hi all,
would like to hear your advice please…
In regarding with getting the most stronger PU board but still lighter, what is better for the top of the board:
(I edited the original msg already)
Well, if it was me, I’d go with double 4oz. Strength would be increased, and weight gain would be insignificant.
I’ll go with Bill’s comment. And I’ve found with tighter-weave glass, the hotcoat can be thinner (the strength is in the lam coat, not the hot coat). Shoot, I’ve glassed a few times with 2 oz. (where I’m glassing over an old glass job), and after the lam coat you’re almost ready to polish! So I’ll vote for two layers of (tighter-weave) 4 oz. over one layer of 6.
I built a small-wave board and I went with stronger to reinforce it against the reef. I used a number of deck/tail patches and a thick hotcoat. The board came out really heavy but it’s pretty bulletproof (I’ve closed the tail in a car door and it didn’t even crack the finish or leave a mark). I also find the added weight actually helps with the smaller waves, especially when it’s sloppy. It could be the huge block-style tail on my board but I just feel like the weight really adds to the momentum on my drops.
Do the math:
6’2" shortboard deck is about 7 squarefeet
one layer of 6oz is 7/9*6 = 4.67oz
two layers of 4oz is 7/9*8 = 6.2 oz
k than…I’ll go for the 2x4oz.
What about 1 layer of 4oz and another 2/3 patch layer (from tail to mid) just to save more weight? will that be strong enough?
Surf Tickets http://www.classicasinos.com/Ticket_Surf/ enjoy.
Using the ‘‘worst case’’ of an extra 4.6 oz weight gain, divided by the board length (6 feet) equals approx 3/4ths ounce per foot of gain. Small price to ‘‘pay’’ for added board/ deck strength.
Sounds as though you are building a board for landing “airs” in junk surf, If that’s the case, EPS/Epoxy would have been a better choice for both strength and weight. Your damages on any board used for landing airs and other skateboard like manuevers will primarily be heal dents, rail cancer, creases and snaps. For Poly, the lightest foam available from US Blanks or Artic would be a good start. A single six ounce with a deck patch, a tight lamination and a sanded hotcoat would be a good compromise between weight and strength, It’s been my experience that four ounce(no matter the number of layers) heel dents easily compared to fewer layers of six ounce, Another alternative would be a Poly blank and an Epoxy glass job. What little knowledge I have comes from doing repairs to “Jump and Bump” sailboards on Maui for several years. They got to be light, but they got to be strong. Lowel
I only buy US Blanks. Usually Orange density. Sometimes Red for heavier surfers. (Theyre lightest density). Orange is softer. So I buy the strongest glass I can. I love “S-glass”. By far some of the strongest I have found. I usually put at least one layer on the deck with another layer of “E” or “D-size” cloth… Some of my heavy-footed customers I put two. One layer of 6oz. is lighter. For a couple of bucks buy 6oz. “S”. One layer of that is nearly bullet proof. “S” glass is almost twice the price of most fiberglass. But way stronger. It averages 4-8 dollars on the cost of building a board.
Lowel is right. Epoxy glass job over PU is pretty damn strong too. Maybe combined with some “S” glass.
Good luck, it is possible to build a strong & light board if you do the homework.
Barry Snyder / Windigo Surfboards
If you want a long lasting board look at surfboards built before 1980....a little thicker...and a gloss coat....
Stronger and lighter surfboards are all over Swaylock's .....EPS Foam, Compsand, WMD, Vac bag.......High Tech materials....it's not that hard to build a light / strong surfboard..........
A 1.5# EPS blank with a 6oz bottom and a 6x4 top will be very strong and light.....you just have to go for it!
and one day you wake up with joint pain....:).
..Ha ha ha.....Keep Surfing! Stingray
My vote is yes, weight is worth the strength… pretty sure we could drop mine off the roof of the shop and it wouldn’t even ding. Plus, I’m not sure why everone is so into light surfboards these days. Does everyone just have terrible upper-body strength so they can’t paddle a heavy board?? I’m sure anyone who’s ever tried to surf a tuflite in a heavy offshore wind will agree it’s kinda like trying to surf an airplane wing durring takeoff. Weight gives you more momentum which factors into more speed while pumping, it doesn’t blow around in the wind and even more importantly: a heavy board has no problems riding smooth on a choppy day.
All these guys with their EPS featherweight boards are crazy IMO - not to mention how much of a pain in the ass the things are to repair seamlessly
Barry- Right on about using “S”. I don’t keep it around the shop all the time so I tend to forget about it, Alot of guys use six ounce S, but I like four. It can be combined with “E” or “Warp” for a super strong lay-up.
One vote for lightness here. You go ultra-light and you will feel like Tarzan. life's too short for slow equipment.
My next board is 11/2# EPS. 4 oz, botton 4 oz deck, w/ more glass wherever feet sometimes go, another layer where the feet usually are. Extra on some rail sections where hands grip, etc. (It won't look nice for long.)
sickdog
There's an add on Swaylock's for a roll of S cloth...$900....something like $7.00 a yard.....
This is why we need to "network"....go to this thread....
http://www2.swaylocks.com/forums/lets-make-deal-2011
Some dude sold me S cloth for less than $2.00 a yard...he posts on Sways all the time...
I met McDing ...He's a good guy....I know he has a stash of blanks he wants to sell...cloth too...make a deal with the guy....
Back on topic.....you can make a stronger lighter board with stronger materials...ask Barry or McDing or Surfding...Ghettorat too....and EverySurfer builds cool boards too.........
Stingray
