This is where we’re at on this project. Thanks to many here for inspiration and information. My feeling is that this is versitile enough to allow for many future avenues, the direction being carved out by the industry itself rather than being dictated by one source. This project is primarilly a product of colaboration between Walker Foam and Resin Research.
what type of attachment is that?
my Mac does not know what to do with it.
Guess I can try my win-pc at home tonight.
Man, thats pretty cool. 1# EPS too. Will there be a cost difference with this type of manufacturing?
The attachment opened in Irfanview for me if you have that. It turned it in to a gif file.
Id sure like to try one…when can we get our hands on one of those blanks?
It’s a GIF. It wouldn’t upload as a JPEG, too big. These will be expensive, both the blank and the glassing. But isn’t it time we had a real Ferarri? 4# finished weight on a shortboard with vastly better durability and performance aspects like no other. Again, this needs to be figured out by each individual shaper as to how they want to utilize the technology. It’s quite broad in it’s application but the end result will be better performance and durability through better technology. And all able to be done with exsisting hand lay-up glassing techniques in exsisting factories.
renamed it with a .gif extension and all is good.
looks cool
will they be available in a wide variety of blanks (like clark catalog),
or just in a few size/shapes?
How much freedom will the garage shaper have to manipulate?
vs will the blank need to be ordered to near final shape/foil/contour?
We won’t start production until early in the year. There willbe few blanks because they don’t need to be close tolerance. They can’t be overshaped. Probably one blank per size, per design. Like one high performance 6’8" and then a gun 6’8" and then a fish 6’8". But that will be down the road. In the beginning we’ll probably just be working from a half dozen or so until we get everything down a bit. In other words, lots of freedom and a bit more work.
Greg,
I’ll be ready to buy when you guys are.
It’s nice to have more than one or two blank options out there…thanks for the innovation!
Dave
Nice work Greg. Well be waiting for those blanks.
“The future is epoxy dad, get with the program”
Thanks for thinking about OUR future - Greg - a true innovator like you and the others here are what’s going to kick ass down the line…
daddio
id like to see whats going on…i think my computer s= screwed up…+ it seems like other people cant see to easy, either…making blanks ? hell who knows i cant see any attachment…
I must be missing something here…
How does the blank come? If it comes already as a sandwich then over shaping seems to be a real issue.
Or do you shape the EPS, stringers and rails and then attach the sandwich layers. In that can what your
offering (I think) is nice eps/parabolic perimeter stringered/dense foam rail blanks and all the sandwich stuff
of the flier actually nothing to do with the blank but is just an example of how one might be used?
Am I getting closer to understanding or further away?
In any event I’m sure once I understand it will be a big improvement over what is currently widely used.
Thanks Gregg,
It looks like there is something wrong with Swaylock’s web site. I am having problems seeing any pictures or icons on this site, but any other site I go to seems to be OK. If you right click on an image and then “save as” the picture seems OK.
it looks very close tolerance , and given the choice of skin cores not all of them are easily shapable …
i fully understand where you can see this going …
from the diagrams the only real structual problem i see is the visable stringer …
youll need to use your outer skin core and overlap the parabolic stringer . it wont be visable anymore … but it will make it way more structuraly sound …
how you have it set up there … when someone glassed over it , the glass over the top wouldnt be able to hold the skin core level with the top of the stringer , itll pop down and youll get a crack on the join between the parabolic stringer and the skin core when someone loaded there heel or palm on that spot …
depending on the density of the skin core youll use …the .75 oz fabric under the skin core could be easily punched through if you use a skin core that transfers load to efficiently …
so careful choice of skin cores or a heavier fabric under your skin core will solve that …
so even tho your offering a wide variety of laminate/skin core/final lay up choices ,youll find a small amount of those combinations will work well …
either way … refinement of what your working on there will give a bullet proof high peformance board in the 5lb range …
what your doing there is the type of stuff ive been on since the late 80s so if you need any feedback or information about combinations of composites just pm me with particulars …
i think the best part about what your doing , is making this construction concept more accessable to the average board builder …
meaning they just keep doing what theyre doing now , without all the stress of r&d …or the need for expensive equipment to produce the blanks up to the stage your offering them …
i like it , only coz i know the benefits already …
as far as market …
definatly your seasoned experienced surfer whos looking for that magic board …
good stuff greg …
regards
BERT
The sandwich core material is put on after the shape. This makes everything VERY versatile concerning shape and can be hand shaped or shaped on the machines easily. We’ve actually built these with both the deck and bottom laminates cored and have found that the ones just laminated on the bottom and just cored on the deck rode better. The bottom core seemed to make the board ride stiff and hard. When we simply laminated the bottom the whole thing seemed to absorb shock, ride much smoother and actually surf much faster with more control. When this is done the bottom still moves. When coring the bottom laminate, like a Surftech, the bottom doesn’t move much at all, giving a very harsh ride.
As for the visible stringer Bert, I think your right. There are two ways to approach that, one is to overlap the stringers, as you suggested, the other is to cut a small radius into the interior foam before laminating. Either should solve any structural issues in that part of the board. With the Spherecore and Coremat XM we’ve used the .75 cloth under has been adequate, perhaps with some other materials this will be different. I’ve also gotten some 1.5 oz. Kevlar (which I haven’t used yet) for under the deck which I think would be bulletproof. And Bert, certainly your influence is evident here. As you noted, I’m attempting to offer a superior technology that’s fits into standard board building practice and techniques, i.e., hand lay-up and shaping machines. The R&D left to them is deciding on what glassing schedule and material are best suited for the different markets in the sport.
We’ve been getting finished shortboards to come out at 4- 4.5 lb. finished using spheretex decks and carbon on the bottom with a single 3 oz aircraft fabric laminate on both sides over. This fabric is all singles yarn and lays VERY flat. Hot coats look like glosses and take almost no resin. Probably save over 1/2 lb. by using that cloth.
I did forget to mention that Hank Johns of Graphite Master in LA has been an important partner in the development of the outer skins technology and has supported us with both material and expertise.
I’m also NOT doing any patents, copywrites or anything else with this. Anyone interested in following this progression can. In other words, it’s OK with me if you steal this technology.
so very cool!
I know someone who wants a few!
is it going to be expensive?
Hey there Greg,
Just reading some of the discussions that are said about your blank, I also cant wait to get my hands on one, I remember back in the 80’s when you were one of the first to start to use epoxy and you were the guiding light for many of the epoxy users of today. I want to say that I tip my hat to you and think its cool that you are not going to try to market or keep it to yourself as you stated. You are a true shaper and just want to say “Thanks”
ps. I bought a epoxy board in the 80’s when they thought that lightness was the key, I bought a 9’-6" Weber, NO STRINGER and took it out 2 times, broke it in 4-5 foot waves…what a waste of $600.00
Greg
Just curious why you are using PU for the rails rather than EPS?
Joe