Hi all, Curious about experiences and theoretical considerations regarding fatigue or other deterioration issues with pawlonia cores and epoxy laminates of these. This construction technique has been around a few years now, and it seems there are boards from 2010 still going strong.

Assuming there have not been:
cracks that let water in,
collision with solid objects,
excessive UV exposure,
140kg dudes landing flat from great heights,

just regular usage with protection from the elements in between,

Will these materials break down?

Is mechanical fatigue an issue?

What's the oldest/most used wood-core twintip you have that's still going well?

Are there signs - visible or in the feel of the board - that indicate it's losing integrity?

We built our first paulownia core twin tips in 2001. They were pickle fork boards built for a company on Maui. They are still around and seem to last well. The change from foam core to wood core came about the same time as kite loops. The foam cores could not handle the shear forces and broke easily. The Paulownia is very strong compared to the foam in shear, plus it gives spring to the boards as well.

BTW, in no way is this thread meant to be questioning the durability of this construction - clearly these boards last very well. I'm just curious about the upper end of usable lifespans (perhaps they've not been around long enough to know?) and what the weakest link is in the long term - the epoxy, the wood, the bond between them?

Part of why I love kiting is the minimalism and durability of the gear. You can beat on a well made twinny pretty hard for a few years and it still goes strong. High end sailboards (I used to design, build and race 'em), if used regularly by aggressive riders, are disposable single-season propositions by comparison.

And yeah, manufacturers, on the overheating - why are nearly all twintip covers/bags black? I'd rather a white cover that may show up marks but keeps my board cool.

I recently snapped my underground stella - landed on the tail trying to land a front room. I'm pretty sure it broke due to a dodgy landing rather than an issue with the construction. The board was 3 years old.

Got a custom board from the late Colin mculloch when he was making boards for hadlow, its been flogged and passed down to a couple of local kids as a 1st board, when I last saw out it was still looking sweet although missing a fin, also I've treated my shinns like a dog and they still look solid although slashed up a bit

Robbo2099 said..

Adrian Roper said..

We built our first paulownia core twin tips in 2001. They were pickle fork boards built for a company on Maui. They are still around and seem to last well. The change from foam core to wood core came about the same time as kite loops. The foam cores could not handle the shear forces and broke easily. The Paulownia is very strong compared to the foam in shear, plus it gives spring to the boards as well.

I've got one of the early generation Underground Firebird Paulownia core boards (Mutant) from 2006. It is INDESTRUCTIBLE. Despite years of very rough treatment, smashing into reefs, hard landings from big jumps it's still virtually as-new. Flex and spring characteristics are sensational and there's no sign whatsoever of any aging or fatigue. Best board I've ever owned.

So, Adrian, when are you going to produce an update of this gem? ;-)

Hey Rob,
We have a new board called the twin wave, actually symmetrical in outline but setup with surf fins and one end and twinny fins on the other. It has tucked rails in the centre like a mini surf rail. Built in Paulownia wood core plastic skin. Would be right up your alley.
The one you have right now you have had way???. too much use from ;)
Cheers Adrian