Hey daggy how they hanging?

The thought is there
craftwood or MDF is not the stuff to use, it there is any exposed spot to water it will suck up the ocean and sink quicker than you can say where's my reciept.
There are some ideas on the link below.
Good luck and get ready for the baggers.
What about an old surfboard from the tip or garage sale?

http://web.media.mit.edu/~saul/zeroprestige/boards.htm

See ya
Nigel

you probably want to use something like marine ply ... which is not nearly as cheap

Looking for cheap fins for a custom board?

Try the Airborne Carpark Clearance on Saturday @ 10.00am.

Good quality fins from $5.00

www.airbornekitesurfing.com

I made a board from MDF (from bunnings) and it didn't take on any water... the trick was to seal it with a layer of epoxy resin (ie the glass bit of fiberglass) This makes it heavy but i made it 100 x 38 so the weight was fine. I used the 12mm I think and it was strong enough.

I got a $6 pair of thongs (with a wide footstrap) from woolies and screwed them onto the board with some bike tyre (free from a bike shop) over the top to reinforce the thong's straps. I didn't bother with fins.

The board was fun to ride... in a way. It was a bit like jumping on a trick ski for the first time, or maybe a snowboard. Very slidey and it threw up a sweet wall of spray. It went like a rocket but due to the shortness it would get up to speed, catch the nose and I would cartwheel spectactularly. I was going to add some flip tips to help this, but then I decided to try to make a mini foil board out of it, with a 1ft winged fin giving 6 inch water clearance at speed. The project stalled out there as I couldn't find something cheap, light and strong to make the fin out of (I was sniffing round those 'stingray' anti-cav plates they sell for outboards, etc..)

Anyway I made the next one out of marine ply and it was far more expensive and far less fun. Flex v. weight is the biggest problem with bigger ply boards.

Hey Daggy

I have made 5 plywood boards from 125 to 155 in size.

I wanted to have a variety and did not want to spend up big on a production board until I was sure of what I needed.

The boards were constructed from a core of 7 ml ply with 2 ml ply veneers on the outside. The 7 ml core has extensive cut outs. I just left material where the footpads and fins are bolted through and of course right around the edges.

The three layers were laminated together with Polyester Resin and laid upside down on a small table with the tips hanging over each edge. I just put two besser blocks on each end to create end rocker.

Once the resin was set I cut out the shape of the tips with a jigsaw and used a 45 degree router bit to create a 45 degree bevel right around the edge.

It was finished with a layer of silk on the bottom for graphics and coated with two layers of resin for strength.

These boards have no rocker apart from at the tips. They are upwind machines and absorb the shock of chop extremely well. Several guys at the beach have ridden them and I have been asked many times if I make them for sale.

The harder it blows the more rocker you progressively get.

After 8 months of riding them I bought a Lightwave 125 05 model. While this is a good board I still really feel more comfortable on my ply boards due to the very "cruisy" feel and the softness of the ride. (My knees are F*****d)

The pads, straps and fins can be always used on other boards you make or buy.

I will attempt to send you some pics and diagrams of the finished product as I am not sure if it is possible to post pictures on this forum.

See Ya - Regards - Fitzy

Hey Daggy

Clean out your mailbox. My email to you can't get through.

Fitzy

I've been E - jacked.
.

i have ridden fitzy's 140 it rocks really smooth through chop and upwind machine very nice.

Have posted some pics in the Photos section of this site. Go to Photos and look under the "other" heading. Pics of the finished board and the internal sections. I make them this way to save weight.

The one shown is 140 X 39. Good all round size and very good in chop due to the soft flex of the plywood.

Have made 125X39 130X39 135X39 140X39 155X39

Cheap As !!!!

Regards Fitzy Gold Coast OZ

Nope !! They all have names and answer my call

Fitzy Gold Coast OZ

is that what the vacuum bag is for? just for the rocker? i made a woody and just stuck it on some planks and weighted it in the middle whilst it dried, seemed to work fine.. what does the vacuum bag add?

with the vacuum bags,
do you have to keep running the vacuum continuously or only until all the air is out??

How long does it take to dry?

Hey daggy I've made a number of wooden boards using a foam sandwich method with styrofoam and 3mm ply from bunnings. All the details are in a reply to Brady on the 3/7/05. Have a read because they work well,are light, strong and cheap. Don

You thought you had some crazy home made board ideas, check out these guys!
www.mit.edu/people/robot/zp/zeroprestige.html

Fitzy - Can I ask whether you just use galvanized screws to hold down the footstraps and the handle-bar and then just use an angelgrinder to get rid of the excess screw that went through to the base of the board; or do you do something else? Cheers mate- Great looking board and method