I want a surfboard that won't snap when kite surfing (strapless). Guess I want a cheap second hand epoxy board.
Having never just surfed, I know very little about surfboards..
Are there different strength epoxy boards?
Are tough light boards tough enough?
If a board is epoxy and fibre glass is it likely to be stronger or weaker than one that just says its epoxy?
How much glass would you need on a non epoxy board to make it tough enough to handle kiting airs etc?

(I keep snapping scrappy old $50 to $100 6'2" regular surfboards. But only cheap second hand boards are an option for my budget.)

PS read the other current threads on 'what surfboard should I buy' type stuff, but want to understand toughness better so i'm informed when buying a cheap but very strong board. Cheers.

Smedg said...

I want a surfboard that won't snap when kite surfing (strapless). Guess I want a cheap second hand epoxy board.
Having never just surfed, I know very little about surfboards..
Are there different strength epoxy boards?
Are tough light boards tough enough?
If a board is epoxy and fibre glass is it likely to be stronger or weaker than one that just says its epoxy?
How much glass would you need on a non epoxy board to make it tough enough to handle kiting airs etc?

(I keep snapping scrappy old $50 to $100 6'2" regular surfboards. But only cheap second hand boards are an option for my budget.)

PS read the other current threads on 'what surfboard should I buy' type stuff, but want to understand toughness better so i'm informed when buying a cheap but very strong board. Cheers.

Technicly speaking Epoxy boards all have fibreglass, boards are foam covered in fibreglass and laminated with resin (top ones being polyester vinylester and epoxy)

Epoxy boards aren't "tougher" than Polyester boards. The differences are in the fact that one is a better "binding" agent than the other and there fore allowing the Fibreglass to have a better mechanical bond to it's self and the foam as well as better properties for the resin infused fibre.

One of the main issues with surfboards is denting. This isn't actually a bi product of the fibreglass not being tough enough but the low density of the foam. Which is why people like tuflight (and a couple others) have a low density eps core with thin high density core around it.

There's lots of different epoxy board styles out there

Fibreflex - eps core carbon uni's on the rail for a parabolic stringer epoxy resin $900
Surftech (and a couple others)- eps core wraped in a thin higher density core epoxy resin $900
Firbreflex - eps core with balsa rails for a parabolic stringer epoxy resin $900
Standard - eps core with epoxy resin no stringer
Mine - eps core carbon with epoxy no stringer
(can't remember name) - eps core ply parabolic stringers epoxy
and the standard centre stringer with eps and epoxy $700-$900

It's hard to say which is "best" there's stories of people breaking all of them. I generally put about 2 x the reinforcement (glass or carbon) than I would on a regular surfboard.

Theres a guy that does custom boards with eps epoxy and a centre stringer for kiting in Aus I'm on the spot so I can't remember his name but he does the boards for the winners of the wave nats I believe.

are you breaking boards riding them strapless, or are you breaking them from doing dangle jumps over the waves in straps?

See if any of the surf shops have any secondhand towin boards,(would be hard to find one but worth a try) the boards are smaller than a normal one and stringer and glass job normally alot stronger. Got Sam Egan to make me up a 5.10 quadfin, with a inch stringer and a heavy duty glass job. Have been riding it overseas and at home in all kinds of surf for the last year and its held up really well. I find for me riding a heavier board in the surf is good as it don,t bounce aroud in the chop as much.(the board was $650 new)

Sweet.

Thanks for the info TOD.

PM'ed ya Pearl.