Hollow wooden surfboard

[ClemsonSurf]

Does anyone have any experience building these? I've shaped a couple alaias and want to move on to something a little more user (rider) friendly. I've been drawing my templates for a while now and am ready to transpose them to full size.

My question is what type of wood should I make the stringer and ribs out of? I used gorilla glue with the alaias, will this work for putting together the frame and laying the deck? I plan on using paulonia, walnut and/or redwood on the deck mainly because that is what I have right now.

Lastly, I plan on making a larger mini simmons but since this is my first one, I'm going to skip the concave throughout and go with a flat bottom.

If you guys have any advice or tips let me know!

[Erock]

Check out Grain surfboards, they will help you out. Also, if you don't want to build your own stringer and ribs you can order them from Grain or Grizzly. Both are cut out on a CNC. Otherwise I would just use holly or poplar for the stringer and ribs.

BTW, why use Gorilla Poo? Titebond 3 is the best unless you want to mix your own two-part epoxy adhesive.

(disclaimer: I am a woodworker, not a shaper. However, I have been looking into doing a hollow surfboard for a while--please post what you are doing when you start the project)

[bigdaddyG]

This may not be much help, but there is a guy in Cape May NJ that runs a B&B and has made some hollow wooden boards. We stayed at his place a few years ago and when he saw my boards on the car he pulled them out. Pretty impressive. He actually wrote a book on surfboard design, but not sure it was ever circulated much. problem is I don't recall the name or address........

[LBCrew]

CBLACK, who posts here, has done the Grain deal... did a CI Biscuit, I think. PM him. I rode that board and although it was too small for me, it felt really good... and looked beautiful.

[charlie17]

Marine ply for ribs and stringer, unless you want to use paulownia. I would skip the walnut on the deck/bottom, will add some weight, unless just doing pinlines with it. Personally I would use paulownia on the whole thing if you have enough. And use the redwood as accents.

Use Gorrilla glue for buidling the deck skins and the rails, it will make you life much easier when sanding the rails, and is plenty strong. But when you bond the skins to the ribs, use 5200 fast cure, can get it at any boating store.

Go for some concave, it won't change the build process at all, you'll just need a few extra shims when gluing the bottom to the ribs.

Take your time, it is all in the prep work.

[ClemsonSurf]

Thanks, I'll check them out. I've found a couple other businesses that sell the kits too but they were not that interested in handing out advice.

I'll check out titebond. I liked gorilla glue for making the alaias because it expands as it cures. I felt that since I had the boards clamped the glue would get a better bond making the blank stronger. My hands were covered in glue at the end of making the blanks though.

My father in law is a carpenter so i'll have a lot of experience at my disposal but he likes to take over projects so I'm trying to keep a distance with this one.

[Erock]

Thanks, I'll check them out. I've found a couple other businesses that sell the kits too but they were not that interested in handing out advice.

I'll check out titebond. I liked gorilla glue for making the alaias because it expands as it cures. I felt that since I had the boards clamped the glue would get a better bond making the blank stronger. My hands were covered in glue at the end of making the blanks though.

My father in law is a carpenter so i'll have a lot of experience at my disposal but he likes to take over projects so I'm trying to keep a distance with this one.

Titebond consistently out-performs g-poo (sorry, been calling it that for years lol) in tests. The main reason I don't like the poly-based g-poo is the expansion you mentioned and the amount of clamping force needed to get that bond. Expansion + too much clamping force = wood movement. The Titebond 3 ultimate is recommended for submersion applications ie boat hulls and surfboards but is actually a little weaker than TB2. However, you will have wood grain failure with either TB2 or 3 before you have a glue failure. Cleanup is also much, much easier although tb3 will stain your fingers for a day or so. Easier cleanup = less sanding. Less sanding ALWAYS = better (woodworking is 60% sanding).

As far as your father-in-law.... I know exactly what you're talking about.

For the skeleton, I believe Grain will work with you on a custom design to your specs so you don't necessarily have to go with one of their shapes.

Can't wait to see the direction you go

[jimmyg]

Check out swaylocks.com, they have a ton of information on general surfboard stuff as well as wooden boards. Also sheldrake.net, These are cardboard core boards, could give some ideas on how to put it all together has some great time lapse vids. Also as far as templates go there is a spot in the site under that you can run your cursor over and get the full dimensions from tail to nose of width, thickness and rocker, that can help you shape your templates correctly. I have made a wooden board before from scratch.. I used a few techniques.. Mainly I shaped my stringer then made ribs to fit. Between the ribs i glued up rails and then laid plywood on top and feathered it to match the rails. If you do hollow you have to remember a vent plug. I used a brass coupling and a brass screw to match. You can also get a leash plug with a gortex vent, I believe Greenlight surf supplies sells that. When I ordered palownia wood, I got it from this guy named
Dan Blickenstaff (palownia@erols.com) he has a farm in I think SC or GA where he grows the stuff and he will mill it to your exact dimensions.. Actually a 2 by 4 unlike nominal dimensions from Home Depot (1 3/4" X3 3/4"). I have pictures of the whole process on my facebook but I'm not really sure how to upload the whole album.

[epidemicepic]

I built a grain board from one of the kits a few years back. The kit provides you with Cedar. I second the 5200 / titebond 3 combo.

http://store.grainsurfboards.com/pro...and-frame-sets : there are the frames somebody mentioned. Could be a good starting point for under $200


Also: swaylocks used to have a sick build tutorial/walk-through but i can't find it anywhere online.

[jimmyg]

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...1745650&type=3