I’m new in the forum. I’ve been diving through the forum for the last 3 years, but finally I got the nerve to sign up.
I took a look at the archive but didn’t find anything about the following question:
When they stop using 10 oz or 8 oz cloth? I mean, it’s assumed they used 10 oz in the early to mid sixties or even 20 oz, (Dave Sweet I think and maybe Jacobs and several popouts), but… when the surfboards glass rooms started to use 8 oz cloth? I suppose 6 oz cloth were the choice in the mid seventies. All the mid to late seventies boards I inspected seems to be laminated with 6 oz, so… any information form the oldtimers?
There’s still a lot of 8 & 10 oz cloth used on bigger boards.
I think the reason a lot have gone away from it isn’t even the weight, but just the ease of use of 4 or 6 oz.
One, you can freelap with 4 or 6 and it comes out invisible - 8 or 10 needs a cutlap which = time and waste materials.
Two, 8 & 10 are a lot harder to fold around thin rails, hard edges, and tight corners, so as boards got thinner, flatter on the bottom of the rail, and more pointed in all sorts of places (noses, swallow tails, wings, etc.) people started using glass that draped those curves more easily.
And third, people (uh oh, here we go ) started enjoying a little flex to their boards. If you want 8 oz of cloth on both sides (hypothetically) you’ll end up with 16 oz around the rails if you use 2 pieces of 8 oz and your board will be pretty stiff. But you can do double 4 oz on each side and cut one layer of each to wrap the rail and cut the other layer of each side inside the rail line, and even your rail, when all done, will only have the same 8 oz around it - more flexible board.
OK, thanks a lot… but my question was made in a historical point of view.
I see lots of late sixties models with the visible cutlap (that means 10 or 8 oz cloth). I suppose that it was in the early seventies they started to use the 6 oz cloth (due to weights, hard edges, thinner rails and all…).
Anyone who was there at that time can bring some light?
Visible cut lap to me simply means that Volan finished cloth was used. The visibility of the cut line has nothing to do with the weight of cloth used.
But sorry, I don’t have any response to the original question. I started glassing in about 1969, we were using (what I was told was) 7.5 ounce by then.
Howzit deedee, I think that when the shortboard era started they stopped using 10 oz and went to 7.5 oz, never used any 8 oz and not sure if there is or was 8 oz but just because I never used it doesn’t mean it isn’t out there to be had.Aloha,Kokua
In the 1970 January issue of Surfer Mag, there is an ad from Morey-Pope Surfboards that says something like “Our boards could be lighter if we used less than 8oz cloth, but then they would be weaker, too…”
Which tends to prove that 8oz was still used at the beginning of 1970. Although , according to Kokua, it might very well have been 7.5oz: right now, many of the so-called 6oz clothes are actually 5.5oz…
When they stop using 10 oz or 8 oz cloth? I mean, it’s assumed they used 10 oz in the early to mid sixties or even 20 oz, (Dave Sweet I think and maybe Jacobs and several popouts), but… when the surfboards glass rooms started to use 8 oz cloth?
I have a 1964 “buyer’s guide”, published in an issue of Surf Guide magazine. At that time, Hansen, Harbour, Hobie, and Weber all offered double 8 oz as an option. Tom Morey’s label, “Australian Surf Shop” had single 20 oz as standard. The majority list double 10 as standard. With one label offering single 26 oz! Most Sixties popouts had a single layer of 10 oz. Due to the blanks having a layer of fiberglass mat bonded to the foam, right in the mold. By 1968, Harbour was offering different combinations, including 10, 8, and 6 oz, according to a price list I have. I’d say there was a gradual transition to 8 oz, beginning around late ‘67 when many labels came out with so-called “lightweight” and superlight models. By the time boards got down below 6’, I’d say 6 oz was probably the norm. This would be around 1969-70. Also, it is quite common to “round up” when stating glass weight. 4 oz can actually be 3.6 or 3.7, 6 oz can vary from 5.2 to 5.6, 8 oz is more like 7.6, etc. As far as volan goes, a visible cut lap is determined more by the finish of the cloth, rather than weight. Volan comes in 4 oz., as well as 6 and 10.
tony- are you the tony i know that builds and rides hulls? if so, i here you are building a nice 9 footer.would love to get a look at it as Kp and i are thinking about something around 8’4" to 8’6" .let me know!
) started enjoying a little flex to their boards. If you want 8 oz of cloth on both sides (hypothetically) you’ll end up with 16 oz around the rails if you use 2 pieces of 8 oz and your board will be pretty stiff. But you can do double 4 oz on each side and cut one layer of each to wrap the rail and cut the other layer of each side inside the rail line, and even your rail, when all done, will only have the same 8 oz around it - more flexible board.