Have any one some good tips on where I can get a nice price on blanks and the rest. It has to be able to ship over sea’s becouse im located in Sweden. I triad seabase in england and Foam E-Z in US. Thanks Johan
You could try www.fiberglasssupply.com. The price of the blanks should not be the issue. Most of the places are competitively prices. It will be the cost of shipping. Anthony http://www.viser.net/~anthwind/
It’s going to be expensive… I’m in Norway, the last time I checked the least expensive was www.homeblown.co.uk. Shipping to sweden is UK£ 59,- but I think they can put 4-6 blanks, depending on blank, in a box for the same price. So if you order a few it’s not that bad. They also sell everything else you need, plugs, fins, glass, resin… If you order a single blank, it’s really expensive… May I suggest using EPS(beaded polystyrene also known as Isopor™) and epoxy? You can hotwire the blank yourself with simple homemade equipment. The blank would then cost something like 200,- SEK tops, but the epoxy and glassfiber will be a bit more expensive since it will require additional glass. Quite alot of info on this in the archives. Nils Malmgren(www.nilsmalmgren.se) in Sweden make a ‘surfboard spesific’ epoxy(http://www.nilsmalmgren.se/produkter/batprodukter/275a.html) that’s not too expensive. Either way, good luck. regards, Håvard
thanks Håvard. but I’m going to shape a coupel of boards and I whant to learn how to shape a “real” board. but thanks. Johan
Yeah, Johan. You have the right attitude. Go polyurethane. Better foam, better glass, better ride. Polyurethane is such a perfect foam for surfboards. It’s ideal. It’s legendary. It’s the past AND the future. It is the way. We have reached perfection in the manufacturing of surfboards. So what if they break? They are cheap enough to just make a new one. They are light, easy to shape. Some people are always talking about going lighter and stronger. Why? We are there already. We made it. Let’s be happy with it and make some boards and then go surfing. Or, go buy a Surftech. Yeah, that’s the way of the future. ugh. Polystyrene isn’t going to last. Wait, I take that back. Polystyrene foam is an excellent material…for cheap, disposable cups and beer coolers. Oh, and pool toys. Can’t forget that important market. I’m not trying to knock people who are experimenting with polystyrene blanks and epoxy resins, but if you think it will ride as good as polyurethane, you are kidding yourselves. Just watch the best surfers in the world. Ride what they ride, because they know what is working best. They only ride Surftechs when it’s time to make an ad. How many guys have you seen ripping on anything that was made with polystyrene and epoxy? How many guys are ripping on traditional equipment? I rest my case.
I have to disagree with what Fairmont said. While I like PU surfboards, I believe these materials have taken us as far as we are gonna get on them. As far as guys ripping on other types of boards my cousin Duane Desoto is a pro longboarder and he rides mostly Epoxy surfboards though he does have a few shortboards that are traditional PU. Many pro shortboarders have ridden Epoxy boards and like them. Solomon has the endorsement of some of the best shapers in the world. New technologies are coming and some are already here. Not that I think PU surfboards are gonna be a thing of the past anytime soon but that day may come.
I call this a troll. But hey, if real boards are made of PU/polyester, then the EPS/epoxy boards must be unreal, right? It’s just plastic anyway. regards, Håvard
Johan, although the EPS shapes a bit different that PU it’s not like you won’t create a good board with both or the process is much different. Both shape well with a planer and sandpaper. There are many production surfboards makers who use polystyrene and epoxy, so it’s hard to tell what’s ‘real’ out there. Main con with EPS is that the finnish of the board might look less perfect, but if you cover it with resin artwork noone will be able to tell. Or do artwork on the sanded glass. Unless you’re doing it for production, noone will even care. Some people will tell you that epoxy/EPS boards don’t flex, but that depends on string/amount of glass/epoxy. I have a longboard made of EPS/epoxy that flex just as much as any PU/poly longboard I’ve ever ridden. Pros; lighter, less expensive and stronger(if you do it right). regards, Håvard
it’s a shot in the dark, but there’s this litte hole in the wall place in florida called clark foam. 321-259-1508 give them a call. they are only the biggest blank company around. you could try walker foam. not sure of the number though. good luck.