I have been in the market for a do it all shortboard for myself for about a year now. I have a fish for small days, and longboard too. So while searching for a shortboard, I had in mind chest to head high +. Although I shape and glass boards, after seeing Proctors Proxy Titanium I was blown away.
Does anyone have any feedback ?
Tax return is coming and I can’t wait to spend it, haha.
Here is what I’m after.
6’10" Big Chief Proxy Titanium
Bump Squash Tail
Channel Hull
5 fin box (quad/thruster)
Okay, no bites…
I’ll be more specific about the material I guess.
2oz. Kevlar deck patch. Anyone have opinions about incorporating Kevlar material, or feedback
of having worked with it?
Do you have an image of the dream board to show? With super strong deck patches I think it’s as well to remember it’s only a deck patch. I think every board I’ve ever snapped still had the deck patch on attaching the two halves making the front flap about as you try to paddle around, makes you think ‘great patch shame the rest of it couldn’t have been as strong’. Deck patches stop pressure dings from your feet but s glass or even a standard 6oz patch seem to work pretty well, could kevlar make a huge improvement on what they offer?
Could be good as an all over thing but I imagine it would be pricey and I think the one thing about indestructable boards is that the ocean sees them as a challenge and I never did hear of the ocean losing a round yet.
Years ago I used carbon rowlings to strengthen glass-on fins and never had a problem with them, ever, which is pretty amazing (and I still reguarly use a 6’3 from '98 with this setup) so there may well be something to these kevlar and carbonised cloths. I’d love to hear feedback from someone who’s done a full board in it.
Back in the late seventies I had a board that was all kevlar. It was strong but real heavy.
I’m 210 pounds and I crush decks! I’ve only snapped two boards in 35 years of sufing,
so that’s not my main concern.
Anything that distributes my weight to a greater area of foam is a plus in my book.
Especially if it doesn’t add weight.
Isn’t that what all those compsand guys are after?
Yeah, thats a perfectly reasonable way of putting it.
Fabrics should be used for the properties they have.
Carbon for stiffness, kevlar for impact strength.
I wouldn’t claim that a kevlar deck patch would make a board have greatly higher snap-strength.
It should stop the deck dents happening, which will have some effect on the boards overall strength.
The bottom laminate is still very likely to fail in compression, by a buckling crease, which you seem to see the most of any snaps or creases.
E-glass really is a great cloth for surfboard making.
It has huge tensile strength, yet results in flexible laminates.
It is optically clear, and reasonably cheap.
Yeah, thats a perfectly reasonable way of putting it.
Fabrics should be used for the properties they have.
Carbon for stiffness, kevlar for impact strength.
Kevlar has a higher tensile strength than glass or carbonfibre. Remember the use in climbing ropes. But it is getting replaced by Dyneema (UHMWPE) because that is even stronger.
The problem with kevlar is that it needs to be laminated under vacuum, otherwise it will suck tons of resin (that’s probably why that seventies boards was so heavy). And ofcourse it is expensive. Kevlar is a bitch to work with, it is really hard to cut.
I tend to follow Muppet surfer’s thoughts about the deck patch. I would agree that a 6oz patch would be more interesting, unless you do a full kevlar lam. But you never know how it surfs until you try it.
I don’t think it is worth the money. It is getting used in sailboards with succes. But sailbaords need the strength/weigth.
damn, whole post gone
anyhow, i checked that site often, and that board looks sick!!!
http://www.proctorsurf.com/Surf-Boards/?page_id=58
i betcha that board surfs great
and flex like a poly, where did i hear that before???
anyhow, i think you should try it, have one made custom, a hinch thicker in the centre, you wouldnt notice side effects like weight gain, but instead, more float, and increased snappage strength
let us know your choice
if there is any, you sound made up.
cheers
From their website-
" Specially formulated epoxy resins that have more elongation (elasticity) allow flex length wise as well as well as laterally throughout the board. This increases the performance of the board as well as its flex life/ longevity. "
Anybody know what the their specially formulated epoxy is?
Did you read this?
I'm 210 pounds and I crush decks! I've only snapped two boards in 35 years of sufing,so that’s not my main concern.
Anything that distributes my weight to a greater area of foam is a plus in my book.
Especially if it doesn’t add weight.
Isn’t that what all those compsand guys are after?
For the same weight as a regular board a compsand will be nearly crush proof. I have a 3 year old poplar ply and a 2 year paulownia bonzer (compsands) with zero pressure dings. I have a one year old balsa compsand (very light- about 5 lbs) with just the slightest hint of indentation that you can only see with the wax cleaned off and the light at a raking angle.
If you’re looking for crush proof you gotta try a compsand.
resin research has it, but is maybe a different one than they actually use
I’m just completing my first. 1 pound eps core. Four pound pu rails from two part mix.
Corecell top and bottom. Stingerless with carbon skin over the corecell on the bottom.
I tried to incorporate every new technique I could think of on my first one.
Am I stupid or what?
Its almost done. With all the layers of glass on it there wasn’t any real weight savings,
but the thing is bullet proof. Seems to flex also, at least on the stands.
All thats left to do is the sand coat.
Oh by the way, FINALLY WE GOT SOME WAVES!!!
Just a low modulus (low stiffness) epoxy. RR makes several different modulus epoxies, as I am sure other companies do too.
I just watched the video where the structure of the board is explained and justified, seems like a good product. One thing I am wondering about is the UV stability of their kevlar. As discussed in the KevBoo SUP thread, Kevlar doesnt do well in sunlight. Maybe they paint the deck patch area yellow or something?
There have been a few good discussion of composite materials recently… I think the Kevboo thread and the leaf spring thread??? not sure.
Pics?
Not quite yet. We just termite tented and I can’t get into my shop!
I’ll give a posting on the effect of vikane gas on curing epoxy!
Let me answer your original question,
Yes Todd Proctors ti-Epoxy boards are legit. I might be a little biast, he is a buddy of mine/neighbor, surfed with him on saturday. If you really want to know give him a call and he will be more than stoked to talk to you. As far as strength, hell to the yes the are strong enough for your big day board and will last a really long time. A lot of the guys I surf with have them and are lov’n them, ie wooping crane, sr-71 and rascal. Todd is a cool guy and will give you the low down on the board.
Late
Tony
Thanks for the feeback guys.
Was curious to hear what people thought.
I’m really stoked on the titanium series. Todd must be, I know he has a patent pending, and I don’t believe it to be a marketing
gimmick like the snowboard industry trys to swing.
I’m having 5 fin boxes installed, so I can go quad or thruster. However, I’m contemplating how that will affect my choice of
tail design.
I’ll be talking to Todd soon. My tax return should be here next week. I was just waiting to pay in full and afford shipping with
no probs.
Good to hear guys are riding and loving them.
Talk to Todd about that, he surfed a 4+1 on friday, I think on a diamond tail? Can’t remember or really did not pay too much attention, usually if it has more than one fin I get confused and tired of counting over one. Don’t be afraid to let him go nuts on a paint job or sick graphic inlay on a board. Check out some of the inlays on his site, my friend has the Arch angel longboard and it is amazing.
This message has been brought to you by Proctor Surfboards I really sound like a lame shop rat that is just trying to pick up scraps and look cool. Sorry I’m going away now.
Late,
tony
Well, here it is. Was well worth the wait. I can’t wait to get it in the water!
