Trust RIOMAR he’s the man and has building boards longer than most
Richard,
I’ll be glad to proofread your website for spelling, punctuation, obvious Photochopping, and boldfaced unsubstantiated claims. In exchange, I would like 3 blanks, funboard generics, just to make it easy on you. I’ll PM you my address for shipping. Let’s see what we come up with, shall we?
Thanks
janks
PS: Also, pains me to say it, but in this day and age, you should probably have the website up and slick BEFORE you start shouting about your company and products, but especially before you start giving your web address!
Been using flat sheets of EPS from Homedepot for over a year making compsands.
It’s a lot more work, but I’m having fun. Compared to the EPS we use, a PU blank is like slicing soft butter.
Here’s a project I just started using some scraps. I’m making a 7’ board from 2 pieces of left over EPS. I’m also half way through a current project… same type of foam with the bottom wood laminated and the first band of rails attached. I’m trying to get the top ready for the skin than I’ll finish adding the rails.
How do you like my shaping room, and racks?
you mean like us foam and other foam company that are not even in production but get more press than company that are in production i am not a web guy and have never claim to be i hire a guy to do that and i am going to have to find some one else to finish it
and as for unsubstantiated claims their are none
this foam is a little harder to shape like a beaded styrofoam except for shapers like mike tuten and timmy paterson who can shape any thing out of any material with ease and have it come out perfect. and right now you have to do a little pre fill like a epoxy blank
but that will be a thing of the past real soon as we finish our new formulations
and right now most shaper are going back to the same old same old because their is tons of foam out their and they have orders to fill but as we all know things change very slow in the surf industry \but things will change …
Wanks, there’s no rider or shaper feedback there!
Soft foam sounds sketchy though…
janks
I’m probably about to buy a block of 2# EPS 8’L x 24"W x 20"D from a local insulation house for $120. The guys was pretty interested when I told him what I was thinking about using it for.
I think your shaping shack looks pretty good! Lots of ventilation!
janks
EDIT: Richard–I want nothing more than what you say your foam is, except maybe your foam with a lower price point, but seriously, you have to bring your website online with some professionalism–pull that one down, get some samples under some people, etc… but your current website is for sheeit, bro, no dis to you–but you gotta get some product reviews from people other than yourself out there…
But let us not turn this into a thread hijack–like I say, I really want your enviro-friendly, non-PRESSURE-dentable foam to succeed
That’s a good deal for the EPS block. It costs more than double that for the same here in Hawaii.
2lb should be real strong.
Check out the Marko foam too. Just google Marko foam. They have really good blanks, and the they are pressure molded into a surfboard shape. We’ve used their old 7’ 6" 1.3 and 1.6 foam last year to make a couple of boards. We also saw the new foam here in Hawaii and it looks good. Like getting a molded PU blank, but it’s EPS. It will cost more though.
Aloha! Checked on things @ Surfermag.design forum. Naturally, with the amount of board biz in Ca., there is a lot of info on what’s up in the foam industry. Seems like a pretty wide range of actual surfboard makers over there offering some good opinions on how things are looking. Looks like the results are starting to come in about things like density, shrinkage, stringer glue-ups, twist, price, delivery, yellowing, etc., that our team of “experts” here at Sways seem to neither understand or care about. It would be great to hear about some actual experiences from some authentic shapers and manufacturers about the current situation. Out here on Kaua’i, it’s pretty hard to find out what’s up anywhere else other than what news trickles over from O’ahu. For instance, my one friend has been getting a few machined blanks from CDR. Looks like there’s a variety of different kinds of blanks that they’re using. Right now, we’ve got an oversupply of about three different kinds of foam available. I’m still waiting to see results on the important aspects that I mentioned above. Is there anyone out there? Aloha…RH
Howzit Rick,
I’ve posted a couple reviews about foam I’ve shaped. Today I shaped yet another brand… was Petritech. So far Walker, Shapers Australia, Excel, Byron and now Petritech.
Aside from Walker and how it holds up, the jury is still out on the other brands. As far as density, they vary a little but all are I’d say within the range you had with Clark. Except maybe the Petritech, it is a bit soft for my liking. I don’t know of any of these brands making deliveries except Excel being available on the Rev Chem truck. ( a company here that supplies resins etc. )
Walker has been doing custom rockers and stringers for a number of weeks now and their turn around time is about 2 weeks. Don’t know what the others are doing other than stock rockers and stringers. I really don’t do short boards right now so all the blanks I mill have been mid length, tankers and fish. The plugs vary with brand, not all are that great, but it’s to much to tell what each is like. The glue ups run all over as well. Though Walkers have consistently been the worst in the pack. Things like curved glue up, not like Clarks were always straight, stringers under blank thickness, delamed stringers etc. they all seem to have a fair share of it.
I’ve been told that US Blanks has started to pour so we may be seeing these blanks soon. Fiberglass Hawaii will be the distributor so you will seen them too.
At this point all I can say is the guy that has a decent foam and a good selection of plugs and the molds the banks come from are without irregularities, good glue ups with good wood. A selection of wood and custom rockers. Completes orders in a timely manner and on time, has a good distribution system. Is friendly and has good customer service…one more time… has good customer service. This guy, over time, will end up with the lions share of the market. Who knows, it may be to much to ask.
That may not answer any of your questions but there it is.
Aloha,
Dennis
You should talk to Jeff Johnston and Jim Richardson about the variety of EPS they’re getting from Marko foam. Jeff’s figured out how to machine the blanks. He’s making some insanely light boards. If you know Andy Irons, you might ask him about those boards.
Aloha! Been picking up on a few scary stories about blank quality from different places, different kinds of foam. For instance, I just sanded two longboards yesterday, machine shaped on O’ahu from some kind of mysterious foam. My friend that finish shaped the things is normally pretty “casual” about finishing the stringers (like- leaves them high), but these were even worse than usual. Thought about it for a while, and finally had a flash that maybe the blanks have an accelerated shrink factor. Scary, especially that after the foam crisis, that people are going to be making boards that self destruct quickly, thereby further spoiling an already fragile business. I’m not too keen on producing boards that quickly turn to junk, it’s hard enough to sell the things anyway. I’m sure that most everyone feels the same way. Any more news out there? Aloha…RH
Been talking to AkuBird guys. Aussie blanks from M. Farrelly, the prices just dropped, the only problem is they want to charge $125 for trucking them to Young Brothers. Still gotta pay shipping on top of that. Heard O.K. reports on the foam, but , there has got to be a cheaper way to get them to the B. Island. Getting quote from Fed Ex soon.
Any thoughts on this???
Aloha! Shipping is a problem. Might be the best chance if you had a dependable friend in Honolulu that could pick up and drop off at Y.B.'s for you. Fed-ex probably is a direct option, probably need to have them in a box. At Y.B.'s, the things could go into a container loose. I used to grumble sometimes at the Clark Foam delivery schedule to town, now, I’m sure we all miss that service. Aloha…RH
what i prefer is a clark reject blank 58.00 for a 10’ reject. but those days are gone forever.
we are lucky here to have a distributer for rhyno foam (atlantic surfoam) up in the old clark warehouse in melbourne.
they have plenty of blanks on hand. foam is very white. skins easy. shapes easier than the clark blanks. stringer is a harder wood than the usual basswood of a clark blank. so far shaped a 7’6 blank and a 6’0 blank. very satisfied with the blanks. cost is in line with other blanks i’ve seen advertised on websites, much cheaper than the 350.00 i saw on ebay for a 9’4 clark.
I think that what will happen with Green Valley Mills(if they are smart) is that they will become a stringer and rocker mill for any and all of these new start-up foam companies; ie Bennet USA, Just Foam, USA Foam etc.(even Walker). Everybody will be getting their blanks stringered at the same place. That way you and I won’t have to deal with it.
Yeah! Here’s a thought. The Young Bros. shipping is cheap, but the fee I’ve been paying to get my blanks to the dock is $150, not $125. So here’s hope for the future (since YB is scheduled to stop shipping less than container loads this year): The " Super Ferry". Yes that’s right! Get yourself a van and drive it onto the Super Ferry. Surf the North Shore for a few days and then go by AkuBird. Pick up your blanks, drive back on board for the voyage home. McDing
Hey, forgot about that. That’ll put a whole new twist in blank shopping.
“Honey, i’m going to pick up a couple of blanks, be back in a few days”
Thanks
Ha! Ha! Yeah I guess that is pretty funny. I Suppose you could drop her off at Pearl Ridge or Ala Moana for a little shopping on her own. That could cost you more than the trucking fee though.
Actually she surfs too, but someones got to hold down the fort!!!