Glassing & Epoxy

Standard 2 lb Density EPS Foam Surfboard Glassing

It is recommended that all 1 lb, 1.5 lb and 2 lb EPS foam blank should be sealed with DAP Fast & Final Lightweight Spackling Compound. If you should choose to shape with 2.5 lb or 3 lb density EPS foam, sealing is not necessary.

Should you decide to go with the higher density foams, your glassing schedule should be modified because the higher density foams have more strength, therefor less laminates are required than on the lower density foams.

Short board: Single 6 oz. glass on the bottom and a double 6 oz. glass on the deck.

Funboard: Single 6 oz. glass on the bottom and a double 6 oz glass on the deck.

Double 4 oz glass on the bottom and either a double 6 oz or triple 4 oz glass on the deck.

Longboard: Double 4 oz. glass on the bottom and either a double 6 oz or triple 4 oz. on the deck.

1 lb & 1-1/2 lb Density EPS Foam Surfboards & Paddleboard Glassing

As a 1 lb density EPS foam blank has such low density and low weight, more strength in the glassing schedule is called for. In order to compensate for the foam strength, it is suggested that a double layer of 6 oz glass on the bottom and a triple layer of 6 oz glass be applied to the deck. For a high performance board, a lighter glassing schedule can be applied, however the longevity of the board will be severely compromised.

1.5 density EPS foam blank has similar qualities and issues as the 1 lb density foam, but to a lesser degree. It is suggested that the 1.5 lb density foam board be glassed with a single 6 oz and single 4 oz. glass on the bottom with a double 4 oz and single 6 oz glass on the deck. For a high performance board, a lighter glassing schedule can be applied, however the longevity of the board will be severely compromised.

Paddleboards: Depending on the foam density selected for the paddleboard, either 1 lb or 1.5 lb, the glassing schedule as stated above remains the same. Deck patches of carbon fiber or other fabrics can be add where impact zones exist.

E Glass is fine for most surfboard and paddleboard laminating. The open plain weave is easy to wet-up and has good draping qualities. E glass tends to be the least expensive of the suggested glass products.

S Glass also is an open plain weave and is easy to wet-up also with good draping qualities and in addition will impart slightly higher strength qualities. The cost of the S Glass tends to be higher than the E Glass.

Warp Glass...is designed to have more threads going in the "warp" direction and less in the "fill" direction. The warp direction would be the threads that run longitudinally in the roll of glass. This would be the thread that runs from one of the roll of cloth to the end of the roll. The "fill" would be the threads that run across the cloth and are woven between the "warp" threads.

Impact Glass is a much tighter weave and tends to lie flatter when laminated which results in a lighter yet stronger laminate structure. In general, a layer of 6 oz. impact glass will come out at about 65% of the weight of a standard 6 oz E glass, and have have many of the same strength characteristics. If glassed to the same mil thickness, the impact glass will have better strength and significantly enhanced dent and ding resistance qualities. Compared to E & S Glass, Impact Glass imparts a better strength to weight ratios in laminates but at a slightly higher cost.

X-Glass is a new reinforcement for surfboard applications where all fibers flex and then return flex. This is a double bias fabric designed for surfboard applications. With the X-Glass fibers are engineered in an "x" pattern crossing the board at a 45 degree axis, and therefore all fibers load energy in the turn and then immediately unload, returning the stored energy. The fabric is known in composites as an NCF (Non Crimp Fabric) rather than the normal twisted pair of strands that are then woven into the various conventional weaves. The X-Glass works well directly on a board or under a veneer. An additional layer of 4oz or 6oz glass for the laps makes the board complete. X-Glass is available through Graphite Master.

Carbon Fiber has a much stronger weight to strength ratio that the same weight glass laminate. While carbon tends to be a bit stiffer than the glass laminate, modification of the type modules of the epoxy can provide a proportionally flexible laminate. The cost of carbon is quite high, and availability issues make it necessary to determine the best course of action when deciding the carbon application. In order to utilize carbon fiber cloth, epoxy must be used as the resin due to the fact that the carbon cloth will not wet-up with polyester resins, unlike the various glass products.

Contour Stringer Blank Glassing

The advent of the Contour stringer blanks has created several different paths that can be taken in producing a high performance finished product. Cored laminates can be done easily as you don't have issues with wrapping a core material over the rails. These shapes can also be done with numerous laminate schedules in order to achieve different finished products and flex patterns. The baseline laminate schedule to work from would be a double 6 oz on both bottom and deck. The parabolic shapes have been tested and have produced good performance results with these parameters. The boards have also been built with core materials on the deck only as well as on both sides producing the toughest finished boards built per weight.

With carbon fiber, use one layer of 5.6 oz carbon with a layer of 4 oz glass over the carbon.

Resin Research 2000 resin is the standard with the best all around features for surfboards.

Resin Research 1980 is generally used for carbon fiber but also may be used with glass if resin ratios in the laminate are low. This will net a stiffer laminate capable of better dent resistance. Impact glass is a good way to utilize the 1980 resin.

Resin Research 2020 is more flexible than the 2000 and has better ding resistance. This resin also works well in resin rich laminates and resists cracking. The 2020 resin is also very good in conjunction with synthetic fabrics like polyesters, nylons, and some natural fibers like hemp.

Resin Research 2040 is a VERY flexible resin that allows for very flexible laminates. This product is best used where used initially for heavily glassed, high impact strength, where novice and rental boards are the end product.

Resin Research Additive F should be used when the end product requires any sanding on either the laminate or hot coat.

The use of more than one resin in a surfboard can facilitate and impart control of different flex patterns achieved in the finished board.