Speed Bump I gotta agree with ya on Mike Stewart... Never fails to impress me there. NMD is also a good brand. I've got a "classic" Mike Stewart that he personally shaped before he got big. Its too small for me now, 39" but its still the best board I own.. I just wish it was a couple inches bigger.
http://www.ebodyboarding.com/boards/all-brands/nomad-bodyboards/nomad-fsd-ultimate-d12-series-42-25-bodyboard-16860.html#tab-box-description Might have just found my board.
I don't think the surf shops hate you but most (all) have no clue when it comes to a hardcore sponger. And the best quality boards don't sell very quickly and are outdated fast so they can't make any cheese on the deals. That's why they usually only stock cheap EPS core junk that falls apart quickly so the customer has to repurchase on their next vacation. Good thread w/ some good info. What is the best stringer material IYO? What is the Dow core, extruded polystyrene? Isn't Arcell polypropylene? Any info on shaping a DIY sponge out there that anyone knows of?
Hey Mr. Bean... That's interesting insight about the shoppes, especially the profit margin. Arcel-closer to PE methinks, a little softer, but I could be wrong. Stringer material...graphite I think. Againe, could be wrong. DIY sponge...take a gander on FB for the "Alone Board Company"...actually a dude base here on the EC. Doing some cool stuff. I still want a cork, or courque, paipo.
Three stringers? That'll give you a stiffy. What ever happened to Ion? They used ARCEL cores and claimed their boards were ridiculously fast. If I owned a surf shop, I wouldn't carry many quality boogers. I would carry a lot of painted-up Chinese popouts to sell to tourons and posers. There's no money in catering to skilled surfers and spongers--too few of 'em around.
checked out the selection of Mike Stewart boards they had at ebodyboarding. Definitely found some boards that interested me. Thanks man!
Hey dude, I def recommend an EFC core for cold temps - the 3 carbon stringers will make for quite a stiff deck, but will hold up well with your size/weight. I use a 43" No. 6 "Insidious Idol" model for winter for the last 5 years, has performed and taken a beating (170lbs, 6'0") - and at quite a good price. Check www.atlanticbodyboards.com for a solid selection - this board usually sells for ~$180. Good luck sponga brotha.
Polyethylene is the T1 in a world of 56K. And I'm connected to my BZ like that. Blue, soft, beautiful, and sacred. Especially encrypted with my initials "BZ" at the bottom. Sadly, it's just getting to the point where I'm coming up with quotes that I look to match with threads beforehand. I'm looking for posts that massage the mandula oblongata.
Dow core is polyethylene, it's the classic boogie core. Not sure why someone said to avoid it. It's been 20 or so years since I've ridden an Arcel board, so maybe the new stuff is different, but the old Arcel was stiffer than PE, but dented easier. There were some great old Arcel boards, the BZ ones in particular. My understanding is that sourcing small quantities of boogie material is almost impossible, and that makes DIY shaping of traditional boards really difficult. I would be extremely interested in any experience people have in this area.
