Surf Board Blanks??

I was hoping to try my hand at shaping some wakesurf boards! So were are you guys getting your blanks? Is it expensive to ship? Im located in Canada and I am hoping I can find someone to ship some blanks up here with out to much cost? What does a blank usually run? Any websites to check out??

call 858-587-2163 they have some sweet deals on blanks without any uv inhibitors for under $25bucks..paint the foam before you glass it and the inhibitor deal shouldnt be a factor

Cool! I always love to see folks shape their own.

I've been hotwiring most of my recent projects from EPS block. You can get cheap 2# stuff from home insulation firms, locally. About $12 a board.

I got my hands on some American Blanks foam - made my mouth water it was so nice. Pricey, but no water intrusion isues like with our insulation EPS. $70'ish a board, I do believe.

http://www.segwaycomposites.com

I just don't know of any blank suppliers up north. Noah's Marine has high density foams like corecell and divinycell. I don't think they carry any EPS.

Fiberglass supply carries several lines of EPS blanks and they are about the cheapest. I know they had either an Exell or Just foam blank for around $45...a more typical price is $75.

http://www.fiberglasssupply.com/

Foam EZ carries Marko blanks

http://www.foamez.com/

There was some talk here on WW of someone planning on offering wakesurf specific blanks, but I don't know if that ever reached fruition. I think it was Billy over at Austin Surf Company, you might check with him. He may be able to steer you in the right direction.

http://www.ascboards.com

Oops, I see that Billy just posted up $25 a blank would be a great price!

Surf Dad! I can get my hands on eps it is what they call type 1 or 2, I think they might even make a type 3 this is like the popcorn insulation do you think it is the right stuff for making a board with. The company makes blocks of it 4'x4'x16' I can get them to cut what ever size I want. Im just not sure if its going two work. The type 2 would be the easiest for me to get.

Hey Jay,

In the US, the Standards for EPS Insulation, in increasing density are: Type I, VIII, II and IX.

The density ranges for the various types are:

Type 1 - .9 - 1.14 pcf
Type VIII - 1.15 - 1.34
Type II - 1.35 - 1.79
Type IX - 1.80 - 2.20

The Type I stuff is crazy light and even with stringers and a heavy glass schedule, it's dangerously light. I would build out of this without some form of high density skin.

The Type II in the 1.5 pcf range is doable. I'd glass it heavy, double 6oz bottom and triple 6 oz top and use a good solid 1/8" basswood stringer. That would work for you. Expect some heels dents and the like, but you can build a good solid board with it.

If you can locate the Type IX - that would be the best option.

The foam itself isn't great, but you can still shape a board and make it work. If you can find virgin EPS - no reground material, with C size beads, you'll be in good shape.

Keep us posted on your progress, please!

Hey jeff, how difficult would it be to knock the size down on a short surf blank to a wakesurf size? I'm more tempted to buy a blank for my first one, but buying a block of eps and building my own hotwire sounds like it would be alot more fun

Yeah, that's what I'd recommend too, TXSurf. It's pretty easy to get it close. Select a blank that is close to the dimensions you want, but is still "larger". To get the outline just use a jigsaw to get it close. For the thickness, 10-15 minutes with an electric plane and you're there.

After that it's surfoam, hand plane and sanding block!

It would be cool if some of the blank companies started offering a wakesurf specific one.... but in my understanding foam is a very high overhead low margin business - (just like surfboard manufacturing) but I'll bet we'll start seeing some soon...

Creating your template on AKUshaper, and using a hotwire is a lot of fun. To say you built something from scratch is pretty cool, but buying a blank that would fit your template and knocking it down would probably be more cost effective.

Even more cost effective would be to just buy some EPS from your local home depot, glue some sheets together and shape your blank from that.

Thanks for the tips guys! I think that it would be easier to knock down a preshaped surf blank, but I enjoy more of a challenge, so I think I'll go with the eps and hotwire route.

Besides the threads on here, anyone have any good plans or know where to find some for building a hotwire rig?

And I agree Matt, I don't think it will be too long before we see wakesurf blanks

TXSurf,
try www.warvelsurf.com

they have a skim blank that would work for a surf board i think its 4'6" and should be under 40 bux

TXSurf
try searching at Instructables.com for the hotwire instructions. i bought mine from hotwirefoamfactory - it wasn't cheap, but i'm not really electrically savvy so it was nice to just plug it in and start cutting without risk of getting shocked.

Mark - yes the skim blank is a good option too

hey mark, looking at your link the prices are for bulk orders am I missing something?

Cindy will sell you 1 she told me at surf expo that they were flexible and i spoke with her about making a wake specific blank "parabolic" but she said no or not yet. she was going to send me some samples to try for free but i have not seen them yet :-(.
I think i might sell finished blanks less rail contour for 60 each min. order of 2 ( because i have 2 drive 200 miles to do it ) made from either 2 or 3 lb. eps they will be cnc hot wired from either my design or customers cad design. right now i can get all shapes cut except concaves. Now i have not tried to cut any concaves in the foam because i am presently using all flat bottom blanks except for nose and tail rocker. you can check out what some blanks look like on
www.lakewakes.com

I have had awful luck with Warvel. I wouldn't recommend their products or doing business with them at all. Cindy and her delegate jerked me around for three months and then just stopped responding to my emails after I sent them tons of spec's on a blank.

What they say and what they do are very different things.



(Message edited by surfdad on October 07, 2008)

I know someone that cnc's blanks, but he also is in the surf business and does wakesurfers also, I wonder if I could convince him to build me a couple blanks to try out some different shapes and features.

Man, y'all have the wheels in my head spinning!

Jeff
I hope that warvel has changed , i have not responded back with them yet.

TXsurf ,
sure i would try your friend first , i dont see why he would not help you and this growing sport.

Hey Mark,

I don't think that Warvel is geared for individual consumers - the folks at Segway do a great job and they can get product from Warvel. I also hear that Foam EZ will start carrying Warvel products also. I just wish that Warvel had told me - NOPE rather than blowing me off like that. Regardless, I'll not do business with them.

Didn't Ed S make his hot hotwire bow? I tried to find his post on it, but couldn't.

Surf Dad

I just talked to my insulation supplier and checked out the densities there Type 3 is what I think will work the best it is 1.7 PCF they seem to think that would be the best! The nice thing is they are local and that they will hot wire me blanks and im hoping they wont charge me much or maybe if I talk nice they will cut me a few blanks for free. I wont be starting any of this untill the weather turns real cold and the snow flies!! But I will post up my progress. My Austrailan buddy use to shape boards back home so he is going to be helping me!!

Perfect! The 1.7 is a good weight, nice and light, but solid enough that it will work for you. I think that 1.5 is the cutoff, below that needs skins and high density inserts for the fins, 1.5 and above is adequate without the high density foam "accessories". I'm looking forward to your build, Jay!