My next project is to build a board that would produce little waste and use earth friendly, recyclable and renewable materials. Several options exist concerning the “core” part of the board : recycled bits of foam, balsa, plywood and cork (following Paul Jensen’s great work). However I’d still end up using fiberglass and resin (whether it be epoxy or polyester). Of course, I’ve heard of using Hemp or bamboo but I can’t find these products here in france, and the bamboo veneer requires to master vaacuum bagging techniques… Has anyone tried to use any other sort of natural fiber (coco, sisal, lin, cotton …) ? Could it be feasible to have a plywood deck without any fiberglass lamination (just using several coats of varnish or boat paint) ? Happy New Year everyone. Pierre
I have made a board out of fir and just coated it with Helsman Spar Varnish. So far it has held water tight. I used 3 coats to cover it and it seems thick enough to keep it watertight for awhile. Just keep an eye on it and recoat everytime you need to. -Kevin