Get a new board, scuff sand the top and lay an extra coat of resin across the whole deck. I’ve been considering this as a solution to board strength issues because I‘ve put my heel through a few decks and stomp out new boards pretty quickly. Air drops out of floaters without putting 20 stress cracks across the bottom of your board should be possible too. While riding a wave I like to be in focus, not worrying if my board is going to take a sh*t. Obviously weight will be added but will it really affect the boards performance? It’s not like 5 lbs or something. Sh*t, my winter wetsuit gear has to weigh 25 lbs wet. I know the pop will be affected but again, will the board perform poorly as a result? I don’t think so, but I don’t know for sure. I’ve always done well repairing my boards, but I don’t know sh*t about shaping or building them. I know it sounds nutty messing with a brand new board but, if the strength issues are resolved and performance isn’t sacrificed, why not?
I would strongly advise against doing this. The main strength in the glass job doesn't come from the hotcoat of the board, but in the cloth lamination used. Most stock shortboards come with a single 4oz bottom & a double 4oz deck. If you are looking for more strength & don't mind a bit of added weight then you could order a board with 6oz cloth which will give you a bit more strength. I personally glass my boards with a 6oz & 4oz deck which has worked out well for me & i beat the crap out of boards. You also have to keep in mind the glass shop that is building the board. Channel Island uses about 3-4 different glass shops in the US so their is definitely changes in the quality based on which one glassed your board. Shops like Moonlight, Watermans Guild, & Michael Miller's shop do higher quality work because they spend more time per board. But most importantly it comes down to 2 things, the weight of the cloth used & who actually glassed the board.
it is the same thing as a gloss coat, the coat should be sanded smooth, why not just get a board with a gloss coat custom made? Also Gloss coats add 0 structural all of your strength comes from foam density and fiberglass, if you want a more ding resistant deck get a shaper to make you a custom with blue or Green density poly you could even go classic or black density but that is really heavy dense foam. or 2-3 lb density EPS Foam, Ask for 6/4 or 6/6 Deck maybe a deck patch as well.
fiberglass has to be an even balance between resin / cloth content. What you intend to do will increase rigidity and could cause the top, newer layer or resin to crack all to sh*t when impacted/ flexed. If you want a heaver glass job, you need to step up the cloth along with the glass. in short, don't, it doesn't work like that
A2 and Lee nailed it... it comes down to foam density and glass schedule, not hotcoat/glosscoat thickness. The glass is for tensile strength, the resin is for compression strength. You have to have the two in the right ratio to combine strengths and make up for each others' weaknesses. For impact resistance, try S glass instead of the standard E. In your case, I'd consider #2 pressure molded, superfused EPS with 6/6 deck, with or without heel patches in carbon fiber or even bamboo. Using 6oz all around will add about a half pound of weight if glassed, like Lee said, by an expert laminator. You can also strategically cut deck patches to save weight and add strength only where you need it. After that, your talking about some kind of timberflex construction or other vac bagged comp sand.
you could have your local ding guy or shaper add a deck patch...it's a bit of a drive, but jamie kelly does it pretty frequently.
I would not do this... I don't know how true this is, but i could testify to it with a board that i had.... i have heard it said that if you get a brand new board- right out of the shaping/glassing shop- that the boards resin may still be "green" and may need a few weeks/months to cure... maybe this could be your issue... If you really want more strength in your deck- it has to do with alot more then a hotcoat or even adding an extra layer of glass, like mentioned above.
Thanks for the solid feedback guys. Anyone interested in a new 6’0’’ Merrick with a layer of sun cure across the deck? Kidding. Basically I need a heavier glass job from the get go. I guess I kind of new that but was looking for a way out of ordering boards. I never ordered boards and always leaned away from it because I feel like good shapers know what we want/need better than we do, and their stock models are probably their best boards. Plus if I break a board I don’t have to wait. I like the sound of a 6/4 deck. What about 6oz bottom and 6/4 top or 6/6 top? Too heavy? I ride 5’10’’s to 6’2’’s and am not Kolohe Andino. I feel like the extra board weight would give more drive, stability and smoother follow through on maneuvers? I’m pretty sure a good air guy (not me) could do all the same stuff on a heavier glassed board. Do we have light glass jobs simply to sell more boards? I don’t know about that because pros don’t buy boards and they get single layer 4oz decks I think. Thanks again for learning me some stuff.
everyone wants light strong boards, a 4/4 + 4 board is strong but every rider is different, most pro's use 4+4 single layer each side use them for a week use their next one. if you are not surfing in comps and you just want a board that will last go 6+6/6+4 deck 6 bot, (if you are not to rough on your boards go 4 bottom, your bottom really shouldn't be taking that much damage, your deck takes the brunt of it. ) Also what kind of boards are you riding, different boards usually are glassed differently. logs are usually glassed heavier with deck and tail patches, fish/eggs are usually glassed heavier than short boards, short boards are usually glassed light. but their is everything in between as well. Like i said, everyone has their preference with epoxy, poly, eps,weight, shape, size, fins, ect. you just need to find what is right for you for what you are looking to accomplish in your surfing.
If you're after snap resistance, heavy glass on deck and bottom. But if you just beat the crap out of your decks, and you're not stress cracking your bottoms, just reinforce the deck. One thing to avoid is going something like 6/6 deck, 4 bottom. Then crazy things start happening with shear inside the core. Keep your deck and bottom glass schedules relatively balanced. If you're beating your decks up only under your feet (foot wells) patches will help a lot. I've gone to doing hourglass shaped patches... front foot, back foot, and a strip down the stringer to beef up snap resistance. Saves weight and give you reinforcement where you need it. But if you don't mind the added weight (you're right about added drive and follow through) 6/6 deck or 6/4 deck and 6 bottom, or 6/4 deck and 4 bottom, either one with fully wrapped rails and foot patches is what you should tell your shaper. You do have a shaper, right? ;-)
