I’m a senior in high school and I have to do a senior project. I chose to make a surfboard. I have pretty much decided I wanted to make an epoxy board.
However, I am not exactly sure what supplies would make the process of learning to make a board go as smooth as possible.
What brand blank should I purchase?
Are their any closed cell blanks like xtr that wont delaminate?
What types of epoxy resin work best?
Any other recommended supplies that would help me out?
I have a mentor for this project, except he is more skilled in PU boards, so I am a little confused and need some help
Hey Luca, welcome to Swaylocks! I'm sure you'll get lots of good answers from people more informed than me, I'm mostly a wood board builder. But check out foam e-z and greenlight and fiberglass supply (google 'em) - these are supply houses that have people here at swaylocks, and they really know their stuff when it comes to tools and supplies.
Also - if you let us know what area you are in, there are probably Swaylock people near you that could help get you started in the right direction.
Get in touch with Brian at Greenlight. He has everything you need for a first build, sold as a kit. He also has templates. I recommend a Marko blank and Resin Research CE for your first board. If you don’t want to put in fin boxes (you need special tools for that) do glass-ons.
Thanks for the suggestions. I don’t really want to spend all that money on a kit as I do not need to buy any of thoses tools for myself for right now. I am just going to use my mentors tools at first.
I’m in Rhode Island Huckleberry by the way. I want to make a shortboard around 6’3"-6’4" so would the Marko Foam 6’8"JJ Short/Fun Board Blank would be fine right?
Just wondering does marko foam absorb water when dinged or is it the closed cell type where it is waterproof? It looks to me lie they have both types on thier site so I’m not sure what type this blank would be. My only reason for concern is I have heard the closed cell blanks can delaminate easily.
One more question is it possible to glass a PU blank with epoxy? Everything I have read talks about eps/epoxy boards and I’ve never heard you can’t make a PU/epoxy board.
Brian sells kits that are just board kits without tools… Blank, cloth, resin, hardware…
Marko 2lb density foam will not “suck” water any more than PU when dinged. That’s the least of your concerns right now, brother. You need a good template (you can pull one off a board you have, or get one from brian, or make your own with a long flexy stick. If you want a 6’4, get no longer than a 6’6 blank. Tell Brian you want a blank that will net a 6’4 tip-to-tip (or along the bottom, depending on how you measure). A shortboard blank will have a shortboard rocker. If you want a fish or retro or funshape, it will have a different rocker. Get a close tolerance blank to the shape you want, and you’re already ahead of the game.
