Garage Works - 8/17/2025

In between the morning skunk and the afternoon session, I did some work on two projects in the garage.

First up was Marlon's prone foil board repair.

The tracks were leaking from the around the back of the boxes.

This board has a substantial wood stringer, so there was a lot of routing in lifts to not over stress the router.

The block fits nicely, but the port side has some overage (nothing that brown gorilla glue can't handle).

And I planed off the excess gorilla glue on the blank for No.42.

And I traced the template that I made to pull characteristics from the latest downwind boards - notably the tail of the board.

This is probably going to be one of my biggest experiments -

Garage Works - 6/6/2025

I sanded the bottom deck again - and there were a few pin holes that are still open (so yet another coat of epoxy goes on).

Then I went ahead of opened up the tracks.

I went ahead and mounted the drive and mast to gauge the plumbness of the bottom deck.

Relatively speaking, this looks straight.  But if I stare at it long enough, it looks like it has an ever so slight lean to the right (looking at it this way).

I went ahead and added a thin layer of epoxy biasing to the right (and closing up the pin holes).

I'll sand again tomorrow.  If it is good to go, I'll glue on the side offcuts and maybe laminate the bottom of the board (or finish shaping the top under where my rear foot will go).  I'm trying to get this one across the finish line so it can get into the rotation.

Garage Works - 4/29/2025

The repairs on Roland's wing board are complete.

Here are the mast track replacement and the bottom signal window.

This is the repair of the nose cracks

This is the added footstrap inserts

And the top deck signal windows - in case he ends up using this for Foil Drive applications.

New lease on life for this board.  How long that lasts... Roland pushes his gear harder than almost anyone I know - this will be a good test of my repairs.

Garage Works - 4/24/2025

I got this board back out to its owner today.

And then turned my attention to getting Roland's board all fixed up.

I sanded the epoxy work from yesterday (2 windows and a footstrap insert on top, window on the bottom), then added a fill coat of epoxy on the bottom work.

I also found some cracks up near the nose and got those opened and filled.

Here's the first fill coat on the bottom work.

I'll do another sand and fill tomorrow.  I'm hoping to get this one back to Roland by Sunday - I've been formulating No.41 in my head and want to start shaping it.

Garage Works - 4/22/2025

I spent a little time this afternoon working on the repair boards.

Here are the tracks opened up on Roland's Orca board.

And here are the tracks opened up on Uncle Joe's board.  I only need to sand and spray clear coat on this one and it is done.

And I have been researching the parameters to try and get better prints from PETG - this driver holder actually came out really nice.

Behind it is a whistle - but it isn't as loud as the description made it out to be.  Going to have to print out a bunch of the other one I printed so the downwind crew can be all whistled up (for safety).

Garage Works - 4/20/2025

Instead of dawn patrolling this morning, I went ahead and got the board repairs in the garage forwarded.

I trimmed the slot in Roland's board so the mast track reinforcement block would fit.

Then I laminated a layer of fiberglass at the bottom of the slot.  And I went ahead and got the block epoxied in place.

While that was hardening, I sanded the big board and got one last fill coat in for good measure.  I'll sand this tomorrow and open up the tuttle and the track slots.

After that, this one should be done.

And after the winging session, I found myself back in the garage.

I used the small Bosch electric planer and got the corners faded in and the lip on the tracks removed.  I used the sander and took down the remaining high points and got this ready for laminating.

Nicely faded in

Same lamination schedule I've been using recently.

And here it is all laminated.

I'll drill in the bottom deck signal window tomorrow.  I'll also sand the edge of the carbon and fill the signal window and the drainage hole Roland cut into the tail.

Then there are the fill coats, sandings, cutting open the tracks, footstrap inserts on the top deck, signal window up top, sanding, filling, sanding, and clear coat.

Probably will be done by next weekend.

Garage Works - 4/18/2025

I had some time today - so I got the mast track reinforcement block installed in the board that Scotty brought over for Uncle Joe.

There is a 6 ounce cloth patch surrounding the block (which is on top of the 6 ounce patch covering the bottom of the slot).

This hammer drill is heavy - and made a nice weight.

This shows that the track block is in straight.

And here is the track all taped up and ready for lamination.

This is a direct overlay of a 6.8 ounce uni-directional sheet of carbon, and an over sheet overlay of a 4.8 ounce carbon cap sheet.

Tomorrow will be sanding and filling.

Garage Works - 4/15/2025

This was work from yesterday.

I got Duke's board repair done.  When I was sanding the repair down, I couldn't isolate the sanding to just the repair.  So I ended up painting the area around the repair.

This was the big chip. 

And this was the chip in the tail.

Then I sprayed paint onto the other side of the board to make the board look more symmetric.

And I went ahead and opened up the big Starboard Peanut board.

I'll have to fill this gap.

After I took this picture, I went ahead and place a layer of fiberglass and epoxy on the bottom of the slot.

I also trimmed more fiberglass to epoxy into the bottom of the reinforcement block - this board is big and the foil is going to apply a large moment arm to the board.  And I can't use carbon because this board may be used with a Gen2 Foil Drive Max.

I'll add carbon over the top of this block - but using it underneath would have killed the signal transmission.

Garage Works - 4/11/2025

I took the day off today (so I can whittle my use or lose down), and decided to get some progress done on some projects.

First up was adding fill to level out the slot for the track block on Roland's wing board.

Then I figured I should fix the 142 rear stabilizer.  This is the undamaged side.

Here's the tip that had a chunk missing from it yesterday.

After I got the carbon laminated onto the stabilizer, I went back to Roland's board.  I used the electric planer to get the foam leveled, so I can use the router to clear the foam.

Since I had all the tools in use, I told Prayot to bring the board he has queued up so he could get the thickness dialed in and the track box routed out.

And here is the stabilizer ready to trim. 

I already got it trimmed and sanded.  It could use a thin layer of epoxy to fill some transition lines - but other than that it came out nice and I even got the other scratches filled and the trailing edge tuned up.

I'll test it first - if it runs quiet and doesn't behave funny, I'll probably just leave it.

Garage Works - 4/9/2025

Roland and I are bartering services.  I am installing a new mast track on Roland's favorite wingboard - and in return he is installing a cutoff valve on my house water line.

I got to work on measuring where the track box will go,and marking out the cut line.

And today I routed out the void where the new block will drop in.

I always get fascinated by what's inside a board.  The foam was wet (so I'll have to let the board dry before adding new foam).

Maybe this weekend I'll add the new foam. 

Garage Works - 2/1/2025

Yesterday morning I got Scotty's barracuda back to him, so that meant the rack was open again.

When I got back I got to work on No.40

This board is going to be a shorter/wider version of No.34 - that board has proven itself to be incredibly versatile, so I wanted to make a version to compare against No.39 (which are the two shapes I've focusing on recently) 

I started by skinning the top and bottom and started bulk removal at the nose and tail.

The tail bulk removal is driven by the track placement.

After using the planer I shifted to the Surform, dragonskin and then sanding screen.

I got through the rough shaping pretty quick.

Here's the bottom

And here's the top

I left the board alone for a bit (did some other work) - but instead of not coming back to it for a day, I looked for the discrepancies and got to them with the surform and sanding block - so I ended up getting the secondary/fine shaping done also.

I then broke out No.39 and did some calculations on track placement based off of placement on that board.  I marked it out and then kept going.

Here is the slot all routed out.

And the track block dry fitted

This is just before I opened up the Gorilla Glue...

And here it is with the glue curing.

I don't think I've ever gotten a board through these stages this quickly before...

Now I feel compelled to see how fast I can get it laminated.