I have an old board that's not shaped really well and rides like $hit... I have never shaped a board before but I would like to acquire another hobby and try and shape my own board. Let's be real here, this might/probably is going to end in disaster but you don't know until you try. Could I take a board and cut it down, pretty much reshape the whole thing? I would be using this old board as a blank/base and cut/sand/re-glass it into the creation I have in my head. I've done some glassing in the past but I would really like to create some sort of, as Dane Reynolds callls them, dumster diver. Anyone have any insight on this for me? Thanks in Advance
Yeah dude you can pull it off. I did that to an old byrne. In my situation I removed all the glass. The board was delamed all over so it wasn't a big deal. I re-shaped a 6' squash into a 5'10 swallow with a decent amount of taper. The board wasn't perfect but it rode decent.
It can be done. Just be careful around the nose and tail since thats where the glass is overlapped and the strongest. If not careful it can tear some of the foam off with it.
thanks guys! Looks like I'm going to have to start this little project... I'll prob post up my progress as time goes on.
You can take a utility knife and score a large checkerboard pattern. Then carefully remove each square one at a time. Getting the knife under the glass and slightly score till it comes up...should be able to peel it off by then. Like said previously be careful not to pull up some unwanted foam. The board I did was severely delamed so it was real easy for me to get the glass off no problem. If all goes well...you will have a decent shape to start from.
my longboard snapped in half. so i'm taking the front half, about 42 inches long, and shaping it into a mini pod that i can surf and bodyboard on. i already took all the glass off but my problem is that i don't know how to glass a board. if there is anybody in the VB area that is good at doing this job? or is there anybody who can give me aqdvice on what to buy and how to do it? thanks
I've reshaped boards and it works fine. Getting old glass off of the deck is easy, so is the bottom. The rails on the other hand can end in disaster so be careful at that point. Also I would start at the thickest part of the board with the most foam for the first place to start lifting the glass. You might need to slide something flat under there to get it started, after that it comes up pretty easily, be carefull though that's when you tend to gouge the foam. Once all the glass is off I usually sand down the blank a hair to get it all smooth and nice to work on. It is really cool to do this type of project because it looks so nice when your done and you saved about $80 on foam.
This is awsome. I have an 8' boat that is basically trashed because it was my 1st board. Think I am gonna try this.
not really any sanding at all in stripping glass of an old board. I use a grinder or dremel tool with a lilttle cutting wheel attachment and just cut a few lines lengthwise along the entire board just barely through the glass and into the foam. Then just peel the glass off in long strips. THEN sand out the small divots. The rails are harder because the foam really clings to the glass and tends to pull divots. You have to reshape the rails anyway. Figure on losing at least 1/2" minmum in board width, and 1/4 inch in thickness from the old board to the new one. I think ive stripped and reshaped three.
i have done 2 board re-shapes. the above advice is right on. when you get the glass off and start to reshape, you want to take off as little foam from the deck as possible. the foam on the deck is more dense than the foam in the rest of the board, so if you are going to change the the thickness take the foam from the bottom. if you remove the denser foam then you will get a spongy/soft board after your finished. brasco
ECboarder - check out 'austin surfboards' in va beach. i dont know if they do contract glassing, but they can point you in the right direction and they do some of the sickest glassing on the east coast. brasco
