simmons sup 7.8x31x130l

[AndreasBreda]

Hi everyone,

This is my first post on this forum but I have been actively following the building topics already for a long time which has been a truly important source for information for me. I am already for a long time very interested in the technology behind surfcrafts and shaping in general. Very recently i have started to shape and build my first board ever which is a Simmons Sup 7.8x31x130l. I am located in belgium were we sometimes have some small waves to surf but most of the time you can find me in France were i surf and windsurf. I am very fond of a spot called "siouville" and this is were the board is made for. Smaller clean beachbrake with several sections. To give something back for the incredible amount of information, i thought it would be good if i can share my evolution with any other newbies. I am now ready with the shaping part of the board which took me a while because I had to experiment a bit with the different tools and also build all the templates,jigs, hotwire etc I am quite happy with the end result and it came out like i had in mind. Next step is the sealing of the blank. I also made a jig for fcs fusion plugs which i designed in solidworks en got it waterjetted. If somebody would like to have this file i would like to help you out. These are some pictures of my first steps. To be continued BR Andreas

[TallDude]

Awesome job Andreas. Keep the posts coming.

[surfcowboy]

Yeah man. Nice shape. I've been waiting on a new build thread. They keep me inspired.

[Zooport]

Lookin pretty nice.  It's super fun to ride a shape you made.  I've made a few boards many years ago.  None of them were as good as pro shaper might make, especially my glass jobs, but it was still super fun to surf them.   Keep up the good work. 

[Bean]

Looking forward to following along. 

I am surprised that you are getting 130l out of that shape.  I'm at about 110l on a 7 10 x 30.5 Infinity V2 (a very full figured shape for sure).  The rocker looks nice and flat, it should fly.

[AndreasBreda]

Thank you for the replies. I have to say that the final shape will be probably around 125-130 liters i assume. I've only designed the outline and rocker with shape 3D with standard rail shape and bottom shape and there i came out at about 130 liter but i have shaped a big control concave in the bottom which takes some volume away but i've also kept some more foam in the center of the board than on the 3D file and the rails are more boxy than on the cad file. So I assume around 125-130 will be a good guess.I am quite inspired by the gong shapes as patrice is also able to tuck generous volume in rather small boards. He is also very into the simmons concept with plenty of prototype sups he has already build. I also need the volume as i am a big guy myself (around 93kg or 205 ibs) . This board will be a step down as my current board is a 9.0 coreban fusion w 145 liters of volume. If this one comes out rather ok, i've already designed a 7.4 more performance tomo style orientated board which holds also around 125 liter. 

[jrandy]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing.

[AndreasBreda]

started spackling today but had some problems. i use a mix of microballoons with epoxy but the color does not completely match with the eps although the balloons are bright white...i will wait for it to dry to see the result. i am thinking if not completely white i will sand the thin layer i have now and look for another spackle. anyone has some experience with polyfila and which type to use? br andreas

[jrandy]

Andreas, what are you plans for finishing the board as far as glassing and/or colors?

[jrandy]

PS-
Red Devil Lifetime Lightweight Spackle, thinned with distilled water. I tried thinning it with the Pledge (Future) floor finish and it smelled nice but seemed harder to sand, almost like it was balling up and catching on the paper or screen. Could just be me too, operator error.  I do like the Pledge for thinning acrylic paints.

[jrandy]

PPS-
Onetime, not Lifetime

[AndreasBreda]

hi jrandy. i will finish the board with a clear glass job(6-4 bottom and 6-4-4 deck) therefore i would like it to be complete white. thx for the suggestion i will check if its available here. problem i have with most brands that are mentioned like dap fast n final, is that they are not always available in europe or have a make over 😋

[jrandy]

What about using a white pigment in the epoxy lamination to even out the color instead of spackling?
Since you already have an epoxy seal coat, I would be tempted to stay in the epoxy range rather than introduce a filler that is not as strong as epoxy between layers of epoxy.

Maybe those who've glassed more boards will voice their thoughts. I am not very experienced, I can still count the number of boards I've done without taking off my shoes to use my toes.

[PonoBill]

Lightweight spackle isn't common in europe for some reason. Perhaps different finishing techniques for wallboard. the main reason for spackling a blank is to seal the foam so it doesn't take up so much resin. An easy alternative is what everyone used before they found out that spackle works so well--epoxy resin with microballoons or fiberglass dust in it, thickened to about the consistency of mayonnaise. spread it on, scrape it off.  Spackle is cheaper, lighter, and you thin it to the same degree--with distilled water. The downside of spackle is that it remains water soluble. a leak in the skin will locally dissolve it and let the EPS suck up water whereas an epoxy coat might limit the water absorption more and not delam so readily. Either will leave you with a flat white blank after sanding if you get the coating even and consistent. You want to paint or scrape it on fairly thick, and then smoothly remove the excess. It's a bit of an artform. Good glassers do it one-handed while drinking a cup of coffee, I fuss at it endlessly and wind up scraping on half-set resin.

[supuk]

 Spakle is easily avalble on the net if you need it I would be surprised if you can't find it in a good store just look for light weight filler in the paint section it is sett ably available in the uk. You are only putting enough on to fill the holes most will get sanded back off. Once fully dry it will not soften back up it is  normally acrylic  based just do a test to see. Going the epoxy route works well but is harder to get right.

Geting a bright white with eps and epoxy is hard, I wouldn't worrey now about this board it's probably to late move on. sand the black back smooth by hand with 120 and focus on the rest of the glassing. It's all a learning process , not being white will not change how it rides and in a year or two it will probably yellow anyway.