Fitzy and KAOS and all the other mad home board builders just wondering how much it cost you approximately for the board(just board costs)? Also have you tried making skim boards and such?
Thanks
Matt

Time, I got plenty of time, if I had plenty of money I'd just buy a $1000 board.

Question 2. Can I not reverse the inlet an outlet of the compressor using a coupling and just get it to vac. this would also save the inducer costs.

Question 3. Now if I reverse the polarity of the AC will the compressor run backwards and vac. This is pittiful I cant remember my motor theory.

Board costs inc consumables <$100, time wasted chasing down old fridge compressors on throw out days, priceless.

dear mr fitzy, is it possible to make a wide board with no concave and alittle rocker using the ply sandwich and clamps..


will it just bust in half-fall apart?

CAZ ... Yep you can still make a ply sandwich construction without the concave. Just shape the core so that it is flat on the bottom and curved on the top. Make the core about 100mm narrower than the ply and about 300mm shorter. By shaping the top of the core you will still get some strength as the top piece of ply will have a curve in it. Curves give strength. Just like an archway supporting a roof.

You will need to either use plenty of clamps or place the glued sandwich on the floor with as many weights on it as possible.

Vacuuming is obviously the best way as you are applying pressure from all sides at once.

Good Luck

Fitzy Gold Coast OZ

This is a great thread and I like the idea of bagging some recreational vacuum. Fine rails, complex bottom shapes, super light, exotic materials. Yum.

However, to build a perfectly reasonable kiteboard you don't have to do any of this. $30 of 6mm marine ply, some waterproof glue and paint, some plate bindings (easily transferred between board) and t-nuts and away you go.

I have about 100 hours on my light wind plyboard and it works extremely well. It could be a bit lighter but that is a task for the bnext board.

I have just fount this great web site with heaps of basic info on how vacuums work and vacuum components.

www.schmalz.com/en/

thats the best reason to make boards just for fun the first kite board i made was 135 no concave ,solid balsa , no deck profile and had more flex than a rubber tree . after the 11 th layer of 6 oz i decided the flex was there to stay and i put the board to the side to think about it for a while and start on b2 . after stairing at it for a few weeks a mate said why dont you ride it like that , no fins and foot straps . so of to the beach we went . what a sweet surprise . this board ,what ever it is, is great i just deck gripped it so not to slip off . its very smooth cause of the super flex and you can go straight from the water up the sand and jib on the beach and head back to the water with out getting of the board . this is just anther short story from the X files of the aussie kite board building

I have seen you do that without a board

Fitzy Gold Coast OZ

We have almost finished the vacuum pump, but are unsure how to set up the final vacuum hose that attaches to the bag. In the photo of Fitzy's pump, there seems to be some sort of cup on the end of the hose. Do you need this(what is it for)? If so, where do you get one from? I have some plastic that was used to cover a new mattress that we just bought, and was wondering if that would be suitable to use as a bag. What sort of tape is best to use to seal the plastic? Do you need to seal the foam core so it doesn't absorb a lot of epoxy? Also, how much spring back do you get after releasing the board from the bag and rocker table (if you wanted say, 10mm of rocker, would you set up the rocker table with 15mm of rocker to allow for 5mm spring back?). How much epoxy would you need for a 132x39 board?

Well that's all the questions I can think of at the moment .

Thanks, Kevin