Glass vs Epoxy

[poorboy0007]

Not sure if this has been a topic before (had a quick look but get sidetracked with all the great info) but are there any ideas on glass vs epoxy and are any of the OZ shapers doing epoxy boards?

I noted Barry (on Simon's Inside & Out) saying that he took epoxy boards and snapped one! Is this an issue with epoxy boards??

[albert]

David Parkes told me recently, that he had glued stringers into some styro blanks himself and willl be offering styro/epoxy kneeboards with both carbon and/or glass laminations

here are some pics.

This is the board Parkesy was riding in Phillip Island (I think)

[GRAYMAN]

You know of any probs with the lack of give with epoxy Albert?

G

[RMcKnee]

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[albert]

You know of any probs with the lack of give with epoxy Albert?

G

I rode epoxy boards for about 5 years while I was living in Florida, I definately felt the lack of give when the waves werent small and gutless.

[Jack Beresford]

I picked up my first ever epoxy board (from James Mangano/K-58) today. We'll see how it goes in the morning.

[skansand]

doesnt the main reason for lack of give have more to do with the EPS foam? i think? EPS does need to be thinner, no? the Epoxy is actually a more flexible resin than polyester, i think?

FLoatation...

...# 2 EPS foam should be shaped thinner to get the same float/feel as your standard PU/Poly board.. , extra thickness will be less responsive and harder to sink a rail...

#1.5 is about the closest to PU/PE but still floats a bit more...

#1 is the cheap stuff i use from Home depot, floats less then standard PU/PE...


MEMORY (stringerless board are less likely to break with extra glass but add a stringer and it will "green Splint" because the wood cant take the flex the glass/foam can) (PE resin is stiffer/more brittle so a stringer is needed)

, #1 will retain its feel for the longest But needs extra thick glass or compsand construction to compensate for its soft skin and flimsyness...so extra weight unless your cutting edge...

#1.5 still needs some extra glass but still comes out lighter and flexier.

#2 can be stringered and glassed the same as a standard PU/ PE and come out ridiculously lighter but more attention must be paid to deck/bottom contours to get the flex tuned... STringerless is still reccomended by many...

[poorboy0007]

You guys rock! haven't you got anything better to do on Christmas Eve??

Ask a question raise another 10 questions!

So...if I get this right, I am talking about EPS blanks as opposed to the traditional foam and glass cloth/resin method.

Do the EPS blanks make the board significantly lighter and if not what is the difference?

[kidrock]

I don't know anything at all about EPS vs epoxy vs fiberglass.

What I DO know is, is that those 2 Parkes shapes are saweeeet.

[skansand]

My home made 1ib eps blanks weigh nothing! like holding air but the weight comes in the lamination....

a light glass job in PU is 4oz bottom/4oz top

a light glass job with stringerless eps would be 4+4+4 top/ 4+4 bottom

[RMcKnee]

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[GRAYMAN]

Epoxy has more flex perse but has a better memory meaning it boings back into place more quickly. Polyester tends to flex more spongily and has less memory. That's why you get dents where your knees are on a polyester board but less so on epoxy boards.

For that reason, a lot of footboarding big wave types will ride epoxy in small surf but when the juice kicks in they go back to polyester. Basically, they get bounced off the epoxy! That's why I asked Albert about epoxy kneeboards. You have less absorbtion of bounces on your knees.

As for the difference between polyurethane and EPS (polystyrene) they're both foam. Polyurethane's more squidgy but it's the glass/resin laminate that gives the board it's strenghth.

G

[RMcKnee]

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[austo]

Thanks for this info as I am about to reieve my new custom and I opted for epoxy not knowing a great deal about them other than what you hear at the beach...Hope it works out..nothing ventured nothing gained as they say I guess

[austo]

Yes Kneemo sad but true