Hi folks
I have just ordered a 6'1 surfboard for kiting
How much glass do I need, i will use it mostly for strapless and small to mid size waves
May order plugs to have the option of riding strapped at times.
Checked out some Deltas and they are solid !!! (yeah maybe ok if your kiting margs often ?) but I'm thinking overkill, I'd still like to throw the board about a bit in mushy stuff.
I've snapped an epoxy (too light and bouncey) - so really after a happy medium? I have knocked out some fins over the years which also brings me to which fin boxes too ?
Any recommendations appreciated !
I have two layers of 6 ounce glass and then kevlar on the rails. He may even have put a third layer of glass on the deck around where my feet go.
It has added a bit of weight to the board but I wasn't worried about that.
I have snapped two composite boards in the past (right between the footstraps) after boosting and my current board is still going after 18 months which is a record for me.
Cheers
Sh1tdetector
Hey Monkeyfish,
Go with two layers of 6 ounce on the bottom and a 6 and 4 on the deck with maybe a thin timber ply under the heel areas to prevent pressure dings. I'd go with Future Fins for the boxes, mucho tuffo!
Weight in the board is irrelevent and if anything is an advantage as it will help to keep the board down through the chop. Super light boards are good for surfing in clean conditions, but where there is chop, there's bounce.
While it's being made, drop the inserts in and also maybe an option of an FCS plug for a GoPro at some later stage????
Cheers mate,
Dm
Get a third layer around the preferred foot positions everything in 2+2 is standard surfboard construction.
Wont make a lot of difference in weight if you get a good laminator to do the job.
What about 6oz bottom with 2 X 6oz deck ?
Its a Matt Manners design - have a good rep for strength in their boards ie built for Cape waves
currently use fcs and have had fins snap at base which is ok, just to plonk in another fin
futures are stronger, but I have heard they can cause major repairs at the tail ?
mf
i have a sic aord that i paddle surf and kite surf it, get i made as light as possible and to make it to the deck doeant compress i get this glass called(silver light flex glass) its like carbon fibre but only on the deck and is cheap. the brand is hedges, future people surf
Definitely get extra glass on heel positions, and made from epoxy,on normal blank. I have had 3 layers of 6 on mine on the deck ,futures for sure, thats for strapped, high speed gouges, airs dropping back into waves. Glass layed up diagonal, dont cut corners if you want it to last .Good spray job helps too!
HI MonkeyFish,
Agree witht the Menace, epoxy is the way to go - much stronger and lighter than poly resin and a good laminator would be able to squeeze the excess out when glassing so no extra weight (its less viscous than poly resin).
As I understand the strength comes from the molecular bond in the epoxy, were poly resin does't have the same molecular bond strength or if any.
Re-glassed a snapped board with epoxy, can't remember the layer up but it really did not add much weight considering the I left the original glass on the board.
Cheers
Rich
Everyones got an opinion. I'm surprised at what's been said.
I've used 1 x 6oz bottom & 2 x 6oz deck with an extra layer under feet, over a urethane board. And an extra layer again top & bottom over polystyrene. If I was to make it stronger I'd be putting more over the rail & making the nose thicker (cause mine always suffer around the nose in the shore break)
An extra layer is an extra layer and no glasser can add an extra layer without a considerable weight penalty.
Epoxy does have a greater bond strength to the fibres, but it's the fibres that give the strength to the laminate. Epoxy is essential over polystyrene cause polyester resin disolves polystyrene, but otherwise I wouldn't be considering epoxy unless getting into exotic cloths.
At the end of the day, for me, considering the quality of fins, the strength of the boxes, and the board strength/weight/performance/cost, I think the production epoxy boards are pretty hard to beat.
Col
I also have a liquid force (production board) which i ride now cause i have snapped the rest .its 3 years old epoxy finish on a standard blank, indentations under heel , i reckon i have done 20 footers of air at least above the wave, and still going strong. Epoxy has this quality where it flexes and doesnt crack , so no onion rings ,no water, no breakage. But its brittle too ! And they do snap . Depends what you expect the board to do with the riding you do. I bet ben wilson only rides normal glass boards for that awesome surfboard feel , down the line full surfing style. But if big mushy waves, and air /hi speed hacks are involved . go the epoxy finish, each to there own.
Volume for volume epoxy is lighter than poly resin and you don't get as much excess resin left behind on the board which only adds weight and no strength. I reckon poly resin boards have the "twang" due to it's hardness and number of cloth lay-ups but loose that twang when putting more lay-ups down.
Saying that, most people won't pick up on the feedback from the board especially in crappy wind blown surf. I would go for strength over feedback when kiting.
The rails usually have both the bottom and top lay-ups, so if it has 2 layers on top and bottom, that's 4 on the rails.
Having additional layers underfoot prevents pressure dings a bit better, the downside is the board can snap before or after the layer- golden rule when glassing a board is to have consistency throughout. Rather have full length glass or a wood veneer deck.
My 2 cents.
Rich
Here's a couple of shots of both an epoxy - tuflight and conventional fiberglass shortboard I converted.
Both boards get hammered under heel and along the rails on the right side of board, as most of my boosting is done goofy. I'm constantly repairing them and am currently working with a shaper to design a board that might handle the pressures of kiting but still be light enough to surf.
The conventional fiberglass board is my fav, I added another 2 layers of 6 oz matting to the deck and 1 to the bottom and re-inforced the rails under foot, and sunk in foot strap plugs. It's heavier than the epoxy but I could surf the epoxy as a normal shortboard, although I dont because I put full deck-grip on the board because of heel indents. So epoxy's will still be prone to heel indents.
Most of the shapers I've spoken to reckon I should just have a kiteboard, not an all-rounder, standard kiteboard (glass/carbon fiber) is 2 layers of 6oz on the bottom and 3 layers of 6 oz on the deck plus the heels/toes reinforcement - which will result in a board that is heavy compared to a normal surfboard.
I'm looking at working with a shaper to design a conventional fiberglass shortboard with carbon-fiber reinforcements under heel, along the rails, fin plugs (FCS) and strap inserts. Hopefully it can be the one board quiver? light enough to surf but strong enough to kitesurf.
When you pay on average $650 > for one of these things, you want to be sure it's not going to snap first session, the only guaranty a shaper can give you is; no refunds.
