How to Build Your First Surfboard

by Stephen Pirsch
Contents
1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1
2. DESIGN.................................................................................................................... 2
3. STANDS AND BLOCKS ........................................................................................ 9
4. SHAPING............................................................................................................... 13
5. POLYSTYRENE ................................................................................................... 19
6. EPOXY ................................................................................................................... 29
7. GLASSING ............................................................................................................ 31
8. HOT COAT (fill coat) ........................................................................................... 38
9. FINS ........................................................................................................................ 41
10. SANDING ........................................................................................................... 49
11. ART WORK....................................................................................................... 51
12. GLOSS COAT ................................................................................................... 52
13. LEASH PLUG ................................................................................................... 54
14. BOOKS ............................................................................................................... 56
15. MATERIAL LIST (SHAPING) ....................................................................... 57
16. POLYESTER, OR EPOXY RESIN AMOUNTS-(9' BOARD)
PLUS POLYESTER CATALYST RATIOS............................................................. 58
17. EQUIPMENT LIST .......................................................................................... 60
18. MISCONCEPTIONS, QUESTIONS, CONFUSIONS, OPINIONS ............. 63
19. TIPS & PROBLEMS ........................................................................................ 69
20. SMALL WAVE DESIGN ................................................................................. 77
21. RESEARCH FROM SURFERSTEVE............................................................ 91
22. VIDEOS ............................................................................................................ 103
23. LINKS ............................................................................................................... 104
 How to Build Your First Surfboard
by Stephen Pirsch

1. INTRODUCTION

The following will guide you around the pitfalls of building your first surfboard. With
this help you won't have to learn as so many of us have... by making every mistake
possible. This book is for the garage or backyard builder who has few tools and little
money. The following information has been tested, and is the result of friends building
their first surfboard with me. Also, thousands of interesting people have emailed their
questions and results.

If you are browsing for general information, and not building a board right now, please
go to the MISCONCEPTIONS and TIPS chapters.

At this point you might ask yourself, do I really want to do this? Is it worth saving
roughly half the cost of a showroom board? Is it worth buying new tools? No book or
video can make building your first surfboard easy. If you are not used to building
things, it may be so difficult you regret it. It's dusty, sticky, sweaty, and toxic work, and
the pro shops mostly do a good, cosmetically pleasing (although somewhat disposable)
job. Consider reading this in order to gain information on how to custom order a more
durable surfboard from a shop.

On the positive side, building a board can be very rewarding. Everyone who follows
the directions manages to finish somehow, and almost everyone who makes one will
make another. Much of the work and expense on the first board (such as racks, blocks,
and tools) won't have to be duplicated on following boards.

This guide was written for first time builders. Many of the techniques mentioned differ
from production surfboard building. Much effort has been made to lessen problems,
and save money. Read through the entire book before making any purchases. There are
many options. First time builders tend to make the same kind of mistakes. The goal of
this book is to prevent board ruining mistakes.

1
 2. DESIGN

Deciding on shape is probably the most important part of making a surfboard. Thrusters
and longboards have their place, but many surfers are riding designs which do not
maximize the fun possible on the type of waves being ridden. Often it seems the image
a surfer thinks he will portray is affecting his design decision.

The best way to simplify the decision is to ride as many different surfboards as
possible. This is important. It is unlikely you will ever know what is best suited for
you if you do not experiment. One hour surfing a different board is better than ten
hours reading about design, or listening to opinions. Most surfers will let you try their
board for a few minutes. Try your friends' boards or rentals. Find one you like, then
copy it or modify it.

I love seeing all types of surfboards, but I feel that the biggest design drawback is
simply building too small. This appears to be a common problem with all types of
surfboards. My friends and I are happier surfers now that we are designing for the
average conditions of ourselves and our home break. Many people quit trying to
surf simply because their board is too hard to paddle and catch waves.

Generally accepted truths about surfboard design:

1. A relatively wide, thick, long, flat shape is generally better for small or slow
waves.
2. A relatively narrow, thin, short shape with more than average bottom curvature
is generally better for fast, hollow, or large waves (not double overhead plus).
3. A relatively long fin(s) or one placed towards the tail end will make
turns having a larger radius and having a feeling of projection (energy is
transferred strongly from one direction to another).
4. A relatively short fin(s) or one placed towards the nose will make shorter radius
turns and will have a feeling of looseness (board will turn easily but slide
somewhat).
5. Sharp down turned rails are better suited for hard, leaning, gouging turns in
smooth water conditions (sharp and down turned only in the rear quarter
transitioning to rounder rails in the front).
6. Round rails will make smoother, slower, speed conserving turns. Round rails are
more forgiving, and are much better suited to choppy conditions.
7. A shape with more curvature in the outline (other things being equal) will tend
to turn easier, and create more planing drag than a more parallel outline.
8. Whatever preconceived notion a person has about the type of board he wants to
ride is more likely to determine what he rides than what is best suited for the
conditions! The site, essentialsurfing.com, and the Clark Foam catalog, have
good, free, design information.

If new to surfing, ride mostly small, or slow waves, or just enjoy early wave entry
gliding, use the following guidelines: 1/2" thickness for each 25 lb. of body wt. and 2'
longer than height. To be more exact use: .50 cubic feet of foam per 25 lb. of body
weight (the US Blanks, and Clark Foam catalog has the cubic foot numbers for each
blank for free online at www.foamez.com ). For example; a 150lb. surfer divided by 25
equals 6. 6 times .50 = 3 cubic feet of foam. Add at least 5% (1/4") for shaping losses
which brings the example to 3.15 cubic feet. Simply look at the displacement number
(cubic feet of foam) in the catalog for the blank with a close number. If you pick a
blank within 10% of your number you will have a good wave catcher. Remember to
add 10 lbs to your weight if you wear a wetsuit often when surfing. These guidelines
are maximums. More is not likely better in this case. A board designed using the math
above gives a huge advantage in crowded conditions, by allowing early wave entry.

There are many alternatives to the standard thruster and longboard shapes. Instead of
using a longer blank you could use one that is shorter, wider and, thicker. One & one
half inch in width or, one quarter inch in thickness is approximately equal to six inches
in length (width and/or thickness through the entire blank, not just the center). A board
6.5' x 22" x 2.25" will catch waves about the same as a board 7' x 20.5" x 2.25". A
board 8.5' x 23 " x 3.25" will catch waves about the same as a board 9 x 23" x 3" . A
shorter board will turn easier and go from turning to planning faster than a longer board.

If you cannot decide what rocker to use, consider five inches at the nose tip, and two
inches at the tail end. An easy way to form a useful rocker on any surfboard is: Divide
by 2.5. Divide the total nose end or tail end rocker by 2.5. This will give the rocker at
one foot from the nose or tail ends. Dividing this new number by 2.5 will give the
rocker two foot from the nose and tail ends. Example:
5" divided by 2.5 = 2" at one foot point.
2 " divided by 2.5 = .8" at two foot point.
The curvature can be easily free handed between these points. Any facets on the
template or foam can be easily removed with sanding blocks. The 2.5 curvature will
create a larger planing area in the middle of the board, compared with production
boards. For a rocker that is similar to production boards divide the nose measurements
by 2.25 and the tail measurements by 1.75.

A blank (with all its measurements) can be choosen from the Clark Foam catalog and
copied with polystyrene block foam - this is the hard, cheap way. See
POLYSTYRENE. Note: Although Clark Foam is out of buisness, the old Clark Foam
catalog is an excellent design resource. Also; see the US Blanks catalog - both available
at Foamez.

The easiest way to shape a surfboard is to pick the exact blank needed. Anyone who
orders a roughly shaped polyurethane blank, and has to cut the entire rail with a saw, or
plane in different rocker, is probably working much harder than is needed.

Unless you are sure the blank will not have to be modified (blank is exactly the shape
you want), make a template (as outlined below) on 30 lb. roofing felt, or trace the board
outline directly on the blank - the left over roofing felt will be used later to protect the
floor when glassing. Making a template will allow mistakes on a very cheap surface,
instead of an expensive blank. Also, a template will make it very easy to exactly
duplicate, or slightly modify an earlier board. Resist drawing numerous lines, hoping to
visualize what looks right.

Make an outline template by doing the following:

 1. Place the original board top down on 30 lb. roofing felt, and trace out 1/2 the
outline longwise (If traced 100%, it is not likely to be symmetrical). Use the
machine edge of the roofing felt as the center line. Keep the pencil (white
colored pencil, or silver ink marker is best for roofing felt) at ninety degrees to
the rail edge. This can be insured by taping the pencil to a torpedo level.
2. Remove the fin/s, and line up the outline template with the stringer/centerline of
the model board. Make sure it is perfectly aligned with the nose and tail.
3. Feel around for the box hole etc., under the roofing felt, and mark the center
outside edge of each end of the hole. With a sharp pencil, poke a hole in the felt
and connect the holes with a straight line (so the hole can be found). This will
save you the trouble of measuring when you install the fins - mark the fin
location/s by putting the template on top of the board and mark the locations
through the holes.

A rocker template can be made by doing the following:

1. Put the board rail up (at 90 degrees to the floor) with rolled towels about 2' from
each end, under the rail (to keep the board from moving).
2. Brace the board with a box etc., on each side (to keep it from tipping).
3. Tape a marker to a mixing paddle etc., and trace the rail outline by sliding the
mixing paddle along the flat surface of the board (at 90 degrees to the floor) as
the marker contacts the roofing felt (tracing the entire rocker from nose to tail,
top and bottom). The paddle is needed to bridge the extra distance from the
floor at the nose and tail. Where the towels and boxes block a continuous line,
simply connect the lines after removing the towels, boxes, and board.
If the above method is not practical, get measurements (or use your own) at 3, 6, 9, 12,
18, and 24" for the last two feet of nose and tail, and every one foot for the rest of the
board length. Do the following:

1. Measure from the stringer to the board edge using a framing square etc. and a
torpedo level at ninety degrees on the rail.
2. Mark these points on roofing felt, and draw straight lines between the points.
3. Create the curvature by cutting slightly outside the lines between the points.
4. Finish creating the curvature by sanding the edge of the roofing felt with the #50
short block (see STANDS AND BLOCKS).
5. Roll it up, and put it in a box (see Figure 4).

Note: If you know the blank will not need to be modified (recommended), these steps
can be skipped.

Although there are many good reasons for making the measurements below, I urge
tracing the outline and rocker of an existing board on 30 lb. roofing felt (as mentioned
above), or directly on to the foam blank. If measurements are possible , a piece of
roofing felt can simply be taken where the measurements would have been made, and
traced instead. Tracing is faster, easier, and less prone to errors.

If you must measure, see Figure 1, 1a, 2, 3, and the directions which follow.

Figure 1

Figure 1a
Figure 2

Figure 3

If you insist on measuring try these steps:

1. To get the needed measurements and transfer them to roofing felt or, new foam
blank (or better yet simply pick the blank with these measurements) you will
need a tape measure and 1-10' piece of electrical metallic tubing. You can use
anything perfectly straight and as long as your board. Electrical metallic tubing
is available at Lowe's etc., for $1-$2. Make sure it is straight (sight down its
length while turning).
2. To get and transfer the measurements in Figure 2, you must mark the center
points of the original surfboard bottom and the electrical metallic tubing.
3. Roughly level the surfboard by putting a level over the center mark and parallel
to the stringer (wood center piece of surfboard). If the surfboard is on the
ground you will probably have to put something under the tail, if on stands slide
it nose forward.
4. Balance the center mark of the electrical metallic tubing over the center mark of
the surfboard and parallel to the stringer.
5. Center a magnetic torpedo level over the center mark of the electrical metallic
tubing (magnet will stick). You will probably have to shift the level of the
 surfboard to get the electrical metallic tubing to level exactly (bubble in center)
over the center marks (see Figure 3).
6. Once level, get the measurements shown in Figure 2, (more measurements are
better - 3. 6, 9, 12, 24" from the nose and tail ends, then every 1'). You may
repeat this process when you begin to shape your foam blank.

Figure 4

7. Take the following fin measurements: (1) distance of fin box or fin(s) from tail
end, (2) angle of fin(s), (twin or tri fins only - you could cut roofing felt etc., to
match the angle or use an angle finder tool). (3) distance of fin front edge and
rear edge from stringer (twin or tri fins only, see FINS).

8. Assuming no calipers, take approximate thickness measurements at 3, 6, 9, 12,

& 24" on each end, and each foot thereafter. Do this by putting the board rail
up, straddle it, and look directly down. Line your eye with the end of a
measuring tape, and the bottom (flat vertical side) of the board. Move your head
to line your eye with the top and write down the measurement. Repeat as
needed. With practice, many people are accurate to within 1/8".
9. It is much faster, easier, and less prone to errors to trace. Measuring should only
be needed if building from catalog measurements, or creating a shape from
modifications of other shapes. Ordering a polyurethane surfboard blank that is
exactly the shape wanted can eliminate tracing and measuring (some
measurements may be needed to figure out which blank to choose).

If choosing a roughly preshaped, polyurethane blank, pick the blank and rocker that is
the closest to your desired measurements. The less foam you shape off, the stronger
your board will be, the less work you will have to do, and less errors you will
make. Note: There are now two versions of polyurethane; one which is uniform
throughout (MDI), and another which has a crust (dense 1/8" outer layer) - (TDI)
Polystyrene block foam will allow a design that would be impossible with polyurethane
foam. In contrast to TDI polyurethane, polystyrene foam is the same density
throughout, so buying oversize polystyrene block foam is ok, and advisable.

Combine the smallest stringer possible, with more cloth in the laminate. Epoxy glue
joints, and stringer less blanks work well also, if the amount of cloth in the laminate is
increased. Break tests done on surfboards indicate a surfboard with a light stringer
(1/12" is light) and heavy laminate is stronger than a surfboard of the same weight with
a heavy stringer and light laminate. Multiple light stringers or epoxy glue joints are
stronger than an equivalent large stringer.

Check www.foamez.com , www.fiberglasssupply.com, and www.surfsource.net for

availability of polyurethane and polystyrene blanks. If available, you can save money
by having a blank shipped, and held at the central shipping warehouse (to be picked up
by you) in your city, rather than delivered to your home. Polystyrene block foam is
available in all large cities.

Please do not short cut what is probably the most important part of board building; your
design. It is amazing the hours of sanding and rubbing builders are willing to endure for
a glossy finish, while stubbornly refusing to think for one minute about design. Ask
yourself, "what are the average surfing conditions of my home break, and what design
will best allow me to take advantage of those conditions?" Ride a lot of boards before
you design!

Video na internet – “How To Build Your First Surfboard - Familiarizing Yourself With
Materials (Part 1 of 2)”
 3. STANDS AND BLOCKS

Before shaping, surfboard stands are needed (see figures 5,6,7,8,). If something similar
to the figures is not made, regret is the likely result. I recommend the stands in Figure
6 (the buckets can be moved and re-leveled anywhere and the blank can be placed rail
up). The stands in Figure 8 are easier to make, and still allow for rail up work. It will
help greatly to be able to move the blank outside. Keep the pipe foam shown in the
figures wrapped with masking tape (black pipe foam will stain white blank foam and
glass job). Note that 1/2" pipe foam refers to the foam thickness, not the diameter of the
pipe it is made for. Buy foam that is made for at least 1" pipe. Level the racks
periodically by putting the torpedo level across the tops. Figure 6 can be made stiffer
by wedging scrap surfboard foam, wood or, bricks between the stand wood and the side
of the bucket. Note: If you think that building racks is too much trouble, and you have
not bought any materials, you should stop the surfboard project now.

Most of the time and money spent now will not have to be repeated on following
boards. Most of the stand and block materials can be found in construction site trash
piles. Even if a power sander or power planer is available, the following blocks or
something very similar will be needed.

See www.harborfreight.com for inexpensive tools. Even though it is possible to make a

good surfboard with no power tools, I recommend you at least have a drill, preferably
with 2 handles (screw on side handle), with variable speed between 2000 and 3000 rpm.

Make 1-10"x4.5"x1" wood block and screw #16 floor sanding paper to it as shown in
Figure 9. #12,or #16,or #20 is available at many floor sanding machine rental
companies. Many of the processes that follow assume you have #16 grit). If you have to
choose between #12 and #20 get the #12. It will make it much easier to get the crust off
the blank. Another alternative is to order 1-9" #16 sanding disk from
www.fiberglasssupply.com and screw it to an 8" block in place of the 10" above.

Also make 1-10"x3.5"x1" wood block and cover as in Figure 9 with #50 Belt sanding
paper etc.

Finally make 1-26"x3.5"x1" wood block and cover as in Figure 9 with #50 belt sanding
paper etc It is especially important that this block be very straight and flat (not
warped). These sizes don't have to be exact but try to use the listed grits (#16,#50).

Figure 5
Figure 6

Figure 6 Note: 3&7/8" gap above is foam to foam. Wood to wood is 4&7/8". A 2x4
is actually 1&5/8" thick. Stands are 5 - 2x4's wide at widest point. The gap can be
adjusted for thin blanks by using another layer of foam, or using 2 - 1" x 4" spacers in
place of the 2 - 2" x 4". Do not try to screw through two or three 2x4's - screw them one
at a time, or drill them first.
Figure 7

Figure 7 Note: This stand works better if you leave the lid off the top bucket and wrap
pipe foam completely around the top edge. Cut 3" wide (adjust for your board
thickness) and 7" long slits longwise from top edge to center of bucket (round the
corners, and the bottom). These slits and the top of the bucket can be covered with one
continuous piece of pipe foam taped in place. Tape two extra layers of pipe foam over
the bottom of each bucket cut to prevent denting the blank edge. Put sand etc. in the
bottom of the bucket. This will allow the board to be placed rail up for sanding etc. If
the floor or ground that the buckets are sitting on is not level, level the buckets by
simply wedging something underneath the buckets (cardboard etc.). See Figure 8.

Figure 8

Figure 9
 4. SHAPING

If you are using polystyrene foam read the next chapter first. The following instructions
will work for any hard foam, but are now best suited for polystyrene block foam. If
you have found a polyurethane, or polystyrene blank which is close to what you need
(without shaping modifications) you will be able to skip a lot of the steps here. Ideally
(with polyurethane foam) you can plane off the crust (if it has a crust), lightly sand, do a
few details and, you are done shaping. Shaping a surfboard from a square block is
much more labor intensive. If you are not sure then do not skip anything.

Note: I get a lot of emails questioning the usefulness of videos, and the differences in
the methods advocated in this book compared to pro shop methods. The videos
available show how pros build boards using power planners, power sanders, routers, air
brushes etc., It is all entertaining, but I feel it is not very useful for a first time
builder. Not only are you unlikely to have access to these tools, but if you did, you
probably should not use them because they are more likely to cause you to ruin your
first board. Please know although much effort has been made to save you from
problems, you will have problems that cannot be foreseen. I feel, however, you will
have much fewer problems if you use mostly hand tools, and instructions made for, and
influenced by, first time builders. I believe you will be much happier making your first
board if you keep it simple, and realize it will not be perfect.

Practice on scrap foam first. Put special emphasis on practicing shaping the rails. You
can shape a 1/10 scale replica of your board. A full thickness piece as shown below is
good for rail practice..

Once again, if you are shaping block foam, please follow the directions in
POLYSTYRENE - shaping the rocker before cutting the outline.

Do the following:

1. Put your blank bottom up on your rack.

2. Draw a straight line, (across the width) about 1/2" from one end of the blank,
flip the blank, and mark another line directly beneath it (use a framing square
etc).
3. If you do not have a stringer, ( I recommend no stringer if you are using block
foam) draw a center line.
4. Line up the 1/2 template, with the center line, and with the line across the end of
the blank. Also, the board you are going to copy can be placed directly on the
blank. Trace it on the blank with a "Sharpie" pen.
5. Flip the template over and trace it on the other half.
6. Flip the blank, and repeat. Double check. The two templates must line up, or
you will have major problems later.

7. Take a hand saw (almost any saw will do) and slowly cut about 1/2" outside the
lines. If you are very careful you can try cutting at 1/4". Try to make sure the
saw is cutting at a 90 degree angle to the blank. If not the extra 1/2" should
make up for the crookedness. Check by looking at the template lines
underneath.
8. Turn your blank rail up on the racks. Take your #12 or #16 block and gradually,
keeping a 90 degree angle, sand the foam down closer and closer to the
lines. Stop when you are about 1/8" from the lines all around (top and bottom).

Note that it is important to get in the habit of using long strokes running end to
end when doing most of your blank shaping. After you get some of the initial
unevenness of your saw cuts removed, practice using longer and longer
strokes. Count 10 stokes on one side then 10 on the other. If you start off doing
things evenly, and continue doing things evenly, you will have much fewer
problems, and much less work overall. Please resist "scrubbing" from one area
to the next.
 If you are using TDI polyurethane foam you will notice it has a 1/8" hard outer
crust. Be careful, the crust takes a lot of work to remove, but after barely going
through it, it becomes softer and softer. A TDI polyurethane board will be much
stronger if you keep it close to the original molded shape. Also, once through
the crust you can gouge a dip without trying to. The cheapest and easiest tool to
use for crust removal is a small (smallest) block plane. This tool may later be
used to plane the stringer. Set the small block plane blades at a shallow depth so
only the crust is being removed. Please use continuous end to end strokes. You
can also use your #12, or #16 sanding block. Note: MDI polyurethane foam
and polystyrene foam is the same density throughout (no crust).
9. Place the blank bottom up on the rack. Level the blank and level the center of
the electrical metallic tubing over the center of the blank (if you have block
foam you will probably be tracing the rocker template here - see
POLYSTYRENE). Take measurements as you did in DESIGN. Compare the
design numbers with the blank numbers.
10. If the rocker numbers are off more than 1/2" you may want to start removing
stringer material and foam with your small block plane, or #12 or #16 sanding
block. Also; the toothed edge of a hand saw can be dragged over the area - hold
saw with both hands opposite the teeth on the smooth metal and pull lightly with
teeth trailing across foam. Use a drill sander with #12 to #50 disk, or a power
planer, as in POLYSTYRENE, if you have a lot of material to remove. Please
make sure you will have enough blank thickness when you finish planning the
rocker. If you simply must remove more than 1/8" past the crust (polyurethane
blank only), try to do it on the bottom of the blank (the top needs to be
stronger) Plane the stringer (if you have one) to the proper rocker numbers, then
plane or sand the foam. Take care to not "scrub" the foam in one area, causing a
dip. Again, please adopt the habit of counting your strokes in 10's. Stroke mostly
end to end with the same number of strokes on all parts of the blank - this
promotes symmetry. All the curvature must blend into the whole. I recommend
initially leaving at least an extra 1/8" of length, width, and thickness in the
blank. This will give you the security of having a little extra foam to correct
mistakes. The ideal situation is to have ordered the correct dimensions when
you bought the blank. If not go slowly here. I recommend that you make round
rails and make the bottom and top flat side to side. This

11. Next, I highly recommend marking what will be the furthest protruding rail
points about every 3" - 12" (3" at the tight curves, and 12" at the straights)
around the entire circumference of the blank. If the rails are round this will be at
the center of the rail.
12. Connect the dots from the furthest protruding rail points using 2' x 1" roofing
felt as a straight edge. This will create a continuous line parallel to and between
the top and bottom rail lines (not shown in photo above). Leave this line until
 the end of your shaping. If it gets sanded, re-mark it. All this trouble will
ensure symmetry, and save you from a major mistake. Most first timers find
shaping the rails the most ddifficult part of shaping the blank. The tendency is
to be too thin in one place. To fix one small thin area, often the entire blank has
to be thinned to make it symmetrical. Go slow on the rails.
13. After the rocker is acceptable and the flats of the top and bottom of the blank are
rough sanded, start on rail curvature. Again, the rails are the hardest part of the
blank for most first time shapers to get even. Do the rails very gradually, and
symmetrically (evenly) with light pressure. Turn the blank rail up and sand the
rail with the # 12 or #16 block. Sand 10 times on one side then 10 on the
other. Flip the board with the other rail up and sand with the same counting, and
same pressure. This simple counting will make it much easier to keep your
board symmetrical, and will eliminate much work later on. As you start
finishing your curvature you will have to use proportionally lighter pressure on
the thinner areas.
14. Stay away from, or only touch very lightly, the black areas in Figure 11 (avoid
on top side only). Although I mentioned previously that you should use end to
end strokes, do not stroke longwise through the nose curvature. Stroke with
your block parrallel to the stringer until you reach the top nose curvature, then
you must stop. Finish the top nose curve with the block turned sideways
(perpendicular to stringer) or you will gouge a dip (a very common and very
hard to fix problem). Also, do not sand off your mid rail line, (from the
paragraph above) yet.

Figure 11

15. Small holes can be filled with interior/exterior lightweight spackling.

16. Take your racks and blank outside and align the stringer with the direction of the
sun. As the sun changes position change your racks to keep the light perfectly
even. This will make it very easy to see all the little dips and bumps you might
otherwise miss. Get back 10' - 20' and view the board rail up, top up, and
bottom up. Also turn the board vertical (careful the wind does not blow it over)
and view it, aligned with the sun. Note: even shade is O.K. (overcast clouds
and buildings). Tree shade is the worst. Note: If you can afford 8' fluorescent
lights mounted at the same height as your board rails on each side, this outdoor
moving will probably not be needed.
17. Correct any large, obvious unevenness with your #12 or #16 block.
18. Take your #50 long block and start sanding the bottom. Sand with block parallel
to the stringer. Use a light, continuous motion longwise from end to end. 10x's
back and forth on one side then 10x's on the other. Keep sighting down the
blank for uneven spots. If uneven repeat. Don't try to remove dips and bumps
by scrubbing at them in one place. Blend them into the whole with continuous
 long strokes. Don't try to correct uneven spots that are less than 1/8".

19. Make sure the tops of the racks are level with the torpedo level.
20. Slide the level across the bottom of the blank holding it parallel, then
perpendicular to the stringer. You can put it on top of something that is very flat
and about 2' long (long block-wood side down) A long level is nice too. If you
are making a board with a flat bottom side to side (recommended), and the level
bubble is outside the center lines, sand until it is (not perfect just within the
lines). Look underneath the level/block as you slide it along the length of the
blank.
21. You may see high and low spots on the foam and /or stringer. Mark the high
spots with the "Sharpie". Plane down the stringer to just below the foam level
with your block plane. Sand off the marked areas until within 1/8".
22. Run the long block parallel to and very lightly around the bottom rails (just a
few light passes to eliminate hard to see dips).
23. Turn the blank top up and use the long block only on the rear 2/3 of the top -stay
away from the nose curve. Do not push any block longwise (parrallel with
stringer) through the nose curve - turn blocks perpendicular to stringer when
sanding top nose curve (See 26).
24. Plane the stringer as before.
25. Start sanding using the #50 small block as you did the long one. Keep sighting
aligned with the sun. If you see dips and bumps you should even them out with
the long block.
26. Now, #50 short block in hand, start blending the areas in Figure 11 into the
whole. Please go lightly here. Keep the block sideways as you push through the
top nose curve. There is a strong tendency to gouge a dip here.
27. Please round the nose tip. One California eye surgeon I talked to does at least
one eye surgery every week that is due to thruster nose tips. Most of these cases
result in one eye blindness, usually caused by their own boards. I personally
have known two people blinded this way.
28. Next turn the board rail up. Your black rail lines should still be there. Sanding
longwise only, run your long block very lightly above below and finally at the
line. Try to do exactly the same number of passes in the same areas in the same
direction on each side.
29. Take a sheet or belt of #50 sandpaper. Stretch it between both hands and push it
down firmly enough to make it curve around the top rail curve. Now walk it
down the entire length of rail. Do this quickly and ease up on the nose and
tail. Do both sides until the rails are blended perfectly.
 30. Step back and view the sun aligned board again - rail up, top up, bottom up, and
vertical. Fix any unevenness etc.
31. Pass the block plane at least one more time on the top and bottom stringer until
it is even or just below the foam. If you leave the stringer sticking up the glass
is likely to crack. You may notice that the block plane doesn't work around the
top nose curve. Adjust your block plane to a slightly deeper depth (only for this
area).
32. Finish the fine details in perfectly even light.

Put it somewhere safe and leave it alone until you glass it, which should be soon! Note
that if you are making a tri or twin fin board, you may want to install the boxes now -
before you laminate. See FINS.

Video na internet – “How To Build Your First Surfboard - Familiarizing Yourself With
Materials (Part 1 of 2)” & “How To Build Your First Surfboard - Familiarizing
Yourself With Materials (Part 2 of 2)”
 5. POLYSTYRENE

I advise letting economics help you make your decisions as to which materials to
use. A good surfboard can be made with any of the materials mentioned in this
book. Allow me to simplify your decision by suggesting the following:
1. If you live where you can economically drive to a polyurethane foam distributor,
(www.foamez.com, www.surfsource.net, www.fiberglasssupply.com etc.) buy a
roughly shaped polyurethane blank.
2. If you have to pay shipping for a polyurethane blank, consider buying
a partially preshaped polystyrene blank (same companies as in #1 above, and, as in
paragraphs below).
3. If you have to pay shipping for a partially preshaped polystyrene blank, consider
buying polystyrene block foam. The companion DVD to this book (in the left column)
shows how build a block foam board from start to finish, including bending foam
(bending saves even more money).

You might save money by using polystyrene block and you might make a lighter
board, but you will require probably four times more labor to shape polystyrene
blocks, compared to a polyurethane surfboard blank. Consider partially pre-shaped
polystyrene blanks, which are now widely available. Polystyrene surfboard blanks
come in the following two versions: 1. A rectangular shape,(no outline or rails) with a
stringer glued in, and the rocker planed in. 2. The outline, rails and rocker molded in,
and a stringer glued in.
Polyurethane blanks come with the outline, rails and rocker molded in, and a stringer
glued in. Note that the rectangular polystyrene (more common) is about twice as hard
to shape, compared to the molded polystyrene and molded polyurethane.

When using polystyrene foam epoxy resin must be used to saturate the fiberglass cloth
(laminate layer) (most surfboards have 3 resin layers; the laminate coat, hot coat, and
gloss coat). Epoxy resin is necessary because polyester resin has styrene in it and will
dissolve the styrene in polystyrene foam. Epoxy resin is roughly twice as fracture
resistant as polyester resin (not twice as strong) and a little more than twice as
expensive. Consider that besides the extra labor, much of the money you saved on
polystyrene foam will be lost on the extra cost of the epoxy (See EPOXY).

Finally, keep in mind that if you chose expanded polystyrene (EPS) (beaded foam) and
it gets fractured, it will absorb more water than polyurethane foam or extruded
polystyrene foam. It is very important to dry it out and fix it immediately when
damaged. I recommend installing a screw out plug/vent like some sailboard companies
do, so any water can be easily dried and drained. You usually will not be able to
determine the grade but, if you can, get the highest, least absorbent grade of expanded
polystyrene foam (beads more tightly fused). Most EPS blanks are 2lb/cu.ft. Blanks are
available in 2.5 and 3lb. also - water absorbtion is unlikely to be a problem with these
denser blanks. EPS is an especially good foam if you are willing to stop surfing when it
gets damaged. My experience is, for most surfers, water absorption is not a big enough
problem to cause them to decide against using it again (especially with recent
improvements in all EPS due to a huge lawsuit). Polyurethane and extruded
polystyrene (see bottom of this page) are much less water absorbent in a fractured shell.
For all of these reasons, I believe a polystyrene blank or block is mostly worth
considering for savings due to possible high shipping costs of polyurethane
blanks. Polystyrene foam is more widely available than polyurethane foam. A
polyurethane surfboard blank is usually easier to shape (because it is already mostly
shaped) and will generally give you less problems later on, but high shipping costs
should make you consider polystyrene.

On the good side, polystyrene/epoxy boards tend to be more damage resistant, lighter,
and less expensive than polyurethane/polyester boards. Most people are happy with
their expanded or extruded polystyrene/epoxy boards. One other benefit of block foam
is the freedom to make an unusual shape that would be impossible with a polyurethane
surfboard blank (such as a very wide, thick and, short board). By using block foam, it is
possible to reduce the total surfboard material cost by about 25%. So, if you are
determined to go with polystyrene, here is what I suggest you do...

You can buy expanded polystyrene blanks which are partially shaped with stringers
from: www.surfsource.net, www.foamez.com, fiberglasssupply.com and... Segway
composites and Hydrofoam in California, Craig Chafin and S - Foam in Texas, Coda
Core and Davo in Florida, Natural Art in Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, Fly in New
Jersey, Shuller systems in Seaside Oregon (I have only dealt with the first three
companies, and do not have any more information on the others). You can also buy
block foam from a local supplier (if possible). Most large cities will have listings in the
yellow pages under foam,or insulation. Also, you can do a search on the internet. Type
www.dogpile.com in the address bar. Type polystyrene foam and the name of a large
city near you in the search box. Also try www.thomasnet.com. Please do not email me
asking me to find polystyrene foam for you). If you wanted an 8' board you might order
one of the following; 1 - 8'1" x 24" x 6" block of 2lb./cubic foot expanded polystyrene,
or (if you are using a stringer, or glue joint) 2 - 8'1" x 12" x 6" blocks.

If you are using block foam I would like to encourage you to make a stringerless board,
or a board with an epoxy glue joint. This will save labor, and will probably save weight
and money. If you intend to do without a stringer I recommend the following layers of
cloth: 4 oz. "E" cloth - 2 top, 2 bottom, and 2 deck patches. If doing without a stringer,
are over 160 lbs., or intend to ride hollow waves, or intend to make a thin board, I
highly recommend all 4oz. "S" cloth layered as above. Another alternative is 4.8 oz.
carbon fiber cloth - 1 top, 1 bottom, and 1 deck patch (suitable carbon cloth not
available in 2008 - please email me if you find an economical source).

Do not use foam from Lowe's, or Home Depot for your first board. These foam sheets
are 1lb/cu.ft. Use at least 2lb/cu.ft. foam on your first board. Many builders have written
me claiming poor results with 1lb foam. A good board can be made with this foam, but
you will spend more on the extra shell material than you save on the foam - plus other
negatives such as denting, and delaminating.

If you must use a stringer in your block foam, consider going to Lowe's etc. and buying
the cheapest 4'x8'x1/8" paneling. This should be about $14. If your board will be over
8'5" (an 8'5" stringer can be cut diagonally from 8' paneling) it will be hard to find an
inexpensive stringer. Consider an epoxy glue joint,or epoxy with fiberglass cloth in
place of the stringer (it will be lighter yet similar in strength to a 1/12" stringer with hot
glue etc. If you insist on a stringer, do steps 1 - 5. If not using a stringer see step 6.
1. Using your rocker template from the DESIGN chapter, mark the outline of the
stringer on the paneling etc.
2. Cut slightly outside the lines so the stringer will be about 1/4" bigger than you
want it when finished shaping.
3. Trace the stringer outline on to the four blank edges as shown in Fig. 13.
4. Cut the stringer with a handsaw etc. and go over the edges with a surform pocket
plane etc.
5. Rough the stringer on both sides with #50 paper etc. This can be done with a 5"
rubber backing disk on your drill.
6. If not using a stringer, (recommended) mark the two edges of a single blank (if
possible) with the roofing felt rocker template (mentioned above) as in Fig.
12. Take extra care to keep any epoxy or glue away from any area to be
shaped. If you are glueing sheets together, stay at least 2” away from outside
edges for face to face gluing, and stay at least ½” away from top and bottom
edges for edge to edge gluing. If epoxy gets into the area to be shaped, you will
probably spend more time trying to get this area even, than shaping the entire
board. When substituting a glue joint for a stringer, use epoxy (epoxy is the
strongest adhesive).
7. If using a stringer, mark the outline of the stringer on the four edges of the 2
foam blocks. Make sure they will all line up exactly with each other (measure)
when you glue in the stringer as in Fig. 13.

Figure 12

Fligure13
8. Use 6oz. total epoxy resin/hardener (see GLASSING and EPOXY). Brush 3 oz.
on each side. This will probably seem like too little epoxy but resist using more
or you will have serious problems getting the stringer even with the foam.
9. Sandwich the stringer between the foam blanks as in Figures 12 & 13. If you
are not using a stringer try to keep the epoxy about 1/2" inside the lines - this
will make it much easier to shape.
10. After the epoxy hardens put the blank on the stands. It will be a great help if
you can have someone hold the blank steady. If not put some weight on it
(wrapped in a towel). Take your drill/disk sander with #50 disk and start very
lightly removing foam. Start where the thickest areas of foam need to be
removed. By the time you get close to the black lines you will probably get the
hang of it. If you you are confident, try a #12 to 20 disk, or a power planer. If
you are gouging holes in the foam, give it up and do it all with the, #12 or #16
block.
11. Once you get everything down to the black lines, prepare to mark your outline,
and finish shaping, as mentioned in DESIGN and SHAPING. Note: I
recommend using scrap foam to practice getting the feel of removing foam with
a drill sander.
Alternative method:

1. After the blank is glued, (if needed) mark the outline template on the blank first
(before the rocker template).
2. Cut the outline as in SHAPING. With a sharpie pen, mark dots (as you did
when you made your rocker template) on the blank edge corresponding to the
amount of rocker at that point (nose tip, 3", 6", 9", 12", 18", 24"etc.) You will
need less points as you get further from the ends.
3. Connect the dots using a 1/2" x 24"' piece of roofing felt as a flexible straight
edge. Note: Make this strip of roofing felt 1/2" on one end and 1/4" on the
opposite end. Cut a line (tapering line) between the 1/2" and 1/4" measurements.
Use the 1/4" end on the nose tip and 1/2" end towards the tail - this will tend to
follow the measured nose rocker points without wrinkling, and will create a nice
nose rocker even if no points are measured. If measuring, any facets (angular
rough spots) are easily sanded to curves. This alternative method will save
labor, but it makes it a little harder to exactly copy an existing rocker.
When you finish take interior/exterior lightweight spackling and your squeegee (cheap
plastic squeegee works well) and spread it thinly over every inch of foam. Scrape off
the excess with your squeegee being careful not to scratch your blank. Sand it lightly
with approximately #120. Make sure it's completely covered (not scratched through) or
it may absorb a lot of expensive epoxy and become heavy. See
EPOXY. Spackling may not be needed if you have the highest grade of
polystyrene. This grade is less absorbent. Use the spackling unless you are
sure. Although I mention spackling seal numerous times, do not use it for large repairs,
and never on extruded polystyrene. Note that the spackling does not completely seal the
blank - epoxy migrates through to the foam at a reduced rate. Consider the sealer
below.

Alternative sealer: For a stronger laminate with slightly more weight try the
following. Mix epoxy and hardener with microsphere thickening agent to a mayonnaise
thickness. Spread and sand as paragraph above.

One more alternative is to use 2lb./cubic foot (25psi - pounds per square inch) extruded
polystyrene foam (XPS) - Dow Square Edge, or "blue board". Please try to keep and
open mind, and disregard much of the information you might have read online etc.,
about this foam. The delamination problems which have caused some builders to stop
using this foam can be solved by following the directions below. A very good board
can be made with this foam if you will simply build the board a little differently. This
foam does not have the water absorption problem that expanded polystyrene
has. Extruded polystyrene is stronger (pound for pound) than polyurethane, or
expanded polystyrene (most surfboard polyurethane is about 3lb/cu.ft.). If you build
with this foam using conventional methods, you are much more likely to have
delamination problems.
Please allow me to insist you do the following:

1. Use an epoxy glue joint/s (in place of a stringer/s) - one is o.k., two is better.
2. Finish the blank by sanding lightly with #20, leaving hundreds scratches and
small pits.
3. Add about 5% more resin to the laminate after dragging the excess resin out of
the cloth.
The extra resin will fill in all the pits and scratches left on the rough blank. I realize it is
hard to scratch and tear the foam of a blank you worked so hard to perfect, but do not
skip this step. The pits and scratches greatly increase the bond, and with the glue
joint/s, will minimize the delamination problem to a level equal to other foams. As with
all boards, but especially XPS, avoid exposing an XPS board to a car interior on a hot
day with the windows rolled up. This foam is available in sheets 8' x 4' x 3" and 8' x 2'
x 4" thickness maximum, so you may have to glue (epoxy) two sheets together. It is
possible to make two good boards out of one 8' x 4' x 3" sheet, if you bend the foam as
in the paragraph below. XPS was available in 2006 for $46 for a 8'x4'x3" sheet.

Bending foam using one of the following methods will save money and labor - by
allowing you to use a thinner blank which will require less foam to remove. This
method can be used with any stringerless foam (you will be able to bend an epoxy glue
joint, but only about 2"). Align the rocker template nose tip with the blank nose tip and
mark as much of the nose rocker curvature that the blank thickness will allow. Mark
about half the tail rocker (the tail will bend about an inch when you bend the
nose). Shape the rocker (as much as possible), cut the outline, and completely finish
shaping the blank as mentioned previously.
You can increase the nose rocker on any stringerless blank by using the following
method:

1. Move the nose side rack toward the center of the blank before you laminate (the
blank will sag about 1/2" - 1 1/2").
2. Cut off all but the threads of the largest plastic sheet rock anchors (about
3/8"diameter). Screw the anchors into the down (dry) side of your blank. (nose
and tail - if you do not weight the tail the blank will tip off the racks).
3. Insert a screw in the anchor, tie one end of the string to the screw, and the other
end to a weight (brick etc).
4. If your nose tip is too thin to use plastic anchors you can cut a 1'' slit in the mid
tip of the blank nose.
5. Cut a 1" slit in the cloth that will cover this area.
6. Cut off about 2" of a mixing paddle, tape wax paper to it, and drill a small (about
1/8") hole in the middle.
7. Tie a 1" broken pencil on top of the mixing paddle to keep the cord from pulling
through the hole.
8. Attach a weight to the other end of the cord.
9. After the cloth is saturated, slide the cord through the slit with the cut paddle
sitting on top of the wet cloth, and the weight hanging slightly towards the tail
down in a bucket ( to keep the weight from swinging forward, which will cause
the cord to pull out of the slit).

When the lamination hardens it will permanently hold the bend (it will spring back
about 1/4" -1/2"). You can change the amount of curve in different areas of the blank
by moving the racks, changing the position of the weights, and the amount of the
weights. This can all be checked (before cloth saturation) by putting weights on top of
the blank. Try not to bend the foam more than 3". Note: leave plastic anchors in the
blank.
You can bend the foam to match a pre-rockered stringer, then clamp, or weight it
together. This is what Clark Foam did. I no longer use stringers (too expensive, too
heavy, and too much work). It is more effective to use heavier cloth instead of stringers
- the board will be more damage resistant.

To make a board that is almost impossible to dent or delaminate, consider the

following: Puncture or drill the blank every 2" (bottom to top) with 1/8" drill bit or 1/8"
steel rods. Make a puncture tool by first drilling 1/8” holes in a 6”x 6”x 5/8” piece of
wood. Insert 1/8”x 3 - 4” steel rods (9 rods) into holes in wood, and epoxy in
place. The holes in the foam will fill with resin when laminating, bridging the top and
bottom together (do this only with uscomposites Klear Kote Epoxy, as it is much thicker
than most other resins).. On the first lamination, wipe the resin, which will drip out the
opposite side of the holes, when it gels. Also; 3/16" holes can be filled with 3/16"
bamboo barbeque skewers, available at most grocery stores - this method will work
with any resin (see TIPS chapter, DELAMINATIONS section). This has been tested
since 2005. Please do not do this in order to reduce cloth amounts.
If you glue sheets together try to figure out where the glue joint crosses the outline and
rocker of your board and avoid putting glue there (otherwise it will be much harder to
shape at the glue joint).

Yes, a good surfboard can be made with extruded polystyrene

foam. www.pointblanks.com is making virtually unbreakable surfboards using
extruded polystyrene. They do not sell foam. On extruded foam, do not use
lightweight spackling, or any art work. It tends to delaminate at these areas. Repairs
can be done by one of the two following methods:

1. Cut a foam block, cutting the damaged area to match the block. Epoxy the block
in place (epoxy only on the bottom of the block). Shape to fit.
2. Mix fine foam dust with barely enough epoxy to hold it together. Fill, and sand.

This is my favorite foam but it is a lot of trouble. Build with it only if you are willing to
use the unconventional methods mentioned four paragraphs above. We find XPS is
especially good for situations where the board is fractured, due to rocks etc., and the
rider refuses to fix it immediately, or ever (for practical purposes, it is impervious to
water).

I like extruded polystyrene but, it may not be worth the extra effort. Expanded
polystyrene is easier to find, can be bought in nearly any thickness and length (blocks),
is better suited to a stringerless blank, and is sold in partially pre-shaped
blanks. Remember, you can buy polystyrene block (EPS or XPS) in one solid sheet, at
the minimum thickness of your board, bend it after shaping, and save about 75% of the
cost, of a pre-shaped blank (this is the cheapest and hardest way to make your own
blank).

Another alternative is to strip the fiberglass from an old board. This can be done by
running a 3" abrasive disk around the circumference of the mid rail, cutting barely
through the fiberglass into the foam. Carefully pry the fiberglass off the rails (you may
have to make extra cuts where the curves are small - perpendicular to the mid rail
cut). Once the rails are striped the fiberglass will pull off the remainder of the board
very easily. Re-shape the blank

Some people are using 2 lb./cu. ft. polyurethane block foam to build surfboards. My
friends and I have tried it numerous times. We are sure you will like 2lb/cu.ft.
polystyrene block foam better. It is stronger and less expensive. 2lb extruded
polystyrene is 25psi. This foam is also available in 40, 60, 80, and 100psi. Although
the tendency to use lighter foams and thicker laminates is now more prevalent, I believe
there is good reason to experiment with the higher psi foam. The 60psi foam is only
3lb/cu.ft (this is about twice as strong as standard polyurethane surfboard foam of the
same weight). Those who have tried the 40 and 60psi foam claim this will allow a
builder to reduce the cloth approximately by half and have a stronger,
and/or lighter stringerless board. This is unlikely to save money - the extra cost of the
foam is more than the savings in cloth. and, you will not be able to bend 40 or 60 psi
foam. Please use the 2lb. type for your first block foam board.

Please resist the temptation to use sheets of foam from Lowes or Home Depot. Many
builders have tried it and many of them have emailed me with the following
problems: denting, delamination, water absorption, and shaping difficulties at the
numerous glue joints.

Some suppliers of partially preshaped EPS blanks are now offering a choice of foam
densities. You will have a more durable board (other things being equal) if you choose
the higher density foam (2.5 lb./cu.ft. & 3 lb./cu.ft.). There is a reason Clark Foam sold
3 lb. and 3 lb.+ blanks. It is often more cost effective to use a higher density core and a
lighter shell - the foam is usually less expensive than the cloth and resin.

I added this paragraph due to many emails. You can ruin your blank in a split second
with a hotwire cutter (I have). For a the building of personal boards I advise against a
hotwire cutter, or a planner. An inexpensive drill with a sanding disk is very efficient at
removing foam. If you are committed to shaping numerous polystyrene blanks
(working for profit) you might consider making a hot wire cutter to cut the excess foam
down to the stringer line etc.(please do not make a hotwire cutter for one board). Also
you could buy a planner modified for foam (Hitachi from www.foamez.com - these are
outrageously expensive now). If you buy a non modified planner (sometimes six times
cheaper), look for one with a 3/16" cut. Note that you can make the planner cut deeper
if you sand/grind the aluminum front plate down (this is what they do when you buy a
modified one). I recommend using a drill sander and hand blocks for your first
board. The sites below will help you build a hot wire cutter cheaply. If you use a hot
wire, please practice on scrap pieces, please wear a respirator, and please set it up so
power can be disconnected
quickly. http://davidwoodward.com/iceflyer/hotwire.htm http://www.intlwaters.com/f
vrcb/wirecutter.htm http://www.canadianhovercraftfederation.org/FAQs/2foam_cutter.
htm

Please do not try to make your own foam blank from liquid chemicals. I have tried it
numerous times and found the results non useable, for practical purposes, in a garage
setting. If anyone figures out how to do it economically, and reliably, please email
steve@surfersteve.com

Allow me to simplify your decision by suggesting the following

1. If you live where you can economically drive to a polyurethane surfboard blank
distributor, (www.foamez.com, www.surfsource.net, www.fiberglasssupply.com etc.)
buy a roughly pre-shaped polyurethane blank.
2. If you have to pay shipping for a polyurethane blank, consider buying
a partially preshaped polystyrene blank (same companies as in #1 above, and, as in
paragraphs above).
3. If you have to pay shipping for a partially preshaped polystyrene blank, consider
buying polystyrene block foam. The companion DVD to this book (in the left column)
shows how to build a board of block foam from start to finish, including bending foam
(bending saves even more money).

Most first timers get through the shaping ok, if they follow the directions. Many people
claim glassing is harder.
 6. EPOXY

Epoxy is, in most ways, superior to polyester. If you want a durable and/or light board,
try epoxy and "S" cloth. For surfers who refuse to use more cloth than what is used on
production boards, it is worth the extra cost. Together they will increase the cost of
your materials approximately 20%-30%. Epoxy will work with polyurethane or
polystyrene foam, and with "E" cloth. Using epoxy and "S" cloth in place of the usual
polyester "E" cloth (especially on thrusters) is an easy solution to the disposable board
problem. As oil prices, and board prices continue to rise, so will the desire for a durable
board.

If two palm size disks, one polyester and one epoxy, are dropped from chest height flat
onto concrete; the polyester will shatter and the epoxy will be whole. If a polyester "E"
cloth board hits an epoxy "S" cloth board; the polyester "E" cloth board will be
fractured, while it will be hard to find the area of impact on the epoxy "S" cloth
board. This is because "S" cloth is stronger than "E" cloth, and epoxy is stronger and
more elastic than polyester.

Although, in today's market of disposable boards, it would be preferable to have a

stronger board instead of a lighter board, you could save around 2 lb. by using epoxy
and "S" cloth. It is more damage resistant than polyester and 'E' cloth so you could use
lighter cloth, or a lighter blank such as polystyrene foam, and/or a stringerless blank ).

For the ultimate in lightness and strength try epoxy on carbon fiber. My friends and I
have done a number of boards with 4.8oz.carbon ( www.fiberglasssupply.com ) on the
top and bottom with a 4.8oz.carbon fiber deck patch over stringerless extruded
polystyrene foam (no suitable carbon cloth is available in 2008, due to the war). It is
pigmented white to keep down the heat (carbon fiber is black) The gloss coat takes a lot
of extra work with carbon and adds weight. In fact, a carbon board with a solid white
gloss coat will be almost identical in weight to an "S" cloth board with almost twice the
cloth weight, with no gloss coat. It is questionable if carbon is worth the trouble. I now
believe it is most practical in a cool climate, where a white gloss coat would not be
needed (See GLOSS COAT). If you want a pretty, clear board use the "S" or "E" cloth.

After trying over ten different epoxies, as of 2012, a number of us of us have switched
to www.uscomposites.com for epoxy and other supplies - cloth and epoxy is generally
cheaper. After trying all the uscomposites epoxies, the Klear Kote epoxy is the best
buy. Although very thick, it works well for all surfboard building. It has good u.v.
protection and is the clearest of all epoxies I have used. The two gallon kit - one gallon
of epoxy and one gallon of hardener costs less than the one and a half gallons kit of
surfsource or resin reseach resin. The extra resin is good to practice with, and alows the
smart first time glasser to have more than the minimum amount of resin available for
each coat.
Also excellent is the ss2000 at www.surfsource.net - a very fast, and efficient
company. ss2000 is as clear as polyester, and has good u.v. protection
Many shops are now using the very good rr2000 epoxy from Resin Research. If you
use this epoxy, disregard the amounts of resin that you may have read numerous
builders claim is adequate. First time builders will find it very difficult to reproduce the
results of these experienced glassers. If you want a finish that stays clear (epoxy
discolors slightly over years of sun exposure) it would be safer to coat the epoxy with a
u.v. blocker such as polyester resin. I like 100% epoxy (no pigment, solvent, thinner, or
additive).

Showroom boards that say epoxy on them are usually only epoxy in the laminate
(cloth). The hot coat and gloss coat is often polyester (usually polyurethane gloss coat
on Surftechs). Using a polyester gloss coat over an epoxy lamination will probably not
save any money for one board due to the high cost of small units of resin. Keep it
simple on your first board; use all polyester or all epoxy.

Pay close attention to the epoxy mixing percentages. If you miss the percentage by
more than 5% it won't harden reliably and will be weak. Mix it for about 3 minutes,
being careful to mix any resin sticking to the container sides and bottom. Thorough
mixing is critical to good strength and hardening.

Pay even closer attention to the temperature. If the specifications say that the epoxy
will set up in 30 minutes (pot life), that usually means at 78 degrees. With every 10
degrees of temperature change the pot life will be doubled or halved respectively. If it's
close to 80 degrees, put it in the refrigerator before using. Do not start an epoxy
lamination at over 80 degrees (starting at 80 degrees, in the morning, with the
temperature rising is ok). At 100 degrees, epoxy can catch fire (it happened to me)!

Sand in between coats and wipe with alcohol for good bond when putting polyester over
epoxy (not recommended on your first board). If re-coating epoxy with more epoxy, do
not sand between coats if it is applied within twenty four hours. "Fish eyes" are a
common bubble-like imperfection (dry spot) in an epoxy hot coat. "Fish eyes" are less
common in cooler weather, and can be reduced on hot days by keeping a fan or fans
blowing on the wet surface as it gels. If you do this, turn on the fan or fans before
mixing the resin so any dust will be blown away first. If you still have fish eyes in your
finishing coat, drip some resin in the fish eyes, over filling the area slightly. If desired,
sand the excess and finish (See GLOSS COAT). Some builders claim that epoxy can
not be made to produce a perfect, shinny, gloss coat as can be done with polyester. It
can. It simply takes twice as much work to sand and buff it (use 100 grit at
start). Some builders find an epoxy gloss coat with no sanding or buffing
acceptable. Gloss coats are not necessary.

Note that epoxy has the desirable characteristic of going from slightly gelled to hard at a
more gradual rate than polyester. This makes it less likely the builder will be caught in
the middle of a procedure with resin hardening so fast he can not finish.

Consider the possibility that epoxy is, in most ways, superior to polyester. Try it.
 7. GLASSING

Most people say the first laminate coat was the hardest part of building their first
board. Please - double please - practice. Get some scrap foam, cloth, and resin, and
practice laminating - especially wrapping the rails.

Do not cut weight by reducing cloth amounts.

I recommend buying supplies online from one of the sources listed in the HELPFUL
LINKS. It is generally cheaper and easier overall to have the recommended supplies
delivered directly to your door, from one or two sources, compared to driving to
numerous sources. Buying locally often results in problems caused by insufficient or
substandard materials. If you try to build a surfboard using the abbreviated advice of a
local surf shop you are courting disaster. I have had good experiences with all the
companies referred to in HELPFUL LINKS. www.fiberglasssupply.com has
everything needed to do an entire board, in many combinations. This web site also has
a lot of information about the products which will help you decide which one to
use. www.surfsource.net is also very good and a little faster. As of 2010, a number of
us have switched to www.uscomposites.com for supplies - they are generally cheaper,
especially the epoxy. Note: I do not receive any compensation for recommending
anything in this guide.

Most surfboards have three resin layers covering the foam core; first the laminate coat
(cloth saturating layer), second the hot coat, and third the gloss coat. Most surfboards
are built with a clear polyester resin and fiberglass cloth (Silmar 249 resin and "E"
cloth). This combination can produce a good, economical, time proven board. Most
short boards are made with 4oz "E" cloth - one layer on the bottom and two on the
top. Most longboards are made the same way with 6oz cloth. This is a marginal
amount of cloth for longboards, and not enough cloth for a shortboard. The durability
problem of the thruster can be solved by simply using "S" cloth (with no increase in
weight). Many professional board builders complain about the "disposable board"
attitude which is now so accepted.

The following products have merit, but please simply follow the recommendations, as
you will have fewer problems. Please avoid the following on your first board:

1. Carbon fiber cloth.

2. U.V. activated catalyst (sun cure)
3. Isophthalic resin.
4. Vinyl ester resin.
5. Additive F (epoxy thinner - xylene)

Do not use less than 6 oz. "E" with a deck patch for any 2 - 3 lb/cu.ft. foam. There are
better ways to cut weight.
Try the following alternatives:

1. Thinner, and/or lighter stringer (spruce, cedar, etc.).

2. Epoxy glue joint in place of stringer.
3. No stringer.
4. Foam filled, hollow, cedar, or molded fin(s).
 5. Polystyrene foam.
6. No gloss coat.
7. Epoxy and "S" cloth.

The following will greatly help on the first lamination. Make a small replica of a
surfboard blank with some scrap foam (maybe 1/10 scale). Practice laminating the
replica as if it was the real thing (especially wrapping the rails). Simply follow the
directions below in miniature. Cut a plastic squeegee down to 1/10 scale. Also; a
small, scrap, full thickness piece (with a rail shaped) is very helpful for practicing
wrapping the rails. Most first time builders say that glassing was harder than
shaping. Practice.

See MATERIAL LISTS for amounts. Adjust the amounts for each board. These
amounts are barely enough for a 9' board using the cloth below. For a 10' board add at
least 10% more of everything. For a 8' board subtract 10%.

The following instructions assume the use of an extruded or expanded polystyrene foam
blank (2lb./cu.ft.) with one layer of 8oz. "E" cloth on the bottom and top, with an 8oz
"E" cloth deck patch (all plain weave). Epoxy will be used to saturate the cloth (same
basic tehnique with polyester). Do not use polyester resin directly over polystyrene
foam. See epoxy. This layering method will produce a very durable board which is
more resistant to damage in the areas it is most likely to occur - the deck.

Use old clothes - these will be ruined. Keep using these same clothes. Long sleeves
help. Cheap sandals with old socks help. Cover the floor under the board with roofing
felt (at least two widths). Do the following:

1. Put the blank on the racks/stands bottom up.

2. Blow or brush off any dust etc. Make sure it is ready.
3. Roll 1 layer of 8oz cloth over the entire surface of the blank overhanging the
ends and sides by at least an inch.
4. Holding the roll over the end with one hand, cut the end with at least a 1"
overhang with your scissors in the other hand.
5. Put weights (3 bricks etc. on paper towels) on the cloth to keep it from shifting
as you cut.
6. Cut this layer very straight so it will overhang the center or shadow of the rail by
about 1" all around. This is called free lapping. See photos below.

When cutting the 1" overhang it helps greatly to have a moveable light shining
 from underneath the board towards the area you are cutting - use a clamp light
on a bucket. Cut a slit (see photo below) in the cloth hanging at the nose tip and
tail corners. These slits will keep the cloth from wrinkling at these points.

Most shops use a different lapping method called cut lapping. It is prone to
devastating errors for first time builders. It is necessary only if you insist on
different cloth saturated resin colors on the top and bottom, (not recommended).

A big mistake at this stage can be board ruining, so heed the following. Make
sure you have a little more of everything than you think you need (esp. resin and
hardener). Make double sure you mix a number of small but proportional test
batches of catalyzed resin. Try to make the resin gel in about 30 minutes on
your first laminate (cloth saturation). Refer to the RESIN AMOUNTS section
(this should help you with the epoxy mixtures). When using epoxy, if it is hotter
than 80 degrees you may need to refrigerate the resin and hardener. At 60
degrees you will need a heater. If you are using polyester please use .75%
catalyst ratio (less than one per cent) Before you mix in the hardener/catalyst
stop and think, what have I forgotten? What might I need in a hurry if it sets up
faster than I want? Have resin, hardener, and graduated mixing cup easily
available, and the mix ratio already figured - in case a small amount of extra
resin is needed. Do the glassing in a garage/shed etc., if possible. If done
outside try to stay out of direct sunlight (unless it is cool). Do not even think
about lifting the cloth after it is wet. Do not attempt to copy a professional
glasser seen anywhere.
7. Please read the warning label on the resin container and put on a respirator with
vapor cartridge, and gloves. If not using a respirator, at least turn on a fan or get
in the wind.
8. Mix the epoxy and hardener (see materials list-resin amounts). Use a mixing
container with ounce markings. I repeat, test it first. You need at least 30
minutes to do your first lamination (more time is better). Please do not start an
epoxy lamination with the room temperature above 80 degrees or below 60
degrees (it is ok to start at 80 degrees, in the morning, with the temperature
rising). Please do not put more than !% catalyst in polyester resin.
9. Mix it quickly for about three minutes, taking extra care to thoroughly mix the
thick epoxy resin which sticks to the mixing cup walls and bottom.
10. Pour the resin as in Figure 15 - do not allow your resin to run off the nose on to
the floor.

Figure 15
 Pour about 3/4 of the total mixed resin. Save the rest for dry spots.
11. Working quickly now hold your 4" squeegee at about a 45 degree angle. Run it
lightly longwise forcing the pooled resin out towards the rails as shown in photo
below. Keep quickly, and lightly dragging the resin with your squeegee from
overly wet areas to overly dry areas. Do not let small unevenly saturated areas
delay you. Saturate the flats as fast as you can without pushing resin off the rails
onto the floor.
12. Start pouring the 1/4 resin left in the container, in a thin line, along the rail edge
about 1' - 2' at a time.
13. Start dragging this resin with your squeegee so that it will run as evenly as
possible down the overhang. Put a hand underneath the overhanging cloth edge.
Lift it slightly and daub resin on the cloth with the squeegee (evening the resin
saturation and keeping it from running on to the floor). Try to catch any excess
runoff in the container. Don't worry about drips. Do not be delayed by small
dry spots. The 4" plastic squeegee can be dipped in the remaining resin (about
1" deep). The resin on the squeegee can be used to saturate uneven
spots. Hurry...the rails must be wrapped before the resin gels.

Long threads may be hanging down in a few places at this stage. Cut them with
scissors if time allows. If possible, a helper can monitor the resin by telling you
if it thickens (The resin on the board will gel a few minutes after the resin in the
container, giving you a little time to finish very quickly).
14. Quickly, using very firm pressure, (this almost can not be done too forcefully,
just don't make the cloth or blank shift) drag any excess resin out of the cloth
(the squeegee should be bending). Do this by dragging the squeegee crosswise
from the stringer to the mid rail all around the board leaving the cloth
hanging. If there are any dry spots on the overhang, use the excess resin, (which
will accumulate on the squeegee) to wet these spots. This accumulation can also
be scraped off on the top edge of the container, to be used on other touch
ups. Resin may be dripping everywhere.
 15. Quickly, still using very firm pressure, starting mid rail, lap the cloth underneath
working from the middle towards the nose, on each side, then the middle
towards the tail on each side. Do this by starting the squeegee at mid rail and
firmly force the wet cloth to adhere to the underside curve of the rails - the
squeegee should bend slightly (see photo below).

16. Look at the light reflection on the surface of the cloth. If resin is pooled in an
area, drag it to the edge of the cloth and scrap it off the squeegee into the
container. The squeegee should make a zipper type sound when dragged
quickly over the surface of the cloth. The weave of the cloth should be
visible. Any pooled resin will make the board weaker (floating bond) and
heavier.
17. Cut anything hanging down and check for bubbles, especially on the rails.
18. Drip a little resin in the bubbles and work them towards the edge of the cloth
with the squeegee. If this doesn't work cut a small slit with a razor blade, drip a
little resin, and work the bubble out of the slit with a squeegee. If there is a little
cloth sticking up at the tail corners and nose tip, drip some resin, squeegee, and
stop. These areas will never be perfect at this stage. Fix them on the hot and
gloss coats.
19. After taking off the gloves, get a flashlight, and check the cloth on the bottom
for bubbles, dry spots, and drips.

If laminating extruded polystyrene and the blank is rough sanded as advised, do the
following: After the rails are wrapped, spread about 5 - 10% more resin over the
cloth. Try to fill in all the pits and scratches, but do not leave any pooled resin. This
will make it look better, (fewer bubbles) and will lessen delaminations.

Put on new gloves and clean out the resin in the container with a paper towel etc., or pry
it out when it gets semi-hard (do this every mix). I added 1 extra container in each size,
in the MATERIALS chapter because most people ruin one on their first board. Use
cheap scissors (dollar stores) and 4" plastic squeegees which can be thrown away. It
can cost more to clean them than it does to use a new one each time. If you must re-use
things try cleaning them with 90 - 100% isopropyl alcohol (found at drug stores).

The epoxies recommended will probably take 6 hours or more to be ready to turn -
when the laminate is tapped with a fingernail, and it clicks, it is ready to
sand/plane. Turn the blank top up. With a surform file, plane any uneven places paying
special attention to nose end, tail corners, and where the cloth meets the foam etc. The
area where the cloth meets the foam is called the lap line. Use a surform pocket plane,
#50 block sander, and #50 hand sand paper to reduce the lap line edge almost flat with
the foam (do not sand into the foam). It is much safer to leave a slight edge at the lap
line (about the depth of your fingernail). I highly recommend putting a layer of duct
tape around the entire circumference, around the lap line(foam side). See SANDING -
photo of duct tape. The duct tape will prevent you from damaging the foam. Do not
obsess over the somewhat uneven cloth edge. This edge will be invisible, or almost
invisible, after the next cloth layer is laminated. The lumps, drips, and lap line edge are
more easily removed if done before the resin is completely hard (consistency of hard
rubber). If the surform or the sandpaper clogs, the resin needs more time to
harden. Remove any clogged resin from the surform with a wire brush, or small
screwdriver etc.

To glass the top, do the following:

1. Roll 1-8oz. "deck patch" layer from the tail to 1' beyond the board center point.
See Figure 16a.
2. Cut the deck patch cloth at an angle to the stringer (if cut straight it will tend to
break on the line). Mark your angle line by lightly scratching a line on the cloth
with the tip of your scissors - do not use a marker. Put weights (3 bricks etc. on
paper towels) on the cloth as you cut it to keep it from shifting.
3. Cut the deck patch overhang at mid rail. See photo below drawing 16a. Keep
the scissors lightly touching the mid rail at ninety degrees to the floor.

Figure 16a

4. Roll 1 layer of 8oz cloth over the entire surface of the blank overhanging the
ends and sides by at least an inch - this will cover the deck patch and remaining
exposed foam.
 5. Holding the roll over the end with one hand, cut the end with at least a 1"
overhang with your scissors in the other hand.
6. Put weights (3 bricks etc. on paper towels) on the cloth as you cut it to keep it
from shifting.
7. Cut this layer very straight so it will overhang the center or shadow of the rail by
about 1" all around. See photos above - first three photos. Note: the deck patch is
cut at mid rail and the layer covering it is cut 1" longer - both are saturated at the
same time. When cutting the 1" overhang use a moveable light shining from
underneath the board towards the area you are cutting (clamp on light to
bucket). Cut a slit in the cloth hanging at the nose tip and tail corners.
8. Saturate the top like the bottom, adding about 10% more resin.
9. When your fingernail clicks on the newly hardened surface, plane/sand the new
lap line and any drips and uneven spots (esp. nose tip and tail corners).

Please do not cut weight by reducing cloth amounts.

Most people say the first laminate coat was the hardest part of building their first
board. Please- double please - practice. Get some scrap foam, cloth, and resin, and
practice laminating - especially wrapping the rails.
 8. HOT COAT (fill coat)

The hot coat is mostly used to fill the gaps in the cloth weave. It should not actually be
hot. Many shops put extra catalyst in their hot coat which makes it heat up. This is
done to save time.

If not doing a gloss coat, prepare the laminate coat almost as if it is a hot coat. Sand the
laminate lap lines, corners, drips, and lumps very carefully before hotcoating, if not
doing a gloss coat - this same sanding can be done with less perfection if a gloss coat is
being applied. See GLASSING & SANDING.

Follow the steps:

1. Turn the board bottom up.

2. Wrap 1" masking tape (chemical resistant type) around the entire circumference
of the board at mid rail. (Figure 18).

Figure18

Press the top edge of the tape down firmly and let the bottom edge hang free
(lets resin drip off). Pull the tape up every foot or so and put a crease in the
middle of the tape to make sure it does not flatten out on the board.
3. Mix resin as before but use about 1/2 as much as when laminating. If using
polyester resin add styrene wax surface agent (wax)(see MATERIAL
LIST). The wax makes the resin set up non tacky so it can be sanded. Wax
should be added to polyester resin at a ratio of 10cc wax to one pint resin
(2%). Measuring syringes make this easier. See RESIN AMOUNTS for help
figuring amounts. Mix this batch with a higher percentage of catalyst than the
laminate. Do not use styrene wax surface agent, or a different hardener
percentage with epoxy.
4. Drag a finger around top tape edge again.
5. Pour about half the resin on one side and half on the other (two continuous
ovals). On the bottom hotcoat keep poured resin at least a foot away from the
nose tip, so resin will not run off.
6. Turn the cup upside down on a dry part of the board.
7. Use cheap (throwaway) 4" natural bristle brushes or foam brushes with
epoxy. Use cheap natural bristle brushes only with polyester. Foam brushes are
roughly half the price of the cheapest natural bristle brushes and work well with
epoxy resin. Start spreading the resin with the brush as you did with the
squeegee on the laminate coat (holding the brush at a 45 degree angle to the
stringer).
8. Take the cup off. Get the resin roughly even over the flat sections trying not to
let it run off the rails. Work the resin slowly, roughly evenly over the rails,
coating them lightly to the tape. From now on cover the entire surface of the
board with each set of back and forth strokes.
9. First stroke longwise one entire surface.
10. Stroke 45 degrees one entire surface.
11. Stroke 45 degrees the opposite direction.
12. Stroke one entire surface crosswise.
13. Brush two continuous circles brushing around the tape line (do not smash the
free hanging tape edge into the board).
14. Check with a moveable light all along the tape line for dry spots.
15. Stroke the entire surface longwise very lightly and, slowly one time, including
the rails.

16. Throw away the cheap brush (it will take more time to clean it than it's worth
and it won't be right anyway).
17. Wipe out the cup with a paper towel.
18. Pull the tape when the resin gels.
19. When it hardens, flip it and repeat, except for the following: When hotcoating
the top remember to start all longwise strokes from the nose end. Use slightly
more brush pressure at the bottom of the curve, letting up towards the tail. This
will even out the resin which tends to accumulate in the bottom of the curve.
If applying the #16 sanded traction surface mentioned in GLASSING, do the
following. Do not put the styrene wax surface agent in the top hot coat. Apply the top
gloss coat (with styrene wax surface agent - polyester only) directly over the hot coat
without sanding the top hot coat. Remember; there is no styrene wax ever added to
epoxy. The final #16 top coat sanded traction surface will eliminate the need for a
sanded hot coat and a smooth gloss coat. When using this method, reduce the resin by
two to four ounces (depends on board size) on each of the two top coats.

One weight and money saving alternative is to not do a gloss coat. If you carefully sand
the lap lines and corners etc on the laminate coat, the hot coat can look acceptably
smooth. This will not give you a board with the perfect look of a shop made board, but
many people find the weight and money savings attractive. The difference in strength is
barely noticeable. I recommend not sanding the hot coat if foregoing the gloss coat. If
the cloth is slightly sanded into, the cloth will "wick" water to the foam.
 9. FINS

Removable fin systems are probably the best choice - fins and fin positions can be
changed in relation to wave size and speed. This will drastically change the way a
surfboard maneuvers. Also fin removal makes for better travel. It is nearly impossible
to take a board with un-removable fins on any plane or bus. Note that many builders
say fin installation is especially difficult. Practice first.

If you cannot decide on which fin setup to use, do the following:

1. For a longboard use the 8" standard molded fin with 10.5" box from
www.surfsource.net.
2. For a thruster or twin use the future fins molded tri or twin fins and boxes
from www.fiberglasssupply.com. (Future Fin systems are usually installed
before laminating - after shaping, using a different technique - See below).
3. For an alternative see - SMALL WAVE DESIGN .

The molded fins are about half the weight and less than half the cost of fiberglass fins
and work great. One big advantage of the molded fins are that they tend to break before
the rear of the board becomes damaged - use breakaway fin plates (if possible). It's
generally not economical to make your own fins. Note that a large molded fin (about
eight dollars) can easily be cut and shaped to almost any shape.

If not doing a gloss coat, do the fins before the hot coat.

Please check and recheck your measurements, and templates. If you practice, it will be
easier and less stressful.

The following instructions will be in five parts; PART 1 - SINGLE FINS, PART 2 -
TRI AND TWIN FINS, PART 3 - FCS, PART 4 - GLASS ON FINS, and PART 5 -
MAKE YOUR OWN FINS. The stringer and no stringer methods are meant to be used
with the five part instructions which follow them. Please practice on scrap foam first -
especially wood removal.

STRINGER METHOD (wood or glue joint removal at fin box hole)

This method requires using the drill as a router. Do the following:

1. Obtain a router bit deep enough for your box depth (take box to store). Put
router bit in drill.
2. If drill has two handles and a depth rod, hold the box bottom even with the
router bit end and adjust the depth rod to the top of the box (rod will slide on
laminate or hot coat). If thedrill has no depth rod, cut a scrap piece of foam
about 1" x 1" x 4". Tape the foam to the side of the drill at the depth needed (1"
end of the foam will slide on the hot coat). Try to router the hole so the box top
will be flush with the laminate or hot coat.
3. Slowly cut the stringer material first. Hold the drill tightly, being careful to
control the hazard of the router bit grabbing and bouncing off the wood, causing
a cut outside the lines. Stay about 1/16" inside the fin box outline. Finish hand
sanding to a snug fit. Note: If you have no power tools the stringer material can
 be removed with a chisel or an old sharpened screwdriver, after first cutting the
outline with a hack saw blade (as mentioned below).

NO STRINGER METHOD (foam removal only)

Note that a nice fin box hole can be made with no power tools. Using a router or drill to
make a box hole, is risky for first timers. All that is needed is a hack saw blade and a
piece of 20 or 50 grit sand paper. Try the following steps:

1. Cut one end of the hack saw blade at a 45 degree angle, and the other end at a 90
degree angle with tin snips etc. If the hack saw blade can not be cut, simply
break the ends with a pair of pliers (after breaking the blade ends, use the pliers
to straighten the slight bend which the break will cause).
2. Wrap the hack saw blade with about 10 wraps of duct tape at the box depth
(prevents blade from over cutting depth).
3. Using the sharp (45 degree) end of the hack saw blade, force the sharp tip into,
and through the laminated cloth inside the box outline. Cut about 1/16" inside
the box outline.(any unevenness and smallness will be corrected by sanding).
4. Remove the cut cloth.
5. Cut lines across the foam within the box area, 1/8" apart to box depth lengthwise
and, 1/2" apart crosswise).
6. Remove the cut foam with your fingertips, and scrape the bottom with square
end of the hack saw blade. The walls and bottom can be sanded with #20 or #50
folded over (about 4 folds) to a small, stiff rectangle (try to match sandpaper
width to box width). Only the top edge of the box hole will be visible (try to get
a snug fit - any unevenness in the foam can be filled in with resin when
installing the box).
PART 1 - SINGLE FINS (practice on scrap foam first using the STRINGER
METHOD or NO STRINGER METHOD above). Install after laminating.

Do the following:

1. Mark the fin box location using the measurements from the model board
(probably 4 - 5" from the tail end for a 10.5" box).
2. Router the hole using the STRINGER MEHOD or NO STRINGER METHOD

3. Rough the box with #50.

4. With the fin still in the box, tape very carefully around the fin so resin cannot get
into the fin box (Figure 19). Use chemical resistant tape or duct tape. Note that
some fin boxes come with the top sealed. Sand the top seal off and installing the
box with the fin, to insure straightness. Although there are photos below of
taping around the box hole - this is not needed. Simply wipe up the excess resin
with paper towels. This will eliminate the possible problem of resin hardening
over the tape, making it very difficult to remove. This also eliminates the
problem of the tape being pulled too soon, causing fin misalignment. Be double
sure resin can not get into the fin box (always tape around the fin).
5. Cut 2 -4oz. strips of fiberglass cloth at least 1" wider and longer than your box
hole on all four sides. Test the fit by centering the dry strips over the hole and
smashing the box all the way down. Adjust as necessary for tight fit. The box
should be flush or barely sticking up. Remove the box and the strips.
6. Make sure the board is level on the racks. Use the torpedo level, angle finder or,
anything that is ninety degrees Note: If the board is exactly centered below a
light it will be much easier to see if the angles are accurate. You might need to
 put a 6" x 6" piece of cardboard near the side of the fin box. This will create a
level surface to put your ninety degree tool on. which will span the wet cloth.
7. Make sure the following is available before you mix the resin: wax paper, 1"
masking tape, razor blade, gloves, angle finder etc.
8. Epoxy : Mix about 2oz resin and 1 oz hardener. Polyester: Mix about 3oz resin
with 1cc cat. and 2cc wax (measure with syringe)
9. Put the 2 - 4oz. strips on wax paper, and pour about half the resin on
them. Squeegee the resin evenly into the cloth.
10. Center the wet cloth over the hole and push the box all the way down. Pour the
resin mix around the box edges until it runs out.

Note: the tape shown on the board above often causes more problems than it is
worth. Skip the taping shown and simply wipe up any excess with a paper
towel. Always tape around the fin in the box, however. Make double sure resin
does not get into the box. Use only duct tape or chemical resistant tape.
11. Set the angle of the fin/s using a fin angle template (see DESIGN) or angle
finder tool.
12. Tape the fin by running 1" masking tape from the top of the fin to both edges of
the board. Trust your eyes. If the light is even, and it looks crooked, it probably
is crooked, even if it was perfect before it was taped.

13. When the resin is rubbery, pull the tape where the fin meets the box, and remove
the fin. Do not worry about the cloth sticking up - this is easily sanded down
later.
14. If the box is sticking up put 3 layers of duct tape around it and sand it with #50
disk till the tape starts disintegrating. Stop. Remove the tape. This tape will
keep the cloth from being sanded into around the fin base. The disintegrated
 tape can be removed with alcohol and a razor blade. Note: If you leave the box
sticking up very slightly it is much easier and safer.

Single fins can be installed using the same method as tri and twin fins (below). This is
slightly easier and it is the way many pro shops do it now. However; by using the
method in this section it is less likely the cloth will be ripped around the box if you hit a
rock etc., (this is rare if you use breakaway fin plates).

PART 2 - TRI AND TWIN FINS (usually installed directly after shaping, using the
STRINGER METHOD or NO STRINGER METHOD- practice on scrap foam first)

Future Fins systems recommend routering the hole before you laminate (after
shaping). Future Fins also recommends buying their very expensive tools. To the
contrary; Future Fins boxes can be installed using much the same technique as
above. Practice on scrap foam first.

Directly after shaping (before laminating).

F ollow the steps:

1. Mark out the box flange and the box (square part that fin fits into - ignore the
ribs). See GLASS ON FINS below for more location information. Cut the box hole
only (not the flange) with the hacksaw or drill/router using the STRINGER METHOD
or NO STRINGER METHOD above. It is critical that this be a tight fit.
2. With a lone hack saw blade (break or cut off a 1" piece of saw blade) scrape away the
foam in the area the flange will sit on, until the top of the flange will be flush with the
surrounding foam.
3. Push the box slowly into the hole testing for flush fit.
4. Reinsert the box in the hole and make sure the flange is flat (flush) on the surface of
the board (if the box flange is flush, the side fins will be about four degrees, on Future
Fins).
5. Pull the box out again, sand it with #50 and, wipe it with alcohol. Tape plastic box
hole with duct tape or chemical resistant tape.
6. Cut two 4 oz. layers of cloth in a football shape to cover each box (about 1" beyond
box edges).
7. Mix about 3 oz. resin for each fin. Use epoxy if using a polystyrene blank.
8. Using your gloved fingertip, apply a thick layer of resin to the box (including the
underside of the flange), box hole and, foam flange area.
9. Insert the box into the hole.
10. Put the football shaped layers over the box and saturate the cloth with resin. Wipe
up any excess resin before it gels. Note that this fin system gets much of its strength
from the laminate coat which will later cover most of it

PART 3 - FCS

FCS is the easiest to install and the easiest to damage. FCS can be installed using the
same method in the LEASH PLUG chapter (see conventional leash plug).

PART 4 - GLASS ON FINS

If glassing-on (un removable fins) it saves a step to do it before the hot coat.
Please follow the steps:

1. Mark the fin(s) location according to your model board. Please note that the
measurements below will not give optimal results on all boards. If you do not
have a model board you are copying, keep the rear bottom fin edge (on the side
fins) about 1" from the rail edge. If you draw a straight line along the side of a
side fin, it should end up about 2" ( varies) from the mid tip of the nose (on that
fin side).

Figure 20 Note: The 51/2" below should be about 51/4"

Make sure the board is level on the racks and light is centered overhead. Use a
fin angle template (see DESIGN) or angle finder if the fin lean angle is
needed. This angle is four to eight degrees (four is common).
2. Hold the fins in place with 1" masking tape run from the fin(s) tip to both board
edges.
3. Mix some resin/catalyst and drip it around the fin(s) base (just to hold them in
place). 90 second or 5 minute epoxy works well for this.

Figure 21 Note: The fin lean angle below can be from 4degrees to 8degrees.
 4. Cut fiberglass rope about 1/2" longer than fin base (both sides).
5. Cut 2 layers of 4oz. cloth to fit about 3" up fin height and about 3" across the
board for each side of each fin.
6. Mix about 6oz. total resin and hardener for a single longboard fin - about 3oz.
for each thruster fin.
7. Saturate the rope on wax paper (keep it straight).
8. Lay the rope at the fin base (one on each side).
9. Saturate the cloth and put 2 layers on each side of the fin. Smooth out the rope
curve with a finger.

Note: The fin will break off cleanly, rather than possibly tearing a hole around the fin
base, if the following is done: Reduce the amount of rope to about 1/4 the original
amount or just replace it with 4 - 4 oz. strips 1/2" - 1" wide on each side (narrower
cloth to the center). Please realize that the fins will break off easier this way but more
cleanly. Cut excess when gelled. Remove tape. Prepare to hot coat.

PART 5 - MAKING YOUR OWN FIN (do this only if shipping is a problem)

Probably the easiest and cheapest way to make a fin is with wood. Cedar fence wood
works well. A 6’x 5&1/2” x 1/2"” piece costs about $2.50 in 2008. Cedar is light, rot
resistant, beautiful, and shapes easily.

1. Make a fin template from cardboard etc.

2. Trace the template on cedar fence wood.
3. Cut the wood 1/4" outside the template outline, with a hand saw (consider cutting and
making two wood cores - one for practice). Use a hack saw etc.
4. Use a drill with #16 sanding disk to shape the wood core. Put drill in vise or put
weight on top of the drill to stabilize it (brick etc.). Pay close attention to the foil. The
front edge should be rounded, with the 3/8" thickest point of the fin, about 1/3 of the
distance from the front edge. It should gradually become thinner from this point, to
become almost sharp at the rear edge (similar to an airplane wing). If you do not shape
it this way it will likely vibrate and hum loudly. See
http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/foil2.html. If you are making twin or tri
fins, foiling the inside face of the fin is not needed (it can be flat), although it will work
if you do foil it. Always symmetrically foil both sides of center fins. Finish hand
sanding with #50.
5. Mix 1 oz. total resin and hardener and coat wood core on all sides. Leave about 1/4
of resin in the container, and recoat the fin before the resin hardens – the resin will sink
into the wood on the first coat.
6. Place the fin bottom down on a sheet of wax paper (brace it with a brick etc.,).
7. Repeat # 5.
8. When hard, do not sand with power sander - you may sand into the wood. Hand
sand. Start with #50. Sand bottom edge with sanding block.
9. Fine sand and buff as in GLASSING if desired.

Using cedar for a core will make a beautiful, light fin. People will stop to look. The fin
will float on its own. I am assuming you will be glassing on your fin if you make your
own. If you can get a box shipped, you can get a fin shipped. It is not worth making
your own fins unless shipping is a problem. Note: An entire surfboard could be made
from cored (drilled to remove about 50% of wood) and glued cedar fence wood. This
would be similar in price to a foam board assuming cloth would not be used on the
cedar. The cored cedar board would be heavier and more work, but very
beautiful. Numerous surfers have built cored boards with other woods, but I know of no
one who has used cedar.

Please install a fin box if possible, and please practice first.

 10. SANDING

It is better to sand too little than sand too much.

Assuming no power sander, put a 5" rubber backing pad and #50 sanding disk(s) on the
drill (if you put multiple sanding disks on the pad it will sand smoother). It would be
preferable that the drill have two handles, a maximum rpm range of 2000 to 3000 and,
variable speed. You will be able to find one for less than $30 - (2008) if you will accept
an "off" brand. See www.harborfreight.com Put on your respirator with a dust
cartridge. If you can't get a respirator at least wear a dust mask and take everything
outside in the wind or use a fan.

Completely cover your body, including your head. If you won't do this get some baby
powder and work it in to all your exposed skin. If the sanding dust gets into the pores
of your skin you will likely itch for days!

Go very slowly at first, constantly moving and barely touching the board surface. Keep
the sanding disk flat most of the time. In places where the disk can not kept flat, it is
better to hand sand. The relatively low speed of the drill should prevent any big
mistakes. Stay away from the rails. It is safer to hand sand the rails (including the cloth
overlaps) and any curved areas. Do not learn the hard way (as so many of us have) and
power sand through your cloth As you get the feel for it try allowing the weight of the
sander to bear down on the surface, still constantly moving (you should not need to
push down hard).

Once again ; do not power sand the rails. Hand sanding only, on the rails, take down
any drips and excess with a surform file, and #16, or #20 sandpaper. The resin line left
around the circumference of the rail when the tape was removed can be mostly removed
by dragging a lone razor blade repeatedly over the resin line. This razor blade work and
all sanding will be easier if you do it when the resin is newly hardened (as soon as it
clicks when hit with your nails). Finish sanding the rails by hand with #50. Although
hand sanding is brutally hard work, an entire surfboard can be done with no power
tools. If hand sanding only (no power tools), sand the flats, starting with #16, and
ending with #50. The photo below shows sanding the lap line before hotcoating using
duct tape along the foam side of the lap line to prevent sanding the foam (highly
recommended).
Keep blowing or brushing off the dust and looking closely at the glass. If a small
checkerboard pattern becomes visible, don't sand any deeper there (you're seeing the
cloth-try not to sand to the cloth). On inspection; low spots may be seen that can not be
sanded with the drill sander without penetrating the cloth on nearby high
spots. Lightly hand sand these low spots using your finger tips if needed. Try to
simply remove all the shine from the entire surface. Just get the bottom smooth and
completely sanded, then stop. It is better to sand too little than too much. Just make
sure to get all the shine off the surface.

Sand the top like the bottom. The top doesn't need to be as smooth as the bottom. If
you intend to apply the #16 sanded traction surface mentioned in HOT COAT and
GLOSS COAT, do not sand the top hot coat.

Take the board out in bright sunlight if possible and look for shiny spots on the top and
bottom. These shiny spots may have wax on the surface (polyester only). The gloss
coat will look wavy etc., if you leave them

It is better to sand too little than to sand too much.

 11. ART WORK

Make a plain, clear board. Why make a hard job harder? One of the main things that
will make a first board look unprofessional is sloppy art work. Keep it simple. Be
really different. Leave it plain.

If doing artwork, do it after sanding the hot coat. This way it can be fixed it if a mistake
occurs. If art work is under or in the cloth it can not be fixed.

Acrylic water based paints work well. This paint is inexpensive, cleans up easily with
water until dry, and can be easily sanded off when dry. Make double sure acrylic is dry
(not just on the surface). Hobby Lobby and Michaels has acrylic paint in any
color. Avoid any kind of ink pens, including acrylic (I have not found one pen that will
not either run, bleed or, lift). Latex house paint works well with epoxy but will run with
polyester. Pigmented polyester, pigmented epoxy, and enamel house paint work also,
but are harder to correct. To make sure the paint/resin is totally dry put it on a
test piece at the same time the art on the board was inked. Test by rubbing or brushing
repeatedly with catalysed resin (try to brush as few strokes as possible on the final
piece). Many paints will run when exposed to resins. Some inks lift (rise to the surface
of the resin as it sets).

Another way to do art work that gives good results is to print rice paper
(www.fiberglasssupply.com ) on a computer printer. This paper will become clear
when saturated with resin. Make at least two copies and test one with catalysed
resin. Do not put it under the cloth. It may be necessary to cut the paper to fit the
printer or go to Kinko's etc. ( Kinko's have printers for oversize sheets). The rice paper
may need to be taped to another piece of regular paper to make it feed properly.

Apply the paper to the desired area of the sanded hot coat, using a squeegee and a small
amount of resin. Work the air bubbles out to the edges with the squeegee. Wipe off the
excess resin and let it harden before putting on the gloss coat. If the gloss coat is
applied directly over the paper the edges will probably lift after you walk away.

Art work, airbrushing, and spray painting tend to reduce the bond between the cloth and
the blank, or between different resin layers. Putting pigment in the resin weakens the
resin. A plain, clear board is strong, simple, and cheap.

Make a plain clear board.

 12. GLOSS COAT

Save money, labor, and weight by not doing a gloss coat.

If glosscoating, place the board bottom up, and tape around the rails as with the hot
coat. Close the doors, and windows. Mix and apply the gloss coats as done on the hot
coats. Pull the tape when it gels. Turn out the lights (keeps bugs off). Leave it until it's
hard.

For a high gloss finish on the bottom, many first time builders will need to start sanding
epoxy with #100 and # 220, and start sanding polyester with #220 (disk on drill etc)
then hand sand epoxy or polyester with #400.wet sand paper (keep the #400 wet paper
sliding on a layer of water). Wash off the board with a hose etc. Look at the sanded
finish closely in shade and bright light. It may be necessary to repeat the entire sanding
process, or just one small area. Work will be saved overall if you sand more with the
#220 and less with the #400. Do not rely on the #400 to reduce unevenness. When the
sanding is perfectly even, put a buffing pad on the drill and spread lines of rubbing
compound over approximately 2 sq. ft. areas. Buff till dry then blend into the next 2 sq.
ft. area. If unevenness is seen, it will probably be necessary to repeat the entire process.

Maybe finish work is not worth so much trouble, and expense. It seems a waste of labor
to sand and buff the top and then smear wax all over it. You could skip the finish work
on the top and maybe the bottom. The board will actually look better later (when it gets
scratched or has dried salt water on it etc.) if it does not have a glossy finish to start
with. Some people prefer to only lightly fine sand with #400 or #180 etc. Below are
many alternatives.

Epoxy has no wax (surface agent) to buff off. It dries glossy. The bottom epoxy gloss
coat can be left alone. On the top a traction surface can be created by sanding with
#16. Be aware that epoxy is not as u.v. resistant as silmar 249 polyester. It will tend to
discolor over the years. Some epoxy experts recommend adding pigment, or some u.v.
resistant covering (polyester resin, dolphin skin, or acrylic clear coat). This is not
necessary, but if you insist on a u.v. covering I advise using polyester resin. If "fish
eyes" (a common bubble like imperfection) appear in an epoxy hot coat, consider
adding fans to blow across the surface of the wet gloss coat. It often helps. Fish eyes
can be filled in by slowly dripping resin, slightly over filling the hole. See
EPOXY. Note: Use either all polyester resin or all epoxy resin. Iit is too prone to
errors and frustrations for the first time builder to learn both systems.

Flaws may be covered by adding a solid pigment to the gloss coat. If adding pigment to
an epoxy gloss coat, yellow epoxy based pigment is a good choice - epoxy yellows over
time. See RESIN AMOUNTS - Helpful Notes.

For an alternative traction surface try using a coarsely sanded finish method mentioned
below instead of using wax. This seems to be one of those strange things that is too
simple for anyone to believe. Yes...the finish is rough, and yes...bare skin rubbed
hundreds of times on the surface will probably be irritated, but...surfers wear rash
guards or wetsuits most of the year anyway, so... the seeming total lack of interest in an
almost free traction surface is confounding. If you simply follow the directions below,
using only the recommended grits, it will work well. It has been used by the author for
over 40 years. Most people who try it are still using it. Try the following:

Hand sand the flats of the top of the board with #16 or #12 floor sanding paper. Don't
use any other grits. Bear down with most of your weight, scratching deeply. I have
never seen anyone sand through both the unsanded hot coat and gloss coat this
way. Just rough it up (shiny spots are o.k.). Sand in all directions, but mostly crosswise
on the flats and mostly longwise on the rails. Hand sand the rails #50. Some people
like #16 on the rails but it may irritate the inside of your legs. End with very heavily
hand sanded crosswise strokes on the flats (better traction). The amount of time and
labor is similar to applying the first coat of wax on a new board. No one has any
problem with their feet slipping on newly sanded traction, but most people find it
somewhat slicker than wax when in contact with lycra. If you have a problem with rash
on your knee etc., try New Skin, Super Glue, or lycra pant and shirt. This #16 surface
will last about 50 hours of surfing before the abrasiveness fades. Just rough it up with
very heavy hand sanding using mostly crosswise strokes for a few minuets. Even after
years of re-sanding, no one I know has sanded into the cloth. Try it, it works. It is
simple, cheap, and clean. Most people who are open to this do not go back to wax.

One more alternative is to use E.V.A. (ethylene vinyl acetate) sheets. This is the same
material used in stick on traction pads, the tops of soft top surfboards, and the tops of
paddle boards. The cost was $10./sheet in 2005 at www.canalrubber.com . The sheets
are about 6' x 3' x 1/16" and come in 10 colors. It can even be wrapped around the rails
using masking tape to hold the tension and flatten the wrinkles until the glue dries. The
gloss coat or hot coat can be used as a glue. It can be tested by duct taping a piece to
the floor, or the board, and try it out wet. It seems to have better grip wet than dry. You
may have better traction cutting the sheets into strips 1/2" - 1' wide. Please test it to
determine preference. A similar product is available from www.noskidding.com. No
skidding sells peel and stick anti slip vinyl safety tape in 4 colors which is non-abrasive
to bare skin. Look for ns4100 series - 1" x 60' for $18. Or, simply buy the Sticky
Bumps etc., kits at www.surfsource.net.

Simply wearing neoprene booties, or socks will give tremendous grip even on a board
with no wax or traction surface. The tropical neoprene reef booties with drain holes,
and arch cinches are especially nice for warm water traction. Buy booties slightly
small, and possibly burn drain holes with a hot ice pick tip, so water will not collect
inside.

The sanded finish in the paragraph above is the favorite of my friends and I. The
E.V.A. is more comfortable, especially when paddling.

It is amazing that so many people are still using wax. Surfers like to think of
themselves as non conformists, but this is one example of how resistant to change
surfers are. Wax is really only good for the first few times that your body makes contact
with it. It soon packs down and becomes slick. It attracts filth, melts, and has to be
reapplied often. Be different. Use the alternatives above.

Save money, labor, and weight by not applying a gloss coat.

 13. LEASH PLUG

The easiest of all leash plugs is the stick on plug at www.ofishl.com. No drilling or
tools are needed with this plug. Buy the kit with the rope and resin included or just the
plug. The shipping is about two times the cost of one plug so you might want to buy
enough for any future boards. Ofishl sells accessories to make it lockable. I
recommend putting it on after the gloss coat has hardened.
Do the following:

1. Put a 2" piece of string through the hole and tie in a knot so it can not hang over
the edge.
2. Using a drill sander and #50 disk, sand the center, bottom of the plug for a few
seconds (make it slightly concave) - this will allow you to put it flat on a curved
surface. Sand the part of the board it will sit on by hand.
3. Brush on a thick layer of resin on the bottom of the plug, or dip the bottom
surface of the plug into a cut off paper cup with epoxy in the bottom (a five
minute epoxy kit works well for this - do not use Loctite brand - weak). Stick
the plug as far back on the top tail as practical.
4. Wipe off any excess resin leaving a little extra around the edge.
5. If not using five minute epoxy, tape the plug (keep the tape away from the plug
edge) so that it will not slide slowly downward.
6. If buying only the plug, buy 1/8"(3.2mm) nylon rope (available at Lowe's, etc.).
7. Cut a few pieces in 8" lengths and burn the ends slightly (some leashes are sold
with a rope).
8. Remove the string and replace it with the rope. Tie the loop in a double knot.

If installing a conventional leash plug/cup, do the following::

1. After the hot coat, use a 1" or 1&1/8" paddle bit (take leash plug when selecting
paddle bit) to drill the hole through the hot coat, into the foam. A hole saw
works better, but is more expensive.
2. Mark the paddle bit with tape at the box depth.
3. Drill slowly, checking for proper depth.
4. Try to get it flush with the top of the board.
5. Cut one square inch of cloth into shreds and, mix the shreds with about one
ounce of catalyzed resin.
 6. Spread the mix around the hole (not all of it) and insert the plug. Fill all air
spaces with the remaining mix. Re-check before the resin gels, and re-fill if resin
has seeped down.
7. Wipe up any excess.

If shipping is a problem install the lockable do-it-yourself plug below.

1. After the hot coat, drill 1/2" hole no more than 1" from the middle end of the tail
(check to make sure lock will fit) - after the hot coat.
2. Put duct tape across bottom of hole.
3. Cut one square inch of fiberglass cloth into small shreds.
4. Mix one ounce total resin and hardener.
5. Mix shredded cloth with resin.
6. Force mix in hole - eraser side of pencil works well as a packer tool.
7. Wipe up excess
8. After resin hardens, sand flush
9. Drill hardened resin with 1/8" bit, and drill the 1/8" hole with a 3/16" bit.(make
sure you do not drill into the foam).
10. Attach 8" long 1/8"(3.2mm) nylon rope.
 14. BOOKS

Essential Surfing by George Orbellian

Amazon.com also; go to http://www.essentialsurfing.com/ for cached design
information - the most important part of the book is free online.

The complete Surfing Guide for Coaches by Bruce Gabriel (for free online)
http://www.blackmagic.com/ses/book/toc.html

Quick Spanish for Travelers by Stephen Pirsch (for free online)

www.surfersteve.com

All About Surfboards (for free online)

www.Allaboutsurfboards.com

Printed version of this book

http://www.cafepress.com/surfersteve.224488481
 15. MATERIAL LIST (SHAPING)

1-foam blank
2-2"x4"x8' wood stud & 1-1"x8" or 6-5 gal. buckets for stands
1-Sheet #16 grit floor sanding paper (from floor sanding machine rental company, #12
or #20 ok) or 1- 9" #16 sanding disk from www.fiberglasssupply.com could be used
with an 8" block in place of the 10" below (better than #12 or #20)
2-#16 Aluminum Oxide etc sanding disks-5" (from www.fiberglasssupply.com )
2- #50 Aluminum Oxide etc. sanding disks-5"
1-foam pipe insulation
1-10"x4.5"x1" wood block with #16 sand paper
1-10"x3.5"x1" wood block with #50 sand paper
1-26"x3.5"x1" wood block with #50 sand paper (make sure it's not warped)
1- 12"x2"x1" wood etc. 1-6"x2"x3/8" wood etc.
1-small interior/exterior lightweight spackling, (if using polystyrene blank get large) or
microsphere thickener.
1 - 10' Electrical Metallic Tubing

MATERIAL LIST (GLASSING)

Based on 9' board with 1 -8oz-bottom., 1 -8oz-top with 1 -8oz deck patch. Total
laminating, hot coat, fin, and gloss coat resin (1.5 gal. minimum polyester resin or 1.5
gal minimum epoxy resin and hardener total). 7.5oz and 8.5oz cloth available at
uscomposites.com 8oz cloth available at plasticareinc.com
Catalyst-3oz min. (if using polyester)
Wax-2oz min. (if using polyester)
Cloth-8oz."E" or "S" glass 30" wide etc .x 9 yds. long minimum or 4.8 oz. carbon fiber
30" wide etc. x 7 - 9 yds. long minimum (use 9 yds. carbon total for a board with a deck
patch) or 6oz. "S" cloth 30" wide etc. x 9 yds. long minimum
Disposable latex gloves (50 pair box)
2-10cc syringe (one for cat., one for wax)
2-Qt. mixing container with cc graduations.
2-2.5 qt mix. container w/cc's
Fin box(s) & Fin(s)
4"- 6" plastic squeegees (3 minimum) (4" easier for most people)
1" masking tape (chemical resistant type)
2" masking tape (cheap stuff o.k.)
Duct tape
Wax paper
Paper towels (plain white) and white rags
Cheap scissors (3 minimum)
Razor blades
Mixing stick(s)
Acetone-1 qt. - for polyester clean up. Use 90% alcohol for epoxy clean up.
Mason jar with lid (optional for acetone)
Cheap 4" natural bristle brushes or foam brushes (4 minimum)
Ofishl stick on leash plug, or 1" standard leash cup.
Optional-fiberglass rope (for glass on fins only) amt. varies
Optional-pigment for epoxy etc.
Optional-1/8" nylon leash rope (can buy 50' for the price of one piece at surf shop)
 16. POLYESTER, OR EPOXY RESIN AMOUNTS-(9' BOARD)
PLUS POLYESTER CATALYST RATIOS

Catalyst, and wax amounts are for polyester only - reduce catalyst (polyester only)
amounts if temperature is above 80 degrees F, and do a test batch first. Do not start an
epoxy lamination at over 80 degrees F., unless using a slow hardener. Cloth amounts
are: 1-8oz oz top & bot. w/1-8oz deck patch.

Laminate coat
Bot.- 40oz=12cc cat
Top- 54 oz=16cc cat

Hot coat
Bot.- 18oz=5cc cat & 11cc wax
Top- 20oz=6cc cat &12cc wax

Gloss coat
Bot.- 18oz = 5cc cat. & 11cc wax
Top- 20oz = 6cc cat. & 12cc wax

Fin box
3 oz = 1cc cat. & 2cc wax

Catalyst percentages .5% .75% 1% 1.5% 2%

Pint=16oz resin add 3cc 4cc 5cc 7cc 9cc catalyst
Quart=32oz resin add 5cc 7cc 9cc 14cc 18cc catalyst

Helpful Equivalents
1cc=15drops
1oz=30cc
1cup=8oz
1pint=16oz
1quart=32oz
1gallon=128oz

Helpful Notes
10cc styrene wax (about 2%) for each pint of laminating resin (to make it dry non-
tacky-hot coat and gloss coat only). Maximum 1oz polyester type pigment/1quart resin
(will inhibit hardening of polyester resin at 1oz/1pint). Note: Some epoxy based
pigments will work in epoxy at a !0% ratio.

How To Figure Catalyst Amounts When You Have An Odd Resin Amount.

1. Choose the % of catalyst. Note: 1% is a good starting place.

2. Convert the resin amount from oz. to cc. by multiplying oz. times
30. Example: 20oz. x 30 = 600cc.
3. Multiply the resin amount in cc's times 1% . Example: 600cc x 1% (.01) = 6cc
catalyst.

How To Figure Epoxy/Hardener Amounts At A 2/1 Ratio.

1. Choose an amount divisible by 3. Example: You need 44oz. total resin. 44 + 1
= 45.
2. Divide by 3. 45 divided by 3 = 15. 15 is the hardener amount.
3. Multiply the hardener amount by 2. 15 x 2 = 30. 30 is the epoxy resin amount.
4. Add/mix the hardener and epoxy together for the total needed resin. 30 + 15 =
45.
 17. EQUIPMENT LIST

Respirator with dust and vapor cartridges (3M brand with separate 100% dust
cartridge).
Tape measure
Magnetic torpedo level
Drill preferably with two handles, variable speed and, 2000 to 3000 rpm.
Hand saw (wood)
Sharpie fine marker pen
Block plane (smallest)
Surform pocket plane
5" rubber/plastic back-up pad with 1/4" shank (for sanding disks on drill)
Hacksaw blade (coarse)
Optional 1" paddle bit to match optional 1" leash cup

TOOL RESEARCH

Tool Research From surfersteve.com - A Compromise For Those Wishing To Replicate

Production Surfboard Building Methods

Although the book, How to Build Your First Surfboard, strives to steer builders from
the possible wreckage of production building, it is clear most builders would prefer the
look of a mass produced surfboard. The following tools and tips will make this more
likely, although the first surfboard will, no doubt, still have many imperfections.
Hundreds of dollars can be saved by using the following tools compared to industry
standard tools. The following has been extensively tested (on 6 boards in 2012) by the
author, the expense and labor solely for the benefit of you, the reader (The author
already owned the industry standard tools). Be aware these tools are not designed for
heavy duty, continuous production use, but will work well for the occasional garage
built board.

TOOL

Harborfreight.com #26973834 Drill Master Planer $27.99 with coupon in 2011. Heavy
Duty model (similar) is $36. with coupon in 2011. Industry standard Hitachi is $379.

TIP

1. This planer has a 1/16" maximum cutting depth. The depth can be doubled to 1/8" by
loosening the cutting blades and extending them 1/16"(the tools for this are included).
The depth can be tripled to 3/16" by grinding the front plate (the plate on the bottom
which adjusts up and down). Put a 3" abrasive cutting wheel on your drill, or a 6"
abrasive cutting blade on your sander/polisher (this tool mentioned below) and slowly
grind the plate with the wheel almost parrallel to the plate - this will take one to two
hours. If you over grind or grind unevenly, it can be filled with 5 minute epoxy. After
modification this planer works very similar to the industry standard Hitachi

2. In contrast to surfboard foam planing shown in youtube videos, a planer is designed

to be used parrallel to the direction of work (not 45 degrees), Holding at 45 degrees
reduces the cutting area by 1/2 which doubles your labor, and increases the possibility
of an error.

Note 1: Keep the right side air intake port clear of foam dust which will quickly clog the
opening and could cause overheating, although overheating did not occur with the
author.

Note 2: The comment above, in Tip #2, caused a 6 page argument in Swaylocks Forum,
with the vast majority of production builders arguing for holding the planer at 45
degrees - they state it is faster and more accurate. After extensively testing both
methods, the posted results showed negligible differences in time and accuracy, with the
parallel method being slightly faster and leaving slightly less planing lines to sand. The
author tried to plane as fast as possible without tearing chunks of foam, so...when
planing a smaller cut with the angle method he was able to push at a faster rate, thereby
achieving comparable totals.
Despite the fact that many on Swaylocks who insist 45 degree planing is correct have
much more experience planing than the author, consider the following: With parallel
planing it is much easier to get good results with no experience - my friends agree it is
much like mowing your yard - you simply line up the front edge of the planer with the
last cutting line. With 45 degree planing, it is difficult to know where the edge of the
cutters are, and where the cutters are will change if your hand turns slightly. Also; a 45
degree planing cut is slightly concave (due to the cutters being at an angle - imagine the
cutters held at 90 degrees and pushed sideways, resulting in a circular depression). The
lack of visual cue and concave tend to cause an increase in planing lines (excess foam
material left after connecting passes). This excess is negligible after a few hours of
practice, but why make a new job harder? So... parallel planing is still recommended.
If a planer was designed to plane at 45 degrees the blades would be at 45 degrees to the
planer body, not at 90 degrees.
If a planer was designed to accurately follow curvature it would have a curved surface
in front of, and behind the blades, not two flat plates. Testing shows to follow rocker
curvature accurately with a planer, it is better to plane crosswise (across the width, at 90
degrees to the stringer). This revelation was the really interesting result of this
argument, but no one even commented on the test results for curvature accuracy.
Planers are not designed for surfboard shaping but they save a lot of time on the rough
shape.

TOOL

Harborfreight.com #33586157 Polisher/Sander $39.99 with coupon in 2011 - includes

assorted 6" hook and loop sandpaper, foam backed hook and loop type sanding pad, and
polishing bonnet. Industry standard Milwaukee is $245. - not including the accessories.

TIP

1. Buy assorted 6" hook and loop sanding disks at ebay.com http://cgi.ebay.com/50pc-6-
HOOK-and-LOOP-SANDING-DISCS-Assorted-Grit-da-
/360370672190?pt=Sanders_Sandblasters&hash=item53e7c4123e (the sellers of these
assorted disks change with availability) If you buy from industrial suppliers you will
have to buy an absurd amount of each grit.
2. Initially run sander at lowest speed, and practice on a scrap piece of foam that has
been laminated and hot coated. Very slowly sand into the cloth and through the cloth, so
you can see what to avoid.

NOTE 1: This purchase is worth it for the accessories alone.

NOTE 2: Hook and loop sandpaper is the best type because it is the easiest, and fastest
to change and can be re - used. Hook and loop usually costs more initially (although not
with this purchase), but costs less in the end, especially in cost of time.

TOOL

Harborfreight.com #33027418 Trim Router $19.99 with coupon in 2011. The industry
standard Ryobi is $99.99.

TIP

1. You will need a router bit with 1" long cutter for Fins Unlimited Boxes - 1" bits are
rare.

2. A 12"x 6"x 3/16" template can be made out of 3/16" panel board (get 4'x 4' piece at
Lowe's. To achieve 5 degree lean on twin or tri fins, an additional 1"x 12" piece of
3/16" panel board can be duct taped to the bottom edge of the template. The entire
template can be held in place with Gorilla brand duct tape.

NOTE: By the time you adjust the router and bit, and make a template, you could cut
out about 5 boxes by hand. After making template (and practicing) it is faster and more
precise with a router. The harborfreight cut out tool can also be used as a router.
 18. MISCONCEPTIONS, QUESTIONS, CONFUSIONS, OPINIONS

It seems there has never been sportsmen more image driven, or immersed in confusion
than surfers. This section will attempt to provide clarity to surfboard design subjects,
submerged in controversy.

THE CASE OF THE MISSING FLOATATION

Contrary to popular belief, (all other things being equal) lighter materials will not
usually add enough floatation to justify a smaller surfboard. It is misleading to think of
the floatation of a surfboard with no one on it. A surfboard that is 10% lighter will float
10% better, but this is only when no one is on the board. The 10% increase is reduced
to less than 1% when anyone over 100 lbs. is put on the surfboard. Example:

10 lb. board minus 10% = 9 lb. board.

10 lb. board plus 100 lb rider = 110 lb
9 lb. board plus 100 lb rider = 109 lb
1 lb.= less than 1% buoyancy increase

The failure to think of the surfer and board as one unit, causes the unhappy case of the
missing floatation.

Although many have stated otherwise, two surfboards of the same size and weight will
float exactly the same, no matter what they are made of. This can be proved by
weighing the water displaced (Archimedes' principle – Law of Buoyancy). Numerous
people claim that a board made with a lighter core material (usually 2 lb./cu.ft.
polystyrene foam) will always float better (board dimensions being equal) than a
polyurethane blank (about 3 lb./cu.ft.). This is only true if the shell material (usually
fiberglass cloth and resin) is about the same weight. If the shell is heavier, (which
should be the case, in a well made polystyrene board) the total board weight could be
more. Building with lighter materials does not usually justify using a smaller board (all
other things being equal).

Increasing buoyancy in a meaningful, practical way is simple; lose body weight, or use
a bigger board. Advertisers know no one wants to hear this.

FLEX ENERGY TRANSFER

Followers of flex energy transfer state "some boards flex in a hard turn and release this
stored energy coming out of a turn, thereby increasing speed." Most of the arguements
about flex are based on personal feeling and are completely subjective (cannot be
proved or disproved). Nevertheless, this is an emotionally charged subject with
believers devoting pages of text defending their view. The importance of flex is
convenient for the custom builder, as he can claim to create more or less flex as the
customer wishes. The actual amount of flex in inches is never stated, but measurements
on racks indicate it is very unlikely to be more than 1/2". Everyone appreciates
responsiveness, but a custom surfboard that is constructed so lightly as to have
notceable flex also has negative characteristics - it will be relatively weak and prone to
dinging, denting, delaminating, and breaking.
Competitive snow boarders and skiiers have discovered a shorter, stiffer board/ ski are
faster in a timed slalom course than longer more flexible boards/skiis. All surfers who
have ridden a comparable hard surfboard, and a soft surfboard (body board
construction) agree the soft surfboard is noticeably slower. Most surfers agree a stiff fin
is more responsive than a flexible fin. Most other sports have adopted stiffer, stronger
materials with a resulting gain in durability, and performance - not so for surfers mired
in the flex energy transfer debate.

Recommendation: Ignor the flexibility debate and make a relatively stiff, durable
surfboard (minimum 1-6oz. "E".top and bot.w/ 6oz. deck patch) If you insist on a
lighter board, please read the GLASSING, EPOXY and TIPS chapters, or research
boards constructed using "S" cloth, divinycell, vacumn bagging, or injection
molding. A board with the same lightness as a weak, flexible board can be created
which is stiff and durable, but it will probably cost more. Using the forementioned
construction methods, your board can be light and reasonably strong, but the flexibility
debate will never end.

Although many will continue to extole the virtues of flex energy transfer, and it could
be argued that a durable board with usable flex can be made, the evidence suggests that
boards claimed to be flexible are also weak and disposable.

QUESTIONABLE DESIGN TRENDS

The surfboard building industry is a tough, low profit business. The big companies
need to feature new innovations to boost sales. Sometimes this creates a trend. In 2012
the trend is; concaves, V bottoms, and quad fins.

Surfing seems more prone to fads than any other sport. First, sharp rails and shallow
fins resulted in very loose, snappy turns. To add more control, concaves were added. To
compensate for the stiffer turning of concaves, V bottoms were added. To compensate
for the loosness of V bottoms, quad fins were added. This seems sily as, a simpler,
better solution is to use a flat bottom with slightly deeper fins, but this is not new, and it
does not increase board sales. This is not to say a concave, V bottom, quad is no good,
only that, perhaps we are lost in small details and are missing the bigger picture.

Concentrate on finding the length, width, and thickness which is best suited to your
weight and waves, then fine tune the rocker and fin set up. After that, experiment with
every new idea you fancy.

DISPOSABLE BOARDS

It is now accepted that surfboards are going to ding, dent, delaminate, and break. If a
new tennis racket, bicycle, or kayak breaks in normal usage, it will very likely be
returned - not so for surfboards. Almost every surfer loves the responsive feel of a light
board, but now it has gone too far. Although custom builders are simply supplying
what customers want, it is more than coincidence that it also gives them more
business. We should demand durable surfboards from custom builders. This can be
done by simply asking for heavier cloth or denser foam, and accepting that there is merit
to a slightly heavier board.
SPEED (in general)

If a surfboard does not have enough surface area (is too small) to flatten out (plane) in
the fast part of a wave, it will drag water, and never perform as it was designed to. On a
small, slow wave a bigger board is usually a faster board. As the size and steepness of
the wave increases the surface area of the board needed to reach full plane is
reduced. As a general rule, chest high waves are needed to get a thruster to plane
properly. Although we have all heard that certain boards are faster than others, if a
longboard and a thruster achieve full planning speed in the same part of the same wave,
(without any maneuvering) they will usually appear to be traveling at the same speed -
this can be seen on many films. Although a short board may be seen in a film, passing
or accellerating towards a long board this is usually after the short board has
accellerated out of a hard turn or steep drop - he quickly decellerates as he aproaches the
flater part of the wave.

Yes...speed can be increased through maneuvering in the steep part of the wave. This
increased speed can be demonstrated by skateboarders who use a weighting and un-
weighting motion on the sides of empty swimming pool walls. They can glide for as
long as they have energy this way, without ever putting a foot down. Many thruster
riders are well aware of this same weighting and un-weighting, although many
longboarders are skeptical.

If we could achieve the speed that a water skier does (or a tow boarder), flotation would
become insignificant, and the needed surface area would be similar to a slalom ski (due
to hydroplaning). Tow boards are now aproaching the look of slalom skiis, and surely
someone will design a board for paddling into large waves that has a raised ski like
platform on the bottom rear (for hydroplanning at high speed) - this has already been
done on sail boards.

One reason a small board sometimes feels fast is because it will only ride in the fast part
of the wave. A bigger board will catch a wave before it gets steep, and build up speed
more gradually, (as the wave gets steeper) thereby feeling slower. Most of the design
features which are associated with a fast board are actually for control at high speed
(narrow outline, more rocker, etc.). These features may actually slow the board down
(this is often not apparent because there may be so much wave energy, only a very small
part of the board is contacting the water).

Speed is almost totally dictated by the wave. Although many surfers will swear one
board is much faster than another, in the size waves most frequently ridden by
recreational surfers, there is very little straight line speed differences in surfboards at
full plane. It will be more advantageous to design for maneuverability than speed.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THRUSTERS AND LONGBOARDS?

Thrusters are great for a very fit, lightweight surfer who surfs mostly chest high plus,
hollow surf. Consider that thrusters do not have enough planning surface and flotation
for the average surfer, in average wave conditions, to be able to effectively utilize the
design.
Longboards are great for a surfer who moves around a lot on his board and surfs
relatively small, glassy surf. Consider that a surfer needs to step forward at least two
full steps after standing or turning to achieve full plane on a longboard. Few surfers do
this. Most longboards are noseriders, and are very flat. The lack of curvature, causes
the nose to go under water when planing in moderately choppy surfing conditions or
when dropping down a steep wave.

DO ROUND RAILS AND CURVED FINS SUCK?

Surfboards with sharp downturned rails sink into the wave and hold in better in fast,
steep conditions. Sounds reasonable does'nt it? All surfers have heard this repeated so
much it has now become conventional wisdom. Exactly the opposite is true. Round rails
cause water to wrap around the rail, sucking the rail into the wave face - this tends to
stabilize the round rail board in steep surf. Yes, round rails suck. This has been tested in
wave tanks with strain guages and photography. Sharp rails release more easily, this is
why they turn faster. Sharp rails tend to slide out in big, fast, steep conditions. When
designing exclusively for big, hollow conditions, make the rails round or eliptical, the
bottom convex, and the fins deep - the trend is sharp rails, concave bottom with added
V, and three, or four shallow fins.

Round rails have other advantages. Chops and other uneven surface water tend to slide
under the rail, where a sharp railed design tends to cut into the chop, sometimes causing
a fall. Also; round rails make it easier to tilt the rail into the water, which wide tails tend
to resist. Although sharp, downturned rails are much better for ripping and carving, for
the type of surfing the small wave design was made for, a round rail is preferable.

Do curved fins suck? Yes, they do. A fin with straight lines releases water easier than
fins with a conventional curved shape. This has been tested in wave tanks with strain
gauges and photography. When designing for easier turning in mostly chest high or less
surf, make a fin that is more upright, (rake - 20 degrees from perpendicular) with
straight lines (a parallelogram). See SMALL WAVE DESIGN.

THE DEBILITATING DELUSION OF PROGRESSIVE SURFING

Is the idea of progressive surfing actually causing the general surfing public to regress?
Probably never in surfing history have such a high percentage of surfers rode such a low
percentage of waves. This is often due to surfboard choice, but it is more than that. The
problem stems from a state of mind. Although a comparitively short, thin, narrow board
will generally perform better in chest high plus, hollow surf, this is also generally all it
is good for. It has now become normal to see shortboards completely submerged and
progressive longboards half submerged. The high performance surfer has, whether he
knows it or not, decided to sacrifice most of the waves in the world, and even most of
the parts of the best waves. He must stay in a very tight area, on a very specific type of
wave - the best area, yes, but if the wave significantly slows down, or speeds up, he is,
compared to a surfer with a larger board, out of luck.
Not only does the progressive surfer use retrictive equipment, but he restricts himself in
the length of ride, often opting for some vertical manuever that reduces his forward
speed, and leaves the surrounding surfers looking at another unridden wave. Simply
riding the wave seems unthinkable.
Some say, "It is all just for fun. What does it matter?" Yes, but what the surfing public
thinks is surfing, is highly influenced by the media, which portrays surfing as riding big,
hollow waves, doing tail slides and aerials.

Be one of the few who discard the media enhanced notion of progressive surfing. There
is a wonderful world of uncrowded, and easy to ride waves waiting for those who do.

PROS

My friends and I believe that the vast majority of surfboards made today are nowhere
close to the optimum design for the average surfer. Much of this is due to the (passive)
influence of pro surfers on surfboard design, and the desire of surfers to have a pro
surfer replica board. This is unfortunate. Pro surfers are generally smaller than
average, surf mostly hollow waves, and surf mostly for points (almost totally maneuver
oriented). Maybe something made specifically for a surfers weight, waves, and style
would be more suitable than a pro replica board? Could it be that something other than
a thruster or a nose rider would be a better choice? What design might be a better
choice for the small, choppy waves so common world wide? What design might be a
better choice for less than hollow chest high plus waves?

We believe a design with the surface area and flotation of a longboard which is
compressed into a shorter, wider, thicker shape is better suited to the average
surfer. This design allows for easy paddling, yet can be more easily turned and planed
from one position on the board.

There is no one optimum board. The optimum design will be different for each person
and each type of wave. Allow a suggestion however; a generally wider, thicker
shape. Although the small wave design is not optimum for fast, powerful surf, the
average surfer may derive some benefit from a modification of the design. With an
open mind, the average surfer will find a compromise of the measurements from the
SMALL WAVE DESIGN chapter useful. A surfer used to a 9' longboard could
transition to an 8'6" x 25.5" x 3.25" small wave design for a 170 lb. rider. If this is too
extreme to accept, consider using the measurements from a favorite longboard shape,
changing the length to 8' 6" and the thickness to 3.25" for a 160 lb. rider). For each 15
lbs. of body weight change, add or subtract 1/4" in total board thickness (through most
of the entire board - not just the middle). A thruster could be designed 1/4" thicker
and/or 1&1/2" wider. Note: the small wave design measurements (same length and
thickness) support a heavier surfer (use 20 lbs. per 1/4" change) because the board
(especially the tail) is much wider. Please refer to the DESIGN chapter for more
information on how to adjust measurements.

A surfer can make, or have something made, which is more suitable than what is pre-
made in a shop. This is especially true for surfers over 160 lbs.

Depending on pro's to help guide you to good equipment is not a good idea in
surfing. You could ride Armstrongs' bike. You could hit a tennis ball with Federers'
racket. You could hit a baseball with Bonds' bat. However, many surfers would not
catch one wave with Slaters' surfboard.
Surfboard design is a fascinating subject. If you have any design ideas, would like to
discuss design, or need some help, email steve@surfersteve.com
 19. TIPS & PROBLEMS

SOME DO'S AND DON'T'S (the result of reading thousands of emails)

Do think outside the box of conventional surfboard building. Designing a board is a

wonderful thing. It can be sculpted to any shape desired. Maybe professional designers
have some disadvantages compared to a home builder. If about 80% of the surfboard
industry is evenly divided into two severely different camps, yet is almost totally
comprised of clones within each camp, it seems there must be room for some other
design.

Do design a board for the average rideable conditions of the home break. Use this one
board for all waves. When traveling to surf a dramatically faster wave, which would
optimally require a different board, most surfers do not adjust well to a different board,
for a short period. When vacationing, the trip is often over before a surfer can fully
adjust to a new board, then he must adjust again to his home board.

Do make board changes in small increments. Surfers, in general, do not adjust well to
changes of over 6" in length, 1&1/2" in width, or 1/4" in thickness. The most likely
result of a large change is a return to the familiar.

Do resist the now widely accepted belief that a surfboard must stay down in the wave to
function properly (slightly sunken even at full plane). This is not the optimum design
for the average surfer.

Do not read every thing possible about surfboard building on Swaylocks (a great site for
a second board), or a surfing magazine etc., then try to sort out what to believe. The
media is packed with conflicting information. How can a first time builder know what
to believe?

Do not choose board building as a career. It is low paying, seasonal, and

monotonous. Choose another career, and build boards as a hobby or side business.

Do try to disregard the controversies over which materials to build with. It would be
better to use the most inferior products and have a design compatible with your weight
and waves, than the opposite. Any of the materials mentioned in this book can make a
good functional board.

Do keep it simple on your first board by doing the following:

1. Use mostly hand tools.
2. Make the rails round and the bottom and top flat - side to
side.
3. No wood stringer (if possible).
4. No artwork.
5. No gloss coat.

Do build to last. Do use more cloth than what is on standard production boards. As oil
prices, and surfboard prices, continue to rise, so will the desire for a more durable
surfboard. Consider 6oz. "E" top and bottom with a 6oz. deck patch as minimum. 4oz.
"S" top and bottom with a 4 oz deck patch is an equal minimum.
Do get your hands on the materials (foam, cloth, and resin) as soon as possible, and
practice. Surfboard building can not be learned by only reading and listening. Many of
the details that are hard to understand will become clear only when you practice. For
instance; there is no way to explain how to shape a rail or wrap cloth around a rail –
you must get the feel of it. Practice.

Do consider buying a premade board, especially if you want a popular shape. The best
reasons to make your own board are: saving money, making a non conventional shape,
or enjoyment of the process. It is questionable to buy a popular shape from a custom
board building shop. Custom shops are best used for custom designs. The popular
models by Surftech, Southpoint, and Bic are usually more durable, and often cheaper
than custom shop boards.

Do find someone you trust to point you in the right direction (maybe to this site, maybe
some other), then stick with it.

Do read, and re-read the book (if this is the site you trust), copy it and re-read the
applicable section (GLASSING etc.) just before doing it, (this is what the people who
have the best results say they have done). Note: about 3/4 of my email questions are
already answered in the book.

I love my emails, but please do not email me if you choose to use another source to
build by. Please email the source you used.

TIPS

When trying to figure out the best position to catch a wave, try the following. Observe
where the larger set waves are breaking, and paddle just beyond the next large set
wave. Find two objects that line up with your position in one direction, (a rock, and a
tree etc.) and two objects that line up in another direction. Keeping these four items
lined up will fix a position within a few feet of the same place (every time you paddle
back). Note that as the tide, wave size, and conditions change, different items will have
to be lined up. If only two objects are lined up, you will still likely have better
positioning than anybody else in the water. This gives you a huge advantage.

When a surf spot is crowded and aggressive, the best choice is to surf somewhere
else. Aggressive crowds are very likely to ruin your state of mind, and you may
become what you despise. Yes - there are good surf spots (even point breaks) that are
not crowded. If you read about a named spot online, or in a surf magazine etc., or saw it

in a movie, it will very likely be crowded. Get "The Surf Report" ( 949-661-
5108), P.O. Box 1028 Dana Point, Ca 92629 U.S.A. These reports are now available
online at www.surfermag.com under travel. Realize that even though these reports
cover virtually the entire surfing world, there are still many breaks that are not
listed. Look through these reports and find a spot you have never heard of. Go
exploring! Amazingly... great, un-crowded surf can be found within walking distance
of a cheap hotel.

Think about stretching, and doing pop-ups (rising quickly from lying to standing) before
going out to surf. This will lessen soreness and improve your surfing.
Paddling is the most important, and most overlooked part of surfing. It makes sense to
keep in good paddling condition when not surfing. If paddling is not possible,
swimming is probably your best bet. Strong paddlers will find learning to surf much
easier. It will not matter how determined, coordinated or agile a person is if he is a poor
paddler. It is simple: strong paddlers are almost always good surfers.

WETSUIT WOES

When putting on a wetsuit, try this: Place your foot inside a plastic grocery bag and
wrap one handle around your ankle and hook it to your big toe. Your leg will slide in
very easily this way. You can do the same with your hands. Corn starch works well
also, although some will find it too messy.
A wetsuit and rash guard is worn out mostly by putting it on and taking it off. It is the
extreme stretching that slowly damages it. If you hang up a wetsuit use the widest
hanger possible (change the wetsuit position every month or so) and do not hang it by
the shoulders - fold it over the hanger as with a pair of pants.
Although all wetsuits and rashguards come with instructions to always rinse in fresh
water, the author has not found this extends the life of the material. In fact, one thing
that will quickly ruin neoprene is chlorine, which is in tap water and bleach.
Wearing a hood, gloves and booties and a 3mm suit is better than wearing a 4mm suit
alone, although most surfers will not do this. Navy hypothermia tests have shown that it
is your extremities, especially your head, which cause you to become hypothermic most
rapidly.
Economizing on a wetsuit is a sure way to cause you to surf less. Buy a sealed seam,
100% ultra stretch suit. Avoid flat lock stitch. Avoid neoprene described as regular
stretch, or standard stretch. It is easy to recognize a serious surfer - if the surf is good he
will not allow the cost of a wetsuit to keep him ashore no matter how cold it is.
If you mostly surf in chest high or less surf, do not duck dive, and are especially
annoyed by the restrictive feeling of a wetsuit, consider the following alternative. Buy a
suit a half to full size larger than your normal size - a size large person can select a
large/tall size. The tall size will still be tight at the neck, wrist, and ankle, but have extra
length. Most suits now have such good seals around the neck, wrists, ankles, and seams
as to allow very little water inside, even on a suit a full size larger than normal. The
extra room in the oversized suit will make a 4mm suit easier to move in than a normal
sized 3mm suit. It will also be much easier to put on and take off. Yes, the oversized
suit will tend to flush more when hit hard by white water, but for someone on a big
board in small waves this is minor. Although some will claim flushing will cause water
to balloon in an oversize suit, the author has not found this to be true. Although most
will reject the loose fit notion, this is the way dry suits (the suits made for the coldest
water temperatures) are made - they depend on the seals at the neck, wrist, and ankle to
keep out water while the remainder of the suit is very loose.
Most surfers claim they hate wearing booties because the booties lack the sensitivity
and ease of adjustment bare feet give - booties do not slide. . Gluing lycra from an old
rash guard to the bottom of booties give them grip similar to bare feet.
Place lycra under boot and mark boot outline on lycra with pen (mark it slightly
oversize). Cut lycra with scissors. Coat lycra (on top of wax paper) and boot with a
thick coat of contact cement and let dry. Apply second thick coat. Apply cement thickly,
and carefully to area where lycra will end. Dry contact cement only sticks to other dry
contact cement, so any lycra beyond the cement on the boot can be easily trimmed.
Carefully align lycra (leave wax paper attached to lycra until lycra and boot are pressed
together) and boot bottom before touching them together - once contact is made, you
will not be able to adjust them. Press together forcefully. Cut excess with scissors, and
touch up loose edges with contact cement. Dust with baby powder, corn starch, or dry
dirt, and rub into the lycra (especially the edges) - if you neglect this, and you touch the
two boots together, they may get stuck. If you want more grip (not likely), put a light
coat of contact cement over the lycra that is already glued to the boot, or pull the lycra
off.
Fix any hole or abrasion in your wetsuit by cutting a lycra patch (from old black rash
guard). Coat the wetsuit, and the lycra patch, with two coats of contact cement. Let
them dry completely, then press together. Small holes and beginning cracks can be
filled with multiple coats of contact cement alone. Contact cement is better than using
Blob etc., because it will stretch. If the hole is large, sew it with dental floss. then coat
the floss with contact cement. Black cement that is sold as wetsuit cement is actually a
diluted contact cement with black pigment - DAP Weldwood contact cement is stronger
and cheaper. Cover any contact cement, after the finished coat is dried, with baby
powder, corn starch, or dust; so it will not stick to itself.

When you are not sure of the exact size of your first board design, tend to err on the
large side. If you do not like it, you can strip it, and reshape it.

Leashes advertised as comp., lite, 7mm, or 1/4" are disposable - they will break much
sooner than is proportional to their relatively small reduction in diameter, compared
with 8mm, 5/16 leashes. The smaller diameter leashes also are more likely to become
tangled. Buy 8mm ,5/16" (minimum) diameter leashes from companies with a 1 -2 year
warranty such as, Destination, and Da Kine - in 2010, these two seem to be the least
prone to problems. Destination is the best. Balin is the worst. Resist wrapping your
leash tightly around your board and sliding the ankle cuff over the fin nearest the last
rail wrap - this will cause the cord to develop a bend just beyond the ankle and cause it
to tangle around your feet, as gravity will cause the swivel to always turn the bend
downward. To remove the bend, stretch the leash (a few feet of stretch) between two
immovable objects (trees etc,), and leave for 24 hours.

Coppertone sport sun block, continuous spray, 30spf (and it's clones) are clearly the best
sun blocks. Walgreens and Target have cheaper generics. Avoid 50spf and above if
applying around eyes, as 50 spf and above will tend flush into the eye when hit by white
water, and cause irritation. The 30 spf group of aerosol sun blocks dry almost instantly,
are not slippery, do not run in your eyes, apply very fast, and block uva and uvb. Do not
use zinc oxide.

Consider wearing a hat when surfing small waves. www.oneill.com has a hat with an
attached rash guard. www.essentialsurf.com has a Da Kine Indo Surf Hat (very tough)
with neck strap and neck flap.

Consider lycra running pants, and lycra biking/running shirts in place of the very
expensive surf shorts and rash guards. These can be worn with a brief swim suit
underneath (dolfin at swimoutlet.com - 100% polyester best) or with regular surf shorts
over them. The lycra pants and shirts are available at: www.zyflex.com, and
www.academy.com for less than surf shops. Try local athletic stores which carry
running supplies. The pants, are much more comfortable and flexible than surf shorts,
protect the inner leg from rash, and can be rolled up above the knee or left long for
protection from rash, sunburn, and skin cancer.

If you have problems with skin abrasion (rash) apply New Skin before surfing. This is
available as a liquid or spray, at pharmacies, and groceries. If the abrasion persists try
Super Glue (brush type). This will stop it. Shaving the affected area can also
help. Note that Super Glue makes an excellent bandage for cuts exposed to surfing
turbulence that would tear off tape bandages. Super Glue is being used as a substitute
for sutures in hospitals. It falls off as skin cells grow.

PORTUGUESE MAN OF WAR

What is done in the first minute after being stung will determine the difference between
minutes of moderate pain or hours of horrible pain. Please try to forget what you have
read, been told, or have used to treat Man Of War stings - I should know, I worked in
the county emergency room as an RN, and am a veteran of about one hundred
stings. Remember this: get that damn gelatinous stringy goo off immediately! Resist
paddling in to wipe it off on the beach. Quickly, try to splash it off first. Often, simply
thrashing an arm or leg etc., through the water violently will dislodge it. If it is
wrapped, quickly pull it off, piece by piece (it will not burn the inside of fingers). If it
can be completely removed in less than one minute, you will probably be in moderate
pain for only about 10 minutes - then the pain will subside. If you paddle in to remove
the attached tentacles on the beach, you will be suffering miserably for hours, with local
burning and radiating muscle, and lymph node pain. The longer the time between the
attachment and the removal, the longer and more intense the pain. Try to have some
hard liquor available. Pour some over the burn (a few times), and consider drinking
much of the rest. The hard liquor treatment will stop the injection of poison and give
pain relief. Generally, due to the elapsed time, the only benefit of going to the
emergency room will be for pain medication.
If you are going to surf in a man of war infested area, be aware you can protect yourself.
Simply cover as completely as possible with lycra pants, lycra shirt, (or 1mm wet suit)
booties, latex gloves,ozone hat etc. You can be stung through the lycra, but it will be
relatively mild (not bad enough to make you want to go in). This is the hard way to get
great uncrowded point break surf.
What is done in the fist minute after being stung will determine the difference between
minutes of moderate pain or hours of horrible pain.

PROBLEMS

The following will attempt to help you solve a few of the biggest problems of surfboard
building and repair, (not previously mentioned) including: premature resin hardening,
failure to add wax/styrene surface agent, and delaminations

PREMATURE RESIN HARDENING

Probably the worst thing that could happen, when building a surfboard, is resin gelling
in the cloth before the rails are wrapped. Do not despair. Even this can be fixed. If you
are using polyester resin, and the resin starts to gel on the cloth when you are still
saturating the flat part of the board, it is too late to continue. Very quickly pull all
gelled cloth off the blank. Very quickly scrape all the excess resin off the blank with
the edge of a plastic squeegee, or anything with a straight sharp edge. If the resin
becomes too rubbery to easily scrape off, stop. Let the resin harden, and slowly sand it
down, close to the foam (it is not necessary to completely remove it). Use #50 or #100
grit sand paper on a block, or a #150 - #220 grit disk on a drill. If the hard resin is only
in small spots, surround the resin with a layer of duct tape to protect the bare foam.

If only a small section of cloth remains un-wrapped and it is too gummy to use a
squeegee, try this: cover the un-wrapped cloth with wax paper, and continue wrapping
the cloth around the rails using your hands sliding on the wax paper.

If your resin gels too soon on a hot coat, do the following. Stop. Mix enough
extra resin to finish the hot coat. Apply this mix to the uncoated areas to be hot
coated. It is unlikely anyone will be able to notice anything unusual about your board
due to this, although it may look very uneven at the time. Remember, almost all the hot
coat resin gets sanded off anyway.

If your resin gels too soon on a gloss coat, do the following. Stop. Let it harden
completely. Sand it off, as if you were sanding a hot coat. Re-gloss coat.

FAILURE TO ADD STYRENE/WAX SURFACE AGENT

The main problem caused by forgetting the surface agent is gumming of

sandpaper. Since you are using far more surface agent in the method below, it will
initially gum your sandpaper until all the surface agent (which has wax in it) is
removed. The resin underneath will be hard, (polyester resin does not fully harden
without surface agent) but slightly less hard than it would have been if the surface agent
had been used originally. This will gum your sandpaper a little, but nothing like
sanding with no surface agent. Fix this problem using one of the two methods below.

Method 1
Let the resin semi - harden. Tape the rails, as in HOTCOAT. Brush on about 5 oz.
(varies with board size) of pure surface agent (styrene wax) over the newly semi
- hardened resin. Let it sit for 24 hours. Continue as in HOTCOAT and SANDING.

Method 2
If your hot coat is relatively smooth, it is possible to simply apply the gloss coat
(without sanding the hot coat). When the gloss coat hardens, it will harden the hot coat
under it. You may then sand as in SANDING and GLOSSCOAT. If you intend not to
apply another gloss coat you must be careful not to sand into the cloth. You may have
to re-gloss areas, or the entire board. If you sand into the cloth even slightly it will
"wick" water into the foam (brown spots will slowly appear in polyurethane foam).

DELAMINATIONS

Delaminations are often caused by repeated heel dents or other similar impact
damage. The result is the outer shell separating from the foam, causing a soft spot. On
extruded polystyrene a slightly raised bubble will probably be noticeable on close
inspection. Fix delaminations as soon as you notice them. They will expand if you do
nothing, and will eventually totally ruin your surfboard.
Fix delaminations by first pressing a screwdriver etc, all around the outside edge of the
delaminated area, marking the circumference with a pencil. Put a 5/32" drill bit in your
drill, and penetrate the delaminated area with holes (drilling about 1/4" into the foam)
every 1" in every direction (one hole for every square inch). Erase the pencil marks.
Mix up a few ounces of ss2000 epoxy resin and hardener (not 5 minute epoxy). Draw
up about 12 cc of mixed resin with a 12cc plastic syringe body (no needle). This will fit
air tight in the 5/32" holes. Inject no more than 1cc of mixed resin in each hole. When it
starts squirting out the adjacent hole, stop, and repeat until all the holes are
injected. Press the delaminated area down lightly with your latex gloved hand, (until it
touches the foam, and the resin starts squirting out of all the holes). Wipe up the excess.
Put wax paper over the area, and place bricks etc.(long end up) over the entire
area. Pull the paper when the resin hardens, and sand the excess. You will probably
have to touch up a few of the holes with more resin.
If the delamination is more than 1/2 of one side of a board, it is probably too far gone
to be worth fixing - it is probably better to remove all the glass and totally re-do it, or
just give it up a buy a new board. Most delaminations could be prevented by simply
using slightly more cloth in the laminate. If your board or boards have delaminated
more than once in the same area, you should use more cloth in that area on your next
board or next repair.
Many people do this repair by drilling only two holes, injecting one hole with a large
amount of resin. This method looks better, but does not stick as well, and will likely
delaminate again under the same impact. To be almost positive that it will not
delaminate again, drill the holes deeper (all the way to the lamination on the opposite
side).
Do the following to fix delaminations, or keep them from happening.
Drill 3/16" holes (through top laminate, to but not through, the bottom laminate) at 2"
intervals in deck patch area (can be 4" at non critical areas and 1" where intense denting
occurs). Do this after laminate coat on top and bottom is hardened (or anytime). Fill
holes with 3/16' bamboo barbecue skewers (available at most chain grocery stores
including Target) - or dowels at hardware store. Cut skewers about 1/2" oversize. Coat
skewers in resin immediately prior to insertion (not before or they will expand slightly,
making insertion difficult) - this can be done by simply having resin on a gloved hand
and holding a group (about 10) of skewers prior to insertion. Push all skewers in holes
just enough to hold them straight then come back with a wooden mixing paddle and
with your thumb behind the flat part of the paddle push the skewers all the way to the
bottom laminate. If a skewer is difficult to start in the hole, throw it away (don't force it,
as maybe 5% are out of round, or frayed etc). After the resin hardens, cut the protruding
skewers flush with a full sized wood hand saw after the resin hardens, and plane flat
with surform plane. Hot coat and gloss coat will seal wood. If doing on a finished board,
coat the wood lightly twice.
If you fill the holes with resin, instead of filling with skewers, it is very difficult to fill
them all evenly, as air pressure and bubbles will cause resistance, and you will have to
do numerous refills. Also; the skewers are lighter.
We have experimented with this on 9 boards now, for over 10 years. We use it in the
deck patch area where impact damage is likely. It greatly increases the life of a
surfboard, by bridging the top and bottom laminate together, creating a very rigid deck,
which is practically impossible to dent and delaminate. .
Remember: the better your board looks after a delamination repair, the more likely it is
to delaminate again.
Delaminations are impending death for surfboards. Please consider using more cloth in
your laminations. One extra layer of 4oz cloth is the difference between a disposable
board, and one which will last indefinitely.
 20. SMALL WAVE DESIGN

My friends and I have been experimenting with a very unusual shape that is suited to
slow, small, choppy waves.

The following design turns easily at low speeds, creating very little drag in the
turn. This shape catches waves like a long - longboard, but is 2' - 3' shorter, and turns
easily twice as fast.

The design is 7' - 8' long, and 3" - 4" thick, (depends on surfers weight) with about 2/3
of the total thickness available 1' from the nose and tail. The fin box is a 7&1/2" Fins
Unlimited type (with this box the fins can be adjusted to a maximum of 13&1/2" - from
the tail end of the board to the trailing fin edge). The board turns much looser with the
fins all the way towards the nose. The bottom and top are very flat rail to rail. The rails
are almost perfectly round everywhere (much better for choppy conditions). The blue
boards shown in the photos, throughout the book, are small wave designs.

A 7' x 25" x 3" design with the measurements below will float a 120 lb. surfer with the
entire top of the board out of the water.
14" tail tips
20 &3/4" tail - 1' from the end
20" nose - 1' from the end .

A 8' x 25.5" x 3.5" design with the measurements below will float a 170 lb. surfer with
the entire top the board out of the water.
14"tail tips
20&3/4" tail - 1' from the end
20" nose - 1' from the end

A 8' x 26" x 4" design design with the measurements below will float a 220 lb. surfer
with the entire top of the board out of the water.
16" tail tips
21&1/2" tail - 1' from the end
21&1/2" nose - 1' from the end

As a child, I remember thinking a board with a narrow tail would turn easier (as many
ads suggest). At slow speeds just the opposite occurs. A narrow tail will sink at slow
speeds, dragging water. A wide tail will plane on top of the water. These boards are
designed to be turned by mostly twisting your body, instead of mostly leaning. This
will create rotation (swivel) with the board relatively flat on the water, with very little
drag.

This design has been ridden since 2000, in many conditions, including double overhead,
but that is not remotely what it is made for. It is best suited to gentle, knee to chest
high, choppy waves.

NEW SMALL WAVE DESIGN

In 2011, according to emails, hundreds, probably thousands, of Small Wave Designs

have been home built. Although the general surfing public dismisses the design as an
oddity, those who try it often claim there is no other design as well suited to small,
slow, choppy surf. Newer Small Wave Designs are here. These are made for even
smaller waves - 1' to 3' slow, choppy surf. The new designs have a stiffer, slower
turning characteristic compared to the old small wave design - this is due to the new
designs being more parallel, and flatter. However; the new designs are significantly
better suited to 1' to 3' surf, as they catch waves easier, plane through the flat spots and
slow areas better, and turn with even less drag. This low drag is especially useful when
coming out of a wave section on to a flat spot. The low drag design allows for a gradual
turn back into the steeper section without fading out of the wave face. The older design
(relatively curved outline with more rocker and thinner tail) turns faster, and is better
suited to slightly larger surf. The drawings below show the earliest and latest versions of
small wave designs.

On the newer models, for surfers under 160 lbs., the twin fins are modified
parallelograms raked at 20 degrees, 3" wide, 6" long (as seen in the green tracing
below) - these can be cut from 7" molded cut away fins installed in Fins Unlimited
Boxes cut to 5&1/2" long and installed 1&1/8" (or closer) from the rail edge. The boxes
are installed with the base higher on the tail end, in order to tilt the fin more towards 20
degrees (more upright, less rake). If over 160 lbs., use 7" molder cutaway fins full size,
but do install boxes 1&1/8" from the rail edge, with the base higher on the tail end.

Note 1: Sliding the back foot towards the rail greatly enhances turning, in fact, it is
unlikely you will ever appreciate the design without doing this.

Note 2: The curvature between the various half circles of the noses, and tails, can be
created by using a piece of foam 5'x 1/2"x 1/2". At the end of the piece of foam mark
the 1/2" thickness at 1/4". Draw a straight line from the
1/4" point to the full 1/2" thickness on the opposite long end of the foam (diagonal line).
Sand the foam down to the line. This will give you a tapered piece 5'long with one end
1/2"x 1/2" thick and the other end 1/2"x 1/4" thick. By using the thinner end toward the
area with more curvature (nose and tail), the foam will tend to create an even curvature
from the nose and tail curves to the 30" wide point. The curved foam piece can be held
to template material with duct tape at about 1' intervals. This is a cheap, easy way to
create outline curvature on any board.

Note 3: On the later versions, a 48"x 32"x 1/8" sheet of 90 psi vinyl foam sheet ($29.95
at fibreglast.com) was epoxied on the deck. This sheet is at least 3 times stronger than
most surfboard foam, while being only about 50% heavier. This sheet used on the deck
patch area (top rear 2/3 of board, starting 12" from tail tip) allows one layer of cloth to
be used on the top and bottom and still have a much stronger than average deck area - a
lighter and stronger board for roughly $10. more, after shipping, considering the savings
on the deck cloth and resin. More labor is involved with the vinyl foam method
compared to cloth deck patch method, as you will need to either plane the blank 1/8" to
fit the vinyl or sand the vinyl edges flush. You should be able to reduce the weight
about 2 lbs. and still have a stronger deck by using vinyl foam compared to an 8oz.
cloth deck patch board. Also; expanded polystyrene foam can be be had in 40, 60, 80,
and 100 psi sheets. A 60 psi sheet hotwire cut (or cut with a chain saw mounted on a
table) to 3/8" thickness and glued to deck patch area makes a deck similar to vinyl foam
above.
PLANING HULL

A surfboard should be designed as a planing hull. Most are designed with planing aspect
ratios (planing width divided by planing length) similar to boats, boats being mostly
displacement hulls. For optimal planing a surfboard should be relatively flat, relatively
wide, and relatively rectangular. The result can be a surfboard reaching full plane at a
lower speed, producing lift and reducing drag. Tests done by Lindsay Lord, a Naval
Architect, show that a shape with an planing aspect ratio of .41 is optimal for planing.
Most surfboards are around .20 - .30. Lord determined through wave pool and strain
gauge testing that a shape similar to an elongated body board was optimal for planing.
See http://hydrodynamica.com/
Of course, what is optimal for planing is not necessarily best for maneuvering and
controlling, but some will find it helpful to consider a shape with a relatively wide, flat
planing area. By using a very wide double tail configuration with narrow deep twin fins,
it will be found that even a board with a planing aspect ratio of .46 can be easily turned.
Although wide shapes are not made for ripping and carving, many surfers will find a
wider, shorter shape turns faster and with less drag compared to a long board. If a wider,
shorter shape has relatively parallel rails (wide nose and wide tail) it will be faster (less
drag and more lift) than boards of equal surface area with streamlined shapes (pointed
nose and narrow tail).
The displacement shaped surfboard does have some advantages - a longer, narrower
shape (with the same surface area and floatation) has less drag at paddling speeds and
will catch the wave earlier, but as planning occurs this advantage dissipates.
Consider two surfboards of equal surface area, and floatation, and otherwise equal
design - one board longer, and the other board shorter and wider. The shorter, wider
design has been tested to have less drag and more lift at speeds consistent with
surfboards at full plane.
Although the Small Wave Design has many of the features consistent with planing
hulls, this was mostly created through years of trial and error, and not the result of
reading. It is interesting to see that a design that is viewed with skepticism by most, has
some scientific backing.
For more planing hull design information read the following links and possibly the
entire books:
http://mypaipoboards.org/pubs/BookSummaries.shtml#Nelson_William
http://mypaipoboards.org/pubs/BookSummaries.shtml#Lord_Lindsay
Click on everything clickable on the two links. The Naval Architecture of Planing Hulls
can sometimes be found for free online - it is out of print, and was about $200. in 2012
(collectors item now) - if you are not adept at math you will not understand this book -
it is full of math formulas and tables. Nelson's book is also very good, but also full of
math and tables. Nelson's book tends to be more practical and more directly related to
surfing. He advocates wide, thick boards also. Nelson's book is no longer available
online for free July, 2012.
For a rough determination of planning aspect ratio subtract 12" from board length, and
subtract 1" from board width. Divide resultant width in inches by length in inches.
Design in the .30 - .40 range, .30 for faster, or choppier waves and .40 for slower, or
smoother waves.
TAKE YOUR FIRST IMPRESSIONS FORWARD THIRTY WAVES

On first impression a Small Wave Design will feel very different, maybe annoyingly so.
The rider may feel that the board is sliding, and is overly sensitive to any motion that
may make it turn. Also some riders initially mention that the board seems to hang
toward the top of the wave and tends not to drop quickly down the wave face as their
less buoyant, and/or less surface area board does. Because the small wave design floats
the rider with the entire top completely out of the water, the rider will tend to feel every
undulation in the water more acutely than before - this is the corky, squirely, twitchy,
sliding around feeling, which no one seems to notice after a few days. The design is
made to turn easily, to be sensitive; it is not supposed to track as most longboards do.
Because this design is probably more buoyant, and probably has more surface area than
the riders previous board, it will catch the wave earlier (at the top), and tend to drop
from the top of the wave to the bottom more gradually. So...in short, there is no cure for
the complaints mentioned. People switching from a submerged design to a full
floatation design will likely have some of these feelings. It is important to ride about 30
waves and allow your muscle memory to function. This may take a few days of surfing
decent waves. Most people are able to adjust to the difference, though there will always
be those who feel a surfboard should be slightly submerged even at full plane, which is
a contradiction.

The Small Wave Design has the following negative characteristics.

1. Simply will not rip and carve.

2. Does not have the straight line tracking feeling that longboard gliders love.
3. Impossible to duck dive.
4. May have to be carried on head.
5. Relatively unstable in white water from head high plus surf.
6. Initially some riders say one of the following: "it's squirely, twitchy, corky, sliding
around, or over sensitive."
6. Hard to accept, as it looks strange, and rides strange.

The Small Wave Design has the following positive characteristics.

1. Catches waves almost as easy as the longest, long boards.

2. Turns more than twice as fast and easy as a long board.
3. Goes from turning to planing faster than a long board, with less footwork.
4. Is well suited to waves which are too small for a thruster.
5. Better suited to slow, choppy surf with numerous sections requiring low drag, speed
conserving cut backs, compared to longboards, or thrusters.
6. Initially, people who prefer the design say, "It's easy. It's easy to balance. It's easy to
paddle. It's easy to turn."

CONTROVERSIAL DESIGN SUMMARY - What the surfersteve group has

discovered, which contradicts conventional surfboard design. The following is not
meant to insult anyone, or suggest conventional design has no merit.
Consider using all the recommended features below together, as separately problems
can be cited with all of them. Separately and together they have been tested extensively
for 45 years. The goal is to create a surfboard with the most flotation and planing
surface in the shortest length.

1. First and foremost build with more flotation and surface area. This is the most
important and most overlooked aspect of surfboard design. The vast majority of surfers
are using boards which are not well suited for the average waves they surf - the boards
are simply too small. If you can accept a larger board, and reject the recommendations
below, you will be better off than accepting the recommendations below and choosing a
smaller board.

2. Design wider, shorter, thicker, and more parallel After riding two boards with equal
surface area and flotation, most riders will claim the board one foot shorter feels easier
to turn, no matter what else is done to the longer board to make it turn easier. This has
been shown to be true within reasonable surfboard design parameters, including the
outrageous ones shown on this site. So...a board 8' x 22" x 3&1/2" with a pointed nose
and tail (curved outline), and 2&1/2" of tail rocker, will feel stiff compared to a 7' x 25"
x 3&1/2" board with very wide nose and tail (parallel outline), and zero tail rocker. If
quick, easy turning is your priority, build shorter, and compensate by adding width, or
thickness, or parallelism, or reduced tail rocker.

3. Design with a flat bottom, round rails, and deep, narrow fins, which are more upright
and further forward.. Wave tank testing with strain gauges have determined the flattest,
smoothest bottom contour is the fastest at speeds consistent with a surfboard at full
plane. However; a flat bottom tends to slide out when turning at high speeds. Round
rails and deep fins stabilize this problem, as the round rails suck into the wave face and
the deep fins resist sideways drift. The drag of round rails is compensated for by using
flatter tail rocker. The drag of deeper fins is compensated for by using more upright,
narrower fins, positioned closer to the nose.

4. Decrease tail rocker and increase nose rocker. The result is a board which has less
drag and is less likely to nose dive. Most boards have over 2" of tail curvature. This
curvature causes water to wrap around the bottom of the tail, sucking it down, causing
drag on the part of the board which is always in contact with the water. Yes, a surfboard
with more tail rocker will turn easier, but most surfers will be stunned to discover a
board with zero tail rocker, and a round rail will be noticeably faster to achieve full
plane, and still be very easy to turn.

5. Proportionally increase the thickness of noses and tails - double or more than double
the nose and tail thickness compared with production shapes. Part of the reason
surfboard blanks thin incrementally towards the ends is simply for looks and because
this is the way Clark Foam facilitated bending the foam to custom rockers - the foam
would bend proportionally more where it is proportionally thinner. With molded blanks
the builder will have little choice, but for those building with block foam, 2/3 of the
middle thickness can be left at 1' from the nose and tail. So...a board 3" thick in the
center can be about 2" thick at one foot from the nose and tail, compared to about 1" on
production boards - in fact, the tail, 6" from the tail end, can be as thick as the middle,
and still function without problems, even at high speeds. This, as seen in the small wave
designs, will dramatically increase flotation allowing for a shorter, more maneuverable
board.

6. Modify the Simmon's design instead of copying it. Although what Simmons did, in
his time, was amazing, there are drawbacks to his design. He loved to experiment, and it
is likely he would have modified the design, had he lived. If you watch youtube videos
of Simmons' models being ridden, you will notice the riders crouching and grabbing the
rail when turning in a steep area - this is because the fins are too shallow for the size of
the tail, and the board is sliding when turned hard. Also; the design is too flat to fit into
he curvature of a steep wave or ride over chop when forward on the board. Modify the
design by using deeper fins (6" minimum with cutout type fin) and increase the nose
rocker about 2" (1" increase in the last 6" of nose tip). This has been tested extensively
on many models by the surfersteve group.

7. Use a fast design for a slow wave and a slow design for a fast wave. Although the
small wave designs shown in this section may look sluggish, this is due to the
perception of a fast board being streamlined, as with racing paddle boats. The Small
Wave Design is actually a fast design, but it is more difficult to control at high speeds. It
may sound contradictory, but a fast wave generally does not require a fast board. A fast
wave requires a slow board that offers high speed control - a narrow, thin design with
curved outline and extra rocker.

9. In conclusion: Design wider, shorter, thicker and more parallel with: less tail rocker,
more nose rocker, round rails, deeper, more narrow, more upright, further forward fins,
and proportionally thicker noses and tails. The result will be a board with the following
characteristics: faster to achieve full plane at slow speeds, looser to twist turn, less drag
in the turn, more forgiving (especially in choppy surf), less likely to nose dive, less
likely to slide out, easy to balance, easy to catch waves.

Once again, this section is not intended to insult anyone, or suggest conventional
surfboard design has no merit. The goal is to design the most flotation and planing
surface in the shortest length. In order to achieve this, conventional design has been
bypassed.

REVIEW OF 7' x 34" x 3.5" See Fig. 11 below.

This experimental model is a surprise. Generally a pleasant surprise in surfability.

Almost always an unpleasant surprise in responses by other surfers. The initial response
by most surfers looking at it is doubt. Doubt about what it is. Doubt that it can be
turned. Doubt that a paddler can get his arms into the water. Although in general, I do
not recommend the design, the surfersteve group believes much can be learned by going
to extremes. The lack of recommendation is more because of surfers' reluctance to knee
paddle, use paddling gloves, sit on the board differently, and try something very
different, than because of any of the other drawbacks listed below. The board actually
works well on the open face of a clean wave.

CON'S: 7' x 34" x 3.5" - Very parallel outline. 6" nose rocker. Zero tail rocker. 3.5" tail
thickness 6" from end. See Fig. 11 below.
1. The following is the biggest complaint by far: 34" width is initially very
uncomfortable to sit on. Riders all complained immediately of feeling as if their legs
would not spread far enough. Also; transitioning from sitting to lying is awkward. These
problems can be overcome by simply sitting with the legs forward or on top of the
board, and pushing up with the arms when sliding the feet back. Also; if knee paddled,
the rider can simply sit back from the kneeling position, with the feet on top of the
board, and bisaversa. No one else was willing to make any of these adjustments. So...for
the vast majority of surfers this drawback alone causes the design to be so unpleasant as
to be useless.
2. Extreme width allows only the arm from the elbow down to enter the water. This
reduces paddling thrust. This can be compensated for by wearing paddling gloves and
knee paddling, but no one else who tried riding the design would do both.
3. Planing aspect ratio (planing width divided by planing length) of .46 increases drag at
paddling speeds, compared to longer, narrower boards with the same surface area and
buoyancy. The paddling speed drag and reduced paddling thrust causes this design to
catch the wave later compared to a longer, narrower shape.
4. The extra width causes a feeling of extreme snap back when paddling out and being
hit by white water in chest high plus surf. The paddler will lose more distance
backwards with each impact relative to other designs.
5. In very choppy and lumpy surf it initially feels unstable, as the design does not plow
through the chops and lumps, but instead undulates over them.
6. Terrible for lean type turning (body and board at angle to water). When leaning into a
hard turn the tail will tend to slide out unless at least a 8" cutout fin is used. It will be
found this design turns best with a twisting motion (body near perpendicular to water,
and board flat on water). Leaning hard does not work well. 7" cutout fin is fine with
twist turning.
7. Terrible in overhead white water. Terrible Stand Up Paddleboard as two strokes on
one side will turn it 90 degrees.

PRO'S: 7' x 34" x 3.5" .- Very parallel outline. 6" nose rocker. Zero tail rocker. 3.5" tail
thickness 6" from end. See Fig. 11 below.

1. Reaches full plane earlier (at a lower speed after catching the wave), and accelerates
faster compared to all other designs. Design paddles slower, and drops in later than a
long-longboard or paddleboard, but will reach the same maximum speed at about the
same time on the same wave, due to the longer, narrower board accelerating more
gradually (will catch up to, but not pass a longer board).
2. Turns from much further forward, and with less drag compared to all other designs -
this makes it especially pleasant on the open face of a slow wave. A slow wave cutback
with a longboard may take 4 seconds and may scrub off most of the speed, sometimes
causing the rider to fade out of the wave. The same cutback can be done on the "soap
bar model" in one second, with surprisingly little speed loss, and no need to walk the
board - this makes it much less likely to fade out of the wave after turning. This is
probably the best feature of the design (and all small wave designs) - low drag turning.
Note: When turning on all Small Wave Designs, slide rear foot to rail, depress foot
lightly, and twist.
3. Biggest surprise: Best noserider ever, even with 6" of rocker on a 7' board (out of
over a hundred different wide nose boards). This is due simply to the extreme nose
width. For big guys who fantasize about noseriding, something can be learned from this
design - the nose has about 50% more surface area compared to the standard noserider.
4. Generally very stable. Generally very easy to balance.
5. Makes a great knee paddling, stand up knee board noserider, when using paddling
gloves (Darkfin best - order 1/2 size smaller). Best used in small, clean beach break, or
mushy, grinding point break. Great on the open face of a clean, but unevenly breaking
wave, which requires quick, low drag turns to not fade out.

What a surprise. A design that otherwise has merit is made useless by surfer's refusal to
simply sit, and paddle differently.

TAIL COMPARISIONS, OR DO YOU THINK YOU COULD LIKE A BIG REAR

END?

The vast majority of surfboards have, within an inch or two, the same tail
measurements, and roughly the same curvature. This seems to be the result of most
surfers preferring lean type turning, and the ripping and carving feeling that can result.
This type of surfing encourages surfers to be very resistant to moving their feet - they
prefer to shift weight from heel to toe when turning, keeping the front and back foot
near the board center line. It is unfortunate this type of tail, and the surfing that goes
with it, are so dominate. There is merit to a wider tail with a more parallel rail - it allows
for a shorter design, which, simply because it is shorter, almost always turns faster. As
mentioned previously, this wide type of tail is more responsive if the rear foot is moved
towards the rail and a twisting motion adopted.
Understanding what is happening to the water under the tail of a surfboard when it is
being turned is valuable. Youtube videos can be accessed of surfers using a camera
mounted on the end of a paddle. One video of a wide, fish tail board being turned shows
a diagonal line of water running from the middle of the rear tail (at the indention), to
about 2&1/2' from the tail end on the wave side of the board. So...only about half the
tail is contacting the water when turned hard.
A more curved outline will turn slowly very easily and is better suited to this, while the
fish tends to turn poorly when turned slowly - it requires a full commitment. This seems
to be why a fish type tail tends to turn sharper than a more curved outline (when fully
committed).- for a moment, the surfer is pivoting on only 1/2 the tail while only 1 fin is
in the water.
Also; a wide tail board will twist turn much more easily than a narrow tail board (turn
with the board almost completely flat on the water) - this is a huge advantage in small
wave conditions.

Note 5: See rocker image below, and Fig 1 through Fig 13 at end of page. Choose top
rocker for 30" and 34" width. Choose bottom rocker for 28" and narrower width. 3/8"
measurement in top rocker should be 1/8"

Note 6: See Fig. 15 below for Fin Box position.

 click
on image to see full size

click on image to see full size

click on image to see full size

Do not use fins shown above if you are over 160 lbs. - heavier guys all preferred the
molded 7" cutaway fins (full size fin, not cut down).
All Small Wave Designs (not including many replicas with different thicknesses) done
by the Author, in the order they were built, shown below:

Note1: Fig. 1 through 15 all show radius measurements on most of the tails and noses.
Fig 2 shows a nose formed from an 8" radius and three tail curves from 3" radii. Arrows
touching straight lines, on the nose and tail areas denote points for center of radii. The
original paper drawings have full circles shown, but these circles did not scan - sorry.

Note 2: Author, in 2012, prefers Fig. 12 and Fig. 13.

Fig 1

Fig 2

Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Fig.5

Fig. 6

Note: 11" tail in Fig. 6 is actually 9.25"

Fig. 7

Note: 9.25" tail in Fig. 7 is actually 11"

Fig. 8

Fig. 9
Fig. 10

Fig. 11

Fig. 12
Fig. 13

Fig. 15

Note: Fig. 15 - Fin box. Scale 5" = 1".

Front of fin box should be 17" on 25.5" version, and 19" on 30" and 34" versions.
Cutting box to 5&1/2" length allows the fin, and box to be positioned closer to the rail,
which improves response.

Plastic squeegee has 5 degree side - perfect for setting fin boxes and fins.
 21. RESEARCH FROM SURFERSTEVE

BONDING
Cloth to foam bonding tests done on 3lb/cu. ft. Polyurethane (PU), 2lb/cu. ft. Expanded
Polystyrene (EPS), and 2lb/cu. ft. Extruded Polystyrene (XPS), using 4.5oz., 6oz.
8.5oz., 18oz., and 19.5oz cloth all saturated with epoxy resin. 4.5oz and 19.5oz. are
carbon fiber. All plain weave E except 8.5 E twill and 19.5 carbon twill. Laminations
were done on 1/10 scale surfboard models. Foam on all models was roughed with #20
or #12 floor sandpaper (#20 if not mentioned) prior to lamination. Cloth sections were
2&1/2" x 8" all laminated with epoxy resin.

Test #1
PU, EPS, and XPS, each laminated with one layer 6oz plain weave cloth and epoxy
resin.

PU - Easiest by far to pull 6oz. hardened cloth off foam. Once started, cloth pulls off
easily, in one piece, with almost no foam stuck to cloth. Although the loser in this test,
in the real world of heat, leakage, and pounding, PU is superior to XPS in it's ability to
stay bonded, and closer to EPS than these tests indicate. Most builders do not increase
the amount of cloth on 2lb. EPS boards compared to 3lb. PU boards - this tends to even
them out.

XPS - Able to pull cloth off foam roughed with #20 sandpaper with difficulty, but cloth
came off in one piece mostly covered with thin layer of foam which stuck to the cloth.
On XPS roughed with #12 sandpaper cloth could not be removed without tearing cloth
into sections. Thicker layer of foam attached to cloth than with #20 sandpaper model.
#12 XPS sandpaper model was roughly equal to #20 EPS sandpaper model with
lightweight spackling seal in bond strength.

EPS - Clear bonding winner. Barely able to pull cloth from foam sanded with #20
sandpaper. Cloth tore in sections and was so difficult to separate from foam that it broke
the blank. Cloth was covered with foam beads sometimes more than two layers thick.
This model had no spackling or epoxy with micro spheres - no sealer - See with sealer
below.

Test #2
EPS roughed with #20 sandpaper, unsealed, sealed with lightweight spackling, and
sealed with epoxy and micro spheres (hollow glass bubbles), all roughed with #20
sandpaper prior to sealing or lamination. Each model laminated with one layer 6oz plain
weave cloth and epoxy resin.

Epoxy and micro sphere seal - Easiest to pull off of all EPS tests, but still excellent -
about equal to #20 sanding on XPS. Cloth and sealer pulled off in one piece covered
with thin, even layer of foam beads. Although the cloth to sealer/foam bond was
weaker, the stiffness, and strength (except for bonding) of the laminate is greater with
this method due to the extra resin.

Spackling seal, one thin layer - Able to remove cloth only in two sections. Thick layer
of beads, mostly one layer, sometimes two layers thick, attached to cloth. Apparently,
the resin went through the spackling into about two layers of beads. The laminate is
clearly more flexible using this method than with micro spheres - slightly more flexible
compared to no seal.

No seal - Clear bonding winner as mentioned in Test #1. No extra resin was used on the
no seal model. It appears that more resin soaked into the blank using this method, but it
seems probable that the increased amount of resin is not more than the amount used in
the micro sphere and epoxy sealer. So...you will get a better bond with no sealer, but the
micro sphere epoxy sealer will give you a stiffer laminate - everything else being equal.

Test #3
Four XPS models. All roughed with #20 sandpaper. All models laminated with epoxy
resin.

#1. One layer of 8.5oz twill weave. Pulled off evenly, in one piece, with uneven, small
amount of foam stuck to cloth. Cloth is about 95% clear of foam.

#2. Two layers of 8.5oz twill weave laminated at one time (not separately laminated).
Pulled off more easily than single layer. Almost no foam attached to cloth. Cloth shows
uneven saturation - not fully wetted out. Apparently, the density of this twill weave
cloth and the thickness of epoxy are not compatible in more than one layer. Although
not recommended in layers, 8.5oz twill is almost exactly the same thickness as 6oz
plain, so, it requires the same amount of laminating resin but is stronger and requires
slightly less hot coat resin to fill the weave - use only when weight is paramount. Twill
weave is practical in two layers only if the layers are laminated separately

#3. One layer of 6oz plain weave. Pulled off evenly, in one piece, with a thin uneven
layer of foam stuck to cloth.

#4. Two layers of 6oz plain weave. Pulled off evenly, in one piece, with a thin uneven
layer of foam stuck to cloth - slightly less foam attached to cloth than with single layer.
Slightly easier to pull off compared to single 6oz. Cloth shows even and complete
saturation.

#5. One layer 18oz plain weave deck patch (6" x 2&1/2") with 1/4" overlap over 6oz.
plain (2&1/2" x 2"). Clear bonding winner. Pulled off evenly, in one piece, with a thick
even layer of foam attached to cloth. More difficult to remove compared to all other
XPS models (except for #12 sanding model in test #1 above). Bending cloth to 90
degrees at overlap did not cause separation between 6oz and 18oz. Using single 18 oz.
on the deck patch and overlapping slightly at cloth junction creates a better bond than
using multiple layers completely over each other on the deck patch. Instead of double
8oz. use single 18oz.

#6. One layer 4.5 oz. plain weave carbon. Pulled off with great difficulty. Especially
hard to start de - bonding, then once it is free side to side the length separated evenly
with thin even layer of foam attached to cloth.

#7. Two layers 4.5oz plain weave carbon. Pulled off slightly easier than single layer
above, with less foam stuck to cloth, although bonded much better than average of tests.
#8. One layer 19.5oz twill weave carbon. Very hard to start de - bonding - had to use
chisel. Once started, pulled off cleanly and surprisingly easy. Thin even layer of foam
attached to cloth.

#9. Two layers 19.5oz twill weave carbon (both layers laminated at same time). Hard to
start de - bonding - used chisel. Once started, pulled off easier than single layer above.
Very little foam attached to cloth - shows uneven saturation. Resin did not adequately
penetrate both layers of cloth.
a. Two layers 19.5oz twill weave carbon - used de - bonded cloth from #9 above. Easily
inserted screw driver between layers and once started the two layers de - bonded from
each other easily, showing uneven resin saturation.

#10. One layer 19.5oz twill weave carbon laminated and hardened then a second layer
of 19.5oz. twill weave carbon laminated over the first layer. Very hard to start de -
bonding - used chisel. Once started pulled off cleanly and surprisingly easy (easier than
#8). Thin layer of even foam attached to cloth. Inserted screw driver between layers
with much difficulty, and found the layers almost impossible to separate (separated only
by breaking off small sections). Test #9 and #10 strongly indicate twill weave should
not be laminated in layers at same time, as test #2 also indicated.

Conclusions for bonding:

1. The rougher the surface, the better the bond.

2. Bonding. Polyurethane - Good, Extruded Polystyrene - Better (but actually inferior to

PU in the real world), Expanded Polystyrene - Best

3. EPS bond and sealers. Epoxy and Micro spheres - Good, Lightweight Spackling -
Better, No Seal - Best.

4. Do not laminate twill weave in multiple layers at same time.

5. Plain weave is preferred but avoid multiple layers when possible. On deck patch use
single layer of 18oz. cloth in place of a double layer of 8oz.

COROPLAST
Tests of 4mm Coroplast - corrugated plastic sheet (standard sign sheet) versus 2lb./cu.
in. XPS (25psi) foam. Includes bonding coroplast to: itself, XPS, E cloth, and carbon
cloth. Also; includes weight differences per unit of area, and strength differences using
165lb. person. Coroplast is similar to card board in construction, but is made of plastic.
In 2013 it is $18.25 for a 8'x 4' sheet. It comes in many colors. It is made 2,4,6,and
10mm thick. Available in small sign sizes at Lowe's in the sign section. Coroplast could
be used as a surfboard/sailboard core or as a stringer.

#1. Bonding coroplast to itself edge to edge, and face to face using 5 minute epoxy.
Twisted and flexed Corplast until it folded. Joint stronger than material. No bond
failure. Material will tear away or break before joint fails (no sanding or preparation of
coroplast done).
#2. Three mock stringers of coroplast each 2'x 1" x 4mm. Mock stringers placed 6"
apart, edge up with a 2' square sheet of 1/4" plywood on top. Cement blocks braced the
sides so it would not tip over. Supported 165 lb. person with no deformation of
Corplast.
a. Same test as above done with 3 XPS pieces (2'x 1"x 1") placed 6" apart. Slight
deformation of foam felt but foam showed no damage (felt spongy on first step) -
compressed slightly but returned to original shape.

#3. Three mock stringers of coroplast each 3"x 1"x 4mm. Mock stringers placed 1"
apart, edge up with a 3" square pre - laminated piece of 19.5oz carbon fiber on top, and
bottom. Carbon glued (generously) to coroplast with 5 minute epoxy. Supported heel of
165lb. person with no deformation of coroplast. When rocking heel on 3" square test
piece Coroplast slightly deformed on edges only if entire weight rocked to edge.

#4. Equal volume of Coroplast and 2lb./cu. ft. XPS. Coroplast three times heavier (used
postal scale).

#5. 6" square section of Coroplast was epoxied to 3lb polyurethane foam (face down -
flat), then 6oz. E cloth was epoxied over the coroplast. A baseball with entire 165lb
persons weight was forced straight down upon the Coroplast. A slight cracking noise
heard. Very slight softening evident at baseball pressure area.

#6. Corplast (with no covering) samples smashed face down with heel of hand til
crushed flat. Corplast returned to near normal thickness, but permanent softness results,
as the internal webs are slightly bent by being smashed.

Conclusions for Coroplast:

1. Excellent bond to itself, foam, or carbon cloth. Short sections can be epoxied together
with no joint problem.

2. Coroplast will make an excellent stringer material (cheap, waterproof, light, and stiff
long wise and edge to edge). Scale models indicate it can be used as a substitute for
foam as a surfboard, sailboard, and SUP core when placed 1" apart, or about 5" apart if
2 - 19.5 oz. carbon is used on the deck of a hollow surfboard.

3. When substituting Coroplast for 2lb/cu. in. foam use 1 - 4mm thickness in place of
the equivalent of 1"thickness of common surfboard foam - this is if the same amount of
shell material is used.

4. Coroplast is probably not well suited to be a surface covering on a surfboard. Once

even slightly deformed face to face it becomes permanently soft.

DENTING AND PUNCTURING

Tests denting and puncturing the following: 4oz. E, 4oz. S, 6oz E, 8oz E, 8.5oz E,
18.5oz. E, 4.5oz. carbon, 19.5oz carbon. 2lb.cu.ft. EPS foam was used for lamination of
various cloth. A baseball was used to simulate heel damage, with 165lb. person
instantly putting entire weight straight down on ball. Puncturing was done using a two
foot long by 1" thick pointed steel rod, with a 165lb. person instantly forcing his entire
weight straight down onto the rod.

DENTING AND PUNTURING

4oz. E - 1/4" ball depression. Rod went through laminate and entire 4" thick blank.
4oz. S - 1/8" ball depression. Rod went through laminate and entire blank.
6oz. E - 1/8" ball depression. Rod went through laminate and entire blank.
8oz. E - No depression. Rod went through laminate and entire blank.
8.5oz. E - No depression. Rod went through laminate and entire blank.
2 - 4oz S - No depression. Rod went through laminate and entire blank with strong
resistance.
2 - 8oz E - No depression. Point of rod entered laminate 1/8" and stopped.
18.5oz. E - No depression. Point of rod entered laminate 1/16" and stopped.
4.5oz. carbon - No depression. Point of rod would only penetrate if placed exactly at
hole in weave, and then only 1/16".
2 - 4,5oz. carbon - No depression. No entry no matter where rod point placed.
19.5oz. carbon - No depression. No entry.

Conclusion for denting and puncturing:

1. Use 8oz. E bottom with 8oz. E on 1/3 top at nose end, and 18oz E deck patch on 2/3
top at tail end. This lay up is simple, cheap, and damage proof to most common
surfboard damage, especially the killer; deck delamination.

2. Carbon fiber is beginning to be financially practcal again, as suppliers such as

uscomposites.com have discounted carbon fabrics usually listed now. Although most
builders will take a glance at the price and think it unreasonable, consider the following.
The width is often 50" or 60". This can be cut in half, which reduces the price by half.
Since carbon is about twice as strong as E cloth, you only need half the weight, which
may reduce the price by half again - this may bring it to under $10 per yard. Although
most will continue to avoid the cost of carbon, it is a good option for a deck patch. For a
light, strong deck consider using 2 yards of carbon (or one yard cut in half) on the deck
patch as a stand alone layer (no other cloth over or under it).

LAMINATION, ESPECIALLY WRAPPING RAILS BY FIRST TIME BUILDERS

Do not's and do's of laminating based on over 50 years of personal trial and error, and
viewing first time builders trying different methods. In every "do not" mentioned,
something strongly negative occurred.

DO not's and Do's for first time builders - this is not meant to insult professional
builders.

Do not laminate without practicing with scrap.

Do practice - nothing else mentioned here is as important.
Do not use expensive rubber type squeegees, rollers, bubble rollers, brushes, or pads.
Do use cheap plastic throw away squeegees

Do not...no matter how many times you have seen a professional on youtube do it... do
not pour all your resin out of the container onto the cloth at one time. Especially, do not
pour resin quickly down the rail letting it run down the cloth and run onto the floor.
This is impossible for a first time builder to do without major problems, such as; not
having enough resin, and stepping in wet and hardening resin.
Do pour either 3/4 of total resin in concentric circles saving 1/4 for rails, or, better, pour
3/8 on one half, 3/8 on the other half, and 1/4 on the rails.

Do not use the cut lap method (again; common on youtube). This wastes a huge amount
of cloth, resin and tape. Cut lap is very hard for a first timer to do. Pouring resin down
the rails and using cut laps causes builders to use close to 1/2 the total resin for the rails,
as compared to 1/4 which is recommended here. This is the industry standard mostly
because time is more valuable than material, and it tends to make the finished board
look more perfect.
Do use the free lap method.

Do not wrap the rails with squeegee at 45 degree angle to the rail (again; common on
youtube). First timers will bunch and fray the cloth.
Do wrap the rail at 90 degrees to the rail.

Do not try to copy a professional glasser - not meant as an insult.

Do wrap the rails using the method seen on the youtube video, How To Build Your First
Surfboard, from the link on this site. This method uses a 2' x 4" piece of cardboard
under the rail cloth, to hold the cloth horizontal while pouring resin on the lifted cloth.
The cardboard method may be easier if the rails are wetted before the middle, putting
the container on the dry cloth on middle top of the surfboard - this is because the
container will need to be put down when using the squeegee, as the other hand is
holding the cardboard. If you do not want to pour resin, or move the container, the
squeegee can be dipped into the container and the resin on the squeegee can be applied
directly to the cloth. Note; If doing the rails first, switch sides every two feet so the
cloth will not be pulled out place by the weight of the resin on one side. This may sound
complicated, but it is preferred by all first timers who have tried it, as wetting the rail
cloth is very difficult for a first timer.
a. One more method recommended is to flip the hanging rail cloth up onto the up side of
the blank, (just enough so it does not fall back down). Wet out one side of the rail cloth
(1/2 the board) then very slowly, starting at one corner, separate the wet, flipped up rail
cloth from the wet cloth it is on top of, pulling at about 45 degrees to the rail - leave one
corner dry (starting point), or you will have a big problem trying to grasp the edge of
the cloth. Flip the cloth so it again hangs over the rail. Repeat on other 1/2 of board - if
you wet both halves at once the cloth will be harder to separate.

Do not laminate without practicing with scrap.

Do practice - please.
EPS WATER ABSORPTION
2 - 1/10 scale EPS/Epoxy models with 2 - 1/4" diameter holes drilled halfway through
model. Model weighed dry with postal scale. Model submerged 1/2" under water for 24
hours and weighed. Model weighed as it dried.

#1 Foam - 6 grams.
Finished, sealed model - 25 grams.
Model after 24 hours in water - 27 grams.
Model after 48 hours in water - 30 grams.
Water absorption after 48 hours - 5 grams.

#2 Foam - 9.5 grams.

Finished, sealed model - 41 grams.
Model after 24 hours in water - 47 grams.
Model after 48 hours in water - 52 grams.
Water absorption after 48 hours - 11 grams.

Conclusions: 2lb.cu.ft. EPS foam generally can absorb it's weight in water. Most EPS
surfboards are made with 2lb./cu. ft. foam. The average of all surfboards now sold is
about 2.5 cu. ft. of foam per surfboard. So... if the average EPS surfboard is allowed to
leak long enough, it will absorb about 5 pounds of water - this is probably rare, as most
people surf irregularly, and there is time for the foam to dry in between surfing.

EPS natural dry time tests to come.

GLUE TESTS
Glues tested:

1. Epoxy (Uscomposites Kleer Kote and Devcon 5 minute epoxy)

2. Epoxy with 50% (by volume) micro spheres added.
3. Gorilla glue.
4. Great Stuff spray foam (red can).

Note 1: Glues tested on three foams. EPS, XPS, PU.

Note 2: Test panels 3"x 3"x 1" glued edge to edge (1"edges). Panels allowed to dry for
24 hours before attempting to separate glue bond. Breakage was done by hand.
Note 3: Water tests done on duplicate test panels, which were allowed to dry for 24
hours then totally submerged in water for another 24 hours before attempting to separate
the glue bond.

Results:

1. All four glues are excellent for gluing common surfboard foams.
2. All four test panels broke at the foam, not the joint interface.
3. Best adhesion is in the following order: Epoxy, Epoxy with micro spheres, Gorilla
glue, Spray foam.
a. Epoxy and Epoxy with micro spheres was impossible to break at or across the glue
joint.
b. Gorilla glue and Spray foam allowed breakage across the glue joint, but not at the
joint interface - only where very precise pressure was applied.
4. All four glues are very water resistant (seem to be water proof), and bond strength
was the same after water immersion for 24 hours.

Recommendations:

Epoxy and micro spheres are nearly clear, and clearly the best. This combination allows
for relatively thick mixture which resists moving out of the area it was applied to. If you
are building with polystyrene foam, you already have epoxy, so why buy more
adhesive, when epoxy is the best? Gorilla glue is good, but it is ugly brown, and much
more expensive than epoxy or spray foam. Spray foam has one big advantage - it shapes
almost exactly as 2 lb. polystyrene foam shapes, so...you can apply it without worrying
about it being in the area to be shaped. Spray foam has a few draw backs - it expands
too much, sets up too quickly, is ugly brown, clogs the can, and is more prone to
delamination at the joint than is epoxy. Conclusion: epoxy and micro spheres

WHITE PIGMENT AND EPOXY

Tests of white epoxy pigment in Uscomposites Kleer Kote Epoxy at ratio of 40:1, at a
ratio of 20:1, with Nu Finish car polish, and without any covering. Three samples
exposed to about 10 hours of full sunlight every day for over a year. Samples checked
against other samples not exposed to direct or indirect sunlight (in box). Also; results of
white pigmented epoxy and polyester boards exposed regularly to sunlight over 10 or
more years.

Results

40:1 (2.5%) - Sample changed from bright glossy white to flat antique white in one
year.

20:1 (5%) - Sample changed form bright glossy white to flat antique white in one year.

Nu Finish car polish - Sample remained bright white and glossy for 6 months. After 6
months the sample color began to change towards antique white. After one year with no
recoat, sample is slightly whiter than 40:1 and 20:1 samples. Apparently the Nu Finish
washed off in the rain.

Two pigmented epoxy surfboards exposed to full sunlight about 6 hours a week for over
10 years with no extra ultra violet protection (epoxy used has u.v. stabilizer in it) -
boards are now antique flat white but less discolored than samples above.

Two epoxy surfboards with a Silmar 249 polyester hotcoat and a Silmar 249 polyester
gloss coat, exposed to full sunlight about 4 hours per month for over 10 years - boards
are still bright white and glossy.

Two epoxy surfboards with pigmented hotcoat at 10:1 (10%) with Nu Finish applied
each six months exposed to full sunlight about 6 hours per week for over a year. Bright
white, non textured, Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA traction surface) applied to top and
rails. Result: Bottom surface which is coated with Nu Finish is still bright white, and
glossy. The EVA is still bright white.

Numerous clear 100% epoxy surfboards (no other resin or covering added) used
randomly (a few for over two thousand hours in the water) - The foam used was baby
blue, so the new clear boards were baby blue. The resins yellowed. In two years the
boards appeared blue green. In four years, yellow green. In ten years, yellow green
beige. Resins used: RR2000, SS2000, and Klear Kote - no significant difference in u.v.
resistance between the three epoxies.

Conclusion

White color is the best way to reduce heat damage in surfboards.

There is little advantage in a 20:1 pigment ratio over a 40:1 pigment ratio in epoxy.
Both will degrade in color and neither is dense enough to allow one coat coverage.
Please use 20:1 ratio pure epoxy pigment in epoxy resin, and use two coats. For one
coat coverage on a hot coat use 10:1 pure epoxy pigment in epoxy resin. This will give
reasonably solid color if Uscomposites Kleer Kote resin is used (very thick) - other
popular surfboard epoxies will not give solid cover in one coat.

Polyester resin (Silmar 249) has excellent u.v. resistance (much better than any epoxy,
despite what you may have read on the Internet). Add polyester pigment at no more
than 3% ratio (33:1). A 3% ratio will not give one coat coverage, and it will cause the
resin to not level properly. Please use 2% ratio, and use 2 coats. Nu Finish is excellent
as a u.v. blocker over epoxy, and creates a deep gloss finish It is cheap, and easy to
apply.
Although Uscomposites Klear Kote is technically not meant to be used as a laminating
resin, it works well if you are not making a light production type surfboard. Although it
can be fairly argued that other resins are better suited to surfboard building, a number of
factors make it worth considering: 1. It is about half the cost of most popular surfboard
epoxies. 2. It is 100% solids (no solvent, or cheap additives). 3. It is very clear, and
glossy, with good u.v. stability. 4. It levels great, and seems to never fish eye, or do
anything else strange, no matter what temperature or what humidity. 5. It seems similar
in strength to the more expensive epoxies (this may be because we are using slightly
thicker coats).

Test your pigment in your resin on scrap foam with rails similar to your surfboard.
Make sure to observe how it thins on the rails - a coat which is solid color on the flats
will often need recoatng because the resin thins as it runs off the rails.
White color is the best way to reduce heat damage in surfboards, and it covers mistakes.

Questions And Answers:

1. Question: Why not paint the blank, as production shops do?

Answer: Because this weakens the bond between the cloth and the foam.
2. Question: Why only white?
Answer: On a 90 degree day a white board will be 90 degrees, a blue board will be
about 120 degrees, a black board will be about 140 degrees (so hot you can not touch
it).
3. Question; Why not pigment the laminating resin and leave the hot coat and gloss coat
clear.
Answer: Pigment weakens the lamination and weakens the bond. Pigment also weakens
the hot coat and gloss coat, but most of a boards strength is in the laminated cloth. Also;
the pigment helps reduce u.v. yellowing.
4. Question: Why use white 2mm EVA?
Answer: EVA creates a a slip resistant, comfortable, safe, and very damage resistant
surfboard. 2mm EVA comes in white (10 colors), from Canalrubber.com For $20. plus
shipping the entire top and rails of a longboard can be covered. A board made as
recommended on this site and covered with EVA on the rails can be dropped from head
high on to concrete, on to the rails, with no apparent damage.

BUILDING INSTRUCTIONS FOR SURFBOARD/PADDLEBOARD WITH WHITE

EVA ON TOP AND RAILS, AND SOLID WHITE PIGMENT ON BOTTOM.

1. Build board, shaping and laminating according to instructions on this site, then follow
the numbers below.
2. Sand the lamination especially thoroughly, especially the lap lines.
3. Turn board top up and lay two, 2mm EVA sheets over the entire surface. These
sheets are 6'x 3'x 1/16". Cut the EVA the same way you cut the fiberglass cloth, except
with slightly more overhang (at least 1" overhang). This can be sloppy, as it will be cut
again. Tape the EVA with masking tape strips about every 6", (more at nose and tail)
stretching the EVA slightly, and making it conform to the curve of the rails.
4. Make a lap line marking tool. Cut a 5"x 2"x 1" piece of foam. Cut a 10"x 2"x 1" piece
of foam. Tape the foam pieces together with the 2" sides together, and the tops even.
Tape a pencil so the lead protrudes past the bottom edge of the short foam piece. Tape a
level with the horizontal bubble near foam tops (opposite pencil).
5. Flip board bottom up.
6.. With lap line marker, mark pencil line around entire circumference of partially taped
EVA, keeping the level bubble between the lines.
7. Remove tape and cut along pencil line with scissors - you may need to connect the
gaps where the tape was, with a pencil line before cutting.
8. With board bottom up mark pencil line with lap line marker around entire
circumference of bottom laminate (where EVA will line up).
9. Flip board top up.
10. Place cut EVA so it is lined up perfectly with #8 pencil lines. Pencil mark center of
EVA to line up with center of board, at forward side and rearward side of each piece of
EVA (four marks). The two EVA pieces will now have marks that line up.
11. Cut V's - one at nose tip, two at middle of nose curve, and probably two at tail
corners - start small and enlarge it to close exactly when taped in place.
12. Hotcoat as in instructions on this site, except do not tape at mid rail. Do not use any
tape until the EVA is applied over the hotcoat resin. Apply the resin all the way to the
pencil line on the board bottom (where EVA will line up).
13. Lay EVA pieces to line up at board center with pencil marks.
14. Using a plastic squeegee, force EVA to adhere to the hotcoat and work out any
entrapped air under the EVA. Make sure it is perfectly lined up with pencil marks when
done.
15. Put 3 or more bricks spaced evenly along the center of the EVA.
16. Use 2.83" (3") masking tape, 1.88" (2") masking tape, and 1" masking tape to tape
EVA overhang to underside of rail. Use mostly 3" tape. Tear about 20 pieces of tape
about 6" long and tape EVA edge to board at about 6" intervals, all around the
circumference. Alternate sides every few pieces of tape, or you will pull the EVA off
center. Tape the 6" gap areas with 3" tape. Make sure the EVA conforms exactly as
possible to the rails and curves of the nose and tail. In places this can only be
accomplished by stretching the EVA, and taping it numerous times to hold the stretch.
You may have to untape and tape again to get the wrinkles out.
17. When resin is as hard rubber, remove the tape. Some tape may not come off - you
can sand it off (off the hard laminate).
18. With #50 sandpaper sand the edge of the EVA. Do not sand it flush with the hard
laminate - you will not get it even, and it is likely to tear this way if anything catches on
the thin edge. Sand about half the thickness down, so at least 1/32 of EVA is left at the
edge.
19. Carefully, by hand, with #20 and #50 sandpaper, sand the hardened resin which has
squeezed out along the EVA line, and lightly sand the entire exposed laminate.
20. Tape along the sanded edge of EVA, all around the circumference - with tape on
EVA side.
21. Level racks and board.
22. Pour bottom hotcoat resin and hardener in container and add 10% pure epoxy white
pigment. Add about 25% more total resin than on normal hotcoat as this should result in
one coat coverage.
23. Mix and apply bottom hotcoat, being careful not to smear resin on the EVA. Brush
the resin carefully around the tape line. The resin should be thick against the EVA (resin
should be touching the EVA) - this will even the edge, and ensure it will not tear away.
24. After hardened, pull tape, apply Nu Finish, and hand buff.

EXPERIMENT WITH HOLLOW CARBON FIBER SHELL SURFBOARD

Existing board was covered in Vaseline, and laminated as if a foam blank, with 20oz
carbon fiber cloth top and bottom plus a 20oz carbon deck patch. Carbon was cut down
stringer line top and bottom and the carbon shell was pried off with chisel, and small
crowbar. The two halved separated and formed an exact copy of the original although
1/8" larger. The vaseline was removed with mineral spirits and Dawn dish detergent. A
1" foam stringer was cut for the center using the carbon shell as the template, and 4
more stringers were added, spaced about 3" apart. This is where we stopped, as we had
used up so much labor that the project was becoming ridiculous.

Conclusion:

This was meant to be an alternative method to a foam core board. The labor is too much
to be worth it, as simply removing the vaseline is about equal to shaping a board (we
tried everything recommended on the internet to remove vaseline). There are wash off
mold release agents, which will work on small molds, but they did not release properly
when used on test models.
Also the stringers all have to be shaped and custom fitted to each half, as the curvature
changes going towards the rails - so we decided to use easy to shape foam on our
foamless board. You can make a board this way, but it is not worth it. The carbon alone
cost $200.
EXPERIMENT WITH 2 PART EXPANDING LIQUID POLYURETHANE FOAM.
A better alternative may be to make a shell from fiberglass E cloth using an existing
board as a mold as mentioned above. The same amount of cloth as a normal surfboard
would be used. The shell could be filled with two part, expanding, liquid foam
chemicals (2lb/cu. ft. polyurethane). This should only be considered if you have unusual
problems with obtaining foam. This method has been tested on models, but there were
many problems with inconsistent foam results, including; air pockets, density
inconsistencies, overfilling, underfilling, and distortion of shell. The shell needs some
type of mold to support it so the expanding foam will not distort the shape - this could
be done cheaply by digging a hole outside and burying the shell in dirt.
 22. VIDEOS

Youtube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy8L8H5HmOX0UcGF62n_OGg

Name: surferstevedotcom

1. How To Build Your First Surfboard

Surfboard video chapter start times:

Introduction - 00
Templates - :13
Racks - 4:55
Polystyrene - 7:56
Shaping - 16:53
Rocker/bending - 42:45
Laminating bottom - 47:18
Bending - 58:16
Laminating top - 103:43
Fins - 109:46
Sanding - 120:18
Hotcoat bottom - 1:23:45
Hotcoat top - 1:26:41
Hotcoat sanding - 1:27:50
Leash plug - 1:35:35

2. How To Build Your First Surfboard - Familiarizing Yourself With Materials (Part
1 of 2)
3. How To Build Your First Surfboard - Familiarizing Yourself With Materials (Part
2 of 2)
 23. LINKS

www.fiberglasssupply.com

www.uscomposites.com

www.fibreglast.com

www.lbifiberglass.com

www.foamez.com

www.surfsource.net

www.epoxyproducts.com

www.harborfreight.com

www.harboursurfboards.com/information.html

http://mypaipoboards.org/pubs/BookSummaries.shtml#Nelson_William

http://mypaipoboards.org/pubs/BookSummaries.shtml#Lord_Lindsay

Printed version of this book

Please feel free to e-mail Stephen Pirsch at: steve@surfersteve.com This booklet
changes often due to your interesting comments and questions.

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