Advantages: The advantages of epoxy are, according to Al Merrick, its ability to be
- Lighter
- A little stronger than a polyester board
- Tendency to delaminate
- However, this limitation is greatly reduced with extruded polystyrene.
- Epoxy's flex pattern is "a little different than a polyester board, but they're close. They tend to have that consistency we're used to having, the way they work with you through a turn, and have that particular bend to a wave's face," again, according to Al Merrick.
Epoxy Surfboards
- Examination of epoxy resin
- The epoxy resin is stronger and more ding resistant than polyester resin. Epoxy resin is used in many applications other than surfboard building such as boats, electronics and aerospace parts.
- Epoxy resin can only be used with polystyrene foam.
- The epoxy boards have been associated with names like Surftech, Boardworks, Firewire etc.
- Shaping Process -
- Handshaped - One type of epoxy surfboard is quite similar to the fiberglass board. The only difference is the polyester resin is substituted for epoxy resin and the polyurethane core is substituted for a polystyrene core. The styrene is hand shaped or machine shaped and then laminated with epoxy resin and fiberglass cloth. In the aftermath of the Clark foam shutdown, many shapers quickly switched to this method as polystyrene foam cores are readily available in the marketplace in order to meet demand when traditional polyurethane foam was unavailable. They are very common amongst big brand name shapers and are widely available and customizable due to the fact they are all finished by hand.
- Hand Shaped Epoxy with High Density PVC Compression Step: Our Resin8 Epoxy surfboards represent this type of technology. This is very similar to the 1st type of epoxy surfboard as explained above. The difference is a very strong PVC layer is compressed onto the EPS and glassed with epoxy resin. This compression step adds tremendous extra strength. It is much more difficult to build as the boards are not built in mold hence the phrase pop-out. These boards are all hand shaped and refined to duplicate the master copy it is being modeled after.
- Molded or Popout - In this type of epoxy rather than hand shape the polystyrene core, a mold is created based on the dimensions of a traditional fiberglass plug. The hollow mold is then injected with the polystyrene foam to mold it into shape based on the master, and then covered with several layers of fiberglass cloth, epoxy resin, and typically a layer of high density foam to reinforce the structure and placed in a vacuum or press to compress all the materials together, hence the term sandwich construction. Typically a heating element can be built into the mold to allow the epoxy resin to cure at a higher temp increasing the strength. The techniques employed during these steps can be varied by different companies to get the desired strength, flex, weight, etc..
- Foam - there are two types
- expanded polystyrene: The EPS is beaded foam and the foam is much like that of your beer coolers in the grocery store or inside your bumper on your Mazda Miata. Since the foam maintains a structure based on an open cell it will absorb water like a sponge if exposed to water.
- Some limitations are the poor strength, low resistance to compression, and difficulty of shaping due to the small round spheres. If you are buying a low end epoxy board you can basically count on it to be expanded polystyrene in the core. Most epoxy boards are made from expanded polystryene foam (open cell, water absorbing), the type used in coolers and coffee cups.
- http://www.fiberflexsurfboards.com/ff2site/frameset.htm - fiberflex surfboards are made of polysterne foam; however, partially compensating for lesser foam, it has a parabolic carbon fiber frame. Its benefits are maintaining speed, drive and lasting up to 2-3 times longer than a standard PU board.
- extruded polystyrene core: This is a closed cell core and since it is “closed” it repels water and is more resistant to compression and damage.
- One of the most notable differences from the Expanded Styrene Cores is the flex patterns are greatly enhanced due to its closed cell structure which will allow for greater response under pressure. All your higher end epoxy boards utilize this type of construction.
- History: Certain pioneers such as Javier Huarcaya, owner of Epoxy Pro blanks and glassing in Oceanside, CA, have made innovations to epoxy that are 'huge.' Epoxy's main limitation, its tendency to delaminate may have been overcome by Huarcaya's invention, 'Thermovent,' which is producing 'tiny, gas-releasing pinholes on the deck of your board.' Branding - boards such as Merricks, Rustys and Mayhems are stamped with the XTR logo. "XTR" is the acronym for extruded polystyrene or closed-cell foam commonly used in airplane wing insulation. Another big proponent of extruded polystyrene, Patagonia's Point Blanks in Ventura - "We're approaching this a bit different than Javier. Point Blanks shaper Fletcher Chouinard. "We're putting a little more emphasis on durability while still maintaining a relatively light weight. It's more work with these boards -- we have to make the blanks from scratch -- but with the minimal weight we can apply more glass to them. You can pull into a lot more closeouts on these."
Traditional Fiberglass Surfboard Technology:
- Foam - polyurethane foam core, PU, is the foam of the traditional fiberglass board (ie Clark Foam).
- Process - A traditional fiberglass board is hand shaped or CNC machine shaped out of a The foam core is laid up with weighted fiberglass cloth and laminated with polyester resin. The board is cured and then sanded to a desired smoothness and voila! you have a traditional “fiberglass” surfboard or PU. These types of surfboards are most notable for their performance and specific flex properties and have been around since the 1960s
- http://surfinglife.com.au/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=1929&start=0
http://epoxysurfboards.com/articles.shtml
http://www.islesurfboards.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=68
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