Glassing
Laminating a wood paddle board can be a bit intimidating if you haven't worked with fibreglass and epoxy before. Most of the information you read or see on Youtube shows how professionals glass foam surfboards with polyester resin. The information is correct if you are working in a production shop but this section is written specifically for homebuilders glassing wooden paddleboards with epoxy resin. When you break down the steps, glassing a wood board is actually quite simple and an enjoyable part of building your own board.
Glassing Schedule
The first step in glassing a hollow wood board is to determining how much fiberglass is required. This is called the “glassing schedule” and it dictates the weight and final strength of your board. Wooden boards can use a much lighter glassing schedule than is used on foam boards...
Best Epoxy
If you have never used epoxy resin the subject can be quite intimidating. This tutorial should provide you with just enough information to safely complete your board. Two part epoxy compounds are normally supplied in separate Part A & Part B containers...
Glassing Tutorial
Video Tutorial - Entropy Resins has made really nice videos on how to glass a wooden surfboards. The board shown in the videos is a short wood surfboard but the steps are the same with a larger hollow wood paddle boards...
Video - Laminating
When laminating something as large as a SUP it helps to divide the board into sections. Starting from the middle and working towards the nose & tail helps get the epoxy out of the mixing cup quickly...
Custom Logo
Adding a custom logo or your child's artwork can really make your handmade paddle board special. This tutorial shares the secretes to making a very professional looking logo at home...
Cheater Coat
The grain around knots, and the knots themselves, suck up more resin than the rest of the wood and can potentially leave the lamination with dry spots. Sealing the board with a cheater coat usually solves this problem...
Lamination Coat
The lamination coat is the first real coat and the only coat with the glass fabric. The videos show a “professional” doing the whole board in one nice pour as he walks along but I recommend doing half the board..
Cleaning the Laps
Before you can flip the board over to do the other side you need to remove the tape and remove the excess glass (drip skirt). It is important to do this step carefully as any missed bits of tape will be trapped under the new coat of epoxy....
Installing a Fin Box
This tutorial will teach you how to install a fin box in a wooden board. If you are making your own homemade fin box jig make sure you do a test on some scrap wood before using it on your board...
Leash, Vent, Handle
This tutorial shows how to install a Futures SUP handle flush with the deck using a couple of homemade jigs..
Professional Sanding
This video tutorial by Fiberglass Hawaii shows how professionals sand surfboards. It is dusty to say the least!
