I noticed a few posts about hotwiring EPS Foam(bead styrofoam) for lighter boards. Personally from a windsurfing board builder’s background styrofoam boards don’t stand up unless they have a high density sheet foam vacuum bagged over the EPS. Is it worthwhile to make an epoxy composite surfboard? Is there any interest in vacuum bagging the fibreglass laminates?
As a windsurfing board builder, you may not be familiar with the surfboard market. Surfers have been living with deck dents from the older method of board building, polyurethane foam and polyester resin. The deck glass depresses, and the foam under it turns to powder. Subtract foam and glass for a lighter board and the problem gets worse. Add foam and glass for a stronger board, and the board becomes heavy. Yeah, you can make a weak, light styro-poxy board. But you can add another glass layer and make a board which will hold up quite well. The strength to weight ratio will be much better than the “old” style. It’s deck will depress, but the foam under it will strengthen, instead of weakening. Plus, it takes a much bigger blow to ding the glass. You can honeycomb a surfboard, but then the price grows by $300.00. The biggest problem in the surfboard industry is finding buyers with $500 to spend on a good stick. If you hang an $800 price tag on your boards, hire a lawyer. He can start Chapter 11 proceedings for you. There’s a reason why windsurfing rigs cost so much, yet sell so well. Those midnight office hacks usually need wind to get out to the lineup. If they exercised enough to paddle, they wouldn’t be making enough money to afford your $2,000 rigs.>>> I noticed a few posts about hotwiring EPS Foam(bead styrofoam) for lighter > boards. Personally from a windsurfing board builder’s background styrofoam > boards don’t stand up unless they have a high density sheet foam vacuum > bagged over the EPS. Is it worthwhile to make an epoxy composite > surfboard? Is there any interest in vacuum bagging the fibreglass > laminates?
I noticed a few posts about hotwiring EPS Foam(bead styrofoam) for lighter > boards. Personally from a windsurfing board builder’s background styrofoam > boards don’t stand up unless they have a high density sheet foam vacuum > bagged over the EPS. Is it worthwhile to make an epoxy composite > surfboard? Is there any interest in vacuum bagging the fibreglass > laminates? Styrofoam and EPS come in many different density’s, contact DOW chemicals. They have styrofoam bloks wich they use for isolation in buildings, it’s called wallmade, roofmade and floormade, the last has the highest density. For making it last under the feet (footstraps position) you can use hardfoam or even an extra layer(s). The best way to glas these boards is the vacuum bag, you won’t believe how much resin you suck out. Is it worth all the hassle, I think light boards respond very good, wich is good for most conditions, when its choppy and (very)windy they bounce a lot, making it very hard to control, thats the downside. Shaped myself a 12 footer epoxy carbon/dynema glider, but, the 10.7 volan flowmaster from the pictures is much better (and heavier) for boards like that you need some weight (I believe). For short/high performance boards it’s the future. Peter Rijk.