importance of flex?

[garbarrage]

got a good deal on a custom shortboard(?) 7' 20" 2 5/8ths spider. was damaged in the shop and was missing about 10mm of the nose (easily fixed). retailed for €580 knocked down to €399 plus 30% discount cos my girlfriend works in the shop. got it with 7mm bag cjb fins and a leash for €315.

was a bit dubious about the size as i'd tried a slightly bigger epoxy board before and really struggled with it after coming off a minimal. but reckoned it was a really good deal so gave it a go.

got some nice slightly overhead waves first time out and found it easier than i thought. not catching as many waves as on the longboard (to be expected) but catching way more than on the other epoxy shortie. although took a while to find the paddling balance of the board.

when i do catch a wave it seems way more stable than the epoxy despite being quite a bit smaller (the epoxy was 7'2" 21" 2 5/8ths). once its planeing it seems to lock up. and is much easier to move around without pearling or sinking. feels like there's less flex in it or something.

am i imagining this? does flex have a function? if so what?
the other thing is that i've spent the last 6 months swimming 3 nights a week. could fitness be a factor?

[kitesurfer]

got a good deal on a custom shortboard(?) 7' 20" 2 5/8ths spider. was damaged in the shop and was missing about 10mm of the nose (easily fixed). retailed for €580 knocked down to €399 plus 30% discount cos my girlfriend works in the shop. got it with 7mm bag cjb fins and a leash for €315.

was a bit dubious about the size as i'd tried a slightly bigger epoxy board before and really struggled with it after coming off a minimal. but reckoned it was a really good deal so gave it a go.

got some nice slightly overhead waves first time out and found it easier than i thought. not catching as many waves as on the longboard (to be expected) but catching way more than on the other epoxy shortie. although took a while to find the paddling balance of the board.

when i do catch a wave it seems way more stable than the epoxy despite being quite a bit smaller (the epoxy was 7'2" 21" 2 5/8ths). once its planeing it seems to lock up. and is much easier to move around without pearling or sinking. feels like there's less flex in it or something.

am i imagining this? does flex have a function? if so what?
the other thing is that i've spent the last 6 months swimming 3 nights a week. could fitness be a factor?

Why do you think the majority of the pro surfers around the world still ride a traditional polyester surfboard?
Epoxy is tougher, lighter and for most people who can't notice the difference better, but for most of those who can the polyester board has better characteristics.

KS

[garbarrage]

by polyester do you mean glass? not that great a surfer but definitely noticed a difference. the new board seems to just respond the way i want it to. feels a lot lighter too.
always thought polyester was what BICs are made from?
know there's a difference between popout epoxy and custom... but the old epoxy although claiming to be "custom" from the price and feel is anything but.

[kitesurfer]

Ignoring pop out and other mass produced boards for now and concentrating on custom boards.
Generally there are two resin system that are used polyester resin and epoxy resin (of which there are many variations). Both use glass fibre as the lay up material over a hand shaped foam blank which in itself is a polymer/polyester based chemical foam. Epoxt resins when used with glass fibre are generally stronger and more stiff than when polyester resin are used with glass fibre.
The extra strength in epoxy allows the shaper to make the board thinner and hence lighter for the same strength.
Also this often leads to the misconception that an epoxy board is more floaty than a polyester one but the reality is you are not comparing like for like as the 2 boards will be of different volumes.

KS

[CHarvey]

Also, epoxy boards will generally be made out of an EPS foam instead of the polystyrene foam traditional boards are made out of. Having surfed epoxy and traditional boards off and on for the past 2-3 years I persoanlly don't care for the feel of an epoxy board. I feel they are too light and stiff, at least for the short boards.
Just my 2 cents.

[garbarrage]

this is the new board, one on the left 7' -

http://www.safarisurfco.com/content/view/24/76/

and this is the old one -

http://www.takeoffsurfboards.co.uk/bigb ... s-72v1.htm

still a little confused.... they are completely different feel. whatever, much prefer the new one... way easier to ride despite its size.
just the fact that the old one feels miles heavier even comparable to its size....
kind of like the lightness and stiffness... maybe just personal preference?