Looking closely at a NSP/DC 14' x 29" Coco Mat, the deck and rails seem rock solid while it looks like you only have to sneeze on the bottom of these things and you damage them. Anyone care to share their experiences?
That's pretty normal Stu.
You can glass a custom board with just one 4 oz fiberglass cloth on the bottom but you would have three 4 oz fiberglass cloths on the deck and rails.. Maybe even more in the main standing area.. The bottom doesn't need to be strong because the load is distributed evenly over the whole area by the water.. If you want a light board that's where you save the most weight.. Don't ever stand on your board while sitting on the beach because any little rock or shell will leave a dent in the bottom of your board..
Hi Magilla,
The bottom of the Coco Carbon DC is full vacuum moulded sandwich PVC... It's actually hard to make it any stronger unless you make them heavier than is usable or more expensive than is warranted. We also make it in Full brushed carbon, that's only focussed on weight and performance.
These boards were designed to take a beating, the Coco Mat has an almost unmatched strength to weight ratio, the PVC sandwich is strong and just for good measure we wrap the rail which is both PVC and Coco Mat with heavy carbon. I'm yet to hear any different about the strenth and we've sold quite a few of them all around the world. Just as Nozza has stated even with abuse there has been no issue. I have a 12'6 that I use in the surf and it has taken a flogging with beach starts and finishes, bump and grind with other boards and it is yet to have a ding, cannot say the same for the boards it connected with.
Hope this helps, any more q's feel free to PM me.
Chris
NSP Global Brand Manager
I've got one as well, agree the coco top and carbon rails are tough as a very tough thing but the bottom on mine is prone to paint chipping, much more so than any other board I've had. I have a couple of small dings as well but not fussed about those, they have come about because of things I have done to the board but mildly vexed by the apparent fragility of the paint in case of water permeability of the underlying skin (dunno just wondering about that?). Not so fussed about the aesthetics of paint chips, it's a piece of sporting equipment after all, but taking the precaution of clear nail polish over the chips to make sure it's all sealed. Could there be a batch issue with the paint? Haven't seen magilla's board up close to compare to mine yet.
I edited my post (mostly because I didn't like the rhythm) but THEN you went and replied before I could click the " save changes" button. WTF are you doing up at this hour?
Bit of that here, although I'm in a -3 time zone this week.
(and apologies Magilla For the threadjack )
No offence taken HC. I'm glad you seem to experience something similar as it may verify some of my concerns.
Nozza, you can tell an International 14' skiff sailor by way of their sense of humour they have had to develop over the years of fixing boats, standing on centreboards and writing cheques... (not necessarily in that order though) ;-)