Got some going through for the boys, which means I can mess around some. This lil fl quad is a mash_up of some junk I’ve wanted to do for a while. I’m a fan of richie buehn’s simple and clean work with bagged bamboo without carbon. I like stretch’s mix of corecork and bamboo. I wanted to put a handshaped “tailpad” under the cork. My goal is to build a table top pantograph, shape a couple stock ones and be able to copy them perfectly and simply. Til I build it I’ll just shape them… Easier said than done. Well for these first few I shaped the kicktail, then shaped the arch bar seperate. Couldnt get over the arch looking like a dick, so only the kick made the cut. couldnt put in a leash cup and sand it around the kicker so I cut a leash loop from a fin panel, it got carbon and went in the bag under the cork with the kicker. I wanted to pull it off without the pinlines I’ve cursed myself with on nearly every board since clark foam. I suck at pigments, but wanted to give it a go since I wouldnt have to trim anything, it got buried. I thought it came out ok. Hopefully it gets some creative juices flowing out there.
Funny you mention Richie, because the board I want to replace with an exposed cork one, is a stringerless one he glassed. All the stringerless epoxy boards I’ve had from him have been impeccable.
How much a pain in the ass was the tail kick? Can you put a trak pad on the exposed cork? I’m thinking that’s a lot of extra work to forego a $30 trak pad, although I’m still liking the concept.
A lot of builders are switching to corecork. But corecork is advertised as 7 pounds per cubic foot. Divynlecell is 5 pounds per cubic foot and stronger. Corecell can go even lighter.
Why the switch? Appearance or cost, maybe?
Or are you putting the cork outside the fiberglass layer where D-cell can’t go. What does that do to weight? Does a corecork exposed add weight after a good four hours in the water?
i’ve found after two hours the cork d0es take on some water, i think it was around 20 grams, but it dried right out back too original weight sitting in the car overnite.
of course i’d be thinking the more cork used the more weight would be gained and longer for it dry out? but i don’t know that for sure!
Interesting Fong…cork “supposedly” does not take in water…maybe the water gets into the cavities in thr cork , then drains out or evaporates ?..like when you lay a wine bottle down to keep the end moist , to stop air getting in.
Lawless, it is a little bit of a pain, but will get easier with more under the belt like anything. Pads stick to it. For you, I’d make the extra effort for sure.
Everysurfer, I think its not really “switching to corecork”, just adding to the mix. I think the scariest thing is to beleive you have the perfect byild. Like thinking everybody should be on a 6’2", you know? Dcell, corecell, those can be great builds, just look at josh’s work frikkin perfect. Wood boards are nice and strong, whatever the brasington aliens are doing is unreal. For me and corecork, I was searching for a core mtl that didnt add any stiffness. I think corecork is as close to flex neutral as a bulker could possibly get. Then I wanted it in a perfect world to be light, cheap, green, and unique. So when I built the first one I knew corecork was my answer. This board (and most of the ones I’m building now) has the cork exposed for traction. Its just a fun ride, bottom line. A new experience in the water. Feels like standing on a football, not a softie because the shell underneath, something new and cool. But I still build boards in “31 flavors” I think everyone should, or else we’re just sheep.
…hello Drewtang, looking very interesting but in my opinion you should work a bit more in the “cleanness” of those builds. If in these photos do not look so perfect (the cuts, edges, etc) I do not know live…
Hope you understand this in the right way.
-also, I want to know exactly the concept behind; I mean, what s the point? Get a different ride? Have a stronger board?
-sanding particles don’t get airborne like the others.
-exposed deck builds with full wraps of corecork with 60% quicker build times than full d/c-cell with top and bottom outer glassing.
-preglass boxes,plugs,handles,vents can all be placed under corecork skin and not practicle with d/c-cell
also in my opinion the NL-20 (12lb density) comes out lighter than the NL-10(7.5lb density) because it soaks less epoxy.
I think that unless you are a vacuum bagger with a set protocol for your builds, you will not fully appreciate the potential and advantages of corecork.
I know my d-cell under the cloth are pretty bomb proof. No denting at all, If you punch it, you only hurt your hand. Is corecork that tough under glass?
I like the flex you talk about. D cell top and bottom is too stiff, even with 1 pound EPS.
The part about cork absorbing water makes sense to me. It will absorb some and swell. I think that’s the main reason it is used to stop wine bottles, and to seal boat seams. Althought I don’t know if they still use cork on boats. Back when my grandfather made boats they used cork to fill in seams. Never seen it, but my Dad told me about it.
Exposed cork is sealed from the inside out with vacuum bag builds on my boards. With your mind, peel off all the cork on my boards and you have a totally watertight board underneath the corecork. It is water proof. Any water weight gain occurs when I am menstrating, oooops, I mean water that would get in the nooks of the cork. I haven’t looked at it under the microscope, but it seems totally sealed from the inside out. If you can’t hop on the exposed cork thing, just glass an outer shell on it and wax it like a regular board. The durabilituy question is still out on the exposed cork, but rest assured I would have a worn exposed peice replaced with a seamless repair in 90 minutes.
I personally believe you will have more flex than a d-cell build.
pic below of a 6’7" from last year before I knew about exposed decks.
Charlie, you’ve done all the vac cores and know all the tricks. Not worth trying to explain this through to people that don’t care. Costs and simplicity seem to be the main pros. Probably durability too, but it’s so new we won’t know for a while. Glassed over would definitely last a lot longer than exposed.
The Balsa boards you made us are very strong, so if this is as strong it has to be very durable. I also heard that with the softer materials in the skin like with softtops, impacts are absorbed and spread over a larger area, then the material returns to it’s original shape. I know cork would do that. It would seem to me that it makes it more dent proof.
I think cork would take water into the cavities…not the wood…maybe an external sealer , to fill the voids , then a light sand , to re- expose the raw cork deck…minor problem solved ??
Also, as far as sealing and water-soakage on exposed cork, if you bag it on the resin seeps through and fills the voids. Think of it as a peel-ply that stays attached.
I started out on drewtangs bamboo boards and really liked them, but the first time I saw his cork builds it made a lot of sense as a skin. Not nearly as stiff, doesn’t soak water if dinged (whereas bamboo will wick it in really quickly). It’s thicker so makes a more durable skin composite with less glass (which means less resin and less weight). I’m sold on my cork board, and am really eager to try out one without outer glass. It just makes sense, you can lose the weight of the outer glass and get rid of the need for wax. It just simplifies everything.
Reverb, I can attest to drewtangs “cleanness” of his commercial builds. He’s one of a handful of guys who is actually selling these boards in retail shops where the average guy off the street can walk in and order a custom shape with an exposed cork, glassed cork or bamboo deck. He’s been selling bamboo skinned boards at retail for a few years now, with quite a loyal following.
