After a massive catapult on Saturday, I'm looking at chopping off the nose of my board, it will be easier than trying to repair the damage (both rails smashed, big crease in bottom of board).
I've had a look at BoardLady's site, and from the looks of it I need to put some divinycell over the EPS core on the nose. Is this required? Or can I just glass over the foam and paint it? Where would I start looking for divinycell on the gold coast?
Any tips would be gratefully received.
hey neb,
I have some exp in this area. The best thing I can recommend is to pay to have it repaired unless you are experienced in fiberglass repairs. 
I once cut the nose off an older formula and moulded a replacement nose and epoxied that back on but like I say, unless your good with
fiberglass, leave the nose off or pay someone to do it for you. (my attempted didnt come together the way I hoped it would)
Nebbian, I am sure you will at the very least scribe some kind of an arc with a pencil first ;)
My good mate Hobie didn't 
Straight into it with a saw.....
quote:
Originally posted by nebbian
After a massive catapult on Saturday, I'm looking at chopping off the nose of my board, it will be easier than trying to repair the damage (both rails smashed, big crease in bottom of board).
Just for you wineman:
www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=4426
www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=4425
You can see that I'm never without a tube of Knead-it as well
quote:
Originally posted by nebbian
I need to put some divinycell over the EPS core on the nose. Is this required? Or can I just glass over the foam and paint it? Where would I start looking for divinycell on the gold coast?
Any tips would be gratefully received.
Nebs, you don't do things by halves, how's the head ? 
Fibre glassing is not difficult so long as you get the right stuff and think about it, although I hav'nt worked on any modern boards
Is divinycell a common material? Where would I get some? Can I cut some out of the smashed nose and use that?
Hi Nebs, Ive done it a couple of times, its depressing, but reprable! Just get the right stuff from the local boat or glassing shop, I found "micro balls" mixed in with the resin makes a nice paste that you can use to sculpt the new shape, both these old boards were quite pointy to start with!
Good luck!
www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=4427
quote:
Originally posted by nebbian
Is divinycell a common material? Where would I get some? Can I cut some out of the smashed nose and use that?
If you chop the nose off the board, you will change the nose-rocker and thus chang the characteristics of the board.
Cutting the front will cause the front of the board to sit lower in the water and will affect its planing ability as the middle of the board will be sitting lower in the water (ignoring other effects such as less volume, shorter length, etc).
One benefit is that generally the board will be less "flighty" in higher wind.
Not saying "dont do it", just something to consider.
Thanks for all the help.
Mathew,
The only time the nose gets wet is when I'm standing still, either beachstarting or when I stuff a gybe. I've watched the nose when carving, and it never gets remotely close to the water... possibly bad technique, but chopping the nose wouldn't make any difference.
The same goes for getting planing - the nose is well out of the water when I've got a reasonable chance of getting going.
It's only the front 15 cm or so, and this would mean that the boom will miss the nose when I wipe out again!
CHOPPER
Mathew is right... It will make the board less flighty in high winds as there is less lift... SAME will apply to early planing, less lift, less
IF you do cut it off, don't cut it square, make it rounded as corners can catch on chop...
The other thing is the rocker was designed for a board of current length, not 15 cm less length
quote:
Originally posted by nebbian
After a massive catapult on Saturday, I'm looking at chopping off the nose of my board, it will be easier than trying to repair the damage (both rails smashed, big crease in bottom of board).
I've had a look at BoardLady's site, and from the looks of it I need to put some divinycell over the EPS core on the nose. Is this required? Or can I just glass over the foam and paint it? Where would I start looking for divinycell on the gold coast?
Any tips would be gratefully received.
Bad luck Nebs but at least you didn't stick you finger through your nose like Mark_Australia!!!
TelecomGreg
If you are just squaring off the first 10-15cm of the nose you should be fine just cutting off rounding up and leave it at that. To take anything more off you need to start reshaping the bottom and putting rocker in, most older boards you can really only take them down to about 245 (from 275-270) before the board shape dosen't permit enough rocker. Thats not to say shorter wont work, I have seen some ultra short cutoffs work but some people have hurt themselves pretty bad as a result also.
On the coast don't know who you could get divinycell from in Brisbane I think 
it's CG composites at Eagle Farm.
HI Nebs,
Nice job, you really smashed the crap out of it didn't you?
If it was mine I wouldn't cut any of the nose off, it's not really a heavily stressed part of the board in normal sailing. Get your local repairer to bodge it up it will be cheaper than doing it yourself. but if you insist i would do the following:
just gently remove any loose glass/foam with a grinder/sander and sand back to the glass around the fold about 100mm either side and around any damage.
Use polyester filler (car bog) to bodge any holes etc (you could
mix up your own bog using resin, Q cells and micro ballons, but to be honest you'll end up with a substance just like car bog except fractionally lighter so don't bother)
When the filler has gone off, shape up the repair with a sander and when you're happy with the finish you can slap some glass on for a bit of surface toughness. (in your case I would suggest putting about half an inch of solid glass all around the nose...!!!)
But seriously just put a little chopped strand mat over the filler and overlap the fold by 50mm either side where you sanded the paint off.
Teat the CSM don't cut it as the edges are easier to feather out.
when it all gone off just sand the bumps off, you can use some more filler to touch up any tiny pinholes etc if you're feeling pedantic, then paint it. done.
FIRSTLY don't use polyester!!!!! Bog or resin, if it gets on the styrene it'll melt it!!!!
Your point earlier about reusing d'cell from the bit you chop off, it's possible if you can get enough that's flat, and the repair surface is flat. cause the old stuff with fiberglass on wont bend, doubt if you can remove the glass without damaging the d'cell. But if you can get both sides back to bare foam, you can preform it with a heat gun/hairdryer.
I've just got the coremat on Mandurah mob's secret weapon, put up 6 photos of the process.
Starts here,
www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=4430
And finishes here,
www.seabreeze.com.au/gallery/gallery.asp?imageid=4435
If you go for a round nose, try this, it's a bit heavier than d'cell, but you don't need a vacuum bag. The stuff I've got is 2mm thick, they didn't have 3mm in stock here. Think it should be OK.
Hey Decrepit,
Thanks for the advice.
What function does the divinycell serve? Would I be able to use something else, like balsa wood instead? Can I build in a fuggin truck shock absorber so that when I catapult the board just laughs with glee?
Is the right order of operations something like this:
1) Chop nose off and shape to a pleasing curve
2) Remove about 5cm of d'cell all around the chopped off bit
3) Glass over the EPS
4) Cover in d'cell
5) Glass over the d'cell
6) Fill and paint
quote:
Originally posted by nebbian
Hey Decrepit,
Thanks for the advice.
quote:
What function does the divinycell serve?
quote:
Would I be able to use something else, like balsa wood instead?
quote:
Can I build in a fuggin truck shock absorber so that when I catapult the board just laughs with glee?
quote:
Is the right order of operations something like this:
1) Chop nose off and shape to a pleasing curve
2) Remove about 5cm of d'cell all around the chopped off bit
3) Glass over the EPS
4) Cover in d'cell
5) Glass over the d'cell
6) Fill and paint
This is great guys. If this goes well Nebs I'll get you to reshape and reglass my speed board latter this year
Smashed the front of my board last week up at Tinnaroo found a local back home in Townsville who fixes all the boards for the local surf club.He performed a miricle with it a real professional job that cost me $70.As far as I'm concerned now he can do all my repairs as my jobs have never lasted and they looked crap.
Hey Nebs the last pic reminds me of a tiger shark, keep us updated with more pics as you go and sign it off when your finished you might start your own signature model
TelecomGreg
Hey Haggar,
You can reglass your own dam' board thank you very much! I'd rather be sailing
Scrounged some divinycell from a boatbuilder today, tried to cut it with a hot wire but no luck. Ended up ripping it down to 3 mm on a table saw.
I see now why people vacuum bag this stuff... even at 3mm it doesn't want to bend! Does anyone have any ideas on how to make it conform to the shape, without too much mucking around? Put a plastic bag around it and dunk it in water? Get a fridge compressor from the tip and hope it doesn't suck too hard? I don't have a heat gun
quote:
Originally posted by nebbian
Scrounged some divinycell from a boatbuilder today, tried to cut it with a hot wire but no luck. Ended up ripping it down to 3 mm on a table saw.
quote:
I see now why people vacuum bag this stuff... even at 3mm it doesn't want to bend!
quote:
Does anyone have any ideas on how to make it conform to the shape, without too much mucking around?
quote:
Put a plastic bag around it and dunk it in water? Get a fridge compressor from the tip and hope it doesn't suck too hard?
Admirable efforts
I do believe in you
I will bring a spare brd for fridays sail
Shame Eggs cant make it
Thanks Chairman, much appreciated
Decrepit: Thanks so much for walking me through this, hopefully some other people are reading this and are getting an idea on what's involved for next time...
What about cutting notches in the divinycell so it can bend, then bogging those notches up once everything's dried? Or basically building up the shape with multiple pieces of divinycell so it doesn't have to bend so much? I'm determined to use the stuff because it was so hard to get!
