Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Tim's Sweet Volta

This is Tim's new Stringerless Styrofoam/Epoxy Volta Quad. It's almost identical to my own Volta I ride all the time. The Styrofoam/Epoxy is an interesting medium, and although the boards go great in the right conditions I am hesitant to make them for customers.

Here's why I hesitate - my first styro/epoxy I made myself got some hairline cracks which I didn't notice immediately and ended up soaking up so much water it was destroyed. As soon as you ding them they have to be fixed. They are not tolerant to heat. If you leave them in the car on a hot day they can delaminate. Epoxy resin is a lot more expensive then regular Polyester resin, which in turn makes the boards more expensive.

On top of this because the boards are light and responsive they are hard to ride in windy or choppy condtions.

That said I love my Styrofoam Volta. In the right conditions it is fast and super responsive. Because the core is so light I can glass them strong (6oz bottom, 6x6 Deck) and still keep them light. This year when I went to Noosa during the cyclone swell I just could not get off that board... and I had about 15 with me.

So anyway... Tim, I hope you have some great surfs on your board and that you look after it carefully!

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