Simmons SUP - First Build Thread

[surfcowboy]

Ok, Charlie I'm gonna PM you. I'd love to grab a train down. I'm booked pretty tight (coming in Sunday afternoon) but if I get skunked on a meeting or two and I can grab an afternoon train I might try to come say hi. It's light really late these days.

I never get out of town when I'm over there and the South looks amazing. The train from Gatwick (at least) is cheap. (Americans are easy to impress with mass transit, especially us in SoCal.)

BG, I'll just throw you a 14' in my carry on.

[supthecreek]

Really fun to watch this thread develop and see the input from so many cool people..... pure Zone magic!

Awesome results so far, Cowboy..... it looks great!

fun to document the process huh?

Make it happen in Charlieland...

[Biggreen]

BG, I'll just throw you a 14' in my carry on.

You know, Cowboy. I don't care what your wife says about you.  I think you're aces. And no worries, I don't see any way in hell they'll notice you carrying on something 14' long. Have a safe trip and get us a selfie of you and Charlie.

[SUPcheat]

I just started following this thread.  It is interesting.  I had always visualized Cowboy as wearing a Stetson, not looking like a hippie professor.

[surfcowboy]

Cheat, y'all just see me in beach wear. Trust me, I get my cowboy on. Half my family are rodeo riders and my Dad runs a 21,000 acre ranch down in Texas. But surfing's way more fun. Although as I think of it, waves and bulls do both have a way of kicking you when you're down and refusing to let you up sometimes.

Creek, you inspired me to shoot more pics. The GoPro is the way to go for a project.

Just finished the bottom hot coat. Now let's sand it a little and see how it looks.

[supuk]

Ok, Charlie I'm gonna PM you. I'd love to grab a train down. I'm booked pretty tight (coming in Sunday afternoon) but if I get skunked on a meeting or two and I can grab an afternoon train I might try to come say hi. It's light really late these days.

I never get out of town when I'm over there and the South looks amazing. The train from Gatwick (at least) is cheap. (Americans are easy to impress with mass transit, especially us in SoCal.)

BG, I'll just throw you a 14' in my carry on.

cool yea no worries I'm about 25 mins from Gatwick or about a hour from Victoria, i should be around all week so just let me know

[magentawave]

Your time lapse photos are really great for following the process. Thank you for taking the time to upload them.

Creek, you inspired me to shoot more pics. The GoPro is the way to go for a project.

[PonoBill]

Been there, done that. the panicked feeling when you put the glass down and it's more wrinkles than you can possibly smooth out. Unfortunately when you lift it you separate the weave some and it makes some weak spots, but having a second person help probably reduces the weave wobbles.

[surfcowboy]

Ok, Obi Wans... I am sanding, taking it slow.

I got it to here with the power sander and have never asked this. You can see the dips and drops in the resin. Should I take it all the way down to smooth? I'm ok with sand-thru's I'm going to do a water thin "gloss" coat when I'm done, but I want to know how far down you'd normally take it.

I haven't exposed the weave except in a couple of high spots so I could go either way, fill in what's here or take it down and drop a light sealer coat of resin over it.

What is the accepted protocol here, am I far from done/into the weave? Or should I stop and fill it in?




Although it looks "weavy" there's none exposed this is just dust on the surface that seems to follow the weave pattern (interesting physics there.)

[TallDude]

More sanding. Those high areas will go down. Make sure you change your sanding disks often even though they look unused. They are more than likely done. If you sand between layers, the ridges on your hot coat will be less. Don't try to fill the low spots with more epoxy, it will just amplify the current condition, and add more weight. Watch the heat while sanding. You may hit the glass here or there, it's not the end of the world.

[TallDude]

Watch this.


I think Robert Stehlik from Blue Planet Surf produced this video? It sure sounds like him.

[surfcowboy]

TD, just what I needed. I've seen the videos but they never really lay out how far to go. Hopefully this thread will clear up some stuff for folks who come after.

In the end, the nose laps are really the only truly ugly part I've got to deal with, the rest is passable. It does look like I have one spot on the tail rail that might have been a dry lap which I'll have to fix but I'm tempted to let it roll for now and treat it as a ding in a month or so. I'm gonna sand it and see.

That needs to be a T-shirt, "Sand it and see."

Thanks man. I messaged Charlie and I'm actually going to try to make Brighton since I don't need to be falling asleep early on Sunday evening. Crazy world man. Instead of sitting in some old guy's bay in Torrance, I've learned to build a board from people on 4 continents.

[Biggreen]

Watch this.


I think Robert Stehlik from Blue Planet Surf produced this video? It sure sounds like him.

Dammit, TD. Now I'm going to have to try harder and be more conscientious.  Guess I shouldn't tell Cowboy he's done and to ride the damn thing.

Cheat, y'all just see me in beach wear. Trust me, I get my cowboy on. Half my family are rodeo riders and my Dad runs a 21,000 acre ranch down in Texas.

Must be West Texas. Where I was born and lived a fair number of years. Out there if you don't own at least a few SECTIONS of land, you're just considered a squatter.

[surfcowboy]

BG, it's East Texas but the owner owned an airline and has a few wells on the land so buying land ain't no big deal lol.

Man I went back out and sanded a half pound off of it and it's better. Still got a lot of tiny dips but no where near where we were. It wild how much you can sand off a hot coat and not hit glass.

Oh and don't worry BG, this board has laps that only a mother could love lol. I had to leave something ugly. Speaking of, I'm not sure what happened but the bottom is really white whereas the deck is pretty greenish almost like volan. I'm thinking it's the resin saturation but it's weird.

[supthecreek]

Thanks TD... I saved that sanding vid to my "repair" folder!

Nice "play by play" cowboy..... it takes a newbie to vocalize all the questions other newbies have.

My first trip across country in the early 70's, I stopped for a weekend at my buddy's cattle ranch in East Texas.
I ended up staying a month! I had a blast.
His nickname was and still is "Cowboy"