I’m sick of snapping boards and want to know if surftech are the way to go. Most people either love or hate them. I have heared they are much stronger and lighter, but i have never used one.
The problem i have is i surf performce longboards and the glass is light, so its easy to snap. Shortboards are ok, but i have been through 3 longboards this year.
I’m guessing you surf them in hollow or big waves?. If so, get used to it. My mate snapped his surf tech longboard in overhead waves. A lip across the deck will destroy most constructions when it’s overhead.
P.s he has the 8’6"" Steven slater model. Very thinned out in the rails and I think only 2 1/2 thick. Great board, and still surfs great years later ( he got it fixed )
Worst board I ever had was a Surftech longboard. Embarrassed to say I even had the thing.
why dont you stiffen what you have? Carbon rails? Better stringer?
In response to your question:
NO.
Got another one?
Surftech snaps just like anything else. It's all hype. Gonna say it again: "Most of the boards I saw snapped on Maui while I was doing ding repair for several surf schools were out of the Coba Factory. Surftech, NSP, GSI and Boardworks.
I was surfing on Rote a while ago, and there were quite a few surftech longboards/funboards that had gone to god laying around. I think the rigidity they have is a liability in big or pushy surf.
They load up to the point where there is no choice but the explode. You can feelit in the ride too. Very unpleasant chattery and jarring feeling in all but the smoothest water.
ive only had a shortboard of that construction. It sucked to the fullest extent possible. Never again.
Yeah and the Mickey Munoz Surftechs were the worst riding surfboards I've ever been on.
surf is my life: go down to a blank shop and order there highest density blank, get a good stringer and drop it off to a shaper with your ideas. Get it glassed with three layers and you should be good.
If you can get a copy of 'Essential Surfing' by George Orbelian, there is a very good section on blank design/glassing schedule to increase breakage resistance. He did some tests on some 'I-Beam' stringer modifications that were apparently quite effective.
Hey surfismylife,
In my experience Surftechs are about 30% lighter and 30% stronger than the average 6 on the bottom 6 + 4 on the top. I’ve had at least a 100 poly boards from some of the best craftsman in Australia over a 30 year period. Got my first few Bert Burger balsas about 12 years ago, and the first surftech about 10 years ago. Have ridden nothing but epoxy sandwich since then. I like the stiffer, quicker and more consistent flex pattern. And the amazing lifespan!
Surtechs are overbuilt compared to Berts boards so they are heavier and stiffer. Haven’t tried any of Bert’s Thai built boards as, luckily, the prejudice of many traditional poly builders has influenced a lot of potential buyers and this has meant there are quite a few bargains to be had on Surftechs.
The good ones are easy to spot as they will be 3 - 6 years old with no pressure dings whatsoever and perhaps a few minor scratches.
Also, I’ve recently bought a few boards from a local guy here who’s doing epoxy sandwich: same deal as Bert’s boards, significantly lighter and stronger than Surftech who, as a volume manufacturer, has to be more conservative with the strength of their product.
Why not try one of the other epoxy sandwich builders, there doesn’t seem to be nearly the same prejudice for them as as there is for Surftech, particularly if they the are smaller.
Dave
I have a very old surftech funboard. It has some pressure dings. One thing I notice is that it’s very differnet to the typical surftech boards I see in the shops today which have very thick epoxy. Just wanted to say this because the discussion should be focussed on the foam rather than the boards, otherwise it’s talking cross purposes - the boards themselves are no good… not sure on the foam.
i traded one of my mid-range guns to huck for a serftech.
in all fairness the tech rides well and i really have no complaints…other than…
…i wish i could trade back with huck…lol.
herb
I don't know where you get that idea?? Lots of people use EPS. It's in the construction and skin. the whole argumnt revoles around whether or not a stringerless comp sand is stronger and less prown to snaps than a stringered EPS/Epoxy. I'm not talking impact or dents here. Just the ability to stay in one piece..
And adding to this argument. it depends on type of wave you are surfing in, and if you chuck and duck your board all the time.
I made this a day ago. it's a 6/wood/6 bottom, with a 6/wood/2x4 top. 2 lb eps. I'm asuming it will be a lot stronger than other standard boards, but the weight is as good as a light weight poly board. I didn't run the wood way out on the rails so flex will be good...not so much like a coffee table, but good durability to travel with.
Yes Sir!!! Good shaping in that one. That's the one you UPOLed; Right ?? Didn't I hear someone say you snapped one at Sand Dollar last year?? PS Chuck and Duck can do it. Snapped the nose of one of the prettiest noseriders I ever owned ducking a head high close out at Pismo during a contest. A thin pin John Mel with a Y stringer. Still placed fourth. Wasn't much competition. Lowel
UPOL yes, Buckled one just duck diving at Bird Rock last summer. It did it under a delam...under my ass. First one I have had fail. I think its because too little epoxy bonding the foam to the wood. So now I use a tad more epoxy & glass under my ass and back foot for bonding. Seems to be working fine.
But the board that failed was a 1.2 EPS/wood/ 4 oz build, and that was for both top and bottom. So it was extremely light. That build lasted 3 years, I never assumed it would last that long? So a tad more glass in the build should net out a board you can use as a bomb shelter.
Three years on something with that lite of glassing schedule is pretty impressive actually.
You got it. I’ll be surfing the same area (where we met for the trade) again next week, (prob. Tues - Fri) - name the day, and I’ll bring the board for a trade-back, no hay problema