After a massive catapult on Saturday, I'm looking at chopping off the nose of my board, it will be easier than trying to repair the damage (both rails smashed, big crease in bottom of board).

I've had a look at BoardLady's site, and from the looks of it I need to put some divinycell over the EPS core on the nose. Is this required? Or can I just glass over the foam and paint it? Where would I start looking for divinycell on the gold coast?

Any tips would be gratefully received.

Nebbian, I am sure you will at the very least scribe some kind of an arc with a pencil first ;)
My good mate Hobie didn't
Straight into it with a saw.....

Just for you wineman:

www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=4426
www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=4425

You can see that I'm never without a tube of Knead-it as well

Nebs, you don't do things by halves, how's the head ? Fibre glassing is not difficult so long as you get the right stuff and think about it, although I hav'nt worked on any modern boards

Hi Nebs, Ive done it a couple of times, its depressing, but reprable! Just get the right stuff from the local boat or glassing shop, I found "micro balls" mixed in with the resin makes a nice paste that you can use to sculpt the new shape, both these old boards were quite pointy to start with!
Good luck!

www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=4427

don't chop it...

repair OR buy another one

Thanks for all the help.

Mathew,

The only time the nose gets wet is when I'm standing still, either beachstarting or when I stuff a gybe. I've watched the nose when carving, and it never gets remotely close to the water... possibly bad technique, but chopping the nose wouldn't make any difference.
The same goes for getting planing - the nose is well out of the water when I've got a reasonable chance of getting going.

It's only the front 15 cm or so, and this would mean that the boom will miss the nose when I wipe out again!

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Originally posted by nebbian

After a massive catapult on Saturday, I'm looking at chopping off the nose of my board, it will be easier than trying to repair the damage (both rails smashed, big crease in bottom of board).

I've had a look at BoardLady's site, and from the looks of it I need to put some divinycell over the EPS core on the nose. Is this required? Or can I just glass over the foam and paint it? Where would I start looking for divinycell on the gold coast?

Any tips would be gratefully received.

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I did a bit of surgery on a few boards and one of the best things I found to do first was to remove the paint and see what the damage is really like.

I found a flap disc in a grinder was very useful for this although you only need a really fine one or a worn out one as they remove a lot of material really quickly.

Once you can see the damage you can then work out what you really want to do with it.

I've got a custom Flow and I think it is useful to remove the tip of the nose, but it looks like the damage in yours is a bit more and I think you would be removing too much material if you cut it at the crease.

If I were to truncate the nose I would start where you can first see the EPS closest to the tip of the nose, not further back where the crease is.


Dale.

If you are just squaring off the first 10-15cm of the nose you should be fine just cutting off rounding up and leave it at that. To take anything more off you need to start reshaping the bottom and putting rocker in, most older boards you can really only take them down to about 245 (from 275-270) before the board shape dosen't permit enough rocker. Thats not to say shorter wont work, I have seen some ultra short cutoffs work but some people have hurt themselves pretty bad as a result also.

On the coast don't know who you could get divinycell from in Brisbane I think it's CG composites at Eagle Farm.

FIRSTLY don't use polyester!!!!! Bog or resin, if it gets on the styrene it'll melt it!!!!

Your point earlier about reusing d'cell from the bit you chop off, it's possible if you can get enough that's flat, and the repair surface is flat. cause the old stuff with fiberglass on wont bend, doubt if you can remove the glass without damaging the d'cell. But if you can get both sides back to bare foam, you can preform it with a heat gun/hairdryer.

I've just got the coremat on Mandurah mob's secret weapon, put up 6 photos of the process.
Starts here,
www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=4430

And finishes here,
www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=4435

If you go for a round nose, try this, it's a bit heavier than d'cell, but you don't need a vacuum bag. The stuff I've got is 2mm thick, they didn't have 3mm in stock here. Think it should be OK.

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Originally posted by nebbian

Hey Decrepit,

Thanks for the advice.

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No worries

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What function does the divinycell serve?

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It's the core of the foam sandwich, 3-5 mm of reasonably hard stuff on the inside and a layer of glass/carbon on each side for tensile strength, makes a very rigid outside skin. This spreads any loads over a wide area so the inside soft stuff can handle it. It was a failing of the compressive strength of the d'cell that allowed your crease to happen. (unless the inside layer of glass fractured, you'll know that when you pull it apart).

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Would I be able to use something else, like balsa wood instead?

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yes, except balsa can't be heat formed to the rail shape.
Balsa is about the same density as d'cell but also has tensile strength, not that you'll need that on the nose.

You could also use a veneer of pine or something.
Have heard of just using a carbon/kevlar/carbon sandwich. Bit expensive over a whole board but if you can get off cuts from somewhere, should be OK.

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Can I build in a fuggin truck shock absorber so that when I catapult the board just laughs with glee?

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I use an extra layer of 200 gram/m2 carbon kevlar composite around the nose of my boards, and have done a retro fit on Elmo's. Before I did Elmo's over a year ago he was bringing his board in every month or so, for a nose job. Since then I haven't seen it. (except on the water)

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Is the right order of operations something like this:
1) Chop nose off and shape to a pleasing curve
2) Remove about 5cm of d'cell all around the chopped off bit
3) Glass over the EPS
4) Cover in d'cell
5) Glass over the d'cell
6) Fill and paint

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1) yes
2) as long as you don't touch the underlying glass.
5cm is more than necessary, you only need the new under glass to bind to the old, 2cm is probably enough there, if it was the middle of the board, I'd make it 3 or 4.

3, 4) this should be one operation, you use the wet glass to bond the d'cell.

5) yes
6) yes.

Feel free to PM me if you need any more details.

If you heat form the d'cell and want to mold it around the rails, make sure there's fiberglass on top of the styro, and you don't point the gun directly at it. Doesn't take very much heat to melt styro!!!

This is great guys. If this goes well Nebs I'll get you to reshape and reglass my speed board latter this year

Hey Nebs the last pic reminds me of a tiger shark, keep us updated with more pics as you go and sign it off when your finished you might start your own signature model

TelecomGreg

Hey Nebs,
Al Green in caloundra works miracles in the repair dept.

Admirable efforts
I do believe in you
I will bring a spare brd for fridays sail
Shame Eggs cant make it

Yep, that'll work, either way.