Hey everyone,

Looking to shape my first board soon and trying to do some research on how to shape a mini simmons (As I think this may be one of the easiest board to shape).

Most people say start shaping with PU foam first however research have told me mini simmons works better with EPS/EPOXY.

Now this is the question, where do I get an EPS foam around Gold coast/ Sun shine coast area? Also would prefer a machine cut mini simmons as I have never shaped before.

Thanks

Buy a blank
Watch a bunch of videos
Ask a bunch of questions on the internet
Hack in there
Get someone else to glass it

www.minisimmonssurfboards.com/

2 of the best guides I found:

surfersteve.com/cgi-sys/suspendedpage.cgi

greenlightsurfsupply.com/pages/greenlight-surfboard-building-guide-a-z

PU I think is easier for first time ... the stringer helps you to measure off of, and the foam cuts a bit easier and finishes smoother - you dont have to worry about sealing or anything. Trust me, once you have done one you will almost certainly want to do another almost straight away! So if you dont get it perfect you have infinite other chances to do so.

For your first board it is MUCH easier to copy an existing board ... borrow a friends board that you have ridden and love, and spend a couple of hours taking measurements and templating the outline and rocker onto cardboard or even just A4 paper stickytaped together as long as it doesnt move.

PE is slightly easier to work with than Epoxy ... esp. if you go for UV cure poly resin. However I wouldn't talk you out of using epoxy ... and if you do, I have just been using an awesome new product called Surfset Flex ... get it from sanded.com.au ... this stuff is magic, so forgiving of mistakes and temperature and flexible ... perfect for backyarders. Use it on lam, filler and gloss coats, no other nasty additives needed.