Make your own light, cheap and easy downwind board!

[@norfolkfoiler6466]

Your v-cut hot wire + tape method is awesome. Also love your wetlay up transfer mechanism to the board - not seen you do that before. Absolute genius as always. One thing I do that could be of interest: I use this bit to open up the track boxes… super quick and neat.

[@matshape]

thanks. Depending on how deep the tracks are set and if they have flanges or not, using a router/bit might leave them proud. I like the flanged one, probably stronger, but I sand them down back to the level of the board.

[@sabyx5]

Sooooo satisfying , great editing …. Plzzzz sell it to me cheap😊😊🤗🤗. Thks for sharing

[@murraybruce3802]

The V groove hot wire and tape is a great idea. Much thanks!

[@matshape]

thanks, it's definitely worth getting a proper adjustable power supply, and a roll of nichrome wire, took 5 min to make the V groove one and start using it :)

[@janschenk85]

@@matshape were did u get this supply?

[@foilandwater]

That is incredible. Well done Matthew! I admire your skill and patience 😍👌

[@RomanovDK]

Absolutely brilliant. Impressive! Thanks for sharing. 😊

[@kenjgood]

Respect - THAT was a fantastic video showcasing your passion and abilities!

[@MrSupaman777]

Your methods and planning and craftsmanship is phenomenal. Great work

[@WingFoilGuy]

Another great build! Totally love your content. So much details to learn. Thank you!

[@nicokux1587]

Thanks for sharing. Not only great job on the build, but documenting and editing too. Respect 🤙

[@gordonlewis1565]

love these builds! getting ready to build one myself. you are an inspiration.

[@matshape]

Go for it! it's amazing to ride a board you made :)

[@MNCPMSteve]

Very professional looking result, kudos to you, Mat 🤙🏼

[@aubr33tv68]

i love that you have a timer for the project

[@matshape]

it was to answer the question "how long did it take" on most projects before... alway hard to estimate :)

[@johncaster4089]

Absolutely brilliant 👍!

[@lunamarfurniture2377]

Amazing skill and beautiful results! ❤

[@obktownposse]

Great job 👍 I'm loving it. Wish you all the best for future projects 🤙 Best regards 🤙 Ralf

[@lanceburkhardt8265]

The V-groove hotwire is a fantastic idea.

[@matshape]

Thanks, main reason was that I didn’t want to bother my neighbors with the router early morning:)

[@balazsrepasi8035]

Great work. Well done. Seems very labour intense.

[@seanparker571]

Loved this, Thanks. Of course, on top of the $350, tools, workshop etc…

[@kiteflow_ae]

No words to describe! Awesome work! Waiting for a transparant surf board for me

[@Олександр-э8ф8ю]

Piece of art ❣️

[@usmanworks2616]

the tape trick is awesome

[@ZumbieJusus]

Great techniques. I learnt a lot. Struggle though with you not wearing a respirator. That’s a lot of foam particles you are inhaling.

[@MNCPMSteve]

I came here to say the same thing!! 🤯. Great to see micro balloons used, been many years since I've used them.

[@danieltrenfield]

love this, thanks for sharing

[@AkSeapilot]

glad i am subscribed... that is so impressive!

[@twang2888]

great video! the NPX boardies at the end was a real surprise! -old school

[@matshape]

🤣 they are indestructible ...

[@lvnmylife]

Really great technical skills building brother! Impressive! That tape and V cut trick is gold! Definitely will use that! Ya stressing me out with all the shots not wearing PPE, or taking it off in a dust filled room and knocking dust off your clothes. Dig all your tape tricks.

[@adventuresofsb]

incredible craftsmanship!

[@goodevins9408]

Wow what skills great content

[@fluiditynz]

Love the way you did your board. The time frustrates me so much though. I was a little surprised at you doing laminations with time splits though, I try to to get that one-shot interlayer bonding. Certainly you have great cosmetic results and low weight though! My own first wingsurfing board I designed really well, built maybe a bit fast but then I didn't learn how to yaw steer it, I was roll steering it and my big sunken deck was too narrow for how I preferred to place my front foot. A couple of years later and having swapped to a bought board mid way, I've realised this last week that I need to un-filll my sunken deck on my own board to bring the weight back down and recover my original design and give it another try. Part of this has been my technique evolution and centering my feet but also I've redesigned my wings to be very yaw responsive with thinner tips and switching from the Axis standard fuselage to the advance version which brings the wing back closer to the mast. Now I have wings with great performance, it's the mast to work on, I bend the Axis masts with my weight on and ground impact with our sand bar so I am just over 3 weeks into a mast moulding project including design, printing, sanding and filling cycles. reducing the lower mast thickness from the Axis 19mm alloy to a more standard carbon tapered profile should really improve glide and strength.

[@matshape]

it's all trial and error! good luck with your mast project, I made a couple a long time ago... it's a lot of work :)

[@sitioalgodoesmaraubahia9565]

Congrat’s! A Masterpiece!!

[@mubute]

Awesome work! I have a question about the bottom layup if you don’t mind. Is it (from foam out): carbon, glass, wait to dry?, carbon patch, wait to dry, sand, another carbon patch between rails, peel ply (why the peel ply?)?

[@matshape]

the big patch was added at the same time as the main lamination, better bond. I added another one in the middle to flatten a bit the area between the tracks and add a bit of strength, not sure if the extra strength is needed. the peel ply is to get a smooth surface that requires less sanding.

[@ApriliaRSV4-777]

great job!

[@graemehunter4160]

This is a really awesome video, so much good information in it. I watched it a month ago and just rewatched today. I started building surf boards four years ago and graduated to wing boards and downwind boards, all done with layups (no vacuum bagging). I'm getting acceptable results but I expect to really improve them using things I learned from you. The biggest change will be using release film as part of the layup. How do you calculate the required amount of epoxy resin? At one point you used 140 grams of epoxy for 100 grams of cloth and at another you used 150/100. I've been calculating epoxy requirements using Greenlight Surf's marine grade epoxy on the basis of 3 oz per foot of board length for a single layer of cloth, 4 oz for a double layer. Your method looks like it will be more accurate. I calculate my board volume the same way you do, by weighing the blank (foam only). It was nice to see that validated by someone who knows what they're doing.

[@matshape]

thanks, I'm glad it helps. for resin Qty, greenlight formula won't work well for a wing board as the section is usually way bigger than a surf board. For me, I usually mix between roughly between 1.2 and 1.8 time the weight of fiber. The lowest would be for 2 layers with the resin applied on a flat table, highest for single layer with the resin applied with the fiber on the board and planning to have peel ply on top. When I add thick fiber for reinforcement, I tend to mix a bit more to make sure it's fully saturated and let peel ply remove the excess.

[@graemehunter4160]

@@matshape Thanks Mat, that's helpful. I'll start with those parameters and experiment from there.

[@stueygwynn7039]

So good!

[@mubute]

Just curious how you handled the lap joints? I keep coming back to your video as a go through my development stages! Thank you!

[@matshape]

you mean on the rails? I made sure fist layer was flat and adhered to the foam before doing the second one, to avoid creating bubbles (that's why it doesn't look very clean, I had to remove some parts that were not bonded well ) and then the other side overlaps on the first. Note that the overlap makes the rails stronger, covering the radius on both "top rail" and "bottom rail" would make them even more ding resistant but is a bit harder to glass.

[@awesomeman55]

Really helpful. I started to do my own board thanks to you and your videos. Do you have any lessons learned from the process that can help me? How are the boards doing in the water? Any leaks? Thanks!

[@matshape]

lot of things you learn as you go... but main one i often forget and regret after is thinking i'll fix a small defect at a later step... this never works. If your rail is not fair, you'll sand through the lamination when trying to fix it. result of each step should be as good as you can make it before moving to the next.... Good luck!

[@awesomeman55]

@@matshape Hi Mat. Instead of the 300g bi-axial carbon fiber, do you think other weaves will do the job? Thanks!

[@matshape]

weave type doesn't really matter for what we are doing... our designs are not optimized enough and the load we apply varies too much for weave choice to bring the board from "strong enough" to "too weak" it's more about having a sound structure inside the board to transfer the load between feet and foil. I'm convinced i could get away without the 300g reinforcement... until something else goes wrong. Recently a jetski hit my board at full speed on the water and broke the bond between the HD foam and polystyrene, so my boxes were moving, but thanks to the thick re-inforcement on the box, the board stayed waterproof and in one piece, not rideable, but fixable.

[@nikemie1]

Hi Mat, I see this is your second attempt on the down winder board. Is it possible to tell us the difference and your findings please. Like what worked and what didn’t. Thanks

[@matshape]

The first one was only for light wind wingfoil, volume is too small to stand on it without the wing (~85L), so I sink the tail a lot (I'm ~73kg). The news one is much bigger with 115L, quite longer and even if narrower it's pretty stable to stand on it with a paddle.

[@nicoloceccarelli9653]

Amazing video!!! Congratulation!! Thia video is fantastic for build board with less dust. I have a question for you: when cut eps with the hot wire, how is the current and the tension? The same of the v cut? Thanks a lot!!

[@matshape]

thanks! less dust and no epoxy on the floor... good criteria when working in an apartment. For the hotwire, the current is what matters to get the right temperature and depending on the length, the tension will be different. A given wire gage needs a certain current to get the temperature you want. So depending on your power supply max voltage, there's a max length you can make your hotwire.

[@ggjjggrs-j7t]

Awesome bro~

[@thomasn2955]

Love it ! What's your thoughts on making one floater in an appartement ? I have a 2nd room that I can isolate and ventilate

[@matshape]

I'm in an apartment, so it's definitely doable. There will be dust everywhere, but if you clean as you go you can reduce what goes in the rest of the apartment. Use epoxy (smells much less than polyester). Last thing is to be careful with noise... reduce use of noisy tools (router, orbital sander...) check best times with your neighbors :)

[@MarkSpry-d7r]

Great work mate. Would balancing the blank across a stick also provide the centre of gravity?

[@matshape]

thanks, yep, that should be precise enough :)

[@comment8767]

Wow ... I think I will just buy one ....

[@andrijanaandry]

Fantastic!

[@jeromesurffoil7033]

👏👏👏👏👏👏 BRAVO!!!

[@gamma8283]

great Build! how you find the Position of the Trackbox? Because there, is where i struggle for my own Board.

[@matshape]

It depends on the foil you're using, your preferred stance and the volume of the board. If the volume is close to your weight, you want to be standing on top of the CG = center of buoyancy, with more volume, you can stand a few inch behind to let the nose float better without sinking the tail too much. Now that you have your back foot position, you get your mast position, center the box there and you'll have the most adjustment possible. for reference, I'm ~73kg, that board is 115l, I set the center of the box 16in behind the center. On my previous ~85l, it was 11in behind center.

[@koejoe]

Love the video, please wear a mask. Kidney cancer is a thing and toxicity Is real. How the body deals with chemicals passing through it is complicated and lead to failure of organs in older age. ❤

[@VAdu56]

Super bravo...on sent bien que ce n'est pas la première que vous construisez.. ce qui est étonnant, autant de travail pour un flotteur qui ne touche même pas l'eau... c'est quand même important le nombre de couches de carbone, expoxy, résine...dommage pour la finition blanche du flotteur qui jure un peu avec toute la qualité que vous avez engrangée pour la réussite de ce flotteur... Chapeau bas, très bon travail...!!

[@matshape]

Merci! pour ces planches tout l'intérêt est le décollage... avec le moins de vent possible ou à la pagaie, elles touchent l'eau peu, mais c'est critique. La finition blanche, c'est surtout pour le soleil, pour éviter de trop chauffer quand il fait plus de 40 degrés :)

[@andreasmeerkamp8627]

Great job again, I just watched another video of you and subscribed to not lose all the info. What glue do you use to glue the foam together?

[@matshape]

Gorilla glue, but be careful to avoid where the hotwire will go, it can't cut through dried gorilla glue.

[@laser3322]

Great video! Is there a reason that you put the 300g biaxial patch on the top? I would have thought there would need to be less sanding and filling if it was underneath the other layers.

[@matshape]

thanks. As there is extra thickness, there will be a step that needs to be blended. if the patch was below, when blending it, you'd risk sanding through the fibers of the full layer disconnecting the patch from the rest, but with the patch on top, no risk, the full layer stays continuous.

[@danielsuter8204]

Hello Mat Great video, thanks again for that. After watching your videos, I also started building boards myself, so far a wingboard and a pumpboard. I like it a lot and have learned a lot, including everything I did wrong 😀. At night I'll also do a downwind board ;-) With the downwind foilboard you only have 1x 200g carbon and 1x 100g glass on it. Is it stable enough, no weak points? Thanks and greetings Daniel

[@matshape]

yes, that's enough overall, just the tracks and standing areas needs more reinforcement. Note that this is quite light, so it will ding more easily... but if you make boards, a quick repair from time to time is not very hard :)

[@C11ffH4ng3r]

Great build! Thinking about copying it. A question, around 5:00 you are shaping the board but it looks like you chose to sand all the edges. Why did you not continue with the tape&hotwire method for the "rough cuts" on these? At best it would cut down on time and at worst I guess if would have saved you some sanding dust?

[@matshape]

thanks. you could continue with tape and hot wire, but I'm used to handshape the end of my boards: as it's the first time I do that particular shape, going by hand lets you feel the shape coming, see how the surfaces connect, and see how the volume goes down. Also note that for angled surfaces it's tape only, no grooves, and it's a bit more risky :)

[@powis-tv8ln]

How do you find that hotwire power supply? I'll want to run a range of nichrome wire lengths. Looks to be pretty cheap on aliexpress.

[@matshape]

power supply works great, can't remember where I bought it from, it's a 30v10A, and I never hit those limits so far. you just need to find the right current for each section of wire, and when you want to use a new length, just increase voltage until you get to the right current ... very versatile.

[@powis-tv8ln]

@@matshape Thanks!! I know it depends on the wire but do you recall how high the voltage gets for your long wire? It only looked like 2V for the small triangle hot wire.

[@matshape]

@@powis-tv8ln 14v 6A for the long wire... well below the power supply limit (30v 10A)

[@noahflanagan1368]

Both this and your other board look awsome! where did you source all of the material? I'm thinking of making a prone foil board... would it be cheaper without carbon and adding a stringer? what extra steps do you have take without carbon?

[@noahflanagan1368]

I would also like to add footstraps, where would you recomend placing them?

[@matshape]

thanks! epoxy and polystyrene are local from UAE, quite expensive to ship internationally. Carbon, glass, HD foam from easy composite, and boxes from Aliexpress. Glass works fine too, and if it's your first board it's much easier than carbon to work with. Just make it a bit thicker to be sure. no need for a stringer if the board is thick enough, but you need the reinforcement linking the boxes to the deck. For straps, I'm not using any anymore, but especially for a prone board, I'd copy the placement on a existing board.

[@noahflanagan1368]

@@matshape Thank you!!

[@johnkellet7783]

What you are doing is great. But for your own sake you should be wearing a mask. Dust not good for you

[@jurajreingraber7724]

Not just the dust, also vapors from melting styren and epoxi resins....

[@lvnmylife]

Totally why I came to the comments section. Buddy needs to take care of those lungs! I've been cringing the whole video. There's no way his ventilation there is anywhere good enough, then he busted out the resins and glass. I'm like... BRO what are ya DOIN?! Then he's sanding! I'm yelling at screen. Killing me smalls!

[@koejoe]

@@lvnmylifeI have had more friends with cancer and organ failure. First things doctors ask is what industry have you worked in. Was a very hard video for me to watch. Tumours cancer, suffering is hard to watch for anyone yet alone go through it .

[@vim55k]

How hard it is to build board such as Armstrong wkt 137 1 inch thick? What should be the process?

[@matshape]

Check out my latest video, that's exactly what you need :)

[@vim55k]

@@matshape yes. I watched that video and forgot . I will go in comments there and ask about the weight

[@silasketgaskets8709]

"easy" is a relative term. easy for you as you have excellent skills, experience and knowledge. any reason you did not use a vaccum bag? great job. i used to repair wave board dings

[@matshape]

“Easier” is may be more accurate yes… that’s why I didn’t use vacuum, much simpler for new builders and not much weight penalty…

[@nikemie1]

Very inspiring, love the build. What density foam did you use?

[@matshape]

thanks, the vendor sells it as 16 to 18 kg/m3, turned out it was 16kg/m3.

[@OlivierBenedicto]

Hello Matt, super job, je me lance en partie en suivant tes méthodes. Question de débutant : pour R+D je prends le même poids que le tiss à coller, ou le double ? je fais du sandwich partiel carbone-airex-carbone, sous vide. Dis moi, merci !

[@matshape]

Merci. En general je fais 1.2x le poid du tissus si je mouille le tissus sur un table à côté, 1.5 si je mouille directement sur la planche. Pour ton sandwich, le carbon ne sert a rien en dessous, mieux vaut mettre du verre fin pour gagner du poid. et si c'est la première fois, colle airex+verre d'abord, et colle le carbon ensuite, c'est tentant de tout faire d'un coup mais risqué... bonne chance!

[@OlivierBenedicto]

@@matshape top, merci pour les conseils !

[@fishcakes2]

Great build and really quick too! After your filler coat are you just doing a spray clear coat (upol or similar) and not doing a clear gloss coat ?

[@matshape]

thanks. Exactly, no gloss coat to save weight, it'll be a bit less ding resistant, but gloss coat on a board that size will be at least 600g.

[@vim55k]

How much do you think will weigh a 50L 5"8' x 19 board if built ?

[@oz45]

hard to say, but the polystyrene shaped would be ~800g, the fiber would be ~3/4 of mine on that board considering the shorter length, so if you try to keep it very light, 3.5 / 4 kg should be doable ...

[@murraybruce3802]

Could you please explain the math behind how you determine the volume of the board by weighing the foam. Much thanks!

[@matshape]

it's not difficult: I buy 17kg/m3 EPS. but I check it, measure the volume of the blocs and the weight, divide the weight by the volume. in this case, they are 16kg/m3. Then , when shaping take the weight divided by 16 and you get the volume in m3, multiply by 1000 and you get the Liters. last check I did was 1.850kg / 16 = 0.1156m3 = 115.6 liters. Caution, this only work when there's only EPS (and assuming its homogeneous) , as soon as you start adding the boxes, it stops working.

[@murraybruce3802]

Thanks! Now I understand

[@MyRaihau]

Good job, nice board. I have a question, with a wind surf board, do you think I can converted it as a downwind foil?

[@matshape]

That's not impossible, but quite a challenge, and not sure the result would be worth it. If it is a regular windsurf, adding foil box is tricky as you'd have to tie in the existing structure of the board, the width might also be an issue, if it's too wide, you can cut down the outline, but it will be close to impossible to get smooth rails after you're done shaping/glassing new one. Finally, most windsurf boards are build much stronger than a downwind foil needs to be, so probably too heavy. I really think your time will be better invested making a board from scratch, and not end up much more expensive...

[@Davids-eq7ky]

Can you explain your track placement some please? I see you find the CG, but how do you offset tracks from that?

[@matshape]

It depends on the foil you're using, your preferred stance and the volume of the board. If the volume is close to your weight, you want to be standing on top of the CG = center of buoyancy, with more volume, you can stand a few inch behind to let the nose float better without sinking the tail too much. Now that you have your back foot position, you get your mast position, center the box there and you'll have the most adjustment possible. for reference, I'm ~73kg, that board is 115l, I set the center of the box 16in behind the center. On my previous ~85l, it was 11in behind center.

[@RhettBonner]

Great video! So many good techniques! Wish I would have seen this before I built my last board! Was this 1 lb density EPS Foam?

[@matshape]

thanks, yes almost exactly, 16kg/m3 0.99lb/ft3

[@RhettBonner]

@@matshape what rocker height did you use?

[@matshape]

it's hard to say, tail is 120mm thick, nose is 27mm and thickest point is 169mm 1.6m from the tail (2/3 of the board). but the rocker is heavily modified by the rounded nose...

[@ellupo4279]

The V hot wire cutter is nice. Please whiche wire do you exactly use for this ? Which heating wire are you using exactly, what diameter, what electrical resistance in ohms?

[@matshape]

thanks, it's 20AWG nichrome wire, i can't remember where i got it, but that should be pretty standard.

[@ellupo4279]

@@matshape thxs

[@powis-tv8ln]

@@matshape Is it the same wire thickness for the mini V cutter vs the big taught cutter? Thx again

[@oz45]

@@powis-tv8ln yes, same works for both, you need relatively thick for the V-groove so it doesn't deform, the long one can be thiner, but thiner wire will extend more when heated (but requires less current)

[@kryszczuk]

great, but which part of this was easy?;)

[@matshape]

removing the need for a vacuum setup, no epoxy mess on the floor, limited shaping with extensive use of the hot wire.. overall simpler :)

[@1290rwrw]

Thanks for this vid man love it. what kind of glue you use for fixing the two bloks of foam? can you still hotwire them after its glued? greez from switzerland

[@matshape]

I used gorilla glue because it cures quickly and expands so it fill gaps nicely. Hotwire doesn't like it though, that's why before gluing, i mark the areas where the wire will cut to avoid them. I also make sure there is no glue where i will sand to get the final shape. Even if you can sand the glue, it tends to create a ridge at the glue line because the EPS is softer.

[@1290rwrw]

@@matshape hey thanks for the infos... This was ecatly my proplem... So avoiding glue in the cutting areas... thx. Love your vids they are awsome thx

[@deepdivefoiling]

So you just overlap top and bottom skin on the rail? Don't do a full wrap where top skin goes to bottom and bottom skin to the deck? Is it because board is so thick? Wouldn't full wrap be stronger? Thanks

[@matshape]

yes, having both skins going over top and bottom rails would be stronger... but also heavier, and it wouldn't fit on my wet out table :) as the rails only have 1 double layer, I was careful not to sand into them.

[@Davids-eq7ky]

What is this power sanding tool you have?

[@matshape]

it's a 20$ polisher from amazon. I find it works better than an orbital sander, speed adjusts with the trigger, with coarse sand paper, it eats through anything, but with fine paper, it gives lot of control. I'm on the second one after 5 years, so not durable, but very cheap :)

[@jamesstewart5371]

Can you change the the text to black as some are hard to read against a white background i.e. the foam or your white walls

[@matshape]

Sorry for that... within a few hours, HDR version should be visible, and the text will have much more contrast. I tried the blacks and they are even harder to place...

[@jamesstewart5371]

Thanks Mat I really like your content greetings from north coast of dominican republic

[@Davids-eq7ky]

Did you wet the blank out with some micro-balloon thickened resin for every step? Or just the deck patch?

[@matshape]

no wet out of the blank first, I never do that. Especially that board as the EPS is quite dense, so it won't absorb much resin anyway.

[@Davids-eq7ky]

@@matshape thanks for the quick reply! Was it 1# EPS?

[@matshape]

@@Davids-eq7ky oops, my bad, i thought that was the last video i uploaded for a pumpboard. yes, for this one, it was ~1lbs/ft3 EPS. here my logic for not filling the blank first is more that as i'm wetting the fiber on a table, it limits the epoxy use and the blank will not absorb any during the lamination process. only risk is to have some pin holes when the resin is pulled from the fiber into the blank, but as i'm doing fill coats after, it doesn't really matter.

[@Davids-eq7ky]

@@matshapegot it. I usually wet out on a table but use vacuum. I’m very tempted to stop using it to save on materials and time. You haven’t had any issues with no vacuum for this board?

[@matshape]

@@Davids-eq7ky no problem at all, you just get a small weight penalty as excess resin is not taken out in the peel ply/breather, but if you're careful when wetting on the table it's not too bad. You also need to avoid radius too small on the rails to avoid the fiber to lift.

[@olivierbidot]

Superbe ! Comme les autres 😉 Quel sctoch utilises tu ? Il m l air vraiment top...

[@matshape]

Merci. c'est du scotch de peintre 3M ScotchBlue, jai pas trouve mieux. le normal, pas celui plastifie.

[@michaelcasteleyn-uf1vm]

Master craftsman better than I could ever imagine doing a joy to watch I would of qcelled the shaped foam blank then vacuum bagged everything and I would have put Devine cell where you stand Probably a little heavier but a bit stronger Yer it’s a fine line nothing more disappointing than breaking something that took 50 hours to make and thinking 1 more layer of carbon

[@matshape]

thanks. I went for light and simple on that one. the foil attachment is plenty strong, but yes, the skin will ding more easily... a small fix from time to time is worth it for the weight ... definitely not client ready :)

[@GPCuser]

Great build! Way less hours than i used to have for my smaller builds😅. why did you choose to not use a vacuum pump?

[@matshape]

thanks, it's because I'm lazy :) but also, less waste , less risk to mess it up (bags for 8ft boards are huge) , and when I vacuum, the surface finish is less good and requires more filler.

[@williamguerin2931]

Hello what is your recommendation for the foil box placement ? What is the distance to the center of gravity and why ? Thx

[@matshape]

It depends on the foil you're using, your preferred stance and the volume of the board. If the volume is close to your weight, you want to be standing on top of the center of buoyancy, with more volume, you can stand a few inch behind to let the nose float better without sinking the tail too much. Now that you have your back foot position, you get your mast position, center the box there and you'll have the most adjustment possible. for reference,'m ~73kg, that board is 115l, I set the center of the box 16in behind the center. On my previous ~85l, it was 11in behind center.

[@williamguerin2931]

Merci 🙏

[@philmindburst]

Hello, where did you get the PAD, it s the only thing is missing to finish my board , how much resin did you used, it s soo expensive in Canada

[@matshape]

For pad I got it from AliExpress,

[@gamma8283]

and did your board survived the time or would you doo things different?

[@matshape]

So far so good, but it was summer time (40+ Celsius everyday and crazy humidity) so not great to practice foil paddle up... I'll use it much more soon. I expect to ding it at some point, but easy to repair. I guess with slightly thicker hotcoat it would be a bit more ding resistant. Also, I confirmed it's not ideal for winging. I don't need the extra volume compare to my previous board to take of in very light wing, but the extra length interfere with the wing during some gybes.

[@gamma8283]

@@matshape i was inspired by your build to make myself my first board. i will use 450g carbon for the standing areas. overall 200g carbon and some 100g fiberglass on top overall. i hope this will get light but stiff enough for the lengt of 188cm and with of 50cm. a flat carbon stringer over the middle under and topside. do you recomend something on it?? tipps thoughts? (sry for my bad english ;) )

[@matshape]

@@gamma8283 no need for carbon stringer on thick boards like this Good overlap on the rails is enough. your plan sounds good, but don't forget to also heavily reinforce the boxes.

[@gamma8283]

@@matshape my Plan is to integrate some standing airex plates between the box and the deck inserted with fiberglas and overlap it to the deckside for more strenght.

[@acllmates2784]

That's great! Do you have autoCad blueprints of this table?

[@matshape]

thanks, no auto cad sorry, but I have screenshots of the dimensions used for the templates, or the fusion360 file if you want...

[@acllmates2784]

@@matshape could you send me these screenshots, please?

[@acllmates2784]

@@matshape Yes I want them, could you send me them, please?

[@AaronGranadosMusic]

@@matshape I´d like to get the fusion360 file, thanks

[@ericseidel4940]

Nice work, what is the cost off all materials ?

[@matshape]

around 350$... details are in the video description.

[@edmarstar]

Great job! Can you share the plan?

[@matshape]

thanks, outline and rocker are on images, I can send those, my mail and instagram should be in my channel details.

[@googleyoutubechannel8554]

Wow... so much work, no wonder these are so expensive...

[@ChilkoNZ]

Do you 3D model this in a software first to determine the dimensions? If so which one

[@matshape]

Yes, I use fusion 360 , it's mainly to make sure I can get the volume I want in the dimensions i have in mind. Also allows me to see how the board look and feel. And then I just put dimension on the profiles to draw my templates.

[@yanikmueller5757]

Where do you buy your carbon from?

[@matshape]

easy composites in the UK for carbon, glass, HD foam, microballoons... but Epoxy locally as it costs too much to import.

[@gnevesd]

Can you share how you made the v groove cutter?

[@matshape]

it's is quite simple, just a small piece of 20 awg nichrome wire, bent to get the right groove depth with round loops at each side. Then the 2 screws sandwich the loops at the end of the wire the long wires to the power supply. finally I adjust the power supply voltage/ amps to get 6 to 7 A (the wire length will dictate the voltage). That nichrome wire is not very rigid, so it's important to get it hot and let it melt the polystyrene ahead when you move or it will bend back.

[@gnevesd]

@@matshape thanks for sharing

[@MrDify90]

hi!!!nice video!!! have you the template of the board??thks

[@matshape]

thanks, yes, i can send the templates i used. drop me a mail (see contact section)

[@MrDify90]

@@matshape i send the mail!!!!thak so muchhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

[@flightjunkie808]

Nice job. 🔥 So, I have to ask. Is this just a labor of love for the satisfaction of making your own board, or do you enjoy it enough to sell them. And if you sold one, what price would you have to sell it for to make it worth your time? 😎🤙

[@matshape]

The problem is more time... combined with my hourly rate, it wouldn't work to sell them :)

[@flightjunkie808]

@@matshape Hahaha. Yea. I agree 100%. Everyone sees these how to videos and thinks ah that doesn't look so hard why are boards so expensive! But as someone who's made some boards and repaired a lot of boards I watch that video and think to myself....sh!t, I'd rather pay someone $2k-$3k for a board.

[@matshape]

@@flightjunkie808 it's definitely not rocket science... just a bit time consuming, especially when you start :)

[@davidshlimak3902]

What’s the long router bit you use to cut the slots called?

[@matshape]

it's from aliexpress : Flat Head EVA Engraving Cutting Tool CNC Router Bits End Mill 6x100x150x4T - 32x450mm Milling Cutter For EPS Foam Engravin. it's dangerous but efficient :)

[@MrFrancescoLamas]

Génial! Ajouté directement dans mes favoris, pour un jour fabriquer la mienne :)

[@jeromedubois83]

prévoir quand même de faire un sandwich partiel de pont et un patch de strat au dessus du plug de leash

[@andrewrollo9917]

Hello, I’m planning my own build, and this video is a great resource. Well done!. I’m considering the orientation of the ribs to support the track box and tie it to the deck, was there a reason why you went perpendicular to the centre line of the board rather than parallel to it? (8mins 20 seconds)

[@matshape]

I did both in the past, both work, but perpendicular uses less HD foam and helps to tie the boxes together.

[@jsparrow1001]

where do you buy your supplies?

[@matshape]

it's kind of a treasure hunt where I live... polystyrene and epoxy are found locally as importing them is way too expensive. For the fibers, HD foam, microballoons and silica : I get them from easy composites. And finally, for boxes, the leash and vent plugs, pad: aliexpress.

[@johnilett3317]

What weight/density eps are you using?

[@matshape]

It’s advertised as 15-18 kg/m3, I measured it at 16kg/m3.

[@daveroche689]

There are companies that just shape foam. You just need a shaping app which I think are still free to use.

[@matshape]

yes! in europe and US for sure... but not where i live, and shaping the board is most of the fun :)

[@daveroche689]

@@matshape Ok but you will be finding foam dust everywhere for a very long time. It's also very irritating and bad for your lungs. Have fun !

[@lanceburkhardt8265]

How did you design the template?

[@matshape]

I designed the board in fusion360 (it's free for hobbyist) when I was happy with the shape, I did 2 sections, drew the profile and added dimensions every 10 to 20 cm.

[@sébastienetienne-t4i]

nice job

[@Stanton_High]

That's really cool but all that effort + all those tools makes the 1500-2000$ seem like a better deal.

[@matshape]

the first board pays for the tools... and the following are much cheaper :)

[@andreyl2705]

awesome)

[@iamkian]

Nice, but why not use XPS? Way less messy, and more waterproof!

[@matshape]

thanks. not sure XPS exists in such low density, and I don't have access to big blocks here ... only sheets like I used for my wet out table. EPS is not that messy if you clean as you go, but yes, definitely not waterproof, so fix my boards as soon as they ding and I'm weighting them from time to time to make sure they don't take on water... so far so good :)

[@iamkian]

@matg8875 We use XPS all the time for our eFoil builds. Believe me. When you change over to XPS, you will never touch EPS again Anyway. Nice job! 🤙

[@evgenynaumov553]

make with LOVE

[@ЕвгенийМачай]

Without vacuum?

[@matshape]

nope, it's simpler and there's not much of a weight penalty.

[@ЕвгенийМачай]

Thank you👍

[@ggjjggrs-j7t]

Please get a health checkup. I'd like to see your work for a long time.

[@소나무-f1y]

어떻게 물위에 떠서 가지?

[@matshape]

not sure if google translation is correct... board is ~115L., and I''m ~72kg, so it floats pretty well, a bit unstable because its very narrow, but the foil help :)