Just wondering if anyone has tips on putting straps into an old 6'2 surfboard.
I gather you buy some rectangle things and glass them into the board but what is the best way to make a hole in the board first, how many strips of glass, and where do you put them?

Does anyone ride with those things that you jam your feet against rather than straps? any good?

These are the things I mean:


what do you call them and do they have to screw in or just stick on like grip tape?

You should be able to get the inserts from a surfboard maker especially guys who make tow in boards.

Route slots into the deck a bit bigger than the inserts, get a knife and underpin the hole a bit so you have a bit of a space between the deck and foam. Use some resin and chip strand or cloth, stick it in the hole, insert the insert and layer a couple of cloth on top. Just make sure you counter sink around the hole a bit so the glass can be built up and have a decent surface to stick too.

I am currently rejuvenating a old surfboard, cut top deck off, cut into the foam abit (about 5mm) and the insert some balsa wood. I am going to glass over the whole lot and turn the board into a tough light wind machine hopefully.

Cheers
Rich

Sounds painfull, but possibly humbling.
Just adding some inserts and another layer of cloth over the whole thing would probably give you the same outcome minus the looks of course.

sell that one!

Buy a board already fitted with 'em......I've tryed the way your gonna try......It's a bit like masturbating with a cheese grater,.....amusing to start with, But does become a major pain in the donkey.

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sir ROWDY said...

Just adding some inserts and another layer of cloth over the whole thing would probably give you the same outcome minus the looks of course.

If you didn't cut into the deck, I think you would want to rough it up with some coarse sandpaper to make sure the resin bonded properly.

Yeah you wouldn't want to forget that haha.

Dutchy - easiest way to put straps on an old board is to buy eva pads with inserts in them, Surftech, Dakine and a couple others make them. If you don't mind taking the router to the board and setting some inserts in with resin than as richswing said you can get them from most surfboard builders.

If you want the sky hooks like are on the North Freestyle Fish you should be able to buy them from your local North Dealer - I did see them on the parts price list on Windgenuity at one point just depends in if they import them.

Here's the board I have been working on.

The 1st is the board before with creased nose, pressure dinged and sunken in deck.



2. The top deck removed.




3. The deck with excess foam removed to (about 5mm) and the pressure dings filled with polyurathane foam.



4/5. The 5mm thick balsa wood getting laminated to the deck.

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stabber said...



It's a bit like masturbating with a cheese grater,.....amusing to start with, But does become a major pain in the donkey.

ha!

hi richswing, i'm well impressed with your ingenuity in wrapping the balsa veneeer with tiedowns and a knifeblock, weight plate and other random objects. a more even effect can be had with bags of sand, but if you're doing multiple boards or have mates doing some, a vacuum pump will make it easier still. there's even a seabreeze article on how to build one from an old fridge pump:

www.seabreeze.com.au/Articles/Windsurfing/How-to-build-your-own-vacuum-pump-for-under-50_1293413.aspx

and for all those who are playing with chemicals, be sure to use the right gloves, respirator, ventilation and barrier cream cos those resins and solvents are serious stuff. especially don't be fooled by low-odour epoxies. just cos they smell less than polyester doesn't make em safe. epoxies are toxic, effects such as chemical sensitisation are cumulative and irreversible.

play safe, happy tinkering,

dojo

Cut 4, 1" long pieces of boom stick. With a stanley knife cut 4 holes in the deck of the board, same diamater and depth as boom stick pieces. Make sure holes are in the right place as not ajustable. Put small amount of resin in the bottom of each hole and push the broom stick plugs in. Put 1 2" x 2" piece of mat over each plug and and neatly finish with a small paint brush, you won't even have to sand it. Drill pilot hole into each plug and srew strap in with a self tapping screw. Piece off pisss and takes about 30 minets.

As per above,

but I used a speed bore to cut the glass in a nice round hole, and then pick the foam out with a stanley knife.

Use some talc or foam dust in the resin to make a paste, its easier to sand.

get rid of the wax first.

works fine.

^^^ Yeah or you could just buy some stainless T-nuts... Pretty much as easy to do and they last forever, and are less likely to strip out.

sounds like I'll have to go and raid my uncle's tool shed. His shed is like a fixing-stuff paradise. Where do you buy that balsa veneer stuff?

I used NSI stick on pads. $130 from kite shop in Mackay QLD. Just stick it on screw in straps away you go.

I have had these on for around 5 months plenty of use no problems.

I bought the Balsa wood from Bunnings, comes in 5mm thick by 100m wide by 950mm long strips. Glued the edges together and made sheets. Overlayed the original deck over the wood and marked it off and cut.

Thanks DJ DOJO, this is a once off, I was going to steam the wood to get it following the board better but decided to rush it between kids sleeping. Used the canned poly foam to glue the wood down and hopefully fill any hollows - the foam sticks like hell.

Haven't removed it yet, I'll wait a couple days and hopefully the wood will settle in and not delaminate. Going to use Q cell and resin to fill any gaps and any areas I can get too under the deck (around the edges).

Still got to sort the bottom out, going to give the board a bit more concave to hopefully make it plain a bit quicker then fill any and glass the bottom.

Does anybody have the dimension for quad and thruster setup alla 5 fin config.

Cheers
Rich