I have had only Pu/Pe boards so far… normally with heavier glass and polish ( 6’- 6 8"eggs and fish)
Most of my boards suffer from pressure dings from travel , head, feet, knees etc. Particularly on the deck around the fcs plugs form my feet and knees (when duck diving)
I am not so worried about weight as durability …Would EPS or XTR with epoxy be more resistant to pressure dings assume finished board was glassed to a similar weight?
Would an extra patch on the deck in the tail area upset the balance of the board
It depends on the glassing schedule. If you want a real durable board and still light there’s nothing better than a compsand. I started making board because I was sick of a board’s deck being totally cratered after half a season. My first compsand from about 4 years ago is still like new, no pressure dents. check out www.compsand.com.
I skipped the veneer on the bottom and only did single 4oz with a patch in tail region…granted, I had epoxy glue lines (PMD thread), the bamboo top, with 4oz + 4oz patch on deck side left me with a lighter, cheaper and super lively board.
Maybe not as bulletproof, but fantastic nonetheless!
I’ve seen this tangent done as well. In fact Sam Barker has done a few. I think he did 6 bottom on his though. They came out nice. The improvements coming will shorten build times and use standard single stringer EPS blanks instead of WMD. Real easy, fast shaping and then easy bagging. We’re also working on a resin that gets you out of the bag real fast.
I feel like a 2lb strigerless EPS blank has enough stiffness such that the relatively flexy 1/40" veneer (with or without glass backing) shouldnt mess with the rocker. I havent tried it, but if i had a the blank to do it I would. Last time I backed veneer for a deck with 4oz glass it was plenty flexy that I dont think it would have tweeked the rocker of a 2lb stringerless EPS. I bring this up because I dont like stringers, but do like the idea of no rocker bed. Im all about multifunctional materials, i.e. materials that serve structural and durability purposes… exoskeleton. Stringers just feel like lost weight to me. Light core, beefy structural and durable exoskeleton… now im just talking compsand?
I agree which is why I am now using 1/16th stringers. Just enough to feel confident about the rocker in the bag. Your comment about the exoskeleton is spot on … VERY spot on. Interior weight is in most cases a waste. As endoskelton beings most people don’t actually realize that an exoskeleton is superior in every way but one.
After riding compsand and now riding T-Flex, I’m of the opinion that T-flex is better than a compsand sandwiched with foam. Going back to Bert for a minute, his claims were always that wood was the magic ingredient. “Flex return using a product that flexes and returns for a living is always going to be superior.” His words. So I wholeheartedly agree now that this is the case. I’ve ridden it and I’m sure. Even Firewire is moving in that direction and with our crew of T-Flexers in FL we’re pretty sure that we can can safely say that this direction is correct.
If we look at the sports, the sister sports, and see their direction, it’s pretty clear:
Snowboards - wood composite cores
Skateboards - wood cores
Sailboards - EPS/d-cell cores with wood composite laminates
Kite boards - urethane cores with wood composite laminates
Each is moving toward a building scheme which gives that vehicle the best performance and durability. Each is now incorperating wood. In the case of skateboards and snowboards, flex is a big deal. They are specifically using wood for it’s flex return properties. The other two are more interested in it’s durability excellence.
So where does surfing end up? IMHO we know, don’t we? Those of us who have done the testing already know the results.
SIAM, I recommend the Timberflex build if possible. In my experience it almost completely eliminated all your issues and improved performance (and looks nice).
I am very hard on boards and often buckle them so I have surfed the $hit out of my Tflex to test her and can’t believe how well she is holding up.
Stoked to here about TF-2, I am looking forward to that.
I never really had a problem with PU/Pe construction. All my Pu/Pe boards are 6 bottom 6/4 deck.
When I switched to 2# EPS foam / RR epoxy Resin I also switched to 6 bottom 6/6 deck. No real problems. I still crush the boards on the rails with my death grip…That’s normal for me…I’m happy with the product…
I’m working with some veneer stuff…looking good…I’m not riding one yet so I can’t really say…
When all the Pro Lurkers get the wood skins dialed in… the average surfboard is going to change in a BIG way!!!
I use #2 Marko with single 6 bottom, 2X6 deck, and I have pressure dents, but no delams after 2.5 years of hard use. It’s my daily rider. My favorite standard construction choice for glass bill and foam choice for strength and performance.
I’ve heard really good things about XTR in all respects including durability. Still haven’t made one for myself yet though so all I can go by is what I have heard. But from all accounts it’s good stuff!
I’m going to fly the flag for EPS with carbon fibre and epoxy.
Both my carbon fibre boards made by Dick Van Straalen have proved themselves extremely strong which means no problems about heel denting.
The weight of my current carbon 8’er is fairly close to the weight of my poly 8’er with resin tint (both made by Dick) but the carbon fibre board blows the poly into the weeds performance wise. My poly 8’er has not been ridden since I got the carbon 8’er and up until then I ridden it almost every surf in the best waves we’d had here in a decade.
Plenty of discussion on here in other threads about carbon fibre boards but and this is the crucial thing, none of the posters have been talking about Dick’s carbon fibre boards. He’s done the R&D with Rasta and he has it worked out.
