Frequently asked questions about Epoxy Surfboards
Let’s start with a much abbreviated history of epoxy board production. Epoxy
technology has been tried and proven in marine and aviation processes for decades.
It wasn’t until the recent collapse of the Clark foam monopoly that the surfing
industry as a whole found itself FORCED to replace the precious polyurethane (Pu)
blanks. Polystyrene (Eps) was the logical choice as a replacement since it could be
manufactured and worked in a similar fashion. However; the traditional polyester resin
melted the new foam and a substitute resin was now necessary. The new marriage of
EPS foam and epoxy resin was rushed into production by a lot of individuals with no
experience in the application of the new laminating system. The result was a very poor
quality surf board with an increasingly bad reputation thrust onto the market and an
unsuspecting consumer.
But wait! There was a small light shinning in the darkness on a tempest sea!!!!!
A small few visionaries (including our own company) were already working with the
new system several years before the Clark collapse. We knew that the new system had
the potential to provide the surfing community with a much more environmentally
responsible product. In addition, the new boards could be designed to meeting or
even exceed many of the performance characteristics of the traditional Pu/Pe system.
Since this small band of visionaries had some substantial developmental time under
their belts, many of the flaws found in the first generation of epoxy boards had been
identified and compensated for with current designs and formulations. “Better surfing
through chemistry!” That brings us to the present.
“Epoxy boards are not as durable as they are marketed”……..
NO surfboard is “indestructible”, and should never be advertised as such. Having said
that; the fact is that epoxy resin is much harder than polyester. It’s a fact of chemistry
and the scientific impact data is widely available to the public. Why do you think it
is used exclusively in the boat building industry? What is the result of this you ask?
You get a board that dings far less during use, transfers to and from the beach, and air
travel (darn baggage handlers…). From a manufacturing standpoint; the harder finish of
epoxy sands-out far better than PE resins and significantly reduces the shaping time. On
a side note….. Epoxy resins have little to no volatiles in the mixture; so they’re much
more user friendly (to the shaper and the environment) in the glassing room. Also;
epoxy resins are NOT flammable and thus safer to transport and store. Our resin has
been exclusively designed to “chemically bond” with our finish on Aerialite fibreglass
cloth. This advancement is unmatched in the industry and gives us a far superior
finished product. The addition of the chemical bond to the standard mechanical bond
found in all other laminating systems has virtually eliminated any de-lam problems in
our products. Simply put; Boards featuring our unique laminating system hold up better
and last longer than the competition.
“Epoxy boards are over priced”…..
This is simple economics. The materials cost more for the manufacturer so the finished
product cost more for the consumer. The price mark up at the shop is the same for all
boards. And believe me; economics 101 states that its better to sell a million widgets
@ $1 than it is to sell one widget at $1,000,000. Some of the bigger name brands with
all the “cutting edge technology” seem to be priced a bit steep. But how do you think
they pay for things like R&D, advertising, and team photo trips to Indo? Try comparing
prices at the local level and I think you will be surprised.
“Getting epoxy boards fixed is expensive”…..
See commentary above.
“All epoxy boards have thick rails”…..
Who’s the shaper? Rail design is a function of shape, not the laminating system.
Our products are crafted by hand, one at a time. On custom orders, it’s to your
specifications, period. The boards are made exactly the same way as traditional Pu/Pe
shapes. You hand shape the blank, laminate it with resin and cloth, and then apply a
final “hot coat” of resin. Now the so called “pop-out” boards made in China….. well
that’s a different topic.
“Epoxy boards feel corky in the water”
EPS foam does have greater float characteristics than PU foam, but that is not
necessarily a bad thing. If you want an epoxy board with an EPS core to handle and
perform just like “old faithful”, you need to decrease the length by two to three inches
and the width by 1/2 inch. On the other hand; if your tired of being out paddled to the
set wave or sitting chest deep in the water on your “off the rack board; stick with the
same dimensions that you are comfortable ridding and enjoy the increased paddling
capabilities of EPS/ epoxy construction. After all; greater paddling capabilities equals a
higher wave count. Isn’t that why your in the water to begin with?
“With epoxy boards you get blown away in windy choppy surf”
Now this one is a “biggie”. It’s true that the significantly lighter weight found in epoxy
construction does not perform as well in choppy conditions, and the same can be said
for hard off-shore winds or long period swells. But this trend is purely consumer driven.
Since the age of redwood logs; surfers have been demanding that shapers produce
ever lighter boards. All the aspiring Reynolds or Martinez are endlessly displaying
their “Punting” ability in local waist high wind slop. They continually request less
weight in an effort to sky ever higher. So how does a shaper reduce the weight of a surf
board? By using lighter density foam, lighter weight cloth, and fewer coats of resin.
If you want an epoxy board that performs just as well as a traditional board in “heavy
conditions”…. Ask your local shaper to use a 2.4 pcf foam blank, laminate it with 6
oz cloth (including the deck patch), and include the final “hot coat” of resin. I have a
6’8” rounded pin tale that I use on “cane swells” and for travelling that works just fine.
(Check the travel thread from PR to see the photo evidence)
“Most epoxy boards come with FCS fins (you will have your fin box ripped out)”…..
Let’s look at this one in two parts. First: FCS fins come on most boards regardless of
the construction materials used. Simply put, they own the “Lion’s share” of the current
market. A local shaper can install which ever fin system you choose including the
ancient and forgotten “glassed on” variety. Secondly, FCS fins do have a deserved
reputation for snapping out on SOME epoxy products, and here is the reason why.
When epoxy resin cures, its very exothermic (meaning it gives off a lot of heat).
Combine that with the heat sensitive characteristics of EPS foam and you have a
disaster waiting to happen. When an inexperienced shaper puts a large amount of “hot”
resin in a relatively small plug hole the foam around the plug melts and the hole gets
bigger. What’s the solution you ask? Our chemist has custom designed a special
hardener, simply dubbed “Fin Juice”, that is used on fin instillation and is NON-
exothermic. It takes much longer to set-up, but it does not melt the foam or increase the
size of the plug pocket.
“Hand shaped Styrofoam epoxies dent and probably bend”…….
This goes right back to construction methods to make “light” boards. The light weight
epoxy boards do dent just as you would expect, but so do the light weight Pu/Pe boards.
You can correct this by increasing any or all of the foam densities, cloth weights, or
number of resin coats. However, foam density is the biggest factor. Increases in blank
density will dramatically reduce pressure dings while not adversely affecting the overall
weight of the finished board. Blanks can come in a variety of densities averaging 1.4
pcf (pounds per cubic foot) to 2.4 and up. If you’re heavy footed; ask your local shaper
to use a 2.4pcf blank. And also remember that all foam is NOT created equal. There
are some very shotty blanks on the market right now and that’s where a lot of the
trouble starts. You get what you pay for, and the blank is the foundation for the finished
product. Green Room only uses Marko premium foam. Ask your local shaper what kind
of blanks they are using. It makes a difference!!!!!
On a side note: It is very desirable for any board to bend or “flex”….that’s what gives
it the drive coming out of turns. The traditional Pu/Pe boards are very good at flexing,
and the earlier epoxies had a hard time matching those performance characteristics. In
fact many brands still don’t. That function is in the resin itself. Our laminating system
is chemically designed to mimic the “flex” characteristics of traditional polyester resins
while greatly improving on the overall dynamic strength. The bottom line is you get a
new board that is stronger (and yes lighter), yet it rides and feels like “old faithful” right
from the very first wave.
“Epoxy boards are available in only sanded finish”…..
Not true…. just common practice. With the added expense of epoxy materials, most
shapers skip the last step of polishing the boards just to save a little money and time on
the finished product. You can do it yourself with a buffer and a typical marine polish
such as “Star Bright”. There is “bling” to spare with epoxy, and with the higher quality
blanks ,you get a super white background. We have a UV inhibitor in our resin that
dramatically reduces the typical yellowing found in other products.
