Victim #2

The weather is going to warm up this Monday and Tuesday so I can finish the long board project. So I’m starting to look at the design for the 7’3” short board blank.

I really liked the Walker Project F-18 demo that Mike sent out for the 2006 Wakefest. However, that board was designed for a 120 pound teenager. I’ve got a hundred pounds on what James weighed a couple of years ago. I need a bigger board.

So with this board I want to stretch the design so it will work for a bigger rider. I stretched the WP F18 when I made the Kroger’s cardboard surfboard. When I stretched the design I included a flat section at the stretch. I had a fairly long flat stretch in the long board as well. Apparently flat stretches are taboo or unrefined design practice. I've been told that outline of a surfboard is supposed to be made of “fair lines”. One way to get fair lines is to stick nails in a board and then connect the dots with a flexible drawing guide like a fishing rod. Then trace the arc that the drawing guide and nails define.

The blank has 6.5 inches of nose rocker and 3.5 inches of tail rocker. After cutting the blank and skinning the board I think I’ll have about 5 inches of rocker at the nose and approximately 1 ¾ inches. I think that’s more tail rocker than I want but that’s what’s in the blank.

I’m toying with the idea of installing light tubes in this board. I’d like to organize a night surf event this summer and I think it would be cool (and practical) to have an illuminated board.

The board will have a tri fin set up. I’ll also add some concave the bottom. Several local friends were interested in the long board project. I’ll invite then to join the fun on this board.

I love it, a light show!

dude thats awesome, i want one!

The lights came in today

I just spoke with Chris Walker. Sounds like we might get the Muncie Water Bowl for the NWL Indiana Championship and a Night Surf Session in late June! This opportunity hasn't been confirmed.

An image update

Night surfing gets some sweet pictures.. I bet they'll be even cooler with a light up board! =]

And what is this mention of NWL Indiana championships..? Kinda like in nationals in Dayton last year or just wakesurf..?

That's cool...how are you going to waterproof the lights?

Robbie, this year I'm planning on running the Ohio NWL Wakesurf Championship at the Dayton Hydro Bowl. If a venue shakes out for Indiana there will be an Indiana State Championship. There will not be a Scioto Wakefest for 2008.

The NWL Wakeboard Nationals will be held in Elizabeth Town, KY. This venue will not support both a wakeboard and wakesurf competitions.

I have submitted a marine permit request for the NWL National Championship on Griggs Reservoir but the venue is problematic. I'm working on other venues for Nationals.

The lights are really thin. I was going to cut a 3/16 groove for the lights but I'm wondering if I can get away with just cutting single a groove with a razor blade and stuffing the light in the groove.

The lights will be mounted on the bottom surface of the board so they light up the water. I'll drill a hole from the light groove to a cut out box on the top side. With the wire in place I'll glass the cut out box. I’ll put a seal and put a lid on the cut out box.

I built box tops for the light power supply. I made a set earlier this week but I didn't like how they turned out. So I went back to the hobby store and bought 1/4 by 3 inch and a 3/8 by 3 inch bass wood planks. The 1/4 inch will be the lid and the 3/8 the top half of the power supply box.

I match drilled the boxes and lids and I countersunk the lid holes. I cut the center of the boxes out on my scroll saw. Then I pressed T-nuts in to the boxes.

I’m going to shape the board this weekend. Once shaped I’m going to router out the bottom half of the box. I’ll leave a step for the wood box with the T-nuts to sit on. The hole will be deeper than the step for the box. I’ll glass the hole and then epoxy the box in to the hole. I need to find a gasket to put between the box and lid.

Two sets of boxes


pinning the lid and box


Cutting the center of the box


Pressed in T-nuts


The power supply sitting upside down in a box next to a right side up box

Fiber Optic lights would be the way to go, a lot smaller than a light rope and water proof I think <shrug>..



(Message edited by ripping trends on February 21, 2008)

I don’t know that much about fiber optics. The light has to come form some place. For a fiber optic solution that would probably be an LED. The LED would still need 3 to 4 volts.

Fiber optics work on a principle of "total internal reflection." Very little energy is lost as light passes through the fiber. That makes them efficient. That also prevents light from escaping along the body of the fiber. That’s the opposite of what I want. I want a continuous uniform illuminated strip. You could make a large bundle of fibers and cut them to different lengths. Spread the fiber end points across you design some how, then you’d have a string or a bunch of pin point lights.

It might be possible to rough up the outer surface of a fiber. If the surface is rough it might not reflect and then allow light to spill out along the length of the fiber. I do have some other fiber optic ideas but that will be another board.

Another approach would be to use a strip of LEDs. Direct mounted LED would have zero fiber optic loss but that too would not be uniform.

Any way you build it you have to worry about water. I think I have that taken care of.

I’m good with the EL lights that I have.

Actually Ed there is a side emitting fiber now, as well as, the end emitting as you describe...the side emitting glows just like you want. (Cub scout project is how I know )

http://www.fiberopticproducts.com/Sideglow.htm

I'm not sure about the power source though between the two, the side emitting needs something that will light up Denver

Well then, that would be the way to go. I’ll have a wire going through the board to the box. I’ll epoxy around that wire. With a fiber optic you could just put an end of the fiber up to the light box. The place small flash light at the end of the fiber.

what? A disco board? Or pimp my ride/board? Woohoo I love it

Today was a busy day. I started off measuring and shaping and ended up glassing the bottom with a resin swirl.

The plan and measuring tools


Need a few more nails to hold the bow in place.


The line - I did this on the top of the board. I think Your supposed to do it on the bottom.


Half the shape cut - doesn't that look weird.


(Message edited by Bigshow on February 23, 2008)

Now it’s time to cut a template. Then flip the template and trace the design for the other side. I usually use an Inland Surfer box for something when I build a board. This time it I used one as a template.

Tracing the template


Not to many mid course shaping pictures so we'll have to fast forward.

The shape

Milling the light power box.

Placing the boxes. They have to be far enough forward to avoid the fins and far enough back so the light stays in the meaty part of the foam.

Box location.


The shelf for the boxes is complete



Marking and milling the bottom half of the box



Milling is complete. There's a deep inner box and a shelf for the wooden top half of the box.


Power supply test fit.

Adding the lights.

Drilling from the rail to the power box.


Pulling the light through the hole


Cutting a groove with a razor blade


Making a wider channel by dragging a dowel over the groove


Inserting the light in the grove


One installed light


With the light on

Getting ready for glassing.

Not That I'll be able to see these marks after glassing, this is where the fins will go. Its a tri-fin board.


I masked off the deck. I put a drip guide on in an effort to train colors away from the center - that's a lesson learned.

I kept the lip of the drip tape up with balls of tape


Glass is cut and ready to go

Here's the resin swirl.

Ed - so cool!!

The way you drilled the hole for the power to the lights is too impressive. Did you just eyeball that?

I can't remember, did you say you'll be able to switch the lights on and off once glassed?

That swirl job is going to look fantastic when the hotcoat and glosscoat are on. Nicely done.

The bottom of the board is relatively flat. All I had to do was eye ball and aim up just a tad.

The wood box lids are removable. The lids must be removed to change the operating mode and replace batteries. There are three operating modes, 1) On, 2) Off, and 3) Flashing. I'm a little worried about how much light will make it through the resin swirl.

I'm much happier with this resin swirl than the one on the long board. The colors are lighter, that helps. I read through a Swalock’s resin swirl thread. One tip was to only pull the resin from center to lap rail once. The more you pull the muddier it gets. Accelerators are supposed to help too. I should have ordered some, maybe next time.

Ed, that swirl looks GREAT! Really impressed with your progress.

The last two nights I filled the wire holes from the rail to the power boxes. First I taped off the rail. Then I mixed three tea spoons of epoxy and held it in my hand until it started to get warm then I spooned it down the hole. I used one of those small cough syrup measuring lids to measure out epoxy.

Tonight I glassed in the power boxes. Since the amount of epoxy that I'm using is so small I used a scale to measure the epoxy. I taped off the bottom of the T-nuts to keep them from getting gummed up. I also filled the top of the holes with tape and dowels to keep epoxy out. The right wooden frame was popping up so I put some weight on top.

Using a little left over glass from the long board.

Glass in the box

Taping the bottom of the T-nuts

Measuring with a postal scale

Stuffing glass in the seam with a razor blade

Weighting the right side

When I put applied the resin swirl some of the glass didn't adhere to the board. It didn't adhere because I only pulled the resin across the glass once.

So tonight I put 6 ounces of epoxy on the bottom and I'm vacuum bagging the board to pull loose glass to the board. Hope this works.

Bagging!!!!!!!!!!!! Very nice. Almost better than cartoons.

Wow!! Very cool!

Time to glass the deck.

Cutting the glass near the power box


Glass is dressed out and ready to go


Don't forget to put the logo on


Now with the epoxy on and rails lapped


The logo under glass


The board at a distance

Excellent Ed. Love the logo!!

Hey Ed, the "Night Stick" looks great. Is Norris going to be the maiden voyage? If yes, I might have you sign a release stating that you won't electrocute all of our fish.

Dear Citizens of Lake Norris, I have applied sound engineering practices in the design and construction of the Night Rider. This equipement will present no hazard to the fish and game in or about the lake. I can not be certain that the strobe light effect will not affect the indigenous female population from qualifying for Girlz Gone Wild air time.

Roy someone on Syawlock’s suggested that I shouldn’t surf in the ocean since the lights might make the board more a lure than a surf board.

Roy I’ve been looking at the rules document I’ll have some edits for you in a few.

Looks good

What are you going to do for traction?

I was going to by a bunch of Gator Grip for the longboard. I'll either increase the order to cover this board or I'll use traction pads like the ones I used on the Kroger's board. I'm leaning toward Gator Grip.

Missed Roy’s question above. I’m not sure if I’ll have an opportunity to surf before the Ice Breaker or not. If I have an opportunity to surf I’m going to take it. A friend down from Sandusky today. He wanted to help glass the deck. He might be interested in coming down to the Ice Breaker too.

The bottom of the board didn't adhere well to the resin swirl in places. I tried to repair it with a vacuum bag but that didn't do the trick. I think I'm going to press on and take it as a lesson learned. I'll probably make more boards next winter. I should be able to make some improvements over these first two.

Jeff, if you’re on line, you know what would be an interesting wakesurfing event activity, building a board. Not out west, all of you coasties see that all the time, well you could. I bet that building a board in at an event here in the Midwest over the course of a two day event would be interesting. I bet the media would eat it up.

Hey Ed,
Try Huladek it's clear grip so you can see your handy work thru it.
http://surfsource.net/Manufacturing/Additional%20Materials/additionalmaterials.htm

Ed, the board is looking good...what did you have in mind with the board building? I was at - shoot can't remember now if it was ASR or a something else. But they had shapers doing their stuff behind a glass partition.

I could do a PolyU board in a day if the weather was cooperative. Sounds like fun.

Something like that. I'm not sure what event. If it were a comp you'd want to be judging. The Indiana State Champions ship will be on June 28th. On the 29th Chris Walker will be running a Wakeboard tourney at the same site. Shaping a board on the 29th might be good exposure for Wakeboarders. Maybe we could make the board a charity raffle?

I'd be happy to judge or demonstrate. Do you think folks would gather for that or at least a portion of it? Shape and glass one day and the ride it the next? Great fun and I love the concept of the charitable contribution.

Hey Ed, where are the Indiana Championships going to be held at?

Robbie the Indiana State Championships will be at the Muncie Water Bowl. That's Chris Walker's home ski club.

that turned out awesome i cant wait to see pics of it on the water!

Sunday I installed the fins and the top and bottom sanding coats.

This evening I sanded the board. The sanding coat helped even out quite a bit of the bubbled up glass irregularities. I put the either the gloss coat or the second sanding coat on the bottom. More likely the second sanding coat.

After sanding



The second sanding coat is on

LOOKING GREAT!!!

Hopefully I'll get a ride on this one

And why would you think you couldn't ride any board that I have?

I just put on the pin stripe. The color at the lap line is more or less a pastel green blur.

First I tapped the pin line. My pin lines still bleed under the tape. Today I wiped the pine line down with Future acrylic floor wax before applying the resin.

Then I laid down deep green epoxy. Lastly I swirled in a little white pigment but only stirred a bit. Then I laid the lighter swirl green over the pin line.

I ordered some huladek, that will also be a new experience.

It's the anticipation

And I am very grateful with your sharing of boards. Definitely helps out a lot of people with which board to get.

Maybe with the lights around the rails, this one will take off like a UFO!

Ed - that pinline looks really cool.
I have to say, I love the smell of Future Acrylic!

Hula deck I think is a good choice for this board. It pretty much feels like grip tape on a skateboard. Let us know what you think of it.

Robbie, When I started making this board my objective was to make a bigger WP like board. However, the previous board was a 9 footer so this one seemed small. Now that it's almost complete I think I went a little too big. Its just short of 6 ft. Anyway it will be fun.

Matt, I think I can do a better, more intricate pin line next time. The idea hit me late. As with most things after trying it one I think I can do it a little better.

I've put off finishing installing the inverter. I didn't leave enough service-loop in the wiring. I salvaged the inverter install by removing it from the case and using a smaller battery care that I picked up at Radio Shack. It's a little messy in the battery/inverter box but it should work fine.

When was the last time you had to solder your surfboard?