Boards with a reputation for Strength

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mcross19 said..

I may be presuming things here but surely most if not all custom board makers don't scrimp with the resin and therefore the board is strong?

Not got one myself but there is lots of good feedback regarding Witchcraft boards here on the UK forums being built to last, they do several constructions one of which (no pun intended) is neigh on bullet proof!

A Witchcraft custom in extra heavy duty construction has a conditional 24month warranty. A 100lt board weighs in at approx 7.5kg and costs AUS$3,550 without extras - custom paint, heelpads etc. Shipping from Europe is anywhere from AUS $250 - $500.

I wouldn't have a problem delivering a similar product at a competitive price point.

My current board has an Innegra ply top and bottom and is performing well having been pushed hard in the ocean on the WA Coast particularly Scarbs which is notoriously lumpy. I have only used a single layer of 2oz but really pleased with it - my next board will use an additional of Innegra all over. It will mean additional bagging but for the durability I am looking for I think its worth it.

If you speak with Witchcraft or any good board designer here too, a board is only as strong as its weakest element. In custom boards that is the EPS core. Thats the one element that will undo all the clever engineering of the 'sandwich'.

Cobra do a lot of things well and not least, a well engineered EPS core. We can achieve similar here however I cannot convince a foam manufacturer to produce this without a minimum order the equivalent of some 200 boards - so that option is shelved for the moment as mass production is not on my agenda. So some careful treatment of the EPS we can get is key.

Here's a cross section of a 2012 slalom board that had an inherent weakness at the wingers and a lack of wetted out glass between the EPS core and PVC (3mm) layer. Everyone knows the story so I won't bore anyone with details.

PS - Hello Ian

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sausage said..

Here's a cross section of a 2012 slalom board that had an inherent weakness at the wingers and a lack of wetted out glass between the EPS core and PVC (3mm) layer. Everyone knows the story so I won't bore anyone with details.

PS - Hello Ian

There looks like a fish scale imbedded in it..

Cool Gestalt. Yep my hat's off to them for what they can produce for that cost - its remarkable.

I get seriously looked after by my board builder. I know what he pays for materials and what I buy it for and it's fair to say he is doing me a lot of favours.

We had this discussion on 'another' forum (in the UK)....and apparently (it seems) that there are 'very few boards' (if any) that fail over here.....hmmmm

So, here is my experience:
One of my boards which had been out for a mere 20 sessions in one season and then put away for Winter (inside the house, with the valve screw open) has developed small fractures (in places) on the top surface. the board was taken back to the dealer as it is still under warranty, and was told that they had "not seen anything like it". Photographs have been taken and sent to the distributor and manufacturer. That was one week ago.....

Not atm....

Your kidding right. You're blaming the buyer. That's messed up. And you got green thumbs.

Do these new production boards include the use of a ply stringer like the old custom made ones?

I think it is also fair to say that some manufacturers are not aware of the beating that some equipment is getting these days, particularly since the advent of GPS competitions. Lots of people are sailing much longer distances now as opposed to people to who do the odd fortnightly session and spend less than an hour in the water. There's a fair few guys doing long days in rough water (not just choppy water) - on our team one guy did 10,000k in just one year. Under these sorts of usage rates deficiencies will be found out and reputations won and lost.

all of my boards are heavier, your preaching to the converted here. like you I'm also heavier so get my boards built heavier.

this thread cracks me up.

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FormulaNova said..

Gestalt said..

Your kidding right. You're blaming the buyer. That's messed up. And you got green thumbs.

I think he's got a point. Sort of. If you have the choice between a stronger (and heavier) board, and a light one that will probably be a bit more fragile, which one are most people going to choose? The people that I see always do the 'wow, that board is really light' test. More correctly, they pick up my boards that I repair/modify/destroy myself, and go "wow, that board's heavy!". Despite me trying to argue that the weight of a board has little to do with the way it handles, no one else seems to agree, and no doubt buy expensive light-weight boards. The same boards that will no doubt have weight-saving construction attempts and be a little bit delicate. (I am not thin enough to justify a light-weight board!)

If a manufacturer offered similar boards but with different construction types you might see that ultimately the stronger ones last longer, but by then, the board is old and people have moved on and bought the newest light-weight board.

What would probably make a difference is where manufacturers say their new boards is 9kgs and their competitors say that their new similar board is 6.5kgs. A lot of people are going to pick up the light board and think its better than the heavier one.