Rails for My Mako

[Mikey]

Builders,

On my previous surfboard build, I just wrapped the rails, but there was plenty of thickness, so easy.

The Mako build im doing now (see other post) has (at the moment) 8mm rails. Will I be able to wrap them, or do I have to do a fill (epoxy / abs / PU) of some sort?

The wrap would be done with two layers of 125g glass.

Thanks for suggestions,

Mike

[downunder]

Hi Mike

as you know, I'm a big fan of pre made PU rails. Basically, get an "U" alu profile, duno, 10x10mm, length 1700, vax it and pour some PU into it (I've got a PE mold professionally made, very good but not cheap).
While on it, make a few runs to use all PU in a package, otherwise it will go off pretty soon

That's it. Get some PU with min 85D shore, better 90. 1KG. Use any PU pigment, I've got fluorescent green and orange powders, as well as glow in the dark pigment which makes vivid fluorescent colour. Mix pigments first with part A or B (rest it for 30 mins), coz PU can be faaaaast. I vacuum the mix before pouring for a few mins to get rid of bubbles.

Slightly sand the rails before epoxy, that's it. This is how I do them (sorry if others seen this before):





D.

[Mikey]

Thanks Downunder.

Very high quality

For a real ghetto rails I have read on the Italian forums about using resin soaked felt.

So 5mm think felt cut to stips of the same thickness as you board, then soaked in epoxy resin. Pull the out and let them drip off. When the resin begins to cure struck them to the edges of the blank.
When cured (but not hardened) trim and prep for glassing.

Crap idea?

[downunder]

Thanks!

Not sure man, never tried. Either ways, the PU is what industry is using. The tip from an industry leader is a few seconds PU pot life. Wouldn't recommend that fast, 20mins is fine.
Pouring epoxy in a board channel is fine as well.

[Mikey]

You saying to try PU instead of epoxy?

Could be worth a try!

Was working the epoxy angle as I already have it. Remember I'm the ghetto guy ))))

[plummet]

I personally don't run abs or glass rails. I just continue the bamboo to the edge of the board. I simply add a couple of resin layers to the bamboo. I have had zero problems doing this in the 6 years of have been riding my home built boards.

I have however on one of the production boards I owned torn a chunk of the abs rail out. So far for me Abs rails are less robust than the bamboo.

Note that I am in a rocky location and regularly bash rocks with my boards.

[Mikey]

Plummet,

Thanks this is what I had always done (with the old rubbish I had built. As I'm using poplar now, and very soft I was a bit wary of it (water ingress).

More thinking needed :/

[direnc]

Mikey,
I recenty built an 8mm thick plywood door. I was able to wrap the edgdes with 200g glass one layer at a time. Tried wrapping two layers at once, but that did not wrap. One layer was easy to wrap, though. My edges are perfectly round, which made wrapping somewhat easier.

[Mikey]

Direnc,

That help a lot! I have 104g and 135g glas, so if you could do 200g I would be able to manage mine.

Need to do a test piece I suppose!

400g on 8m ply must be pretty solid!

[plummet]

Yeah. Ok if you have a soft core then either a wrap or a rail as downunder describes is the go.

You can wrap peel ply then tape up the rails while they cure to get the glass around the tight radius if you want.