Yep, this topic is rearing it's head again Seeing a few others in search of a new board, I am getting that itch too. I've had both boards in the past and while I enjoyed the epoxy, I hated how delicate they are once a repair is needed i.e. straight out of the water and many a times, requiring a shaper for proper repair. At the same time, PU boards have sufficed me enough.

Now considering board builds, how different are the two floatation wise, weight wise etc? What I mean is say I bought a board for argument sake - the hypto krypto (as it seems to be a popular choice) as a PU, how different will its dimensions have to be to match the performance of an epoxy one I'd be using?

I'd say about 15% more buoyant. You do the follow on math.

I have heard epoxy is 30% more bouyant and allows you to go 2-3" shorter (with the corresponding drop in overall board volume).

I opted to stay at the same board size and enjoy the extra bouyancy and easier paddle...

Jr surfboards told me around +1 litre for a short bird in the 6' region..

buoyancy is the amount of water the board displaces (volume) - the weight of the board.

the difference between PU and Epoxy buoyancy is the difference in weight.

They are stiffer i find this is the most noticeable difference

It is also a hell of a lot stronger in some constructions like tufflite than PU

and Comparable to PU in Strength in constructions like Fibreflex and GSI's SLX

You can make a board with much more volume and still keep it at a reasonable weight using EPS/Epoxy than PU

this is why high volume boards like Walden Mega Magic, sweet potato ect are EPS/Epoxy

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Waveless said..
What I mean is say I bought a board for argument sake - the hypto krypto (as it seems to be a popular choice) as a PU, how different will its dimensions have to be to match the performance of an epoxy one I'd be using?

According to HS website - same dims as PU, not much difference for their construction. (see post above)

I seriously dig my katana epoxy (compsand). Light and good flex.

Slightly off topic but found overall PU better for me, pressure dings don't bother me anymore and found PU surfed better for what I surf.. one of those things though- horses for courses.

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Waveless said..
I hated how delicate they are once a repair is needed i.e. straight out of the water and many a times, requiring a shaper for proper repair

There is really no reason that you can not keep surfing an epoxy board after you ding it - plug the hole like you would on a pu board - at least for that session anyway. You just need to make sure that you dry it out completely before you fix it. Lots of ways to do this. Fixing them is very similar approach to pu - just make sure you use the right resins as pu resin will eat the foam alive. You might need some pigments to match things up but if that does not bother you then its no drama. Do not be put off an epoxy for that reason. Check out the boardlady - she has all the info you need to repair your own. Never let a ding get in the way of a good session. There is always a work around

I have had a variety of eps boards over the last 5yrs and have found that they have outperformed the pu's in terms of longevity and ding resistance. One of mine had a small hole in it under the tail pad when I brought it second hand - did not notice until a few months later - took 2 weeks to dry it out completely, had to cut a 20cm diameter circle to dry it but it fixed up a treat.

To me epoxy eps = corked.
I like PU. And they are easier to fix yourself.

Epoxy are too stiff for me. I loved my Hellfire, but it hammered the soft tissue in my ankles. It wouldn't be a problem if I was surfing Indo glass, but the reality is 99% of the time I'm not. I need a bit more flex to iron out the bumps that PU has & yeah, a quick easy repair.

I'm a fan of Epoxy on PU

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cRAZY Canuk said...
I'm a fan of Epoxy on PU

I'm a fan of epoxy on wood.
Hand shaped myself...
Theres no way I could cover this in PU....

The skill, attention to detail and general level of craftsmenship that goes into a board like this leaves me almost speechless. What kind of background do you have Mucksy? Is this one of the first timber boards you have constructed or the culmination of many years of learning and experimentation. I would love to build a board like this but would not know where to start!!

MickCam,

Thanks for the kind words. Believe it or not this is actually the first board I have ever made. My background is in product design and woodworking (I'm currently a secondary industrial technology teacher). I guess if you mash those 2 together this is what the outcome is. A hollow wood surfboard that rides like a dream. Quick, responsive and a different type of surfing all together. Good mates of mine pushed me to make more which is exactly what I'm starting to do. I currently have 2 boards in the making.

I don't wish to hijack this thread but I want to go one step further and point out the sustainability of a board like this.

Firstly, the board is mostly made of paulownia. Grown in northern NSW. Minimal transport. Paulownia is a very fast growing hardwood that repels water well. When the paulownia tree is cut off at the stump, it starts growing again from a new growth straight away. Thats what I call a sustainable material. Secondly, these style of boards are known to last ALOT longer than any foam/PU board. I am expecting this board to be looking very similar to this in 10 yrs time. No deck depressions, no minor creases. Yes they're a lot more labour intensive, but in my opinion you end up with a far superior product.

In the past I have worked with Poly resin (fixing old surfboards etc..) and its toxic stuff. When glassing this board in epoxy, it was, without a doubt, a more pleasant product to use and although it does have its down falls (eg. more expensive, harder to sand and get a deep polished shine), it would feel like a kick in the balls to coat the final board in such toxic stuff.

I think one of the biggest factors working against epoxy has been the pop-out phenomenon. A result of the different chemical properties of foam and handling techniques, epoxy has allowed the factories to mass-produce moulded epoxy boards, that we all know as pop-outs. Often the ride quality is terrible. They tend to be heavy, dull boards with no finesse or level of detail which is what make the boards poor. Dont blame the epoxy.

Food for thought.

Cheers guys, definately a lot of food for thought for the next board purchase. Mucksy as Mick said, that is definately a work of art! Not even sure I'd ride something like that if I had one custom made! Again this going green thing is a really great idea. I wonder if any local board makers do that or do you require a shaper that is specialised in that style of shaping.

On the PU to Epoxy side of things, to get an epoxy shape board then in PU dimensions, would that then compromise the shape of the boards outline and thus it's ride? Or more or less for us mere mortals, we would be oblivious to it...