|
There are many types of surfboards, but the two most popular materials for making surfboards are fiberglass and Epoxy resin. At Buyboardz, we have the traditional fiberglass surfboards, and we have Epoxy surfboards as well. What makes an Epoxy surfboard different? Epoxy resin has been popular to use on surfboards because it is stronger than polyester resin, which is used for fiberglass boards. Epoxy resin will also make your surfboard more ding-resistant, giving the Epoxy surfboard a leg up over traditional fiberglass boards. Epoxy resin boards are also made with polystyrene foam, to give them their buoyancy. There are major difference between fiberglass surfboards and Epoxy surfboards, and even the types of Epoxy boards.
Fiberglass Surfboards
Traditional fiberglass surfboards are made of foam, fiberglass, and have a polyester resin coating. Fiberglass surfboards are made of polyurethane foam, and they are hand shaped or shaped by a machine. The core foam is wrapped in weighted fiberglass cloth and then coated with polyester resin. Then the surfboard is "cured" and sanded to a nice smooth finish. Fiberglass boards have been around since the 60's and have been a popular choice for surfers worldwide since then.
Epoxy Surfboards
There are many types of Epoxy surfboards, but the main difference among them is what foam is used and how they are shaped. One type of Epoxy board uses expanded polystyrene, which is a beaded foam that has poor strength, low resistance to compression, and is hard to shape. Low end or cheaper Epoxy surfboards usually have this expanded polystyrene foam core.
The second type of foam used in the core of an Epoxy surfboard is extruded polystyrene. This type of foam is more resistant to damage and compression, and the flex patterns are enhanced. This type of foam makes for a better surfboard, and all high end Epoxy boards use this foam in the core.
Now you know the types of foam used in Epoxy surfboards, you will find there are differences in the rest of the construction. There is a hand shaped board, a molded or pop-out board, and a hand shaped with compression method for making an Epoxy surfboard. A hand shaped Epoxy surfboard is made similarly to the fiberglass board method, with the difference being that the board is coated in Epoxy resin instead of polystyrene resin. The core is also made of polystrene foam, rather than polyurethane foam.
In the molded or pop-out Epoxy surfboard, the core is not hand shaped but rather a hollow mold is used. The hollow mode is injected with polystyrene foam and covered with fiberglass cloth and coated with Epoxy resin. The whole surfboard may then be covered by a high density foam and placed in a vacuum with heat to compress all the materials together. This type of pop-out construction makes for very popular Epoxy surfboards.
The last type of Epoxy surfboard methods is the hand shaped with high density PVC compression step. This type of surfboard construction is very similar to the hand shaped method. The difference is that a very strong PVC layer is compressed onto the expanded polystyrene foam and coated with epoxy resin. This compression step adds tremendous strength to the board. Because of this extra effort, these boards are more difficult to make, but the are well worth the extra money. This Epoxy surfboard will last you for life!
| 
