Surfing Waves

So I had this crazy idea, what if you make an mold that's the size of a surfboard out of plastic, dill holes in the mold and fill it with spray foam, I'm talking using a vacuum forming machine and a old surfboard that I don't care as much for anymore

The old foam method was concrete blocks line with paper pour in the chemically activated measured and mixed foam solution clamp the two halves together allow the foam to blow , take out and mow by hand or machine CAD computer driven.
EPS foam shape to,a preset plug then vacuum bag is the way to go. You maybe could do it your way, but how will your design give the necessary strength and flex. Stringer? The shell you mold the foam in? EPS foam with soft plastic,,hard shell plastic?
Not saying no it could be a very interesting experiment.
Just do it where you are in a well,ventilated area. Many old foam blowers and shapers have had cancer from exposure!

I've heard thats how blanks are made but an actual board? Not really

TheBeginerSurfer9107 wrote:So I had this crazy idea, what if you make an mold that's the size of a surfboard out of plastic, dill holes in the mold and fill it with spray foam, I'm talking using a vacuum forming machine and a old surfboard that I don't care as much for anymore

Bics are kind of like that

I am pretty sure they have 3D printed boards by now.

Maybe you can rip the formed foam in half lengthwise and glue the stinger in?

saltydog wrote:Maybe you can rip the formed foam in half lengthwise and glue the stinger in?

That'll make it even weaker of a core, it would snap pretty easily

icetime wrote:

saltydog wrote:Maybe you can rip the formed foam in half lengthwise and glue the stinger in?

That'll make it even weaker of a core, it would snap pretty easily

You are wrong there Icey , traditionally a lot of blanks were blown without a stringer then cut lengthwise and then reglued, the stringer if properly glued up was a good as .
Glue ups were for multiple stringers or for parabolic rails stringers or the V Flex stringers on my Outer Island Mal.
a Ply stringer is stronger than a similar thickness straight cedar stringer.
A type of double stringer is a Ply foam ply sandwich.

Just so you know, here are some pictures of stringers being glued up and some of the results.


parabolic stringers impossible to lay in during blowing a blank


These are all shots from and of Bushrat surfboards , by Jed Done who is shaping the kneeboard for me.

i read in a magazine way back about Bill Stewart surfing a UNSHAPED Clark Foam blank with fin boxes installed, in a surf contest. I think it made it out of the first heat or so, then fell apart.