Seems to be one of those trade-off things, gain here, lose there, but I’ve wondered about the real degree of importance of a gloss coat versus a sanded finish. O.K., with gloss you gain pressure-resistent durability, but there is some degree of increase in brittleness. So does that mean it’s a trade-off between small surface impressions (that may not affect performance) and hair-line spider-web cracks (which may not have any structural or functional detriment either)? Some people seem to have the opinion that sanded finishes will retain water, and that over time this affects both performance and longevity. I do notice that my sanded board gets a lot more stained from pollution in the water and from my wetsuit, so there’s some loss of impermeablity. But how much water can really penetrate fiberglass and resin in a sanded board, and how critically will this affect longevity and durability over time? And then there’s the weight factor. O.K. gloss has a greater swing weight (maybe not so important with longboards, but more detrimental in a short board - but…where does that put a mid-length?). The Mr.Science web site doesn’t have any information - all Swaylockian opinions greatly appreciated.
timmy- a perfect example of the ‘problem’ with sand finish boards, would be to paint a shaped blank one solid color(red/blue/green,or any dark color); glass as normal(if you were referring to a standard shortbd-4x4x4), and after you sand it look closely at the tiny white ‘dots’ in your lamination- this will tell you that a sanded finish board DOES have pinholes that need sealing. the reasons that boards went this rout, was because of gas blows in a particular ‘batch’ of chemicals used in producing polyurethane foam- and the push from pro surfers wanting an edge over their competition. naturally, the manufcturers saw this as a way of cutting production costs on team boards while gaining an ‘advantage’ by the board becoming lighter from the abscence of a gloss coat- hence more hyper-formance surfing. gloss everytime, seal your work correctly. so, it is in my opinion that boards that are sold to the buying publik should havet his feature as standard. team ryders and people who make boards(mostly for experimaintation) will use a sanded finish because it cuts the cost of materials (by maybe 20 bucks). sometimes, i dont have the xtra dough to gloss- so i wipe several coats of high solids acrylic on my board(s). this method works, but i have discovered that the boards still go soft and mushy too fast. just my op. -shaper-out-
If you want your board to last you 8 - 12 months get a sanded finish with 4oz all over. If you want it to last double that get a 6oz deck and polish. If you trip out on the weight difference, get a life cause its not really enough to effect performance. Maybe to counter the extra wieght you could do what the pro’s do and deduct 1/16 of and inch off the tail width. Im sure that will make all the difference.
You forgot a well applied acyilic or teflon dolphin skin finish is $35.-50. off the finished price. Gloss is purdy on noseriders but is the culprit behind those stress cracks across the bottom from hyper flex and those circlular cracks around pressure dings!!! I have both but only get gloss on boards with strong ass foam (i.e. classic weight). Wax on deck and acyrilic sealant on sanded hotcoats should seal, reapply dolphin skin if unsure of lasting quality.
It’s all about strength to weight ratio. Isn’t it always. A gloss on a longboard weighs 2 lbs. For that weight I can put 2 more oz. of glass on the bottom and another 4 oz. on the deck. So the question is, is it stronger to have a 4 oz glass job with a gloss or a 6 oz. glass job with a spray? I personally have tested both and the 6 oz. board is definitely stronger. Aside from weight, in my opinion, a glossed board is quite inferior to the ride of a sprayed board. Customers do like that candy coating though.
If your gloss job weighs 2lbs shoot your glosser and get a new one. It only takes a pint to gloss a longboard on both sides, and that is 1.15lbs before calculating the resin that sticks to the can, the bucket, the brush, excess that is on the tape and on the floor, and whatever you sand off in the the rubout process. A gloss done right is just a thin candy shell layer that seals up the pinholes and gives the board a finish that is easy to clean and pleasant on the eyes. Matthew
ok timmy- i re-read your post- at the bottom, you asked ‘where does that put the mid-lengths- and a gloss is detrimental to a shorty’- i have glossed mid sizes and shorties by cutting my gloss with styrene- (wear protection- organic filters and gloves please). the consistency is very ‘watery’, and the gloss will definitely spread easier- it is a ‘thinner’ version of a reg. gloss- when applying, be sure to spread the resin on thick and remove excess with your brush- the trick here is to not let your gloss get TOO thin; otherwise it may not cover the areas well enough to seal those pinholes- therefore defeating the purpose of the original intent. and weight didnt seem to be a problem for me… just my op- shaper out-
In our board building method we tend to use more glass, do a fairly thorough pre-sand and then let the hot coat fill the pits like a gloss would. We then do a sand that is less than the standard sandjob. We have found that this seals the board as well as a gloss and saves a bit of weight. But then our processes are a bit different than the poly guys. Epoxy lams sand better than polys and they don’t itch as bad so we tend to lean on em a bit more. And yes Matthew, when I thought about it I may have over stated the gloss weight a bit.
I like glossed boards.They hold out longer.Machine polishing the the gloss cuts the wax that rises to the surface,the wax gives the gloss an extras measure of scratch resitance but it looks somewhat dull.So in the long run I say gloss em…rub out the rail tape line and ride it…its gonna be dull anyway in the long run.Just my opinion nothing more. R. Brucker
What ever HIC does is what I like. It looks somehwere between a rubbed out hotcoat or a roughly rubbed out gloss coat… Anyone know how they do it?
Shaper, Adding extra styrene is not a good thing. It makes your resin brittler and makes it yellow quicker. It might make your job easier, but it should not be done. Sluggo
As a surfer who is okay at surfing and terrible at shaping, I can only go from the surfing angle, but I love gloss coats. I think they make the board move faster over the water. Of course, it takes a big, fast wave to really even feel the effects of the rails, fins, gloss coat, etc. A small wave will make every board bog (unless it’s a fish or some other such board designed for small, mushy surf). I think I can feel a difference in speed between the sanded finish (slower) and the glossed finish (faster). Of course, I could be crazy (that’s what the monsters in the closet tell me).