Welcome to Surfzone Design Forum. Each week we will be posting a new topic about surfboard construction and
                                    design. Enjoy! You are encourgaged to engage in discussion on our Shaper's Blog.

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                 What's working, What's Not, New Ideas

             Surfzone Design Forum - Part I

                  

       Surfboard design has, over the years, has evolved and changed due to the advancement of both materials and the level of surfing. The original boards surfed by the ancient Polynesians and Hawaiians were little more than wooden planks and it wasn't until 1958 that foam was used in boardmaking when Hobie Alter and Gordon, "Grubby" Clark, began experimenting with the new material,  polyurethane foam. At that time a friend, Ken Doolittle, showed Hobie and Grubbie a piece of foam that he said wouls not degrade if covered with a coating of polyester resin. Hobie had been shaping his boards from South American balsa wood that was difficult to obtain and was always questionable as to the quality of the wood. This new material would revolutionize surfboards, and surfing.
       Grubbie Clark had knowledge of chemistry and the two began to experiment with foam and molds and came up with what would be the standard for years to come. In 1961 they Hobie started Hobie Surfboards and Grubbie started Clark Foam.


                                             The Materials
    
                                               The Blank
 
     In this first Surfzone Design Forum, we are going to discuss what goes into the construction of the tradtional polyurethane/fiberglass, hand-shaped surfboard. Today's polyurethane foam "blank" comes in a variety of lengths, thicknesses, and densities with preset rocker. The foam blank is strengthened with  a "stringer", a material, usually wood, which is glued between two halves of the blank lengthwise and vertically. Generally there is one but boards can have multiple stringers. The wood used for stringers is typically balsa or spruce  but other woods are used as well.



                             Fiberglass Cloth and Epoxy Resin 


Shaped and painted surfboards are covered with a woven cloth made from glass fibers, hence fiberglass, with epoxy resin over that. The cloth comes in different thicknesses, or weights (1sq ft when covered with resin). A lighter board will have less cloth and resin but will be more suseptible to damage. Boards made from heavier weights will be stronger but heavier. Sometime patches of extra cloth will be placed in areas prone to damage.  Working with these can de detrimental to your health if you don't take the proper precautions. A good respirator is essential when working with the resin and a minimum of a good particle mask should be used when shaping or sanding.