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Step 14
I was thinking about making a new instructable for kite-surfboards but there is already so much information out there on the internet. I'm still considering it as it might benefit those like me who don't want the 100% solution which takes much more time, tools and expense and will settle for the 95%. Here is a quick overview of the process. If you want more detail let me know.
This is a 5ft 8in fish style board i built for light wind and for the 10 days or so every summer where the waves get big enough to surf at Sandbanks provincial park (and you can actually make it out to surf them). I forgot to take pictures over some of the earlier steps but they are pretty similar to the other boards, just more shaping.
1. To start do a rough drawing of the board in CAD I copied a friend's real kite-surfboard (can you guess which one?) and added a few minor changes. From there print out templates of the top and side views of the board.
2. A big block of blue PU (polyurethane) foam works nicely. I hear expanded polystyrene is more desirable but i had the foam left over from another project. Use the templates to wire cut out the two dimensional shapes from each side. I can't really think of a way to do this conveniently without a wire cutter. You can always buy blank foam cores for surfboards. Wire cutters are pretty easy to make, in fact someone has documented the process on this website.
3. From there, you spend a couple of hours sanding the contours around the edges of the board going as slowly and patiently as you can. I'd recommend forcing yourself to take breaks every half an hour. If you're having a bad day stay far far away from this project. Your frustration will show in the final shape. Doing this in good lighting will make a world of difference as you will be able to perceive the curves much easier.
4. Unless you are using carbon fiber, glue a thin sheet of corecell foam to the upper deck with epoxy. This will stop your feet from depressing into the soft PU foam and distribute the load. It will also hold the inserts in nicely. If you want footstraps add the inserts on the top of the deck on the centerline. I sanded this down so it met the shape of the blue foam and filled the edges with micro bubbles to blend as much as possible. Now draw the centerline down the top and bottom surfaces.
5. Now simply lay up the bottom surface of the board as is shown for the other boards in this instructable. I used 2 layers of 4oz bidirectional cloth and then one layer of 6oz tight weave on the surface. The tight weave doesn't like to conform around the edges as much but it makes finishing the surface much easier and requires less filling.
6. Once dry, trip the excess fabric overhanging around the rails with a dremel and then blend the cut edges of fiberglass into the foam with micro. Now lay up the top surface the same way. When its dry, trim the edges and blend them onto the later below. Vacuum bagging each layup is optional but it will help the glass adhere to the foam. The tight weave was hard to spread bubbles out of and the vacuum will help.
*Tip: turn off your cell phone. This way your girlfriend can't call you stranded at the carpool on her way home from work because she forgot her keys. Getting a vacuum bag to seal nicely requires your complete attention and you have to make sure there are no leaks while it pumps down. Mine had leaks, I had a few small bubbles on the bottom surface which i had to cut out and fill.
7. Make a template for where you want to position your fins relative to the centerline of the board. Again, I copied my fin positioning from a real life board (no point in reinventing the wheel). Trace it on to the board and cut out the holes for the fin inserts. I bought a set of FCS quads and inserts to hold them. This contributed about 80% of the cost of the board as I was using left over foam and epoxy. Put the fins in the inserts and then position them in the board as desired. A square ruler is a nice way to measure the tips relative to the centerline. Use tape to hold them in place as shown. Pour in some epoxy. When it is set, remove the fins and fill the rest of the hold with epoxy/micro up to the surface. Cover the fin and screw holes with tape so none gets in there.
8. You are nearly done! Add, at your discretion, add a thin layer of micro over all the surfaces to make them smooth. Sand it down smooth. Add the gloss coat of colored epoxy (if you want to go the colored epoxy route, use it throughout the project). I found going around the edges with a squeegee annoying so i painted on epoxy with a foam brush. This produced small bubbles in the surface. I bet a normal paint brush would work better. Please post if you know..
9. Getting a nice finish on a fiberglass product without the use of molds is tough! I found my edges were not completely smooth where epoxy had accumulated in some places. At the cost of a fully glossy finish I sanded along the edges to make them smoother and then wet sanded them and other imperfections. You can see the dull grey finish in some places. In the end its really about performance.
10. Wait until the winter rolls through in Canada to ride your new board. Better yet go on vacation!
This is a 5ft 8in fish style board i built for light wind and for the 10 days or so every summer where the waves get big enough to surf at Sandbanks provincial park (and you can actually make it out to surf them). I forgot to take pictures over some of the earlier steps but they are pretty similar to the other boards, just more shaping.
1. To start do a rough drawing of the board in CAD I copied a friend's real kite-surfboard (can you guess which one?) and added a few minor changes. From there print out templates of the top and side views of the board.
2. A big block of blue PU (polyurethane) foam works nicely. I hear expanded polystyrene is more desirable but i had the foam left over from another project. Use the templates to wire cut out the two dimensional shapes from each side. I can't really think of a way to do this conveniently without a wire cutter. You can always buy blank foam cores for surfboards. Wire cutters are pretty easy to make, in fact someone has documented the process on this website.
3. From there, you spend a couple of hours sanding the contours around the edges of the board going as slowly and patiently as you can. I'd recommend forcing yourself to take breaks every half an hour. If you're having a bad day stay far far away from this project. Your frustration will show in the final shape. Doing this in good lighting will make a world of difference as you will be able to perceive the curves much easier.
4. Unless you are using carbon fiber, glue a thin sheet of corecell foam to the upper deck with epoxy. This will stop your feet from depressing into the soft PU foam and distribute the load. It will also hold the inserts in nicely. If you want footstraps add the inserts on the top of the deck on the centerline. I sanded this down so it met the shape of the blue foam and filled the edges with micro bubbles to blend as much as possible. Now draw the centerline down the top and bottom surfaces.
5. Now simply lay up the bottom surface of the board as is shown for the other boards in this instructable. I used 2 layers of 4oz bidirectional cloth and then one layer of 6oz tight weave on the surface. The tight weave doesn't like to conform around the edges as much but it makes finishing the surface much easier and requires less filling.
6. Once dry, trip the excess fabric overhanging around the rails with a dremel and then blend the cut edges of fiberglass into the foam with micro. Now lay up the top surface the same way. When its dry, trim the edges and blend them onto the later below. Vacuum bagging each layup is optional but it will help the glass adhere to the foam. The tight weave was hard to spread bubbles out of and the vacuum will help.
*Tip: turn off your cell phone. This way your girlfriend can't call you stranded at the carpool on her way home from work because she forgot her keys. Getting a vacuum bag to seal nicely requires your complete attention and you have to make sure there are no leaks while it pumps down. Mine had leaks, I had a few small bubbles on the bottom surface which i had to cut out and fill.
7. Make a template for where you want to position your fins relative to the centerline of the board. Again, I copied my fin positioning from a real life board (no point in reinventing the wheel). Trace it on to the board and cut out the holes for the fin inserts. I bought a set of FCS quads and inserts to hold them. This contributed about 80% of the cost of the board as I was using left over foam and epoxy. Put the fins in the inserts and then position them in the board as desired. A square ruler is a nice way to measure the tips relative to the centerline. Use tape to hold them in place as shown. Pour in some epoxy. When it is set, remove the fins and fill the rest of the hold with epoxy/micro up to the surface. Cover the fin and screw holes with tape so none gets in there.
8. You are nearly done! Add, at your discretion, add a thin layer of micro over all the surfaces to make them smooth. Sand it down smooth. Add the gloss coat of colored epoxy (if you want to go the colored epoxy route, use it throughout the project). I found going around the edges with a squeegee annoying so i painted on epoxy with a foam brush. This produced small bubbles in the surface. I bet a normal paint brush would work better. Please post if you know..
9. Getting a nice finish on a fiberglass product without the use of molds is tough! I found my edges were not completely smooth where epoxy had accumulated in some places. At the cost of a fully glossy finish I sanded along the edges to make them smoother and then wet sanded them and other imperfections. You can see the dull grey finish in some places. In the end its really about performance.
10. Wait until the winter rolls through in Canada to ride your new board. Better yet go on vacation!
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