building a cost effective board!

Hi! im new to wakesurfing and building one. ive never wakesurfed but it looks super fun and i love building so why not. im looking for a cheap build thats easy to ride for beginners. any where to get cheap foam loacallY? hope to get some input. thanks and approximately how much will it run me? trying to keep it under 100 bucks

Hey Nick, Surfdad should be here soon and he will come with lots of answers. There are a number of shapers that are active here. I'm sure someone will chime in soon

Under a hundred? That might be a trick, but is possible if you are a seriously thrifty shopper. You can find cheap foam at most local insulation contractors. It's EPS, but will contain reground material and I'd guess you can get a 3" x 2' x 5' section for $10 or so. You might have to look around a bit.

You'll want 2 pound found not the more common 1 pound. You can use just about anything for the stringer - luan door skin is cheap, but I'd try and score a scrap piece of 1/4 ply. If you can score the scrap, maybe $2?

You can get really cheap fiberglass that's used in commercial reinforcement typically isn't that nice white that wets out clear - it has crappy color. You'll want at least 6oz and enough to lay up 2 layers on top and one on the bottom. I'd bet you can get 5 yards for around $30.

Then find a pint of the cheapest slow set epoxy you can find. I think I've seen TAP has a marine epoxy that retails for $26 to $40.

That's enough to get your basic shape glassed and ready for fins...so what is that so far in terms of cost?

10+2+30+40 = 82 at the most if you can really shop.

Hope that helps.

cool thats a ton of help, do you know of any good walk thru's that i can get some pointers and ideas for the build and the fg layups and stuff

I wonder if there are other folks that would like to build a board for under a $100, that we should create a build thread. Step-by-step here on WW. Any interest? I'd like to see if I can actually achieve it.

go for it! i think it would be cool because people wanna build boards, but when the cost gets relativly close to buying a board thats proven to work it just doesnt make sense. do it for sure, if i get around to it ill post pics and prices

I'm deffinatly in for a cheap board build.
I think I may have some epoxy resin left over from the boat rebuild.
So where would you find EPS 2lb foam and how can you tell the difference in the foams visibly?

at uscomposites.com i found enough 6oz e-glass to do two layers on top, one on bottom for around 25, and a quart of slow cure epoxy resin for 22.50, so that cuts cost down even more. but im not sure where i can get the eps

where can i get the eps? i called lowes and home depot and neither have it, i wanna get it soon

I'm surprised that Jeff didn't start with "First take the door off of the back of your house"

LMAO, Show
he he

btw great idea about thread with DIY cheap board.
But I think to keep it cheap you will need homemade plywood or plastic glass on fins

also using hotwire save tons of work

I got the yellow pages out and just looked for insulation companies. I had to drive 50 minute to get it but I came back with a 4ft x 8 ft x 12 inch billet for $50.

Show you are too funny. Surfdoor, cheap and fun for the whole family!

The EPS foam will be found at a specialty insulation store. Yellow pages or internet is the best place to start. If you know any general contractors they may be able to send you to the local supplier. Those folks get blocks that are 4'x8'x20' I think, on that last dimension. They are huge. Most will have a huge hot wire that allows them to quickly and easily slice a piece for you. You may have to buy the 4 x 8 section and whatever thickness you request. Start your hunt in the yellow pages.

You can't really visibly see the difference between 1 pound and 2 pound foam, but it's pretty easy to tell the difference. Pinch a corner between two fingers. The 1 pound foam will compress easily (think maybe a stiff cotton ball), the two pound foam will feel stiff and won't feel like it compresses much if at all without significant effort think squeezing a tennis ball).

i cant find any dam eps or reasonably priced epoxy resin. wanted to get it done by next sunday for my trip, but not gonna happen

What's a reasonable price for epoxy?

well uscomposites is the cheapest ive found, its 22.50 for a quart and it comes with the resin and hardner.

So, I'll ask again, what is reasonable?

22.50 is pretty cheap for epoxy resin.

i have a smaller wake, so im thinking a faster board would be better. just curious if less rocker is faster or more rocker is faster. and is this only effected by the rocker in the tail

Flat is fast.

So what is your goal only cheap. Are you OK with low quality, do you care if the resin color is cloudy or yellow or amber?

Does the board have to survive after the first ride?

my goal is a board that will last and be used like a normal board. its basically can i build an average quality board for under 100, i think i can do it

22.50 resin
25 for 6oz e-glass
EPS- having trouble finding it in 1 peice, i can get a billet for 45 bucks

fins and traction

wax would be the cheapest but i dont wanna deal with it melting on the boat

fins, im probably gonna go box-less and mount them like a wakeboard i.e. 2 bolts going through the top

So - am I the only one that is thinking.... OK - great - you spend $100 - build your own board, show your friends, and then go out and surf on it, and it rides terrible? Or - it breaks? Then you're out $100 - and still don't have anything to ride? Yes - you built a "board" but again you've never wakesurfed before?

save your pennies, go to your local shop to see if they demo boards? Try some out - learn how to wakesurf... then decide if you really want to "build"

or -

Buy an old demo board, or look for someone selling via Craigslist - there are bound to be several that are around the $100-$200 range by the end of summer...

imho

Or buy one old project board from our best shaper Jeff "Surfdad" Walker, he has plenty of them

Double 6 oz over 2 pound and single 6 oz bottom won't break behind the boat. It's been the industry standard for sheesh 20 years now? I'm sure the process will be scary for some, and those folks should probably avoid it. For those that enjoy the challenge and don't mind the risk, it's pretty easy.

A 5'0" board will ride fine. It's almost impossible to make it ride like junk unless you don't pay attenton. There are so many free resources, the design of the board is probably the easiest part. Plus, let's be honest how many folks buy the junk from the big three and throw that money down the drain?

I love "rolling my own" but I can't say that I saved any money along the way, doing it. In fact, I'd have to honestly say I've spent WAY more building than if I had just purchased a few here and there.

Make a board if you want the experience. I could have purchased a fair number of quality boards for the money that I've invested coming up to speed on board building.

My home made boards are of suspect quality and craftsmanship but I've enjoyed making them. In fact making boards is perhaps one of my favorite wakesurf activities. Jeff must like making boards way more than I do because he's made a ton of them.

My current project has had a string of setbacks. Now I'm ordering more resin. I still enjoy the activity.

If you want a quality off the self board there are plenty of options. If you want a cheap board then go and get a sheet of plywood from Lowes. If you want to try something new roll your own.