way to make a new board. I’ve seen the method of sheets of insulation foam bent to rocker and glued together. For some reason i’m pretty set on not using a stringer, So i was thinking about instead of just gluing them together, i’d add a layer of glass in between two ~1.5inch thick foam sheets to add some stiffness and then doing carbon wrap rails to give it some strength.
Any thoughts/advice? would the layer of glass in the middle do anything? would the carbon rails be enough without this? what type/weight of glass/epoxy would be best for the inner layer
I did this a while ago but used glue instead of epoxy. Problem was I put 1" top and 2" bottom foam. Cut the bottom first and then the top and ended up taking out so much of the glue line on the top cut that the foam pulled itself flat!
I threw it away.But that’s why I used cheap insulation foam - so I could stuff up and throw it away.
Second quality blanks are a great way to save money. I’ve bought some for as little as $15, but usually they were about $35.
We make compsand boards with the insulation foam you get from Home Depot or Lowes. We don’t try to make boards with that foam that don’t have a wood skin. I have made boards from heavier 2lb insulation foam without the wood skins, but they were thicker blocks that I cut rocker slices from.
We’re always into people experimenting with surfboard construction. However, this project isn’t really a money saver…or a time saver. You’re better off buying a poly blank or just ordering a stringerless EPS blank to work with. Second quality blanks are always a good way to go to save money. Either way, good luck, post pics and have fun!
That layer of glass won’t really add any stiffness. It WILL make the rails tougher to shape because of the difference in density between the foam and the ridge of glass it will create. You won’t be able to get a true rocker if you just bend it before making the layers. A piece of wood or even plywood doesn’t cost a whole lot. Especially when you look at the cost of epoxy resin needed for such a project. You will save a couple of bucks and create more problems than necessary.
