I don’t think anyone here, besides yourself, is talking about an “aged look”, and at any rate the treatment you describe is more likely to create a dinged look than an aged look per se. There have been posts in the past regarding adding an aged look to a new board, everything from acid-washed resin work to fake ding repairs, yellowed foam, etc. I have a couple of those in my quiver.
Footwells are more a contour issue that affects the rider’s connection to the board. They occur naturally with use over time, and probably even more rapidly to those surfers doing and landing airs. To shape a footwell into a new shape doesn’t seem out of line on a custom shape if you find that you really enjoy the comfort / connection it creates, the rationale for some deck concaves is the same.
Jumping up and down on a board in the sand to create footwells does sound nutty to me, the kind of thing that someone with too many free boards and not enough respect for folks who make them might do. Of course I don’t compete or even perform at anything near the level of a pro surfer, so there’s that, haha.
I have wondered if you could shape footwells (on a shortboard, meaning a board you don’t walk while surfing) that would eliminate the need for wax - the footwells alone keep your feet in place on the deck. Just one of those weird passing thoughts I never pursued.
Yep, I was just kidding about the dinged look. I get it, the comfort of dents, I get it totally. I have an old old long board (first board I ever bought when I first went in the sea) and I restored it, filling all the dents. It now weighs a 5hit load more and feels totally alien to my feet!
“Jumping up and down on a board in the sand to create footwells does sound nutty to me, the kind of thing that someone with too many free boards and not enough respect for folks who make them might do” - Well said, If you are that pro then have them shaped in, but jumping on a fresh new board is surely as much about image (hey look at what I can do) as it is about performance. if you’re that good, get one of the many shapers queuing up to shape boards for you to shape some deck contours or even take a foot mould and insert it, at least the glass and resin will be intact that way!
I don’t think you can eliminate having something like wax unless you use straps, and never move you feet for a fixed position.
I use a wax alternative stick on material and cut it in strips so that I get more coverage than having a big pad. You need to have some grip under your body when paddling and you also need something where your feet will be. Then there’s the area where you grab to push through waves. When I surf, my feet never stay in one spot, even my back foot moves. I made the foot well to let me know when my back foot is the furthest back I should be. Even then I tend to ride further up.
I was actually going to ask for wax alternatives. I thought I saw an ad once about some kind of grip tape (translucent) and wondered what its called as I would like to try that
I use 2 products. One is from Viskus https://www.viskus.com/product/surf-grip-small-bead/. It’s like they embedded wax on a sticky plastic sheet. I have this on 4 or 5 boards and have been very happy. I have been cutting the mats into 2" strips and space them about an inch apart to get more coverage. I can get by using just one set this way.
The other product is from Surfco Hawaii. http://www.surfcohawaii.com/Wax-Mat-s/159.htm This product is nice but expensive. It is very different from the Viskus product, more like a thin SUP grip pad. Works good. I have 2 boards with this product. My brother uses this stuff.
Using US Blanks Blue density foam and taking almost nothing off the deck I used 4s+4s+4s and polyester resin for the deck schedule. The rider is 160 pounds and knee paddles. After a year, dents are only detectable when you strip the wax and really try to find em. So very very minimal pressure dents. Glassing was sand only, and resin was squeegeed tightly.
Using more fibers per area (but not necessarily heavier total cloth weight), using S glass (its better but don’t expect magic), the right density foam and taking almost none of the deck foam down/away (this is most significantly underappreciated, I cannot stress this enough) , can lead to a board that is stronger and will resist almost all pressure dents.
And all that with traditional and easily accessed materials.
I have a nine foot longboard made with us blanks classic density foam, and 6 oz. top and bottom with a tail patch and deck patch, epoxy resin, minimal denting after a few years of pretty steady use.
Thanks Huck. 6oz plus patch no dents? Wow, that’s good going. My KIDS dent boards which have 2 x 6 or 6 + 4 decks. And no, they don’t live in a candy store :D. Maybe I am not letting cure for long enough. How long do you leave a board standing (after complete) before taking to water?
I don’t know about others, but if I take a board and remove all the wax and clean it up, there will be lots of spots showing a well used board.
Some of the PU/PE boards have a tremendous amount of denting. I have a couple of boards I try to use sparingly because of that. These are all HP boards with gloss finishes and were made by well known, highly regarded professionals.
I don’t think you will get passed that if you don’t do a fancy composite skin that has multiple layers of different materials. A 4oz glass under 1/8" balsa followed by a 4 oz glass lam using epoxy resin on PU foam has been the strongest I have. The wood seems to distribute impacts over a larger area and the epoxy is more giving than poly resin so dents don’t show up, but the boards are noticeably heavier. I think this is equal to maybe 20 oz of glass, so if you did a 3 layer of 6 oz glass job, maybe it would be strong? I’ve done 3 layers of 6 oz on EPS and still have had dents after the first surf.
Thanks, yes I think it’s either a complex build and possibly a very heavy board, or just acknowledge dents are part of all boards, I will do the latter! I was just curious if anyone had found ways to prevent it these days, and it appears some have but their skills are way beyond mine so I will just admire them and carry on as normal!!
for same foam under, dent is directly function of skin flexural stiffness. for same vertical forces stiffer the skin is, lower is compression take by foam. skin flexural stiffness dépend near equally of matérial stiffness and skin thickness. stiff material we use are more or less on same stiffness range so you have to increase thickness. sandwich tech allow it and still light. look at windsurf they take considerably more load, are light and don’t dent. but they feel stiff under feet.
Surfboard weight comes primarily from 2 things, the core, and the resin. The fiberglass is a distant 3rd. (I’m ignoring fins & boxes as they are standard for a particular board). Strength comes from structure and fibers.
I make a lightweight 9’+ longboard that stands up quite well. Bias cloth, 4oz + 40z + 3/4 4oz. deck, aged 2 weeks at 70+degrees F. Full wrap on full layers. Ben J did tests and published on here a few years ago, don’t have the link, maybe one of the guys will post it for you. Good reading. Just my 2c…
