Carbon Fibre

[ILee]

Sorry if this is a silly question but why don't they make boardS out of carbon fibre?

[kitesurfer]

Carbon fiblre is too stiff and you can't wrap it round the rails when glassing plus you'd have to use epoxy resin with it. You can get fake carbon which is glass fibre that's made to look like carbon but it's doesn't quite have that lovely look that carbon does. Also a carbon surfboard would get very hot in the sun with the possibility of delamination.

KS

[pat42]

The guy I was staying with in Brasil had carbon fibre rails


Hiya Chris

[bluesnowcone]

i think the s-core has carbon fiber strips/runners across which makes it such a strong board

[kitesurfer]

The guy I was staying with in Brasil had carbon fibre rails


Hiya Chris

Hey dec, how's it going man? Hot and sunny ibn Brazil????

KS

[surf patrol]

They do make them.
Ultra light & ultra strong - a great choice of board --- if you have $$$

One caught my eye in a surf shop about a month ago, a lovely 6'6". Pricetag - $2250 Aus

More detail here -
http://www.avisosurf.com/

[kitesurfer]

Nice looking boards sp. Those particular boards can be made from carbon fibre as they can be vacuum bagged whilst laminating hence getting the carbon to conform to the shape. A more traditional foam surfboard cannot withstand the vacuum pressures and would be crushed if you tried this process on it.
It is possible to hand laminate these materials as a friend of mine managed to do a board from carbon kevlar but it's very difficult which is why i think most boards arn't done this way.

KS

[Dec]

Hey dec

Wrong person there mate!

[Brisbanebound]

Aviso boards are soooooo good looking! They really do look downright sexy and if I were seriously loaded I'd be buying one - even if it surfed like a total pig at least it looks good!!!

[kitesurfer]

Hey dec

Wrong person there mate!

Oppps, been on the homebrew again pat....

[pat42]

Hey dec, how's it going man? Hot and sunny ibn Brazil????

KS

I havent changed my name to Dec yet

I'm back here now

You've got to lay off the Special Brew Kitey

But saying that, I had a bit of a reputation in Brasil as an alcoholic due to my drinking sh*tloads of caipirinhas

I LOVE BRASIL!!!!

[RJD]

Think the two piece folding longboards I libnked to elsewhere use CF.

Its expensive and hard to work with though & doesnt flex, would have to be similar to a surfteck than a glass fiber jobie I guess. Theres two types of CF too, vacume moulded/baked and a cheapie easy one thats nowhere near as good.

[Justwan Naride]

Carbon fiber rules, it's very common in windsurfboards, kiteboards & snowboards, I can't see why it's not used in surfboard manufacturing as widely. It results in a lighter and stiffer product, although the amount & orientation of the material can give different flex characteristics.

One reason could be the cost/limited supply.

[ILee]

I can't see cost being the reason, I don't think Irons, Slater, Fannings etc worry about the cost of a board. Not as though they buy them.

[kitesurfer]

Also stiff surfboards are not necessarily what surfers want. I personally like the feel and flex that you get from a glass board. Now it might not be the case for windsurf boards but definately for kiteboards which some are very flexi, carbon is used for it's stiffness properties but not to make the boards really rigid but so the stiffness can be controlled.
Going back to the cost issue though. Agreed the slaters of the world might not be worried about costs but i know from experience that cost is a major factor when alot surfers purchase their boards. Surfing is more attractive to the masses and one of those reasons is the relative cheapness to get started when compared to say kitesurfing or windsurfing.
So there is good reason to keep the costs down, especially when the market has to compete with cheap imported surfboards from the far east.

KS

[eastcoaster]

sorry, just realised posted this in the wrong thread...

go here & ask the question...

http://www.swaylocks.com

its used by professional & amateur shapers, you will get a much more informed answer

[kitesurfer]

sorry, just realised posted this in the wrong thread...

go here & ask the question...

http://www.swaylocks.com

its used by professional & amateur shapers, you will get a much more informed answer

Yeah something along the lines of "search the archives"

[Broosta]

Lost sell them at US$1200 which is about £612. The main difference does seem to be the flexiness due to there not being a stringer but instead using rails for stiffness. Apparently this means you get extra springiness which 'helps you through the flats' and the upper deck moves differently to the bottom until you engage the rail and then you get the normal shape back with normal stiffness characteristics.
All I can deduce is that they do last a long time, due to not really dinging, but surf differently (not necessarily better tho). I would not want a board to last forever as my requirements change over time with my surfing ability. But I spose the second hand market would be more of an option, so...