My first board so far

General Discussion
1

Hi,

Ive been surfing for about 3 years now and also kite surf aswell. Im quite interested in surfboards technically and the art/shaping side of it too so i thought i`d have a go at making my own board.

Ive already got a 7'6" minimal but fancied something a bit shorter and easier to turn so ive gone for something a little different. I generally surf in messy but sometimes clean slow waves.

I`ve ended up going for a sort of large fish - 6’9" and quite wide with good thickness for plently of float.

Anyways, here`s some pics - been doing this in my loft.

My blank -

I built a stand -

(bit shakey at first, but fixed now!)

I cut myself a template on hardboard using that AKU shape software and then cut my shape out -

I missed taking a few photos here really, but id skimmed the outer layer of the deck and top - the top was defintely harder because the curves didnt suit the electric planer but there you go.

Ive got a friend helping me a bit aswell, giving me advice and ive also put a single to double concave in to guide the water through the fins as this is going to be a quad fin setup.

I also shaped the rails after this using the surform and then tidied up with some of that sort of coarse netting to get the curves as even as i could.

once i `d got it to the shape i wanted, i sanded it down getting the grades finer upto about 400.

I wanted some design on the board but pretty simple , so i borrowed my girlfriends acrylic paints and went to work - i just went for a simple brushed affect with 2 stripes going round the board. I also made a logo which i mistakenly printed off on my works laser printer - i know now that i should`ve used an inkjet as this is water based.

here`s some pics of the paint and glassing in progress -

This is my final layer of glass i put on last night - the second on the deck -

You can see in this pic where the logo black ink has run slightly red into the resin - a lesson learnt there!

I also had an unexpected problem last night - as i said im doing the work in my loft. when i was applying resin i kept on finding very small sort of insects/mites floating in the resin. I finally realised that they were falling from the rafters and tiles above me - the resin odour mustve been gassing them and then they`d fall off and onto my board and in the fresh resin! - i picked them out as best as i could - needless to say , some cardboard is being pinned up before i do the hot coat!

i`ll update this thread as i go on - hot coat next i think after a bit of tiding up.

cheers,

mike

2

That’s what it’s all about, brother…

Cool shade of green on the stripe!

3

hi, well done for taking the plunge, your board will ride great and that is the best feeling, surfing a board that you have made yourself, pete

4

Mate those stands look the shiznah, good job.

The board looks way sweeter than my first, and my 2nd, 3rd, 4th etc.come to think of it.

Hope you’re not using poly resin in the house dude…your wife/ girlfriend/ kids/ mum/ dad/ neighbours/ dog/ cat etc won’t like it (and the stuff is way poisonous.)

5

Kudos for the nice first effort. Great bug story also, now we know polyester/styrene fumes are an effective

insecticide. Insects will still find your board no matter what precautions you take, however. It seems there’s

some sort of magnetic attraction between surfboards in process and any nearby bugs. Picking the remains

out of hotcoats is a time-honored industry tradition.

6

Thanks for all the postive comments. I can`t wait to get cracking on the hotcoat so i can sand it properly.

And yes, it is in my loft at the moment, but its fairly well sealed from the rest of the house although i have plans to move myself into the shed once i get some lighting, power and a small extension rigged up.

7

Mate, I’d knock some of the tiles off the roof for some ventilation until then.

Post your pics when you’ve done your hot coat, bugs ‘n’ all!

8

pure stoke

9

thanks for the comments :slight_smile: i`ve got myself a new board now! well pleased with it too - turned out better than i hoped!

i finally got my hotcoat on and fin / leash plugs in. i ended up hand sanding the board as i used the electric sander and nearly burnt a hole through to the foam! managed to fix that.

ill give the electric sander a go next time when im a bit more confident!

the only other major thing is that where i placed my logo under the fibre glass, well, i just placed it there - i thought the resin would soak through the paper! so ive got a small air cavity under the logo where you can press it down. im going to drill 2 small holes there and inject some resin into the cavity, then tidy up the holes after. whoops!

anyway, here`s the pics! -

10

Respect mate, the shape looks right and a good job all round. Had chance to dodge any ice-bergs on it yet? Come on with the ride report dude!

Congrats on a job well done.

11

gonna give it a go this weekend on sat probably up at either croyde or saunton as forecast not looking too bad at moment - hope i have`nt just jinxed that!!

12

Good one mate , you’re hooked now !

Is that snow I see in the garden ? Man you Brits are keen.

13

its been the worst snow storms in the uk for a few years - we even got snow in weymouth where i live - normally not even heard of down here! all melted today though and floods instead!

i was out kitesurfing a week ago - wore 2 wetsuits! was warmer in water than on the beach!

14

took the board out at saunton on sunday and i have to say i was pleasantly surprised - it catches waves really easily and rides very well too! too be honest, id go as far to say i prefer it to my 7'6" mini mal as it turns easier than that. Cant believe it really - thought it would be all over the place!

i may fit some slightly smaller fins to the back to 2 to make it a bit looser though - great fun. next one will be a kitesurf board! just bought the airbrushing 101 dvd while i was up there in devon - was very intersting viewing!
cheers, mike