I picked up two EPS blanks at Resin Research last week. I can’t stop looking at them. The mind goes wild with the possibilites. These things are a 24 inch wide rectangle. I ordered them a little longer and thicker than I anticipate needing and now have a world of possibilites out of these blanks. I can cut as deep as I want and not worry about soft foam. I’m no artist but it’s like a blank canvas compared to Clark’s polyester paint-by-number system. Rob Olliges
The 2 session polyester boards that some of the northshore pros are using, are now being replaced with epoxy boards. Word of Timmy Curran’s quiver has filtered back, and words like magic are being used. The kids up the street have reported in that the hydrofoam shop is cranking out epoxy blanks for Casey McCrystal.
Rob, Ahhh… the “blank canvas” shaping project vs. close-tolerance blank. Youve described it perfectly. While theres a place for conventional blanks, absolutely nothing compares to the freedom of working with an over-sized block. The luxury of having excess material to design and sculpt, with consistent density throughout… what an beautiful concept!
“… it’s like a blank canvas compared to Clark’s polyester paint-by-number system.” …That’s what a piece of wood looks like to me…Have Fun…!!! http://www.hollowsurfboards.com
Something I always enjoyed about EPS was the fact that I could always make ANYTHING. Think it, then do it. The other thing I like is that the blanks are generally VERY true so there are no fix it problems that serve to reduce the possibilities. Still after all these years it still surprises me when craftsmen don’t want to build the board from scratch using their own curves. It’s like a professional chef using cake mix and icing from a can.
The reference to “two session pro boards being a thing of the past” is old news. Dick Brewer’s North Shore team riders switched to Epoxy LAST season after breaking all their poly boards, when the Epoxy guns were the only ones left unsnapped at the end of the winter. It’s just that the “big guy” labels would like the general surfing public to think they were the first to jump on the bandwagon with Epoxy. I think that a lot of other folks here on the site would say otherwise. RB may be keeping a low profile these days, but he is still on the cutting edge. By the way, you’d be surprised at the list of guys who ride RB’s tow boards but are “sponsored” by other labels…
To make a board that doesn’t break you simply use 2# EPS and use rail channels. They may still break some (everything does) but we had very few of these break.
An argument could be made that the best shapers visualize the finished shape much as sculptors. The skill to uncover this image was probably developed by rough shaping the pre-close tolerance blanks. This being the case, a young aspiring shaper, as I see it, must experiment with blocks of wood and foam, frames or moulds if they plan to express their creativity. But…, this too maybe just be a pre-computer notion of mine. At the moment I am wondering if there are any shapers out there who have developed their skills primarily by using drawing programs? How important do you feel hands on experience is to uncovering your images? Thanks. Patrick
The skills that some of us attained by the endless, mindless mowing of thick blanks is somethingthat will be with this sport for only a few more years and then we’ll all be gone. It’s something rare, this most traditional skill of the surfing art form. The next generation will be designing on computer screens and embracing the perfection that this will, in the future, offer. The world changes. And for better or worse, that’s the rules