Shaping an EPS board

[IanCaio]

Wassup all!

I've been flirting with the idea of shaping a board for quite a while now, and never tried it for not having an appropriate place to work and also a little because of recent financial things I had to work out. These days I just found a spot in the house I could use and make a small place for shaping (using some plastic sheets to cover the floor and lower the mess). I might be able to get a vacuum cleaner soon, which would also help with the mess.
I was planning to make a EPS fish surfboard, with no stringer and sized around 6'. I would choose EPS because of it's availability here on paper stores (kinda hard to get a PU block around here), and work mostly with hand tools (wooden blocks and sand paper). I know that polyester resin isn't compatible with EPS, so I could either buy epoxy resin (which is more expensive) or use some trick to avoid contact between resin and EPS. Either sealing the shaped board with a mass (which I would do even if I was using epoxy) or some more untraditional solutions (I heard of a shaper who started making EPS surfboards and used newspaper to avoid the EPS being eaten by the polyester, I don't think it's a very reliable trick though ).

The glassing would for sure be the hardest stage and most likely to ruin the board. So I'll have to give it some special attention. The fins would probably be future compatible fin kits (the cheapest I found online around here).

For now I'm just thinking of it, planning. It would be a long term work as I would buy the material when having some extra money and work on it slowly; Since it would be the first time, patience could avoid some major mistakes. Guess it would be some good activity to take my mind from some stuff that has been going on lately and a way better investment than waste my money drinking

So what do you guys think?
Of course, as always, any advice or tip is welcome.

[dtc]

For sure, do it. Don't expect a perfect result but as a first attempt/hobby/learning experience - and just because its not perfect doesn't mean it wont be fantastic.

There are stores in Australia, and I presume elsewhere, that will sell you a whole 'make your own board' kit (blank, fibreglass, resin etc etc). They aren't exactly cheap; cheaper than buying a board but not by much. Anyway, that could be a starting point if you wanted.

Pay attention to safety - some of that stuff isn't totally conducive to your health!

Have you read through 'swaylocks', which is a board shaper forum? Its geared a bit above the absolute beginner shaper but there are a lot of nuggets of gold in there (plus some pretty esoteric discussions).

Give it a go and start a thread here with regular pictures

[oldmansurfer]

If you don't want your board to beak in two put a stringer or get a blank with one already. Don't mess with the wrong type of foam/resin combo. It's fun to make a board but think it out well in advance. Mistakes at some stages of making a board means you won't get what you want. Plan ahead to avoid problems. You might get a big old longboard with PU foam and cut it down to make a shorter board, lots of work but you don't seem to mind that.

[oldmansurfer]

You will need at least a sureform but maybe better to have a sureform and hand planer. I used one that looked something like this http://www.qualitydist.net/sty-21-296.html

[kitesurfer]

EPS, no stringer and polyester resin????

No no and did I say NOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
May I ask why you want to make life so impossibly hard for yourself on your first attempt at board shaping?
The stringer is what gives a board its rocker and strength and to a degree its flex. Some of its most important attributes. Additionally the join between resin and board gives more strength. A board with no stringer made from eps with no mechanical bond between glass and foam, sorry but I think it will simply fall apart.
I strongly recommend that for your first board you get yourself a pu blank for a fish and start from there. Learn your shaping and glassing skills before attempting something more challenging.

KS

[dtc]

Huh, I missed the no stringer bit. I've read about people putting in carbon fibre stringers along the bottom of the board (rather than splitting the board in two, they dig out a trench on the bottom). But (a) that's carbon fibre and (b) I don't know how it goes with bottom contours and stuff like that.

Yeah, stringer.

I think some places offer you the ability to upload a CAD design and get your board pre cut and shipped to you; all you then have to do is sand it smooth and, you know, the glassing part. Of course, while this may make the process a lot quicker and less mistake prone, it kinda defeats the doing it by hand part of things.

[waikikikichan]

Find a broken PU board. Skin it. Re-shape it into a mini board with some hard edges. Glass it. Sand it. Then realize how much mess, stress, blood, rubbish , time and money you wasted. That's better than spending a lot more on a new blank full scale board.

Don't make a stringer less board, unless you plan to make a "Asym", which are actually trendy now.

[waikikikichan]

Oms - Surfoams will work on PU blanks. On EPS, it will just tear and rip beads off, leaving deep craters.

[jaffa1949]

True but you can fill a bean bag.

[IanCaio]

Pay attention to safety - some of that stuff isn't totally conducive to your health!

Sure, I've seen what working with smaller ammounts of resin is like, so I will take even bigger precautions with the ammounts I would need for this. Also, the EPS particles that comes from shaping probably aren't good neither.

Have you read through 'swaylocks', which is a board shaper forum?

I haven't heard of, but I will look for it! Until now I just read lot's of papers and videos on board shaping (including a website OMS posted here, from a guy named Steve, which goes into the most common steps of making a surfboard). This forum sounds useful!

If you don't want your board to beak in two put a stringer or get a blank with one already.

You've shared a website once, where a guy talked about the main steps of making a board (in lots of details), and said the first board is very prone to mistakes, so starting with a stringless board is advisable. Of course strings gives lots of benefits to a board, like more "tenacity" (or flexibility), but I thought at least the resistance could be compensated by thicker layers of fiberglass. I might be wrong though. Here is the website:
http://www.surfersteve.com/introduction.htm

I strongly recommend that for your first board you get yourself a pu blank for a fish and start from there.

Well, a PU block is quite hard and expensive for me to get here. A middle term would be to buy a EPS block with a string, which wouldn't be as cheap and easy as making a EPS block from smaller ones, but would be possible.

Find a broken PU board. Skin it. Re-shape it into a mini board with some hard edges. Glass it. Sand it.

I intend to make a smaller board to practice glassing and shaping. I'm aware it isn't an easy task, but how many shapers would be out there if they never tried afraid of screwing up or for how hard it was.
I never mean't to make it seem easy. I respect shapers and know how much practice and effort it takes to become one (not even my intention). I just thought it would be something fun to see a board come out of your own work.

Surfoams will work on PU blanks. On EPS, it will just tear and rip beads off, leaving deep craters.

That was my biggest worry on working with EPS. PU sounds so easier to shape. I would use only sandpaper and a manual plainer (in case of having a stringer).

About the resin foam mix, I can use epoxy. I was just open to different alternatives for using polyester (with no direct contact with the foam) because of its price. My intention isn't making a high performance board, as I don't even have the skills for it, but do a board, with a small ammount of investment (since it can go wrong).

And thanks for all the advice, keep them coming

[oldmansurfer]

sorry yeah i know nothing of shaping EPS but it sounds like you just sand it down. My idea was to find an old PU long board or any board bigger than what you want strip the fiberglass off and reshape it then glass with epoxy if you wish or whatever is available

[oldmansurfer]

If you go with a stringerless eps foam use heavier fiberglass or more layers to make up for loss of resistance to snapping in half.

[IanCaio]

Sure OMS, I would use more dense fiberglass to compensate. I think as a first board, I should focus on cheaper materials and avoid bigger complications. Instead of trying to making the best board, make a easier and cheaper one to lower the risks of not being able to finish it. Maybe compensating stringers on fiberglass layers isn't ideal, but maybe it is a better choice for a begginer. I will plan it a lot before starting anything. Just wanted to share the idea with you guys

[Jester]

I know the guys at westbay surfboards in northern Ireland make a stringerless pup out of epoxy.. It's so strong they have a video of a guy jumping up and down on it with either end raised off the ground!