Make your own Splitboard

[keegster17]

anyone try taking a old kite board and converting to a split board?

[matthepp]

Yep, I took a regular split board, cut in half with my Bosch, and made a plywood mending plate w/ 6 thru-bolts per side. It works really well. In fact a friend is riding it right now in Hawaii.

The whole kit goes in one regular expedition duffel that I picked up at the thrift store. Never any airport/ wife issues.

[keegster17]

do you have any pics? I am curious to see the bracket, and if there is something on both sides of the board to hold it together?

[FLandOBX]

..... made a plywood mending plate .....

Yes, post some photos if you have them. I am very surprised that a plywood plate is strong enough to hold under the stress of riding. What thickness is the plywood? The plate is on top of the board with exposed seam on the board's bottom?

[BWD]

Ha ha!
Kiteboards are made of foam glass and/or the lightest, weakest wood that will do the job!
Houses, yachts, airplanes etc. are made of plywood.
There is a reason for that....

[matthepp]

I'll get some photos posted when the board arrives back from the Pacific. Next stop: BVIs.
BWD is right: a splice plate can be made more robust and heavier than a foam core TT. Granted I added some solid stringers too. The weak link is the thru-bolt to core interface. So far so good. I'm a 200 pounder and haven't treated the split board lightly. Seam doesn't feel too draggy but I'm sure you wouldn't want to race it. Caveat emptor: a splice will add weight.

[FLandOBX]

Agreed that a plywood base with carbon or glass overlay can be strong, but kiteboards (yachts, planes, etc.) are not usually pieced together with "mending plates", which sounds to me like a relatively short piece of wood overlaying and joining two board-halves across a seam. A single piece of plywood is stronger than 2 pieces joined with a "mending plate" IMHO. Adding the stringers adds strength, of course. Interested to see your photos!

Here's a couple of videos that show some nice DIY splitboards. Hard to be certain from the videos, but I wouldn't describe the joint on either board as a mending plate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XY7a1H178w

http://www.how-to-diy.org/kraxZFiXLZg8l ... board.html

[matthepp]

Just like the board, these photos are rough but they get the job done

[FLandOBX]

Hey, Matt. Thanks for posting these pics.

Do you use a support bar on the bottom to hold the bolts, or do you just have exposed bolts with washers? Or are there inserts in the top of the board? Hard to tell from the pics.

[matthepp]

FL,
I just use exposed pan head bolts with largish washers. I'm sure there's some drag but I can't say I acutely feel it.