#17 (Dually Stubby) is Pretty Much Done

I went ahead and sprayed urethane on the top of the Dually Stubby - just short of the tail.

I still need to fill the slight epoxy shrinkage on the leash plug as well as a couple of small divots on the corners of the tail.  I'll line up a few boards that need a little epoxy work and get this knocked out before the next swell shows up (likely this coming weekend).

Dualie Stubby Done

I got the gloss coat (clear glossy polyurethane spray) on the bottom deck this morning.  I used some decals I got from a coworker to label it instead of using spray paint.  I think it looks way cleaner - but we'll see how it holds up to usage.

I also got the dual single fins on.  This thing looks fast just lying there!!!

I put a little more nose rocker into this board so I can take steeper drops - a lesson learned from the asymmetric fish at Chun's.

A long time ago I had an RRD Kiteboard with this same tail configuration.  I could throw that tail right through a roundhouse cutback like a hot knife through butter.  I'm really excited to get this board into some energetic waves to see if I can do similar turns.

I still need to do a tiny bit of work on the top deck - fill in an edge on the lease plug and some rough spots on the tail.  But before I go foiling today, I'll get the epoxy work done so I can spray the remainder of the board before this evening.  I also want to test the durability of the innegra.  This stuff was not that hard to use, but sanding was a bear trying to stay away from the fibers.  If it resists pressures and other abuse, perhaps it'll be worth the extra effort.

Sanding the Stubby

I got through the 40-80-120 sanding today.

Those voids between laps that I was discussing in one of the previous posts were present - I think two are big enough that they need to be filled.  Tomorrow I'll drill out a hole for the leash plug - when I do that, I'll fill the voids.  I may try to wake up early and knock this out so I can grind it when I get home.

If I can get that done, I'll go through the 180-320-400 sanding.  I'm not going to coat the vinyl decal with epoxy, I'll just stick it on after the 400 sanding then spray the whole board with polyurethane - that should seal the decal onto the board - same effect I was going for with the epoxy.  Or maybe this will drag out to Sunday... (like if I decide to add a thin coat of epoxy to seal the voids and re-encapsulate the innegra that got inadvertently exposed while I was sanding - we'll see which way I go).

Afternoon Work on the Next Boards

I worked on the new 4'10" foil board yesterday afternoon.  I used the big router to try and open up the slot for the starboard track block.  After a couple of passes, I finished it up with some sandpaper.  After dialing that in, I went ahead and trimmed up some carbon and fiberglass for the bottom of the two openings.  I was postured to pour epoxy, but got a little lazy.

I moved on to the other board and marked out the three fin boxes and also sanded the stubby with 120 and 180 grit sandpaper.

I thought about cutting in the boxes, but I wanted to think about the center box some more - what is in the picture is an 8" box.  I need to bring some potential fins down to line them up - but for a 5'11" board, I'm thinking the 8" box is all I'll need.  8" boxes will be fine for the two dually tracks.

When I do pour epoxy next, it'll be for the reinforcement blocks in the foil board first, then filling some shaping voids in the bottom deck of the stubby.  Then I'll cut in all the finboxes in both boards and then proceed into glassing.

Contemplating the Stubby

Instead of plunging head first into the last two sandings, I spent this afternoon contemplating the nose and tail.  I broke out the board ruler and measured, sanded, measured, sanded and stood back to take a look.

I got it to be mostly symmetrical (I know what I said earlier - but I did say I'd finish this board first before diverging into the realm of total asymmetry) - close enough that the glassing will make up for any differences.

I measured the thickness as it currently stands - 2 5/8".  A little thinner than I was hoping for - not sure at what point it dipped down beneath 2 7/8" - likely while I was cutting with the planer.  Glassing will put a little more thickness back onto the board.  As I am writing all this, I'm also researching the fin placement.  Tomorrow I will sand down the board with 120 and 180, then mark the finboxes and cut them out.  Depending on the rest of the day, I may try and laminate the bottom deck (but will likely wait until Sunday and laminate both this board and the new 4'10").

Stubby Rough Sanding

I dialed in the shape a bit more yesterday - dragon skin on the rails and 60 grit screen all over.

I'm thinking about changing the tail shape.  Right now this should pivot at the corners, but looking at the fin setup I want to put on the board, it might be better to round out the tail.  I need to think about this.  Today I can get the higher grit sanding done, make any adjustments to the tail and cut in the fin boxes - two dual singlefin slots and a third right down the middle so I can use this as a singlefin also.  The current dimensions are hovering at 20" wide and just under 2 3/4" thick.  The argument for keeping the tail as is would be the shorter length - at 5'10"+ I should be able to manhandle the board through any situation - and with the straighter rail line the board will have more speed - hmmm - I need to think about this...

Final Sanding on Marlon's Board and The Stubby Taking Shape

I got home a little later than normal this evening - so surfing was not really an option.  Instead, I broke out the shaping rack and Marlon finished the 180 grit sanding.  He says he wants to paint the board, so the rest is up to him.  I told him to rinse the board with water to remove all the sanded particles - next I'll take him to Home Depot so he can get his paint.

I brought out the Stubby (not sure this name will stick - will have to think some more about this) and used the planer to set in rough rail bands.  After that I used to surform to even out the top and bottom decks.  I was running out of daylight so I called it quits after that.  I did take a good look at the overall board - I keep thinking I want to narrow out the nose so catching bigger waves will not be as difficult, but I'll probably just trim it down as I shape the rails and keep it mostly fuller.  This could actually be a longboard shape just greatly truncated in length.

Now that this board is getting its rough shape, I think I'll be more diligent about working on it - I can do the bottom rail tucked under cut and fair in the rails with dragon skin tomorrow.

Fill Coat and Leash Plug

Marlon finished grinding the laps today and he got the bottom fill coat on.  Marlon's next step is to flip the board and get the top fill coat on.

I used a little of the epoxy and got my leash plug installed.  I also filled a couple of low spots where air bubbles got sanded through.  I'll get the leash plug grinded down and the butt crack fill sanded down, then total sanding with 220.  Then the last step is spray a clear coat on, let it dry then wax it up!!!  Should be able to get this wet this weekend (as long as there is surf).

Marlon is probably a day behind me, so maybe this board will get wet this weekend also.

Template Transfer and Cutting Out the Board

Inside every blank is a board waiting to emerge.  Here's this board starting the journey.  This stubby with Duo fin setup (plus a center box for single fin outings) should be really fun.

I took stock of how much blank there was in relation to the template.  I went ahead and extended the template on the board by about 3" (since there was room - I need all the help I can get).

This 5'10" fish blank is thick - the jigsaw with a normal blade was not long enough to get through it.  Might as well get started on this - I don't think the COVID-19 restrictions are going to get lifted anytime soon.

The Next Board

And here is the template for the next board - 5'8" x 20" stubby.  It'll have 3 fin boxes - two lined up to be a "duo" (not a twin), and a third in the middle to function as a single.  Don't look at the dark outline, I drew another one in pencil to the right of it.  Lots of width on this one so it'll paddle my chunky trunk.

I figured I'd get this one ready in case the lockdown keeps going.