EPS Epoxy vs. PU Poly

I prefer poly.

Are your PU boards water logged? ? ? ? ? ? ? / ? VD. b.stdbg

 

If there are open dings you can water log a board in a matter of hours.

 

I prefer poly, but, you're right, they don't last worth sh!t. Spider cracks, yellowing, delams, etc...horrible value for the money, really.

Fortunately, people are starting to use epoxy resin on standard poly blanks. Even local glassers can do this for your local shaper. They simply substitute epoxy resin for polyester resin...the rest of the board's materials stay standard polyurethane foam and fiberglass cloth. Epoxy resin is more expensive, but it's longevity actually surpasses the value of polyester resin.

...or you can spend a little more and get Hydroflex to glass your board. They use a vacuum process that sucks fibers into the foam, making their boards even stronger that standard epoxy glass jobs.

 

EPS/Epoxy for everything but big wave boards and logs, where I like the added weight, and like to do color work with a gloss/polish finish. Epoxy just doesn't tint or polish out like poly. You can get close, but it's not the same.

You can build a MUCH stronger board with EPS/epoxy for less weight, and about the same cost if you don't waste a lot of resin. It's a slower process and harder to work with, but the end product has better snap and ding resistance, won't fatigue and loose it's pop over time, and will last a lot longer in general.

 

^^^ Agreed on all points

 

you sure? Superbrand has their own "Superflex" epoxy system. I don't see any Superbrand boards listed on the Hydroflex site...nor have I ever seen them on there.

 

I agree with the comments on strength. My epoxy boards take beating. I also have a tufflite epoxy and its pretty much damage proof. I think I'll probably be sticking with my EPS epoxy boards moving forward.

 

I prefer poly but can't argue with the strength of epoxy. I have to standard boards and one epoxy.

 

tuflites are extremely tough, but also extremely stiff...doing turns on them felt weird/forced to me. They might be o.k. for travel, but I wouldn't even put them in the same category as most modern epoxy/eps boards...the flex and performance just isn't there (mostly why people don't buy them anymore).

 

I agree with Waterbaby. PU blank with epoxy resin is the best of both worlds. I don't like EPS blanks, weird and chattery in the water and a pain to shape.

 

All I've ever ridden was the Tuflite epoxy. Never really into them. As others have said felt to stiff. I also tend to like a little weight under my feet as well so i tend to get P/U with at least a 4/6 deck glass and a 6 on the bottom.

 

eps epoxy is nice light pretty tuff stuff when done right. careful when you ding because they don't take water to well.. don't handle choppy wind swell well.. pu great feel easy to fix.. my fave in betweener...xtr.... I've had 3-4. feels similar to a poly, tuff epoxy resin.. and the blanks won't take in the water when they ding. my 3 go to HPSB's right now are a 5'9 lost beach buggy, 5'10 custom xtr buggy, and a 5'11 xtr sd3. all i really need for the most part here and travel for chest- 1-3ft overhead depending on where I'm at.

 

Epoxy over Poly blank is the most durable without getting into sandwich composite methods. Boards dent but don't shatter.

I worked with Epoxy for a bit and went back to all poly. I just think Epoxy is too much of a hassle with too many extra steps and too many potential pitfalls and too much extra time. The added cost isn't worth it. I can shape, glass, sand and finish a poly board in 48 hours if I want to using Poly.

 

You just described all the reasons I dislike epoxy boards--floaty. It is a characteristic required by mediocre surfers?? hahahaha!! My poly boards last a lot longer than 1 year--one needs to learn to care for them (as well as epoxy boards).

 

Yes, by all means, stick with epoxy--you skill level requires all the help it can get. hahahaha!!
your turn...

 

It's not the blank, brother. Most EPS/epoxy boards that are straight hand laminated use heavier glass to get the strength advantage. With that comes stiffness. That chattery feeling can be mitigated through shape... as I said in my earlier post, some displacement feature in the entry... rolled vee, slight panel vee, belly... all smooth that out.

I'll agree with you and CJ in that it's a pain to work with. Much harder to get an accurate finish shape with the foam, then the added step of sealing the blank (if you do that), then the long wait times with curing... and post curing. If you're production shaping, it's a drag. But for the backyarder... take your time, get it right, make your adjustments in design to compensate for the materials you're using, and you've got a very strong, lively board that will last a very long time.

Getting back to the discussion on foam... PU foam dents, and stays dented, because the cell of rigid poly foam crush and crumble into dust... permanently. EPS beads do not crush and crumble like PU. They flatten, but they also have some spring back. So while your decks will dent, they will hold up a lot longer and NEVER delaminate. Taken by itself, typical #2 EPS and standard Poly foam have nearly identical flex. Depending on which formula of epoxy you're using, when compared to poly resin, it's slightly stronger, not nearly as brittle, and has better elongation. But comparing resins alone isn't very useful. You have to compare the matrix of fabric AND resin.

Bottom line is... It's what you do with the stringers, shape, and glass bill that makes the board feel different under your feet. It's what resin you choose, what kind of cloth you use, COMBINED what foam you use, that makes a board stronger and last longer.

We had a little waist high wave here this morning... I rode a 9'3 triple stringer poly log, then a stringerless 8'0 EPS/Epoxy thruster. Both felt completely different, and both were tons of fun.

Ride what you like!