Well I am up to my elbows in foam again and I must say I have really missed it. The last board I built was in 2007 and this time round I have done things properly and have not cut corners. First up was a dedicated vacuum system followed by a new hot-wire bow with dedicated power supply(not just a battery charger putting out whatever current it factory set). I am also cutting full size 3mm MDF hot-wire templates, I used to use thick cardboard which could get burnt if the hot-wire got snagged.
So far I have:
Designed the board and printed full size templates on my A0(roll) printer.
Cut full size templates for center rocker, side rocker(to form the vee), plan and tuck templates.
Cut each side of the board with its panel vee.
Laminated the halves together with a 3mm PVC stringer to preserve the intended rocker line.
Here are the progress pics:
Hats off for building your own boards. It's one of those adventures I've contemplated but lacked the courage, space and know-how to have a crack. Excluding equipment, how much does it cost to build a typical board? How much for the equipment? How many boards did you build before achieving a desired level of quality?
ReplyDeleteHi John,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your positive comments!
Boards can cost as little as $500 depending on the sandwich foam used as well as the amount of exotic reinforcement used. I already have lots of leftovers so only had to buy a few bits n bobs. It pays to shop around too, the foam monolith cost only $175, some places quoted 4 times that...
I say go for it, there is NOTHING (in windsurfing) that compares to sailing one of your own creations.
This is my 8th board and I have learned something new each build. The most important would be preparation and planning. You can always get better but hopefully I am now at the stage where I don't pick apart the finished board too much. Good pumps cost $400+ but you can start out with a free fridge pump...
Cheers, Tim (Kimba)