where can i learn to shape a good board..

Yep that's a hard one!!!
As Mr No one says, the normal school is the trial and error variety.

If you're used to making things, can use an electric plane, surform, sander/sandpaper etc.
Then it's possible, but if you aren't fully competent with the above tools, you're only going to stuff the first boards up till you know what you're doing.

Think there are some guides on the net, have you tried google???

What sort of construction are you considering???
Shaping is only the first step, then you've got to get a skin of some sort on it.

personally curac i reckon build the first few with surfboard construction. use a little extra reinforcing around rails and straps and a beefed up stringer then just glass them up. call them protos and get ready for them to snap early in their life.

advantage however is that you can cheaply build lots of em to try out your shapes.

this software is excellent and (free) and comes with some existing designs.

www.shape3d.com/

Curac, I guess its depends on why you want to shape and make your own. If its to save money, forget it , there are so many 2nd hand gr8 cheap boards around, that would be a better option. If you want to make your own board because you love making things, or its a start of a new hobby, got for it I made my own board many years ago which was great, and it was very satisfying, but it is out performed by many others.

How many hours to make a board if you have all the necessary stuff and know what you're doing?

Hi Curac

Here is a great link on windsurfing construction...
www.ecboards.co.uk/

also for mast bases, fin boxes etc...
www.fiberglasssupply.com/

after the first hundred you can feel that they are starting to turn out the way you first wanted them.

curac said...

where can i learn to shape a good board..

At home, your first few will not be very good but practise makes perfect, take many, many measurements of your favourite board and transfer to a blank(EPS is cheaper to practise on), dont glass your finished blank, throw it away(saves wasting money on glassing it) then do a few more until you get one you'll be happy to glass.
Practise, practise, practise. Go for it, nothing like sailing your own creation

polystyrene suppliers in yellow pages.

important hint

tell them you are a scoutleader and you are making rafts for a jamboree.

you will then get the discounted rate for charities.

(information supplied by dan engdahl in the 90's)

as haggar said theres a lot of cheep boards out there, you could try what i did ,get an old board with roughly the planshape you want and reshape the bottom and most of the work is done for you, this board was an old rrd wave

Curac, can I suggest for a 1st. board to make a high winded. There's a huge learning curve on the first and if it comes out a little heavy it won't matter as much. The second will be a much nicer stick so save this one for your favorite, your in for a treat.

Gday Curac

Also there are some great surfboard shaping DVD's out there so that you can learn the tricks of the trade when it comes to mowing some foam. check out-

http://www.shapers.com.au/category11_1.htm
(qld).
The epoxy 101 shows him hot wiring the EPS block, I learnt alot from that DVD.
I have used the Kinetix (by ATL composites, distributed by Shapers) UV stabilised epoxy - very easy to work with. if you are going to paint the board a good quality epoxy like FGI's R180 should do the job- you wont need an epoxy that is UV stabilised.

also

www.foamez.com/index.php
(USA).

I have bought from both companies, give them a call - they have been very helpful. be warned though that postage from the US can be pretty pricey.


In the DVD's they should show you how to make templates - very important!
I am currently making a rocker profile jig so that I can copy other boards rocker lines - this was because my first surfboard didnt have enough nose rocker. Surfing hollow waves on that board is scary cause the nose would bury on the take off, I have been over the falls so many times on that board! (yeah blame the equipment...)

Good luck, well worth it for personal satisfaction!