Everything On The Inside... Brought To You By US Blanks (Pt. 4: Stringer Selection)

If you’ve been following our “Everything on the Inside” series, you’ve learned how to select the right foam, density, and blank size for your build. Today we’ll explain your stringer options.The stringer serves 3 main purposes in the surfboard;

            1) Strength

            2) Flex

            3) Aesthetic

With stringer selection, there are no right or wrong choices. Each choice is simply a matter of preference. 

US Blanks offers over 30 different stringer materials and an endless number of “glue-up” configurations, and while most surfboards are built with a stringer, it is in fact, completely optional. Both EPS and PU foam blanks can used to make stringerless surfboards. 

Before we proceed with stringer options, a quick word about the manufacturing process. All US Blanks begin as stringerless foam. All stringers must be glued into a cut blank. All blanks are custom cut and glued to order. US Blanks has an in-house mill, so they can cut and glue-up nearly any conceivable configuration. 

 US Blanks offers 5 solid woods; (Balsa, Basswood, Dark Wood, Cedar, and Redwood), various ply-woods, one   composite (PVC, in red, white, and black), or high-density colored foam.

Each stringer material type has it own rigidity (strength), flex characteristics, and aesthetic. Gluing wood together into plys (or “t-bands”) adds strength and also allows the shaper a unique aesthetic. US Blanks in-house mill allows for wedges, multi-stringers, or curved options such as flares or parabolics. There really is no limitation to the combination of glue-ups available. If you can dream it up, US Blanks can glue it up.

Just keep in mind, as with all surfboard design elements, what you acquire in one area, you may sacrifice in another area, i.e., increasing strength will likely decrease flexibility. Finding the exact balance of strength and flexibility with your desired aesthetic will be your challenge. But rest assured, US Blanks has every possible option available to you.

The endless options can be overwhelming, so as a starting point and a source of inspiration, below are some examples of various glue-up options. 

Stop by the shop or give us a call at 714-896-8233 to order your custom stringered US Blanks today!

Blue High Density Foam T-band

Everything On The Inside...brought to you by US Blanks (Part 2; DENSITY)

In Part One we discussed foam selection, and helped to delineate the differences between Polyurethane foam and EPS foam, as well as the differences between Block-Cut EPS and Superfused (molded) EPS. In Part Two we’ll discuss the various densities (sometimes referred to as “weight”) available for each foam type. As surfboard design and surfing styles have developed, US Blanks has engineered different foam densities to accommodate each need. 

“Density” = Pounds-Per-Cubic-Foot of material (foam) for a given space (the blank’s dimensions). 

            When Gordon Clark and Hobie Alter began producing polyurethane foam surfboard blanks in the mid 50s, they designed their foam for be a similar weight to the wood logs that surfers were accustomed to riding. The heavy foam boards were very sturdy and stable, but difficult to maneuver. As surfer’s skills developed, Clark provided lighter foam, which surfers were able to turn more easily. This trend towards lighter-weight foam continued up until the late 90s, where Kelly Slater, et al., ushered in very thin, narrow, highly-rockered shortboards. These boards allowed for the emergence of aerials, fin-releases, and 360s, but also saw a much greater incidence of board breakage, due partially to the lighter foam, but also the higher impact maneuvers. Since the late 90s, foam density trends have diverged into a wide range of needs. The current “ride anything” ethos requires that shortboards are available in either lightweight or Tow-weight, longboards to be built for high-performance or as throwback logs, as well as any manner of single-fin, kneeboard, asym, funboard, SUP, Gun, and even multi-foam constructions (PU & EPS).

            As with any aspect of board building, what you gain in one area, you will lose in another. Lighter weight foam will offer more maneuverability, but inherently less strength. The loss of strength can be mitigated by other construction materials like stronger stringers, carbon fiber, thicker glassing, and stronger resin, etc. 

            To ensure the exact right foam for any build, US Blanks offers (6) density options for PU blanks, as well as (2) density options for EPS blanks. For PU, the weight is identified by the color on the nose of the blank. Due to a few variables in the manufacturing process (mold compaction, skin-to-core ratio), exact PCF (pounds per cubic foot) for PU foam is not given. Rather, a stock weight (Blue) is designated and then all other densities are referenced from that weight, as a percentage of either more dense or less dense.

From Lightest to Heaviest:

- Orange Density (Competition Weight) is approximately 12% to 13% lighter than Blue. This would be most commonly used for elite level professional shortboards.

- Red Density (Performance Weight) is approximately 6% to 7% lighter than Blue. This is a common selection for a surfer who wants more performance from their shortboard, midlength, or longboard.

- Blue Density (Stock Weight) is the basis for comparison. Blue is the perfect combination of weight to strength ratio; light enough to maneuver, yet strong enough to provide extended use.

- Green Density (Cruiser Weight) is approximately 9% to 10% heavier than Blue. This is a common selection for classic longboard and funboard designs.

- Brown Density (Classic Weight) is approximately 30% to 32% heavier than Blue. This is a common selection for traditional log-style longboards. 

- Black Density (Tow-In Weight) is approximately 205% heavier than Blue. This is almost exclusively used in shortboards designed for tow-in surfing.

EPS Blanks (both Block-Cut and Superfused) are available in two densities; 1.5 pcf & 2.0 pcf. 

Ultimately, there are some fairly simple standards that you can follow (i.e., shortboards should generally be Orange, Red, or Blue. Longboards should generally be Red, Blue, Green, or Brown). Most performance characteristics in the water will be determined in the shaping bay by contours, rocker, fin setup, etc. but selecting the appropriate foam density is key to having the right foundation upon which to build.

For further information, please reference: http://usblanks.com/blank-options/density-selection/

~ A Green Christmas ~

       

      Full disclosure, I wrote this article with the general intent of making some connection between the holiday season’s association with the color green and the virtues of green (as in ‘bio-friendly’) surfboard building practices. I was going to do a little research to figure out the significance of that color to the holidays, probably crack a few puns to relate the two things, and then cleverly shift to my main point of environmentally conscious craftsmanship. It was going to be a jolly ol’ time. Turns out holiday green is only a thing because of some weird nonsensical stuff the Romans and Egyptians used to do with plants in the winter… or something like that.  After a thirty-minute tangent Googling some generally useless information, it seemed best to just skip that whole song and dance and get right to it.

    So anyways, we all know green is good. Surfing is inextricably connected to the world’s system of interconnected ecosystems, and therefore protection and preservation will always be in our best interest. Here at Foam E- Z we laud the efforts of suppliers, manufacturers, and individuals who strive to reduce the impact us board builders unavoidably leave on the environment. It’s our hope that by highlighting these efforts, we can help inspire others to follow suit and find more ways to improve our methods.

      Though these are by no means the only companies we support who are making a positive impact, here are two companies that have recently been making a difference that we are stoked on, as well as a brief guide on ways you can reduce your own individual board building footprint.

- Joey Estrada

           

U.S. Blanks…Now 100% Solar Made

Recently U.S. Blanks has taken up the charge by converting their Los Angeles based factory to run entirely on solar power. This is the latest move from the surfboard blank mainstay that has made a name for itself by proudly producing their diverse line of 90+ different blank models entirely within the United States, while upholding California’s strict environmental guidelines.

With the installation of their new grid of 680 solar panels to their factory this past month, they will not only be able to run their entire production on the suns energy, they will be producing enough to contribute some back to the grid!

 

“Carbon footprint reduction has influenced every decision made at US Blanks. With our 680 solar panels, our goal is to generate more energy than what is required to fuel our factory and to contribute that energy back to the grid.”

-Jeff Holtby, US Blanks

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Entropy Resins… The Amazing Sustainable Bio-Epoxy

Entropy Resins aren’t exactly new to the game of the eco-friendly glassing materials. They have spent the better part of the last few years creating and refining alternative epoxy resins that have increased bio content for a reduced carbon footprint. To understand a little more about their resin and what sets them apart, we did a little interview some of its creators here.

FeZ: How, in general, is your resin made that differs from other epoxies to make it more bio friendly?

       Entropy:  “So what we do is replace as much petroleum as possible in base raw materials with bio content without sacrificing performance of the resin. We do this by integrating the bio-content in to epoxy molecules that are chemically identical to traditional epoxy. However the bio-content is significant and measurable.

This bio content is all plant matter, mostly pine saps, oils, etc., that are sourced from the waste stream of the food and chemicals processing industry. We also derive waste from bio-fuels production that are processed into our resins. Essentially we are up-cycling other industries’ waste.

This is important because it minimizes the energy, water, and chemicals used to make our resin vs 100% petroleum based chemistries, again, replacing as much petroleum as possible with this food & fuel waste bio content.  Other than that, the basic properties and methods of creating our resin are about the same (all resin manufacturers have their own techniques, formulas, etc which make them all unique in one way or another).

It just so happens that over the last 8 years, we have perfected our formulas and methods, and now have a leading resin compared any other brand out there.  There is a reason why Channel Islands make all their epoxy boards with Entropy, as well as all Firewire/Slater Designs, Mayhems, Roberts, Pyzels, Maurice Coles, and an endless number of the "smaller guys" (usually higher quality builds) are moving over to use our resin exclusively...taking away the sustainability, the resin is just out performing everything else on the market!

Being transparent about our bio-content and how we verify and measure the impact of our bio-content is the key differentiator for us (i.e. not just claiming ‘bio’ but measuring the impact on the environment of that material). We’ve also listened to the market, and continuously worked to give them clearer and faster curing resins with great workability and cure times… all while balancing our bio-content and verification.”

FeZ:  What does the percentage of  'bio-content' mean?

       Entropy: So with regards to the percentage of Bio content.  Our products have varying degrees of "bio content"...the ONE sits in at around 38-40%. The latest version of ONE was actually reduced to 30% bio-carbon content this year. We did that to give our users a much clearer, and better performing version. It’s still USDA Bio-preferred certified though, and the highest bio-content available resin today.

BRT/CLX System

The CLR and BRT come in around 21%...now the important thing to note is that this number reflects the mixed content (Resin and Hardener cured).  There are a lot of other companies out there that will throw wild number like 50 %...They may not be lying, but they are likely talking about just one component...either the A side or B side. 

Also, we only report ‘bio-carbon’ content (i.e. carbon atoms only). Some other companies claim a total ‘bio-mass’ number (carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen atoms, etc.)… This is an important distinction, because there is no way to measure and verify total ‘bio-mass’ today. You can only measure bio-carbon content, (per below) and the USDA only recognizes bio-carbon measurements. Therefore, that’s what we go by. Customers need to be careful about everyone throwing around bio-content percentages, and should take the time to understand this distinction. They should look for testing as done by ASTM D6866.

Once you combine the two, that percentage will go down.  In order to get USDA certified (our ONE system) you have to have a minimum of 25% in the finished product...so that means A and B fully cured.

However, Bio content is only half the story with our resin.  

Bio content doesn't really mean anything if you can't do it right.  You have to focus more on the overall carbon footprint of a product, bio or not.  We have gone so far as to have a 3rd part organization called SCS Global, do a Life Cycle Analysis on our products and company as a whole.  They did an extensive audit of our company, from where we source the raw materials, how we manufacture, every truck, boat, plane, bottle, etc. to show our over all carbon footprint.  Compared with standard epoxy resin systems, we have 40% less of a carbon footprint and continuing to improve on that daily.  And this isn't something you can just pick up and do...If another resin manufacturer was going to switch to implementing bio content, chances are their overall carbon footprint will go up as they have to change their whole manufacturing.  We have spent the last 8 years refining and dialing ours in.

FeZ: What are some of the long and short term benefits (from an environmental standpoint) of using your bio-resin over more standard resins?

       Entropy: As stated above, the manufacturing of our resin and the way we run our business is much more sustainable compared to other resin companies. We also are a 1% for the Planet member, and probably the only chemical/ resin company to do that. 1% of our sales go to non-profits working to reduce climate change, and wildlife and land preservation. Lastly, we only sell bio-based resins. It’s not just a product line for us, it’s the entire mission and purpose of our company.”

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Turning Down The Volume

 

What does surfboard volume mean?

 No, I’m not going to waste either your time going into some overly complicated explanation about what volume is. I am sure you read all about it back in, like, 2013 on The Inertia or in Surfer or something like that. It’s height X weight X width, it’s in liters, and it’s pretty complicated to figure out in a surfboard. Right, moving on.

            Taking it a step further, what does surfboard volume mean with regards to actually shaping surfboards? Well, not much really. It is a number that’s useful for the comparison of finished surfboards. To a surfboard shaper, volume will usually, at most, be a small number in the bottom screen of some CAD program that changes when you start clicking things. That’s about it.

            The more important thing to consider here is what volume definitely should not be. For any shaper, new or experienced, volume should not be a goal. Going into any shape with the intention of coming away with some particular end number in your head should not (necessarily) be your main objective.

             No matter what way you look at volume, it is actually not a design element of the board. Yes, you read this correct and would do well to forever commit it to memory; 

Volume is not a design element of a surfboard.  

Volume is merely the result of an equation. It is what you get when you add up all of the different components of a surfboard as a whole. I’m talking length, width, thickness, foil, concave, and even the weight of the glass job; i.e. the actual design elements that require much thought and planning when shaping a surfboard.

            So now that we’ve gone over what volume isn’t, it’s necessary to come back to a point I made earlier. Widespread use of volume measurement is relatively new in the surfboard building industry, but this doesn’t mean that it is just some sort of fad. It is a useful metric. It is actually an incredibly useful number to consider when comparing (and I deliberately reiterate the term) finished surfboards. The bottom line is that when it comes to a hydrodynamic vessel such as a surfboard, every little tiny detail that touches the water will affect the way a board rides. Some of them are micro features (think those tiny inevitable glassing defects, or a machine cut board that is slightly more sanded than an identically cut board) and others are major features (think, well just about anything you can actually see on a surfboard). 

The point being, even at the elite level of surfboard building, variation is inevitable. 

            So what does volume mean to you as a surfboard shaper? It should serve as a constant reminder that each element of your shape adds up, in one way or another, to every other element. Each pass of the planer you take or ounce of resin you pour onto a board should be done with every other step, previous or future, kept in mind on some level. No, volume should not be your end goal. Volume should just float somewhere in the back corner of your mind like some mystical reminder from some ridiculous shaman that everything has a purpose. Besides, if you’re really dying to know the true volume of your finished board, I’m sure you’ve got a displacement tank sitting around somewhere just dying to be filled up, right?

-Joey Estrada