Hi Guys,

1. I was wondering if there is different density PU blanks for standard shortboards?

I normally get customs from my local shaper, sometimes they are hard as rock and hardly pressure ding, other times they are soft as and look terrible after a couple of surfs. The softer ones normally snap in a few months and the harder ones often last a year or more. I normally have the same 6oz glass top and bottom. Been a bit of a mystery to me ;(

What do you guys think is the best PU blank to use (Aussie made ideally)

2. Any thought on glassing PU boards with epoxy resin? one shaper suggested this but I thought it would burn/melt the blank?

Thanks!!!

I use epoxy solarez on all my boards regardless of foam material. Doubt I'll ever buy normal solares ever again. I figured out you can use epoxy resin on polyurethane foam but not polyester resin on polystyrene foam.

And yes, not all blanks are the same. My latest custom is so much heavier than previous boards with the same glassing schedule and only a smidge more volume, but somehow it's actually really responsive and more suited to winter anyway.

Can't comment on a source for blanks.

I've heard blanks get weaker the more foam you shave off the skin (outer layer). So could be same blanks shaped differently. I guess a board with more rocker might have more skin shaved off than a board with little rocker.

On Solarez, I don't like epoxy solarez. It seems to dry rubbery when I use it & even after sanding the area it peels off after time & needs repairing again. I use duorez now which can be used on both epoxy & PU boards. It dry's a lot harder & doesn't peel over time.

Burford blanks but not sure where you would get them in NSW.

Yes blanks do come in different densities and rocker . If you go on one of the websites it will tell you all you need to know

I'm pretty sure some blanks are sold as a fish style etc etc...

Lots of pu blanks being glassed with epoxy.

And its the top deck crust that if to much is removed your deck will dent way more

Ahhhh blanks, a controversial subject at best....
what do we want in a blank, well is it lightness or durability, as a blank gets denser it becomes more and more resistant to pressure dings from knees and hands or duck diving .
It does however effect its flotation and also weight and brittleness..
If we take a twistie for example and compare it to a piece of cuttlefish which washes up on the beach...
(please bear with me through this twisted analogy)
we get the piece of cuttlefish which is extremely dense and also has less buoyancy than a twistie minutely so but please take into account the scale we are working with here, so the cuttlefish is more resistant to pushing your thumb in and marking it which is a good thing, it is also heavier size for size which can or may not be a good thing dependent on whether you are paddling in at 12 foot north point with a strong off shore or glassy two foot runners...
If you take a mal blank for example and from the same manufacturer as all other comarative samples it is usually a denser foam like our friend the cuttlefish it is a little more rigid and generally will weigh slightly more per foot.. the glassine will also contribute but for the sake of discussion this is a seperable conversation..
From the same blank manufacturer if you buy a 7 foot blank for a 6,4 or 6,2 board it will generally be more like our friend the twistie, bit softer therefore lighter and better for zigging and zagging however less resilient to damage and pressure dents...
as prior stated by someone else burford blanks are exceptional quite dense and good manufacturing which provides a uniform density and structure to the blank, light enough to be good for the zig and zag but heavy enough (dense) to be resistant to pressure dings, this is certainly one of the better blanks which can be procured..
It is with great disdain that many of our modern boards particularly those which come from overseas will use a cheap cheap cheap blank, you would think this is where the manufacturer really saves money however no matter how poor a blank is used it still requires the same amount of labour and fibreglass to be built.
Most of our off the rack boards are made with these poorer blanks, epoxy Pu foam etc etc.
I have no problem parting with the 7-800+ for a decent shaped board and high performance but a poor manufacturing Qa qc process with nasty blanks is insulting when parting with this sort of money, particularly when a board is made in Thailand utilising labour at 12-20 bucks an hour..........
summary,
I am not singling out this specific manufacturer however will make note ,,,
My first 6,0 vanguard was made local and was done locally the blank was unknown however with FireWire being a trusted supplier the board was procured and lasted 2 years in solid waves and received many a pumping with an apprenticeship served down south 3 info trips and 1 Maldives trip.. it was finally put to rest at a beachie near margs in conditions which can only be described as far too big to be out at all let alone on a 6,0 vanguard...
upon death of said board a new one was procured, it is important that I reiterate it was exactly the same spec board however made in thailand, This was unnerving from the start particularly when I parted 900 bucks for it, same glass job and same design size everything... I can however assure you that the blank was extremely different, different flex and different float, this board served 4 months before destruction and it took very few big pumpings prior to its fateful death, As I pigdogged/dropped into a reefbreak left it flexed like a skateboard and my knee went through the deck right through the glass and into the core. Whilst I made the drop and wave it was clearly unsurfable after and I came in and called it a day, upon closer inspection the glass 300mm around had delaminated and it was a right off.... I phoned FireWire (3 times) and discussed at great length the differences and my emotional viewpoint ...
It was however to no avail..
I deconstructed the board with a flex and a kick half through interest and half through disgust, upon seeing the foam within it was not uniform and there were clear areas of air entrapment or airy parts of the blank..

I have bought more fire wires since and will again however blanks are more important than the rest of the board...
Remember you can get a custom from a reputable shaper who likely uses burford blanks for around 700 for another 100 they may even do glass fins (personal sore point when buying boards)
most reputable shapers who are local will also gladly tell you what blanks are going in..

Ok I've spoken to the publisher Razz & he says we just about have enough for the book

Select to expand quote

Razzonater said..
Ahhhh blanks, a controversial subject at best....
what do we want in a blank, well is it lightness or durability, as a blank gets denser it becomes more and more resistant to pressure dings from knees and hands or duck diving .
It does however effect its flotation and also weight and brittleness..
If we take a twistie for example and compare it to a piece of cuttlefish which washes up on the beach...
(please bear with me through this twisted analogy)
we get the piece of cuttlefish which is extremely dense and also has less buoyancy than a twistie minutely so but please take into account the scale we are working with here, so the cuttlefish is more resistant to pushing your thumb in and marking it which is a good thing, it is also heavier size for size which can or may not be a good thing dependent on whether you are paddling in at 12 foot north point with a strong off shore or glassy two foot runners...
If you take a mal blank for example and from the same manufacturer as all other comarative samples it is usually a denser foam like our friend the cuttlefish it is a little more rigid and generally will weigh slightly more per foot.. the glassine will also contribute but for the sake of discussion this is a seperable conversation..
From the same blank manufacturer if you buy a 7 foot blank for a 6,4 or 6,2 board it will generally be more like our friend the twistie, bit softer therefore lighter and better for zigging and zagging however less resilient to damage and pressure dents...
as prior stated by someone else burford blanks are exceptional quite dense and good manufacturing which provides a uniform density and structure to the blank, light enough to be good for the zig and zag but heavy enough (dense) to be resistant to pressure dings, this is certainly one of the better blanks which can be procured..
It is with great disdain that many of our modern boards particularly those which come from overseas will use a cheap cheap cheap blank, you would think this is where the manufacturer really saves money however no matter how poor a blank is used it still requires the same amount of labour and fibreglass to be built.
Most of our off the rack boards are made with these poorer blanks, epoxy Pu foam etc etc.
I have no problem parting with the 7-800+ for a decent shaped board and high performance but a poor manufacturing Qa qc process with nasty blanks is insulting when parting with this sort of money, particularly when a board is made in Thailand utilising labour at 12-20 bucks an hour..........
summary,
I am not singling out this specific manufacturer however will make note ,,,
My first 6,0 vanguard was made local and was done locally the blank was unknown however with FireWire being a trusted supplier the board was procured and lasted 2 years in solid waves and received many a pumping with an apprenticeship served down south 3 info trips and 1 Maldives trip.. it was finally put to rest at a beachie near margs in conditions which can only be described as far too big to be out at all let alone on a 6,0 vanguard...
upon death of said board a new one was procured, it is important that I reiterate it was exactly the same spec board however made in thailand, This was unnerving from the start particularly when I parted 900 bucks for it, same glass job and same design size everything... I can however assure you that the blank was extremely different, different flex and different float, this board served 4 months before destruction and it took very few big pumpings prior to its fateful death, As I pigdogged/dropped into a reefbreak left it flexed like a skateboard and my knee went through the deck right through the glass and into the core. Whilst I made the drop and wave it was clearly unsurfable after and I came in and called it a day, upon closer inspection the glass 300mm around had delaminated and it was a right off.... I phoned FireWire (3 times) and discussed at great length the differences and my emotional viewpoint ...
It was however to no avail..
I deconstructed the board with a flex and a kick half through interest and half through disgust, upon seeing the foam within it was not uniform and there were clear areas of air entrapment or airy parts of the blank..

I have bought more fire wires since and will again however blanks are more important than the rest of the board...
Remember you can get a custom from a reputable shaper who likely uses burford blanks for around 700 for another 100 they may even do glass fins (personal sore point when buying boards)
most reputable shapers who are local will also gladly tell you what blanks are going in..

WOW! I just learnt a lot thanks heaps mate! Karma points coming your way! ANd maybe R.S.I.from all the typing, hahahahahahaha