in the process of building a plyboard
I do not have access to a vacum pump


after I apply the epoxy is there any type of plastic sheet I could lay over it, maybe cover with sand for weights and get a smooth finish? something that doesn't stick to resin?

Regards,

Apply a regular coat for protection purposes, then sand it smooth....

Next the the secret or, Glamor coat....

Mix up another batch and thin it out with acetone..........I mean really really thin,

like water, then just brush it on....Ahh the Glamor coat...

that's it done....

I think the linear water cracks that run full lenght now on the bottom of my ply board help it track.

What I'm trying to say is, don't worry about it in a year it'll look like mine, and still be just as fun to ride

Rock-on with your dust mask on
fo

Mylar.
Apply a medium coat (not too thin) of epoxy.
Apply the mylar, working air bubbles out from center to outside.
The epoxy will not bind to the mylar, peel it off once dry
(thanks to knyfe)

Mylar? like the shiny metal baloon stuff? or a clear polyester sheet?

the plan is to take lay the fiberglass with epoxy then lay the Mylar(?) over it in hopes of hacing to do a lot less sanding

apply a light coat of epoxy with a roller. Take another roller and cut it in half so that you have a U shaped not quite roller. lightly drag this not quite roller lengthwise from tip to tip. This provides a very smooth finish with little drips off the edges. Wet sand with very very very fine grit sand paper. This is if you are ghetto like me and don't want to fuss with Vacuum bags and peel ply. I also tried using poly plastic drop cloth but it was too hard to get all the wrinkles out so the finish had creases in it. looked like shit.

Oh yeah, anyone have some advice for epoxying the edges? I tried marine tex and it worked ok but it was a little too thick to work with. Again, I'm ghetto and don't want to mess with ABS or other cool methods.

Thing is,

All that extra work does nothing save add weight...

Epoxy is probably the worst for actual long term sealing, it's brittle, it's a surface treatment, it goes on lumpy etc.

Bottom line, my board's finished failed a year or so back, it doesn't seem to mater though...

The bottom is still there, the straps are hanging in, there no real downside I can see...

If I were to do it again, I'd use Tung oil....

That stuff penetrates, and you can build it up, coat after coat, after coat...

ply=your already done, go ride it....

I disagree with fo.
Use the right epoxy and it is great for laminates, for finish, and great as a barrier coat.
marine tex is not it, pro set or other high modulus fancy stuff is not it.
West 105/205 or 206 is good.
Resin Research 2000 is good
System 3 silver tip is good (but runny)
All these have properties to be great for bonding and sealing wood in boats, surfboards, kiteboards etc.
Plus they are better than tung oil for laminating!

It's ok to disagree....

I assumed, (and rightly so) the plywood is already laminated.

now if you're going to laminate anything, why the fuck would you bother with plywood?

Dang, for the same labor you can laminate frigging foam....

No, we part ways when you desire to laminate, fucking wood

I have my standards....

The beauty of ply boards is that they are already laminated.

my bad I guess???

What sort of foam do you use when laminating?

Hy-density foam, and Carbon fiber for the glass

Also that building insulation foam at comes in sheets will work...the white stuff.

But beware, polyester resin will melt that stuff...you must use epoxy=$$$$

It's been years since we made boards, but we made tons of them like 50 of them...back in the day.

Buy your main board is my advice, and go plywood for your light wind board....

Why?

Because it is more work than you might imagine, and the results are really never better than what's already out there used for 150 bucks or so....

Costs about two hundred bucks to make a high grade board, add forty hours of labor and....

Yup, it's not worth it anymore

plywood boards being the exception------maybe 50 bucks plus the straps.

I make the fins out of plywood to save $$$ and keep it all worth it.

regards
fo