I definitely think basalt is worth a try for the majority of the build, but I don't think I would move away from heavy carbon layup around the boxes and adjacent rails, there really isn't anything that can do the job like carbon. Even S glass would be good for the rest of the shape imo.

you can try these guys for the basaltic. The site has changed but I think the had 1000mm ish basalt twill in 6oz.

beyondmaterialsgroup.com.au/basalt-products-reinforcement-bar-mesh-fabric/basalt-fabric/

this is 300gsm so a bit over the top but they might have hookups. I have bought their stuff in the past and they are good.

playwithcarbon.com/basalt-twill-1m-wide/

these guys are in Europe and sell carbon so cheap (good quality) that it's almost not worth using basalt.

www.fibermaxcomposites.com/shop/carbon-fabrics-c-36.html

The amount of carbon cloth options at that fibre max is crazy, do you have any you recommend?

If you want some good ideas take a look at surfmachines.com
In the About ,Technical and the Foil boards description there is a lot of info.
Never seen one in person but i really like how they are shaped and built.

highvolume said..
Hi,

I need a winter project and am planning to build a foil board in the 125l range.
normally for sups I go innegra carbon sandwich with core cork over eps.

it turns out really tough but I'm wondering if carbon is overkill for a board that is only 6.5 ft long?

I was thinking maybe going basalt and innegra instead, with corecork sandwich on deck only.
do you reckon basalt is worth a go?

only probs with basalt or any other interesting looking cloth (eg flax) is I am scratching to find anything in 1000mm roll width. I usually prioritise a little bit of strength over weight because I am a bit hard on gear.

does anyone have any recommendations for materials and aus suppliers?
cheers Chris

I reckon carbon is not necessarily the way to go especially if you have the skills to vac bag core materials.

I read that Fiberglass has 3 times the stretch of carbon and therefore if you're using both on the same area, your carbon will be taking all the load.

My understanding is that we should aim for stiffness around the foil mount and some distance in front of it so I am thinking that carbon has it's place around that area (multiple layers of UD). For the rest of the board (outside of standing area), I am not sure whether there would be other benefits. Innegra would do a better job at absorbing impact for example.

I am building one at the moment and didn't really to overthink it so I am going with 120g glass-6oz UD 200g carbon- Corecork NL20 2mm - carbon Twill Hexcel 200g (mostly for the look). I don't thing there will be much advantage in using that twill but I never finished a board with carbon so I want to give it a crack.

Clamsmasha said..
Hey highvolume, where do you get your cork? Does that go between blank and layup?

I have plenty of Amorim CoreCork NL 20 in 2mm in Perth. Send me a PM if you're interested. You use it as a sandwich material just like you would use PVC foam.

Hi Clammasha,

I got a roll of cork from lavender composites in qld. it is the nl20 made by amorim
www.lavender-ce.com/

My local fiberglass shop in Hobart stocks it now as well, it goes between the innegra and the carbon with the carbon on the outside. It makes a really tough skin. The corecork is really flexible and you can sand back overlaps in it when doing the rails if you go the full sandwich.

This board is like 7 years old and keeps on going despite being owned by me. Busted my original carbon mast in a shore dump i should have pulled out of, but no damage to board. New mast and tuttle adapter and good to go, please excuse bolts for foil in pics they were just for test fitting purposes

Livit, i like the look of that Hexcell, one of the gong vids shows Patrice laying up a bord with it and it looks cool, i haven't looked into the advantages of that.

Tarquin 1, I saw you posting that on standup zone I like your thinking of cutting down your board as you progress. Will keep checking out your progress.

Cheers Chris

Awesome thread. I have been toying with the idea of getting back into making boards to try out a few foil board ideas over winter.

Very keen to see what materials people are using now, since so much has changed in the 20 years or so since I last worked on a board.

Jesus you lads are clever sods. Awesome.

I'm building a couple of boards at the moment, 13kg/m3 EPS core, glass and carbon on the bottom, glass, 3mm divinycell, then carbon and glass on the deck, all glass is 4oz, carbon is 280 gsm twill. First layer of glass is laid up without vacuum to seal the foam and give a hard surface to work against, all other layers vacuum bagged.

I got my carbon from enhancedcomposites.com.au, other stuff from the usual suspects, shapers.com.au, sanded.com.au, playwithcarbon.com and kirkside.com.au

Bigger board is 5'11" x 30". 130L, smaller board is 5'9" x 28" 110L

What do you recon is a good second board size?
im 95kg and have a 130l 7ft7 board atm was thinking of going down to something about 6ft but chunky maybe 125 litres.
I Dont seem to need much speed for take off so I am thinking planing area is not a priority.

highvolume said..
pacey how did you jam so much volume in a 5 11? Was it thickness that got it there? Board looks tops!

I went thick, 130mm at the fin box. I think people are overly scared of thickness, but I would rather drop the length and add half an inch to the thickness, particularly in the tail.

Looks good, I would extend the rocker further down the board a bit. I hotwire to template. I also hotwire chine and the bulk of the rails using tape as a guide. I avoid the planer on eps blanks. I keep it simple- no bagging, concaves etc
I do want to start doing qcel filler coat

I wasn't quite believing my numbers when I had it shorter with good vol, I'll go shorter!that hotwiring to the tape lines is gold, I usually make mdf templates which is a pain.

Great stuff. What do you use as the power supply for the hot wire?

tarquin1 said..
Great stuff. What do you use as the power supply for the hot wire?

I use an old laptop charger

I've got a transformer with two taps, 12v and 30v, with a potentiometer to adjust the current. 12v is good for short hotwires, 30v is good for the full width of the board