More info about FAQ`s on Carbon Boards...

[cyclone]

Many people seem to ask alot of questions regarding clear laminate carbon boards so here is a few answers...

Is it a problem when they heat up in the sun?
- Of course they heat up in the sun and will get VERY hot if you leave them there for hours. this can be a problem due to the resin softening at high temperature. The effects can be minimised by using a resin with a high HDT or temp at which the resin begins to soften. Still i would not leave the carbon side facing the sun for long peroids on the beach, in the water is fine coz the water keeps it cool so you should flip them over so the white side is facing the sun.

What about effects of UV on the carbon?

The UV light turns most epoxies yellow over time but does not significantly effect thier strengh in a composite laminate incl carbon. This yellowing can be overcome by using a UV filtering coating such as polyurethane, acrylic, polyester etc...

Why not just paint it to eliminate the problems?

Aside from carbon looking really awesome (just ask anyone with an X-shooter) Paint is time consuming, expensive and adds weight. Many manufacturers paint thier boards to hide what underneath...bog, air bubbles etc... with a clear laminate you can see just how good the laminate is and what sort of quality materials have been used.

Feel free to ask more questions and i will answer them to the best i my ability. Information is a good thing and helps dispel misconceptions and misinformation. Thats why i think these forums are great, on ya toby!

[KiteGlider]

Hello, Cyclone - I've got a 2 year old Gorge Animal 183cm black carbon top, for the weight challenged.

Can you tell me anything about these old boards?

This one's heavy duty, built like a truck ramp, and has some thichness to give floatation for self rescue.
It's still perfect condition, and the excellent workmanship shows through as you mentioned. The bottom shape is like a scaled up wake board with continuous rocker. Double concave going to flat at the tips.

The rails are sharp all the way around. Was thinking of softening the rail only at the center about 30cm then tapered to the sharp rail. The idea is to help handling in chop and transitions. What'd'you think? Lame, insane, or chance for success.

thanks,
KG




<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: KiteGlider on 2003-01-16 05:06 ]</font>

[cyclone]

well it shows that carbon boards can last a long time... if you soften the rails id say that the ride through chop will be bumpier due to higher boyancy. Id also say that it might ride waves better due to the softer rails slowing the turns and tightening the radius of your turns. Trade off will be that it wont work as well in overpowered conditions due to not being able to hold edge aswell...

[Peter_Frank]

On 2003-01-16 06:39, cyclone wrote:
well it shows that carbon boards can last a long time... if you soften the rails id say that the ride through chop will be bumpier due to higher boyancy. Id also say that it might ride waves better due to the softer rails slowing the turns and tightening the radius of your turns. Trade off will be that it wont work as well in overpowered conditions due to not being able to hold edge aswell...

I generally agree on this one Cyclone - except that you often see the effect of fuller rails on many boards, giving you a much more comfortable riding in chop.

BUT, this can very much be personal preference too - some like to slice hard through chop (sharp edges) - some like to glide smoothly through chop (soft edges).

I think most will agree though, that it feels better with not too sharp rails for handling chop ?

We have some places with nothing but small chop waves, sometimes even cross-chop waves, which are the worst of all...

It is really tough to ride, and performance goes down a lot - but it improves your skills and reactions, so there is one advantage about it (always look on the bright side) - and you learn to make tricks/takeoff on a freak 8-10 inch chop wave.

[cyclone]

i know what you mean peter, we i live we get all sorts of small chop/waves but no surf because of the barrier reef out about 30 clicks out to sea. As for the rail design, my pionts above are based on testing different rail types and theory.

The theory is Archemides priciple which states that- water bouys up an object with a force equal to the weight of water the object displaces...

So in practice, if you have very thin rails (less boyancy), then there is less force acting on your board when you drive it through chop.

This conclusion i believed to be accurate after letting several experienced riders test it and we all agreed that the thinner rails felt "smoother"...
Just my thoughts...