Internal Blocking
Sliver Paddleboards are built with hollow rails combined with solid blocking only where it is needed. This combination results a hollow wood board that is easy to build, lightweight, and ascetically pleasing. The tutorials below cover how to make solid nose & tail blocking as well as the internal blocking for the vent, leash cup & SUP handle.
Nose & Tail Blocking
The nose and tail blocking can really add to the look of the finished board if done correctly. I will detail in this post how I tie in the strip-feather-rail constructing with ascetically pleasing solid blocking....
Blocking layout
This pictorial shows one method of laying out nose and tail blocking. This 2 x 6 inch board allows the tail blocking to be cut from the inside of the nose blocking. This not only looks nice on the finished board but it minimizes waste....
Nose & Tail Shaping
This tutorial will teach you how to rough shape the solid blocking in preparation for installing the top skin. The goal in this step is to have a “fair” outline curve with a flat top that matches the fishbone’s profile and height....
Fin Blocking
Hollow wood paddle boards require internal blocking to support the fin box and optional thrusters. You can use either wood or foam for the internal blocking. Both materials result in a stronger fin box than commercial foam boards....
SUP Handle Blocking
Installing handle blocking is very similar to fin blocking except you cannot drill a pilot hole to locate where it needs to go. In fact, you cannot even determine the board balance point without the board fully shaped and the weight of a fin resting on the tail....
Glassing Tutorials
The internal blocking that is being installed now is used after the board is hot coated and before the gloss coat. Installing the inserts is covered in the glassing tutorials...
