Can't believe that it's been over three years since I built my last SUP board. Not saying I've been lazy, “made” two kids in that time
but should give credit to my wife because she did the hard work!
I had lots of time to gather ideas and think about construction while babysitting and this is my new creation.
I have used the same hollow construction method as my previous boards but with different materials.
Board frame is made up of laminated 20mm polystyrene sheets bought at Clark Rubber.
Ribs are a closed-cell structural foam brand Airex.
Deck and base skins are Paulownia timber. I have reduced skin thickness to previous builds but reinforced the inner side with Kevlar (ding resistance) and carbon fibre (strength) instead of fibreglass.
The rails are reinforced with Kevlar, unidirectional carbon fibre and a protective layer of fibreglass. My idea was to show the carbon rails but ended up spraying the rails black because it didn't come up as pretty as I was hoping it would – learning by doing!
Because of my snowboarding background I'm kind of a front foot surfer. That's why I designed the board to have a big vee that starts behind the nose rocker and should help getting the board on rail. The thinner, lower rails will hopefully give me a bit of a snowboard-carving feel.
The board dimensions are 8'7” x 29” x 4” and AKU shaper gives me a volume of 120l. I weigh 90kg and don't want to go smaller because it's a SUP and if I want wet ankles I surf my shortboard. The board weighs 6.6kg (without fins and tail pad) which is pretty good for it's strong build. As comparison: The similar sized JP Surf Pro board ( 8'6” x 29 110l) weighs 7.2kg.
Special features: The carbon carrying handle is made using paddle shaft offcuts. The wierd looking inserts on the deck are to fix a strap so my kids have something to hold on to when “babysitting” in the surf.
Will keep you posted how the board performs and hopefully get some action pics or vids as well. Pictures of previous boards can be viewed on www.woodandwater.com.au.
Cheers Manny
