Make your own board?
Wed, 09/09/2009 - 14:14
Has anyone made there own foam/fiberglass board? I'm a big do-it-yourselfer and an engineer with access to some equipment, so I'm contemplating making my own lightwind board. I've done some fiberglass work on boats, but never any foam shaping or anything. Anyone have an experience or suggestions for/against doing this?
Thanks,
Adam
Thu, 09/10/2009 - 11:02
#1
Johnny Pellecer - Board shaper
Hey Adam,
If you were at Nahant yesterday you may have noticed a short stalky guy without a shirt riding a 16 Red Swithblade kite on a white board. That's JP and he is a talented board shaper. I worked with him on some of his boards he made a few years back but we both lost interest as the technology changed.
But if you build a board it will cost more to build than to buy a production board.
We and most companies use Dyvinecil H80 core board or wood poplar. You will need a vacuum pump and vacuum bagging.
Here are some websites to get the supplies:
www.fiberglasssupply.com for foam and all materials to build a kiteboard.
www.uscomposites.com for S-glass cloth and cheaper resin than West system
www.westmarine.com in case you want to use West System resin
www.snowboardmaterials.com for PBT top and bottom layer of board and inserts.
Thu, 09/10/2009 - 12:00
#2
there have always been cheaper options..
Every time I've considered making my own I've somehow found cheaper options on brand new boards.
For Twintips:
www.antig99.com
Send them your graphics and 3 weeks later you get a custom board. How cool is that?!? (~$300 + $100 shipping. Better to combine with buddies for a quantity discount)
For Surfboards:
http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Danai-Hydrosport_Surfboards_W0QQ_fsubZ112381...
You can e-mail the guy direct - His name is Don. He will throw in a deckpad for free, if you want to start riding strapless.
$275 or so...
Wed, 09/16/2009 - 16:23
#4
Big strapless surfboard...
This really comes down to a personal preference thing but....
If you want a light wind board I recommend the surfboard route. I went to Waqouit bay a few times this summer and there were a few occasions where the wind was so light that I was the only one even able to get up on a board, and there were one or two folks with spleen doors that didn't have enough float.
Surfboards have a lot of float, and that really helps when the wind gets light. And you will find other uses for it as well, e.g. riding waves.
The only thing you won't be able to do is jump - you could put straps on it but really, you don't want to do too much crazy jumping with a spleen door anyway.
Get yourself a 6'5" or 7' surfboard and there will be days when you will be the only guy riding. Or get a slightly smaller one (I have a 6'0 board and I am 6' tall), and you will be able to use it for some of the wave riding too.
And if you have any questions about the Taiwan thing or want to see what those boards look like let me know. It's really worked out well for me.
Sun, 04/17/2011 - 15:00
#5
got wood?
Adam Mac wrote:
Has anyone ridden a plywood and glassed board, or is that a thing of the past?
I literally have a piece of plywood that I take to the beach sometimes. It's warped and soggy but it's flat so it planes quickly. I just wax it. Also some others made of wood, takes a while to get the rocker you want but if it's light wind you're after just trace a spleene door or session board and keep it flat. Building boards is fun, wish I had more time and resources. Good luck!
Thu, 09/10/2009 - 17:51
#6
board
Check out this project http://www.kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=2359297&p=611117
or PM Scooper about his homemade plywood board.
Fri, 09/11/2009 - 11:58
#7
I looked at that supply
I looked at that supply store. Screw fiberglass and carbon fiber..... I want a board made out of Kevlar!!
Thu, 09/17/2009 - 09:04
#8
Winter Project - Board Shaping
I think I may start to shape my own boards this winter. I have been putting it off for years. Got some really great ideas for shapes and want to put into reality.
Mon, 04/11/2011 - 13:37
#9
kiteboard building?
Anybody still building their own kiteboards?
Tue, 04/12/2011 - 00:38
#10
I've made 2 plywood twin
I've made 2 plywood twin tips, 1 plywood skimboard, 1 pink foam and fiberglass twin tip. All of them have design flaws and have been retired except the big twin tip. That one has flaws too but I like it sometimes. I'd like to make some better ones but don't know when I'll have time. For now I'm loving riding some good quality production boards! Some info on building my boards is here- http://waterloggedbyscooper.blogspot.com/2006/10/kiteboard-construction-notes.html
Good Luck!
Tue, 04/12/2011 - 07:32
#11
Yes, I made a plywood board
Yes, I made a plywood board (3/8" baltic birchl) that has worked quite well for us (3 beginners). Have not much to compare it to though. Impatience made me do a really bad paint job, which added unnecessary weight. But fun to built, and if I loose it, I won't be heart broken. Or only a little.
Mon, 04/18/2011 - 11:31
#12
I actually considered it,
I actually considered it, check out the link below. Will help you cut down on weight.
http://www.losethestraps.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=388
Fri, 04/22/2011 - 10:27
#13
Mako Woodie
Yes, the losethestrap.com mako build was very informative. I actually started building My Mako strip cedar kiteboard late fall last year. I just finished putting the gloss coat last night using water base polyurethane to protect the epoxy from UV.
Here is the link to a few pics prior to glassing: http://office.weymouthdesign.com/kiteboard/index.html
Fri, 04/22/2011 - 11:37
#14
Damn that looks nice. Is it
Damn that looks nice. Is it hollow, or solid wood? Let us know how it rides.
Fri, 04/22/2011 - 12:37
#15
The board is hollow with
The board is hollow with liquid foam injected to fill the hollow spaces in between the ribs. See the online build if you are interested. http://www.losethestraps.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=388
I hope to test drive it soon 
Fri, 04/22/2011 - 12:45
#16
Almost ashame to drill holes
Almost ashame to drill holes in it. Wax that up and ride it strapless
Wed, 04/20/2011 - 10:19
#17
i made my own wakeboard in
i made my own wakeboard in highschool, tried a new board shape for an innovative project I was assigned.... ended up riding like crap but it was a really cool experience making it so I vote go ahead and give it a shot! :) Also, I may need to see if I can find that old board... probably a better shape for kite than wake anyway lol
Wed, 04/20/2011 - 22:00
#18
I love my plywood door copy
I love my plywood door copy for light wind days. Cheap and easy.
I posted my baby here:
Yea, i'm digging the taiwan boards, thats short money and looks like good construction. However, what I really want to make is a big lightwind like the door's or the flysurfers. Those are all $800+, so I thought I could do it cheaper and have some fun with it. As far as all the equipment goes (vaccum pump, bagging, etc) I have it all. I have a 100ton press here that I could pressure form the foam with if I really wanted to get crazy (concave and rocker, oh yea!). I probably will not get that crazy.
Has anyone ridden a plywood and glassed board, or is that a thing of the past?