I got an old Yater from a surfshop owner who recently closed his 20+ yr old shop… It’s in pretty bad condition and it was chopped off at the nose and probably repaired many times. Definitely not seaworthy, I decided to make it a wall hanger. During the processes of making it look “nice”… my “let’s see what’s underneath curiosity” got in the way. I took the whole damn thing apart. Doh!
So now that i took it apart, i want to put it back together and possibly make it seaworthy. Since this is my first time “building” a surfboard and i only get to spend 1 or 2 days a month on this project, i figured ill post some questions that i havent found yet on swaylocks. And yes this isn’t worth the time or money, but i did have a lot of fun taking it apart and would love some feedback on putting it back together. I read a lot of David Platt’s posts…which are wonderful and inciteful. His restorations are ridiculous.
Question… it looked like someone routed the stringer and placed the DFin all the way inside. Is this normal? When i glue the new stringer and re-glass the board, should i attempt to do the same or should i shave down the D-Fin and glass it on afterwards?
I guess im off to HomeDepot for some wood and glue. I read in the threads that Elmer’s Glue is great for wood to foam, but Wood glue would fair better for Balsa to Redwood. Is this correct? Sounds logical but hey, im a noobie.
There were also a lot of rotted foam that came off with the fiberglass, should i use cabosil or just go w/ the spackle before i sand it down and then glass?
Any feedback would be awesome. No feedback means yes I am wasting my time and yours. Ha! but at least this has really got me into making surfboards as I have a blank waiting for me at FoamEZ also for my first shaping project. =)
Yater’s ads used to specify that the fins were routed in. So, you have one that was done in their normal fashion. It is certainly an old board because the lam says “Santa Barbara Surf Shop”. In later years, he changed the lam to just Yater Surfboards.
I don’t know why you want to go through all the trouble that you seem to be tackling. The condition of the board was such that it looks beyond salvaging. In one pic, it looks like you have the deck glass totally removed and lying next to the blank. Am I correct?
Can’t seem to get this to post larger. I think either the software
here or at my photo hosting site is constraining it somehow, because it
should display larger with more detail. Anyway, it’s a circa 1963 Yater
ad which shows (as SammyA says) that routing the fin into the stringer was SOP for him
at that time (to answer your question).
The board is about 7’5" and is about 22 inches wide from about 2 1/2 feet from the tail.
I did carefully remove the entire deck (or what was left of it) in mostly one piece hoping that i’ll find help in an old restoration/lamination post in swaylocks to re-laminate the deck or at least the logo at a later point.
Thanks to both you and DropKnee on the image. it helps a lot, both w/the 10 oz cloth and Fin/Skeg
why am i doing this? b/c im the same kid who took apart VCRs and DVD players apart and put them back together on days I couldn’t goto the beach. just bored, but now with not enough time… =)
The thing I remember most about the Yaters I saw back during the early '60s (other than their distinctive fin shape) was the color. Even new, clear boards had an unusual, brownish/greenish hue to them.
At Challenger Eastern’s factory, the blank got routed and the fin was installed along with the bottom lamination at the same time, Tinker felt is was better to have a chemical bond, rather than a later mechanical only.
Many of the 60’s mfg’s routed the fin base into the stringer or in Weber’s case, a 1/4"-3/8"-1/4" redwood balsa redwood t-band with the route into the easier to route balsa, Clark noted in one of his manifesto’s that Weber had the highest numbers of fin failures
A few 60s board had that same appearance. Wardy was another that comes to mind. It was due to a combination of volan glass and isophthalic resin. Iso resin was believed to be stronger, while orthothalic resin was supposedly less durable it became popular because it cured clearer and allowed for whiter looking boards. My failing memory has lost the specifics of the difference between the two types of resin. It has to do with the formulation.
got to admire someone who who don't give a sht about the prudent thing to do.
if it was me (and it probably wouldn't be me), i'd:
1. save the logo.
2. save the fin.
3. obtain about 3 or 4 foot of new poly foam.
4. cut the nose of the blank off where the shortboard abortion is.
5. split the blank along the old stringer...both sides... and throw the old stringer out.
6. get wood and insert new stringer.
7. attach new poly foam
8. reshape to 9'6
9. fill all holes dents etc in old blank. make 'em fair.
10. glass using pigment both sides. reattach lam on deck on top of pigmented glass after sanding coat. put the fin back on, too, maybe a layer of 4 oz over the deck after all that and sand again etc....
It stopped being a Yater when it was cut down to 7’5". It probably started out at around 9’6" to 10’. Once it got butchered/shortened it lost all its original mojo.
I’m still wondering if he planned to re-attach the glass that was so ‘carefully’ removed. That’s one of the craziest ideas I’ve seen.
Isophthalic resins are higher grade resins than
ortho resins in that the molecular structure is denser. Iso resins will exhibit a higher heat distortion
temperature, higher strength, greater flexibility and are more
waterproof than orthophthalic resins.
I'm about as generous as they get when it comes to assessment of potential for restoration . I have a pile of beaters on the disabled list that I keep telling myself I'll get to one day. There are even a couple of Yaters in that pile. I'm particularly fond of old Yaters.
If there was a chance of a 'meaningful relationship' between you and that board, I'd be the first to give a thumbs up.
As it is, I'd say give it up. I don't give a FF what Kirk Putnam would say about "Never say later to a Yater." Give it up now. By the time you reshape it, it won't be a Yater anyway.
Maybe salvage the stringers?
Maybe cut the logo out and frame it?
Maybe reglue what's left of the blank to a new stringer for a bellyboard?
Sheesh, I can't even stand looking at all that crap that was once a board. Maybe you can salvage the fin and what's left of the template and give yourself a fighting chance? Don't waste the resin and glass on that piece of crap.
Good god man... take a closer look at that hideous waste pile and snap out of it!
I was interesting the way it was as you received it. I’d imagine it screwed to the back fence at a keg party as a source for inspiration. Thanks for bringing it here to the road show.
Howzit Keith, I was using a 50/50 mix of Ortho and Iso that Fiberglass Hi sells and I liked it plus it was UV and only about $5 more per 5 Gal. Aloha,Kokua
