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  PU / PE CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY

PU / PE or Poly surfboards are a composite of a polyurethane foam core or shaped blank and a fiberglass fabric and polyester resin skin. Poly boards use traditional construction of polyurethane foam, fiberglass cloth and polyester resin. Poly boards are reinforced with a wooden stringer that runs vertically down the center of the board, an element that keeps the deck and bottom skins from collapsing on each other. Poly boards are a board with a dense core and thin glass with soft flex and spring back. Polyurethane foam is a closed cell foam. Poly boards are known for their perfromance across the whole spectrum of waves and conditions.
   
  EPS / EPOXY CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY

EPS / Epoxy or Epoxy surfboards are a composite of an EPS or Expanded Polystyrene core or shaped blank and a fiberglass fabric and epoxy resin skin. Epoxy boards are a combination of expanded polystyrene foam (also referred to as EPS), fiberglass cloth, and epoxy resin. Epoxy boards are also reinforced with a stringer that runs vertically down the center of the board, an element that keeps the deck and bottom skins from collapsing on each other. Stringers in Epoxy boards may be made of wood, PVC, or a composite of materials Epoxy boards are a board with a low density core and thin glass with stiff flex and spring back. EPS foam is an open cell beaded foam. Epoxy boards are known for their durability and for their performance in small waves and marginal conditions.
   
  POLY SURFBOARD PERFROMANCE

Polyurethane foam surfboard blanks have been the primary core or shaped blank of surfboards since 1958 when Hobie Alter, the leading board maker of the era declared, "We're not making balsa boards anymore. It's foam or nothing." With the best shapers, board builders, and surfers behind him polyurethane foam surfboards became the primary surfboard construction technology and remains so this day.

The performance of the polyurethane foam, fiberglass fabric, polyester resin surfboard was notably different and progressive compared to the balsa wood core surfboard with the same fiberglass and resin skin. Polyurethane foam sandwich boards were lighter and particularly flexible compared to balsa boards. These physical properties of poly surfboards offered quickness to turns and trim adjustments and introduced the hot dog performance era of surfing, a quick and flashy maneuver oriented style of surfing. The ease of shaping polyurethane blanks compared to shaping balsa blanks allowed shapers to progress design features. Improved rockers, foils, and rails allowed surfers to be more and more creative with their techniques and styles. Thanks to polyurethane foam blanks this was truly a golden era in surfboard design and surfing.
   
 

Dewey Weber Hot Dogging
   
  The shortboard revolution in the late 60s was another golden era made possible by polyurethane foam. The pioneers of this epic era of transformation in surfing and design created dramatically shorter, lighter, and more flexible boards that fit in the most critical and powerful sections of waves. The physical properties of polyurethane foam were essential to this progressive and evolutionary style of surfing. Acceleration, projection, speed, and maneuverability became the foundation of progressive performance surfing. The constant improvements of polyurethane foam blanks featuring design specific molds, multiple foam densities, various types and widths of stringers, and custom rockers made shaping progressive shortboards a much easier task.
   
 

Wayne Lynch Evolutionary Shortboard
   
  Constant improvements of polyurethane foam blanks featuring design specific molds, multiple foam densities, various types and widths of stringers, and custom rockers made shaping progressive shortboards a much easier task.

Today polyurethane foam core polyester skin surfboards remain the primary surfboard construction technology for the surfboard manufacturing industry. Their performance is an essential element progressing surfing and surfboard design. Their light weight and moderate flex and spring back create great performance. A well designed polyurethane core surfboard offers acceleration, projection, speed, maneuverability, and great control. All are essential performance features. Polyurethane core surfboards are responsive and have a great feel under foot. They are known for their consistency, predictability, and control across the whole spectrum of waves and conditions.
   
 

John John Florence Contemporary Rail Surfing
   
  US Blanks manufactures water blown Toluene Dilsocyanate (TDI) based polyester polyurethane foam blanks. They believe this process provides the best physical properties of a blank required for a quality surfboard. The resulting blanks feature maximum strength to weight ratio and a solid flex pattern yielding the best performance qualities for a shaped blank. The quality, stability, and consistency of TDI polyurethane blanks make them the preferred choice of the majority of shapers and board builders. US Blanks continues to fine tune their formulations to supply shapers with blanks and design specific molds that maximize strength to weight ratio, flex, and ease of shaping.

Polyurethane blanks are manufactured in multiple densities. US Blanks offers several design specific densities. Orange or Competition weight for ultra light boards, Red and Yellow CT or performance weight for versatile shortboards, light step ups and semi guns, Blue or stock weight for mid lengths, eggs, XXL guns, and light longboards, Green or cruiser weight for most long boards and heavier XXL guns, Classic weight for old school or traditional long boards, and Tow in weight for two boards. Shapers will recommend and use any of these foam densities for their designs based on the performance requirements of their shapes and preferences of the surfers riding their shapes.

The primary density of a polyurethane blank is a constant. The density of a finished shaped blank varies by how deep the shape is relative to the skin of the blank. The density of skin and core varies from mold compaction and skin to core ratio. The skin of polyurethane blanks is moderately denser than the core of a blank. To maximize the physical properties specifically the strength of the deck of surfboards shapers employ a technique known as close tolerance shaping. The idea is to have the deck of a shaped blank as close as possible to the deck of the blank. When the deck rocker of master plugs is a close match to the deck rocker of a shaper's design rocker adjustments or custom rockers are not required to maximize the strength of a surfboard's deck. When natural deck rocker of a blank is not a close match custom rockers are employed to create a blank that matches the shaped blank's deck rocker to maximize physical strength of a board's deck.

Stringer selection is an important and major factor for custom rockers. A stringer must be wide enough to hold the rocker adjustment of the blank. Significant rocker adjustments require a wider stringer to maintain the adjustments. Moderate or minimum rocker adjustments will hold with thinner stringers.

Polyurethane foam is stable and consistent. Polyurethane core surfboards offer consistent, predictable, and controlled performance. Their performance and feel make them the preferred construction option for surfers, shapers, and board builders. The variety of blank densities, rockers, and stringers coordinated with glassing schedules allows shapers and board builders to design and create boards that maximize performance for any design or style of surfing in virtually any waves and conditions.
   
  EPOXY SURFBOARD PERFROMANCE

Prior to 2005 and the closure of Clark Foam, Epoxy construction technology had a minor role in custom and high performance surfboard shaping and manufacturing. Production boards and a few forward and progressive thinking custom shapers being the exception.

The abrupt closure of Clark Foam in December 2005 and the rapidly increasing use of CNC shaping changed that and opened the door to Epoxy technology. Alternative blanks and shaped blank cores for custom surfboards were sought after by shapers and surfboard manufacturers world wide. The demand for quality and easily shaped blanks led to significant improvements in EPS foam particularly cell fusion. The proliferation of shaping machines and design software solved technical problems shaping EPS blanks. And improvements in the properties of Epoxy resins, their clarity and ease of use, made epoxy resins practical for manufacturing custom boards. These factors made Epoxy technology and boards an integral part of the custom and high performance surfboard industry.

"Epoxy surfboards" is a somewhat vague description and doesn't completely describe Epoxy construction technology. To be specific an Epoxy surfboard is a composite of EPS foam, fiberglass fabric, and epoxy resin.

EPS foam is a an ultra light low density foam and a useful blank option for light weight responsive boards in small waves and underpowered conditions. Light, buoyant, responsive, and sensitive EPS foam core boards are great for progressive performance surfing in such waves and conditions. They are buoyant, sit high on the water, and thus have less drag in waves of marginal power. These features create acceleration, speed, and maneuverability and makes them a good option for small wave boards.

Epoxy surfboards are a popular construction technology option for several designs and functions. They are light, buoyant, and durable. They perform well for experienced surfers in small waves that lack power and energy. And they are durable and functional for entry level and novice surfers.

With the same glassing schedule (the types of fiberglass fabrics, the fabrics' weights, and how many layers of fabrics are used glassing the top and bottom of a board) Epoxy boards will be lighter, stronger and more durable than Poly construction. Variations in the weight and weave of fiberglass fabrics and their schedule can render either construction technology lighter or heavier and stronger or weaker. Epoxy construction boards tend to be springy and lively in small waves and marginal conditions due to their light weight, firm flex pattern and low density EPS foam cores. However, this springy and lively feel can be less predictable and consistent underfoot, and can create a disengaged feeling in waves with more power and energy and in choppy or bumpy conditions.

Epoxy boards are generally surfed in and can excel in small and marginal waves due to their buoyancy and lively nature. Epoxy composite has a firm flex pattern allowing the boards to flex and spring back when weighting and unweighting through turns and maneuvers. Generally, if you ride the same design with different construction technologies you will find Epoxy boards will amplify performance in small, marginally powered waves and clean conditions and be unpredictable and disengaged in heavy water, bigger waves, and choppy or bumpy conditions. Poly boards will maximize performance with their consistent and predictable performance features in waves with more energy and power and in diverse conditions.

The downside of Epoxy boards due to their lightweight and buoyant nature is their lack of predictability, consistency, and control in heavy water and larger surf and choppy, windy, and rip tide affected conditions. In these conditions they tend to chatter and bounce around and it's difficult to control the rails and ultimately control the board. It can be difficult to sink a rail and a board can feel disengaged from the water.

The choice between Poly boards and Epoxy boards ultimately depends on a surfer's personal preferences, their skill level, and the conditions they surf. As waves and conditions vary the choice of construction technology can vary. A surfer may prefer Poly boards in many waves and conditions and Epoxy boards in other waves and conditions.
   
 
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