I was thinking the same.
Picked up the blank yesterday.
This is what I will start with (my planshape and nose rocker/kick pre-cut).
I have a lot of trimming to do, then shape the nose, rails and tail.
My old handsaw made quick work of removing the scrap-foam tags.
Next, I remove the lip that attached the scrap-foam tabs with a carpet knife.
Things were looking like slow going for arm-muscle rail shaping. The 8" wood rasp cut well but was too small. The 10" surform worked but still wasn’t going to be too speedy.
Then I discovered this 14" rasp at Tractor Supply Co. this morning. Much longer and wider cutting surface, sharp and coarse. Went to my other local farm supply hardware looking for a handle. Only thing that was big enough was a masonry trowel handle.
The rasp is for horse hooves. Never would have found this tool for shaping if I didn’t live in middle of nowhere rural America.
Hoof rasp removed enough foam for me to begin final rail shape.
(This is the channel-bottom blank.)
Fantastic! You’re making real legitimate and professional progress. Maybe not the way Toobs and Morey Boogie do it now, but they did a very similar process originally when it came to their top of the line boards. PS I like your use of the “Carpet Knife”. Hadn’t thought of adding one to my shaping bay before, but will now. No telling what I might use it for.
Have used a “Ferrier’s Rasp”. For many years. In my case they are super speedy and aggressive for wider wooden stringers and wood tail or nose blocks. They do the job! Inherited a complete set once from someone who owned a couple of horses.
I am keen to hear a ride report. Do you think this 6 pound XLPE would support a properly attached foil?
Roger
Roger,
I’m too old now to be a credible test pilot. Only started riding BBs/KBs last year.
If I don’t get skunked, I will have a chance for test riding in a few weeks. Otherwise, I’m considering testing at a wave machine later this year.
Regarding foil attachment, because the foam is semi-rigid but elastic, you would likely need some sort of mounting plate attached to the bottom (a carbon fiber, polycarbonate or ABS sheet as a base plate?).
Bill
I appreciate the input McD.
The 14" farrier’s rasp is a handy tool for sure.
I found the carpet knife on the ground several years ago (with new blades inside). I’ve been using it ever since. The one I found (Personna Blue Thunder) has been replaced by a new model. The Blue Thunder model seems well made and fits nicely in my hand.
When shaping prototypes, I like to go slow to avoid removing too much foam too fast. So I use as few power tools as possible.
See PM
thanks
Roger
When LED overheads and natural light in the enclosed porch/sun room aren’t enough. And you need better rail side-lighting.
(masking tape, plastic saw horse and 2’ fluorescent light fixture)
Shaping this 6-pcf XLPE is/has been a challenge.
As I shaped the first, channel bottom model down to 150 grit and started bringing the second, no-channel model down to 150 grit, Doc’s words of wisdom began to echo louder and louder;
It is clear this foam is not going to shape down nice and clean with higher grit.
But there is no doubt in my mind these prototype boards will ride just fine without going to higher grit.
Made the annual family pilgrimage to the NC coast only to get 2-3’ closeouts. I was uninspired until Proneman (Roger) asked me how the BBs performed in closeouts. Thought about it and decided I could get some performance info from the closeouts. I dubbed the 48” BBs “TR-48s“ (Tunnel Rocket 48”)
For 2 days, Light breeze, clean 2-3 ft, plunging closeouts, on the channel-bottom TR-48
Floated well enough at 3” x 48” to paddle like a surfboard.
Caught waves easily. Mostly just did sandbar launches.
Got a few faces for about 6-10’ before close. Seemed to hold the face well.
Was able to track transversely in front of the whitewater as long as I had some speed.
XLPE deck did not feel slippery. Did not need wax.
Rode the TR-48 Control (no channel) — wave height 2.5 ft (max), spilling closeouts.
Caught 13 waves while wave height slowly died.
Conditions were too different to make any valid comparisons.
Still good buoyancy.
Easily caught waves.
Definitely did not need wax.
I prefer the XLPE TR-48 over a standard 42” BB. I like the volume for paddling buoyancy and extra weight for the follow-through momentum. I learned a lot about shaping XLPE: cool thing is I can still re-shape the rails if I want.
The only pictures I have of my finished XLPE TR-48 prototypes at the moment are these low quality phone camera shots (below). Shot of the bottoms was taken while at the beach. Surface mount leash plugs on the decks (not shown) were glued on 3 hours before the 2-day drive to the coast.
The planshape for these 2 boards is my standard 48" modified Lis Fish template. (Bottom Channel – U.S. Patent No. 10,974,797)
I find that the phone camera distorts the appearance of the shape depending on the aim angle of the phone.
I may have found an event where I can test my boards in consistent wave conditions – Waco, TX; 10/3-10/4, 2022.
(Need to quickly build a channel-bottom TR-42 and a NACA-rail, wing-tail 47.5" to bring along also.)
Chad Stickney riding my 42” channel-tail prototype @wacosurf_tx with @ebodyboarding, #texastubetour
Photo taken by Tony Prince at FB link below.
(Video yet to come if I can figure out how to post it.)
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Warms my heart to see some of these older threads firing back up. 
Second Wave
(Click link at bottom. For HD copy click first play arrow once, then the white play arrow on the black screen next.)
Chad Stickney is riding my 42” Channel-Tail prototype, moving down the line under the fluid awning.
@wacosurf_tx, with @ebodyboarding, #texastubetour
Video filmed by Vicki Reale
HD Copy
SD copy
If I were a bit closer to you, I would let you use my Skil 100 which is equipped with a grit barrel. Should work pretty good with this foam.
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