Building a windsurf board out of wood

drysuit2 · Joined: 01 Apr 1997 Posts: 119

I have been looking into doing this myself. I was thinking of taking the lines off my friends SUP, or buying the frames from Fiberglass supply
http://www.fiberglasssupply.com/html/stand_up_paddleboard_-_hollow_.html

I will either skin it, with one to three layers of veneer set in epoxy: stitch and glue thin marine plywood: or strip plank it.

Grain Surfboards makes some sweet kits as does Chesapeake Light Craft.

You could potentially build a hollow surfboard/windsurfer that is lighter and stiffer than the current method.
Wood already has torsion and compression stability before you add epoxy resin. Plus it’s cellulous structure mean you can use less resin than with carbon fiber. And it’s the resin that weighs so much: not the carbon.
I think that if you orient the stringers, ribs, and skin properly; you could produce a lighter, stiffer, and more durable board than is the norm.

LeeD · Joined: 12 Jun 2008 Posts: 1175

No, you can not!
It's been tried by better wood builders than you, from Woodwinds thru those hollow AHD guys, from Efferding to Doyle, to any hundreds of private backyard finish and master carpenters.
You can make it light, but it won't last nearly as long as a Thai, Spanish, Algerian, or Czech made production board.
And local Cz guy makes the lightest, strongest windsurfing boards of ANYONE, for the last 15 years, using simple styro/glass technology.
You think you are pioneering new tech. NOPE, been done, been tried, always failed, EVERY time.
Now if you were an accomplished windsurfer, then you MIGHT have a nearly zero chance. Now, you have no chance whatsoever.
Go for it, reach for your dreams, but it's all been proven done and packed away.

DanWeiss · Joined: 24 Jun 2008 Posts: 2296 Location: Connecticut, USA

cgoudie1 · Posted: Fri Jul 16, 2010 3:36 pm Post subject:

Until it isn't

-Craig

drysuit2 · Joined: 01 Apr 1997 Posts: 119

westender · Joined: 02 Aug 2007 Posts: 1288 Location: Portland / Gorge

Hell,, why stop with the board. Some guys build their own sails too. If you've got the time and money to waste,, why not??? Shocked

maxdownhaul · Joined: 04 Aug 2011 Posts: 34

Sorry I am a bit late on the reply, but it is possible to build wooden sailboards even at weights comparable to cobra boards. There are a number of different construction methods. The time taken to build out of wood is definitely much greater than building out of foam. As Westender says If you've got the time and money to waste why not? Well it is always a very satisfying moment when you get to sail a board that has been created by your own hands, be it wood, foam or whatever material. As for the money for a slalom board it costs around $300 - $400, so it is not the end of the world if it sinks.
The methods that I have used are to build a plywood frame and then a ply deck and bottom with balsa rails. This makes the deck largely too flat. The last one (3rd picture) is made with a ply frame and then skinned with 1/4” paulownia (a wood that is a bit lighter than cedar) top and bottom with a domed deck. This also took off several pounds from the finished weight. Building out of wood other than balsa the weight will always be heavier than a foam sandwich board by about 15 – 30%. For free sailing this isn’t a issue at all.
For light weight, balsa construction is the go. The problem here though is that if water gets in the balsa will rot quicker than other woods. Having said that if the build is good it can last for years. This 4th board is from another forum posted a couple of years ago. At the time it was 10 years old.For its construction method see this link http://www.grainsurf.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=375

dllee · Joined: 03 Jul 2009 Posts: 5329 Location: East Bay

That 4th board is getting there. What's it weigh, and does it handle the heel impacts from sailing, does the mast track stay watertight, does the finbox?

maxdownhaul · Joined: 04 Aug 2011 Posts: 34

That last one is not mine. Here is the link to that one but there isn't much info on it except that the weight is about 5 kilos & 10 years old, so i guess it is water tight and has held up to use. It was posted in 2007.
http://www.grainsurf.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=418
PS the 3rd one weighed 7 1/2 kilo before the straps.

nw30 · Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2011 5:41 pm Post subject:

Starboard has it right, the only good wood (on a WSing board) is a thin wood veneer over a strong, light weight foam core.
You can still build your own, get into vacuum bagging the veneer on and you have your "wooden" board.