Surfboard Build- Longboard

[Bmac]

15 minutes ago, Tpt life said:

Not worried about you. Yours are already in the ground. Posted for the wider readership. Carry on. 

Gotcha

[Bmac]

Got some more done on the surfboard, between some short out of town trips and work. Here's where I'm at now;

Board is sanded to 220, rails shaped as good as I could shape them;

Next it was moving on to the glassing of the board. I'm putting a 6 oz layer of fiberglass on the top and bottom for strength. Opted to do one layer on the top, was planning 2, but for further research says I should be able to get away with one layer since this is a wooden board. Before I started glassing I needed to build glassing and sealcoating stands. Real simple and it's about 40" high;

Had to move into my garage for this step and placed paper on the floor for the mess I will create. First step is to lay the fiberglass sheet out and trim to size;

Next I mixed the epoxy and poured it down the middle of the board;

Then using a rubber squeegee/spreader, I worked the epoxy into the fiberglass cloth and spread it out as evenly as possible. Then I sgueegeed the excess cloth over the rails to the under side. Here's what it looked like the next morning;

 I sanded off the excess cloth on the underside and added another layer to that side. Sanded it again after both sides were coated and now I'm on to the fin. I glassed this on, first using quick setting epoxy for initial placement then using fiberglass cloth and epoxy for the glassing, The sheets of fiberglass cover the fin and extend down on to the board about 2-3";

I'll trim that up and sand it once it sets, then on to the vent and leash plugs, followed by the final epoxy sealcoat and final sanding. I can see the end in sight!

Thanks for looking.

 

 

[Tom King]

Looks good.   The size, and thickness of the paper worried me, when I saw it, but it looks like you made out.  The Hobie Cat boxes spoiled me.  A pair of them covered about 12 x 20 feet, wouldn't tear under foot, and no resin would penetrate all the way through.  I had a dealership in the '80's, and they would come 18 to a semi load.  Jet skiis took that market.

[Coop]

Looking good bud! 

[Bmac]

This has been an interesting project, learning a lot. Today I put the top coat of epoxy on the board. Started by sanding and cleaning everything up from the glassing procedure (applying the fiberglass). Tape off the rails and let the tape drape so excess epoxy doesn't run over to the underside and make drip lines. By draping the tape the excess epoxy simply drips onto the floor, glad I put the paper down because I'm making a mess.

Here's the board taped up;

On the back of the board I made a small dam out of the tape, trying to build up a little bit of a harder edge here with the epoxy;

Next it's brushing on the epoxy. 

I'm doing the bottom of the board in these pics, I did the top this morning before heading to church. The top did not turn out as smooth as I wanted, I had some bubbles in the mix and they popped after I left it, leaving some small pot marks. This side I waited and did a final once over after most of the bubbles came to the surface. Learning as I go. I'll likely have to put another coat on the top. 

After the coats dry I need to final sand and clean up, then I might be done!

Thanks for looking.

[wtnhighlander]

Did you mention which epoxy you are using? The few types I am familiar with would be way too thin for the top coat, it seems.

[Bmac]

It's specifically made for surf boards and this application. Here's a link if you are interested in reading about it.

https://greenlightsurfsupply.com/collections/surfboard-glassing/products/resin-research-2000ce-ultra-with-slow-hardener

You are not the first on to ask about the epoxy, I think most people are assuming I'm using something we use in woodworking. I'm not sure if this could be used in woodworking, but I don't see why not. This has a blue tint to it also and is made that way because, as the product description says, it helps white boards look whiter.

[Bmac]

Well this build is a wrap. Only thing left to do is get this in the ocean, and that should happen next week. I'll try to get a few photos of that. 

I really liked this build, it was a new technique of construction and that is always fun. There was a lot of resawing, a ton of gluing operations, and a lot of shaping. I've never worked with epoxy as a finish before and the glassing of the board totally put me out of my comfort level. So this checked off a lot of boxes and hopefully improved my skills. Finally, I have a super stoked son who can't wait to ride this thing. Here's hoping for some offshore tropical systems to put big waves on the Mid-Atlantic coast!

I sanded the last epoxy coat up to the 1500. I did not polish or buff it, but rather left it as a slightly matte surface. Wax will be added to the deck area for traction. 

The epoxy finish ended up pretty nice, esp since it was my first time. I did have some issues with bubbles, and I think those came from the pumps I used to get the epoxy measured. Would love to hear any tips on how to avoid bubbles in epoxy finishes.

Well again, thanks for looking!

[Chet]

That came out great B.

I use a MAPP gas flame and wave it over air bubbles when I use epoxy for filling cracks or knots,  but I don't know if that would work when using the epoxy with the fiberglass cloth.

[pkinneb]

That's awesome! I love projects that push me and require me to learn new processes and techniques. BTW that is an awesome porch  

[Chestnut]

6 hours ago, Bmac said:

Wax will be added to the deck area for traction. 

Sex wax is an awesome product. Used it all the time to get some extra grip on hockey sticks. The second thing i remember is how good it smells.

I never realized it was for surfing until i saw the product in California on the beaches.

[Tom King]

Wave a heat gun over the surface of setting epoxy, and the bubbles magically come to the surface, and pop.  You don't want to put extra heat in the whole assembly, that would speed up the kick, but just waving it over the surface does it.

[Spanky]

Dave, if you will try out Bmac’s boogie board, I will come and take pics and try to tell the story, if you rode the boogie board or if it rode you. 

[Mark J]

I was surprised to see how well the wood shows through the fiberglass.  Is it just one layer of cloth?

[Bmac]

2 hours ago, Mark J said:

I was surprised to see how well the wood shows through the fiberglass.  Is it just one layer of cloth?

Yes, it is amazing how the wood figure just pops through the fiberglass. Once it's saturated with epoxy it almost becomes invisible.

[Mark J]

I'm a bit surprised to find that a single layer is enough to do anything structurally?

[Bmac]

1 hour ago, Mark J said:

I'm a bit surprised to find that a single layer is enough to do anything structurally?

The plan called for 2 layers on top and one on the bottom. But that was referencing a foam surf board build, so I'm very comfortable with one layer. The side rails effectively have 2 layers as I wrapped each layer around the side rails to the other side. 

[wtnhighlander]

That fiberglass cloth adds a surprising amount of strength.