Wakesurf Boards 2017 - How to Build Your Own

[KXCam22]

Finally got around to starting the new production of boards. Here is a pic of the shaping room. We are building 1 6' ocean board and 2 lake boards, one 5' and one 4'-6". Now that we know what we are doing it is much faster. The ocean board took about 2 hours to shape from a blank to be ready for sealing. Hopefully will get to glassing them this weekend if it is not too hot. Cam.

 

[RightStuff]

Keep up these posts, very interesting to read and see how boards are built!

 

[KXCam22]

Finally got around to shaping mine. Took about 45 min to shape from wire cut blank to rough blank. Trying to cut between the lines. On the rough blanks you can see the wire cutter marks.

The last pic is the completed rough blank. The best shaping tool I have found is a 40 grit belt sander belt cut and glued to a stick. Cam.



Completed rough blank ready to be contoured.

 

[KXCam22]

Finally got some board time in. Too many holidays to get anything done. Hope to start glassing next week. Heres some pics of the progression. Cam.

Wire cutting the rails

Marking the Outline


Rough Cut Foam


Marking the rails.

Shaping the rails

Shaped vs Unshaped

Final Shaping

Graphics Layout

Painting in Progress

 

[KXCam22]

One of the secrets the surfboarders DONT tell you is how hard it is to cut fin boxes when the bottom has some wicked concaves. The ocean short-board we are building has a single to double concave transition with 5 fins. We had to measure the box depth with a micrometer since the cutter jig doesn't sit flat and none of the bottom is flat. With a custom contoured fin insert we will sacrifice a degree of fin angle for a nice bottom contour. Worked out very well. My Son is anxious to get it finished as he heads off to engineering school in a month and will need it to surf there. Cam.

 

[KXCam22]

Here's the final blank ready for air brushing then glassing. Cam

 

[RightStuff]

Have to say it again, I love these step by steps posts! Keep it coming!

If you don't mind... Can you outline rough costs involved with doing this sort of thing? How much do the tools cost to buy/make? With just the materials (foam, paint, fins/fin boxes, glass, epoxy) how much does a board cost outside the labor? How much time does it take from start to finish to do a board?

 

[KXCam22]

Were at about $210 each for these. We are more efficient building these so maybe 25 hours. Beats watching tv. Cam.

 

[RightStuff]

How about the tools needed to do all of this?

 

[KXCam22]

I use a hotwire cutter and a belt sander belt on a stick. Hotwire cutter i built free from scraps although a spool of wire cost $5 on ebay. Obviously a tape measure. I get to cheat and use fullsize autocad models but not necessary. Cam.

 

[KXCam22]

Next ones we are going use 4in thick foam. The glue joint is a pain and can add 6 hours to construction. My closest supplier for the good foam is 3hrs away and i have to buy 10 boards worth. Should have done it for these. Cam.

 

[KXCam22]

Here is the completed air brush work. The graphics will be printed on rice paper and put under the first layer of epoxy glass. Cam

 

[KXCam22]

I also epoxied in the fin boxes. The green color really stands out under the epoxy coating. Hopefully it will still be bright under a number of layers of epoxy-glass. Unfortunately I got some forest fire ash in the sticky epoxy. We have hundreds of fires burning around us and you can't see the sun. Permanent night almost. Cam.

 

[KXCam22]

Picked up 12 yards of 6oz S-glass today. Cut it half it will yield 72' of cloth, 5 layers for each board - 3 tops and 2 bottom. The forest fire ash is putting a minor delay in the epoxy schedule. It's like snow falling and it comes in the air intake and contaminates the epoxy. Tonight I will try to build a filtered air intake. Cam.

 

[KXCam22]

Epoxy is on, both sides. I post pics when its dry and trimmed. Cam.

 

[KXCam22]

First pic is hot coat. Second pic is hot coat sanded to 150gr. Pain only having a single glassing bay as the other boards are in production and now I have to wait to do the final gloss coat. The gloss coat gets wet sanded to 2000gr. Cam

 

[KXCam22]

Bottom gloss coat on. Things are happening fast. Cam.

 

[RightStuff]

Looking great, thanks for the updates!

 

[KXCam22]

Final wet sanding today maybe to 2000gr. It looks really good. I will let it cure for the week and then friday will be the testing day. Cam

Wax on daniel san. Sanding schedule is 60,150,220,320,400 wet, 1500 wet, 2000 wet. The bottom stays at 320 as the roughness makes it faster. Breaks the water tension.

 

[KXCam22]

Here is the final product, board #1 of 2017. Two more boards to finish this week. Enjoy. Cam.