PU SUP project

General Discussion
1

Hey gents,

Would like to start an SUP project but am running into roadblocks regarding obtaining a suitable size blank. My thinking is I can just get ahold of a Excell/Walker 10’3" at about 4" knock off the rough edges get it glassed and start paddle’ing. Ideally I’d like a 12’ PU blank but have been informed ther’re not available. I understand the deck needs to be as flat as possible to prevent foot fatigue, full in the nose and the tail for small kind waves (VA BCH) just not sure about the rails and rocker?

2

buy the laird hamilton surftech model, it will be the eaisest and cheapest in the long run.

If you aren’t willing to make your own eps blank or have one made with the correct rocker/width/thickness you will be wasting time and money with the pu options available. Also a pu sup will weigh in at 40% more than the a equivalent size and durable eps/epoxy.

Think of it this way. An sup is as long and wide and thick as a windsurfing board. Name one factory that makes pu windsurfers in the last decdade?

3

Hi 4to8m8 -

Scott at “Fins, Foam and Fiberglass” had a big rectangular block of polyurethane foam a week or so ago that looked suitable for a huge SUP or paddleboard. It might have been Walker Foam but I didn’t ask.

I also saw several 12 foot Burford Foam (polyurethane) longboard blanks in Fiberglass Hawaii werehouse in Ventura, Ca. Some had added foam in the center for SUP width.

I don’t know about shipping but it would be expensive I think.

4
Quote:

buy the laird hamilton surftech model, it will be the eaisest and cheapest in the long run.

If you aren’t willing to make your own eps blank or have one made with the correct rocker/width/thickness you will be wasting time and money with the pu options available.

Ok, LeeV, I’ll bite Otay, you suck. You’re nothing more than a marketing shill for SurfTech. The guy wants to build a board and you’re telling him he’s wasting his time? WTF with that! Could you post some pics of you ripping it up on your alleged Desert Island model? I posted pics of me surfing on my garage board. I’m still standing by an earlier statement I’ve made, “I’ve never seen a person ripping on a SurfTech”. Is the easiest way always the best way? How is the 1250$ plus tax (estimated price) surftech going to be cheaper than a homemade job? Does Laird have a monopoly on the best design parameters for a SUP? In the long run, will this particular model continue to be a “current” design? The answer to all the above is NO.

5

Mate

I’ve seen guys “rip” on Surftech, and I’ve seen guys look like kooks on them, just like any other water craft. People, just ride what you have fun on. Who cares what other people think you should ride!

Growing up in the 70’s I couldn’t wait to get off my surf mat to get a single fin and and then get off my single fin to get a Thruster!

I was chatting to a girl (who was surfing pretty good) in the surf the other day, telling me how stoked she was about the new single fin she got for Xmas!

Different strokes my friends.

6

"Ok, LeeV, I’ll bite Otay, you suck. You’re nothing more than a marketing shill for SurfTech. The guy wants to build a board and you’re telling him he’s wasting his time? WTF with that! Could you post some pics of you ripping it up on your alleged Desert Island model? I posted pics of me surfing on my garage board. I’m still standing by an earlier statement I’ve made, “I’ve never seen a person ripping on a SurfTech”. Is the easiest way always the best way? How is the 1250$ plus tax (estimated price) surftech going to be cheaper than a homemade job? Does Laird have a monopoly on the best design parameters for a SUP? In the long run, will this particular model continue to be a “current” design? The answer to all the above is NO. "

Scooter, please re read what I said.

  1. fact one…I said a waste of time and money. To get an sup sized polyurethane blank is not impossible but would probably be around $450-500 dollars.

including the special order size(thickness width and possibly rocker) and shipping. The cost to have a reputable shaper work this blank would be $200-300 dollars.

I know he wants to do it himself, but an sup is not just a wide and thick longboard. Even an experienced shaper who has made 100’s of short boardswould be intimedated with the length and foam mass of an sup. Professional glassing for a 12’ sup would be from $500-650. So to get a special order blank, have it shaped and get it glassed would be $1150-1450 plus tax plus paddle. So if a surftech sup is only $1250, that is a great value, not to mentioned it will weigh that of the pu shaped blank unglassed!

  1. Fact two…I encourage home building but not pu. As mentined above, the finished eps sup will be the about the weight of the shaped, unglassed pu blank. Lets go high on the cost for the pu blank. For 500 dollars you could make 8 to 10 sup blanks of 1lb eps depending on the rocker and actual width you choose. I would take one blank and have it professional shaped and glassed if possible. I would study the shape, enjoy it in the water and learn from it how you would change things on it to improve performance. Meanwhile back at home you have 9 more blanks you can start shaping on and glassing. Just a dust mask is necessary with the shaping of eps. No one knows when you break the epoxy out either. If you did a good job on 4 of the boards and sold them for $1000 each you would break even and have 4-6 boards(1 professional shaped and glassed) for yourself.

  2. Fact three…I never said the laird 12 footer is the ultimate shape to have. Unless you live in the mecca of the sup sport, which I do, access to correct/current design and finsihed board availability limits one’s options of choice. The laird model is a well thought out desgin by arguably the best waterman currently alive. The ability of surftech to deliver a quality product in a timely manner is second to none. The SUP popularity and the few that make the boards puts waiting times in months and years for custom oders just by the fact of supply and demand. Of special note, many shapers are taking a crack at the demand by offering sup models and to be honest only a few have it wired and most are making wide and thick longboards. Yeah you can stand up and paddle on them but they are dogs in the surf. After looking at carve nalu’s web page( i think paddlesurf hawaii) he is probably on the cutting edge of all aspects of the sport. Study his designs and shapes and incorparate those in your designs.

Fianlly scooter, I will send a picture if I can somehow arrange it of me on my DI surftech. no promises though. The face will be fuzzed for my witness protection status. I would be happy to send many pics taken each day in hawaii on pro’s/team riders and accomplished surfer on surftechs. I think you live in a small world or have limited surfing exposure to say such a thing about surftechs. Look at the sup threads here, because many pics are of some people getting pretty critical in the waves of hawaii on different model surftechs. But it is the usual arguement I hear from most of how the pro surftech poster sucks just like the boards.

I applaud you in you efforts to shape your own boards. Though it is not a hobby for me, I like you, really enjoy my work. Become a totaly package board builder so you have to depend on no one, unless by your choice, when you build your boards.

7

Contact Safari Foam in South Africa, they will have 12’ plus blanks that are exact copies of the Clarke blanks available very soon. You can contact them through their website.

A PU blank will be heavy, I don’t think they have perfected the super lightweight foam yet, but if you wait, you will be able to get it later in the year I am told. They will also cut the rocker to your specs too.

Hope this helps.

8

Gents I really appreciate all of the input especially since so many views are represented. Good information and exactly what I was hoping for. As I currently do not have any experience with EPS and do not care for epoxy/Surftech type boards, I will wait for the experts to lighten the PU option or will consider purchasing a used SUP Surftech or what ever. I will however never purchase an epoxy/ surftech style surfboard. I’m a bit old school and it’s my opinion that pop outs have no soul. I like seeing a stringer in front of me, it’s what I know and grew up with, sorry. Again, thanks for all the input. Cheers!

9

Otay,

the fact remains that you continously pimp surftech and randy french. Apart from whether it’s a good product or not, this is a design forum with a lot of homebuilders and pro shapers alike. If you don’t want to contribute to the “how to” attitude, please don’t post things like you do. You just irk people and destroy the forum for other people who enjoy the “how to” aspect.

If you went to a bookstore and asked for a cookbook would you appreciate it if the saleslady said you were wasting your time and should eat out at the local steakhouse or pizzashack? I wouldn’t, I don’t and I am sure that our thread starter isn’t particularly interested in your pimping either.

10

Wrong analogy sd.

the correct analogy would be …I want a cookbook on how to make a really heavy turd of a meal that will give me indigestion, piss all my neighbors off with the dust from preparation and the smell when I put the gravy on it. Also I don’t know how to cook really at all and the heavy turd of a meal I want to make needs to feed forty people.,That’s the correct analogy.

The problem like I explained is quality custom sup’s are in high demand and the wait time is great. Exocet makes a stand up paddle board/ windsurfing combo which is also available. It’s a great windsurfer/sup combo but I think not the best sup you can buy, too narrow, too long, wrong deck.

I think my “how to” attitude was the most realistic, informative, not wishy washy and your brilliant post was not contributory to the topic at all.

I am sorry I angered you homebuilder/proshaper guy.

I didn’t even mention…in the post.

11

Walker has 12 foot blanks for about $200.00 plus tax.

Factory direct with a custom rocker if desired.

I know because I am empolyed there.

12

otay rene

the eps alternative is.

handmade eps epoxy construction

is a viable alternative

the randylaird worship is a shortcut.

busted is the criterion ‘’ best availiable’’

Calling bug boxy no shape

on a rising inspired talent

is less than encouraging

encouraging: to instill courage

to inspire to greatness.

market share / cash flow driven

enterprises … bitchin deal

learning quotient comparisson worlds apart…

all be it known the stop point

in the learning curve

can be aided by lining up

behind a market product

mind body soul and pocket book.

the disadvantage of such action

is to pidgionhole the growth of creative minds on a given topic

and narrow the potential of the end product - process

to use a condecending tone is less than nuturing.

Kisping tousche with the big boss market or

dispensing mee-tooo loyalties

is also a symptom of ad-marketing hypnotism.

praise be to the promoters touting “the best board ever”

stories ,if you have heard one you have heard them in entireity

bless your state of mind.you too may grow.

the eps /epoxyprocess

is becoming a required part of the cirriculum

that said we can grow forward.

…ambrose…

condecending tones are easy to come by.

styrofoam composite surfboard construction

on a mass scale is some peoples future …not all people’s

perhaps the future will deliniate the diffrence betwixt and between.

diffrent strokes,with diffrent paddles.

50 guys with the same board and matching paddles

all bearing down on you on the same wave…cool.

children of laird

are coming to

surf towns everywhere

get the matching trunx and haircuts.

and join this fine new army.

13

GOT CLONES?

14

FYI, I had a 12’4" PU board glassed by an excellent pro glass shop, with a fabric nose inlay, for just over $330. So, I think the estimate of $500+ for glassing a 12’ board is off too.

15

what thickness options do you offer?(need 5+ inches) What is the price difference with a custom rocker? Shipping to VA? Max width of your 12 footer? Price to add width?

If it’s still $200 that’s a deal!!!

16

Epoxy resin , 28"+ width, 12 foot long is not high.

Ask barnfield what he would charge PU/pe for a sup board with gloss finish. fin boxes and leash plug. You need 38" wide cloth, sanding and finishing takes way longer and sups take up twice the space in your shop. A 12’ x 24" surfboard on the other hand is a totally different animal and I would charge $400 for that.

Come to hawaii and I have 4 months of work you can have of mine for $330 per sup board. Epoxy only though, no mistakes please.

17

I agree…I think?

18

Otay, your argument is bad enough on a DIY forum. But using such inflammatory & suspect $ estimates is just rude.

$500 for glassing? Why do you even assume he would outsource that? So you read Swaylocks or just post?

19

There are plenty of shapers here who shape only and outsource all the glassing. In fact, that is normal in just about every factory situation. Good total package board builders usually start in one aspect of manufacturing and expand to others because of interest or the sander over dosed the night before and won’t be back from rehab for a month. My hats are off to all you do it all builders. You are truly a small percentage of what the industry represents.

Call laminations hawaii for yourself. off the street non contracted glass jobs are expensive. $330 will maybe get you a 10 footer with clear,gloss finish, 2+1 fin set up. Add 4 inch width to the same board and 1 inch thickness add another 100+ dollars to the price We could ask the moonlighting crew but they are epoxyphobic.

SUPs are beasts. You need more everything. The business owner has a kooky rule about actually making a profit so he can pay us. I am not a slave to those who can’t glass for themself. It’s hard work and lots of hazordous dust flying around. They need to pay for my effort and excellent quality result.

Again my hats off to all here who can actually do it all. I still think my EPS block idea is very cost effective and would help the said novice in learning about shaping, glassing, sanding.

The PU/pe way is just the man holding you down. “We have a 12 foot blank for 200.00” The only problem is you are stuck with limited options now. A block of eps, the sky is the limit. For sup building pu blanks limit you on alal the most important aspects of sups…thickness and width. The rocker is never an issue with block foam. They all are custom.

Having a pro shaped board and professional glass sup is not a waste of money. You will have immediate graification in using it and then a standard to meet in seeing how it is done right. In the long run it would be money well spent.

What, no one has ever copied a finished board rocker, template or shape idea before?

I haven’t seen a pu sup board made since clark closed. I guess they do things differently in Hawaii.

20

Ambrose,

Where is the Enlistment office of the Ambrose Army located?

Thanks being here.