DIY dropstitch Inflatable foil boards? We can do this!
Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2021 7:32 am
Hi all,
Most of us on here are likely quite familiar with composite lamination processes using fibreglass, kevlar, basalt, innegra carbon fibre etc. Those are great for planing hull applications.
For foiling though, the board is only in the water to start. Most of us are familiar with the traditional inflatable SUP shapes, no hard chines, rails to split off the flow of water at the back and sides. It's easy enough to glue extruded, 3D printed etc strips onto those regions of an inflatable SUP though to get a similar performance. I'm very used to making a lot of what I use in the water. I'm daunted by the idea of making kites, hand wings and sails, there are a lot of stitches that should be done with industrial sewing machines.
I don't believe this is the case for inflatable SUPS. I think we are about to see a revolution in DIY design of these because the manufacturers are not fast enough or inovative enough in bringing out the features that we want. A couple of manufacturer's have some half-baked fitted rail extrusions but nothing yet to give similar performance close to hard boards.
So I have been searching for drop stitch fabrics but having diffuculty with finding low minimum order quantities per square meter. I'm sure that there are manufacturers prepared to sell small rolls but the smallest quantity I could find on alibaba was 500 sq M.
We don't want knitted fabrics! Too stretchy! Kevlar- thick polyester, great. Extra thick rip-stop, great.
I've attached a pic of my F-One. I learned to foil on it and when I finally got around to checking the pressure on it, it had dropped from 18psi to 12psi over about 5 months. Still foilable but a little bit wobbly.
Yo can see my 3D printed Coanda disruptors on it in blue, I printed them in TPU filament and glued them on with flexible superglue. Two at the back of the sides, several underneath at the back and some to the sides underneath as well, these last ones let water peel off side ways when I dig the back of the board down instead of letting the water run higher around curved sides.
My F-one has unfilled internal foil mounting box void space that is hard to drain water out of. There is maybe a couple degrees max flex of the mast from my foot position at proper board pressure, it's insignificant and just adds slightly to the flex I feel pumping my 1200mm wingspan diy glass fibre coated plywood core foil.
I reckon we can do better!
Who can find a good source for small quantities of suitable dropstitch fabric, say 5 to 20 meter lengths, ideally around 150mm pumped height?
Like this: http://www.henshaw.co.uk/products/388-d ... -hen003097 or this: https://www.alibaba.com/showroom/drop-s ... ric_1.html or https://www.trelleborg.com/en/engineere ... s/about-us
Graham
Most of us on here are likely quite familiar with composite lamination processes using fibreglass, kevlar, basalt, innegra carbon fibre etc. Those are great for planing hull applications.
For foiling though, the board is only in the water to start. Most of us are familiar with the traditional inflatable SUP shapes, no hard chines, rails to split off the flow of water at the back and sides. It's easy enough to glue extruded, 3D printed etc strips onto those regions of an inflatable SUP though to get a similar performance. I'm very used to making a lot of what I use in the water. I'm daunted by the idea of making kites, hand wings and sails, there are a lot of stitches that should be done with industrial sewing machines.
I don't believe this is the case for inflatable SUPS. I think we are about to see a revolution in DIY design of these because the manufacturers are not fast enough or inovative enough in bringing out the features that we want. A couple of manufacturer's have some half-baked fitted rail extrusions but nothing yet to give similar performance close to hard boards.
So I have been searching for drop stitch fabrics but having diffuculty with finding low minimum order quantities per square meter. I'm sure that there are manufacturers prepared to sell small rolls but the smallest quantity I could find on alibaba was 500 sq M.
We don't want knitted fabrics! Too stretchy! Kevlar- thick polyester, great. Extra thick rip-stop, great.
I've attached a pic of my F-One. I learned to foil on it and when I finally got around to checking the pressure on it, it had dropped from 18psi to 12psi over about 5 months. Still foilable but a little bit wobbly.
Yo can see my 3D printed Coanda disruptors on it in blue, I printed them in TPU filament and glued them on with flexible superglue. Two at the back of the sides, several underneath at the back and some to the sides underneath as well, these last ones let water peel off side ways when I dig the back of the board down instead of letting the water run higher around curved sides.
My F-one has unfilled internal foil mounting box void space that is hard to drain water out of. There is maybe a couple degrees max flex of the mast from my foot position at proper board pressure, it's insignificant and just adds slightly to the flex I feel pumping my 1200mm wingspan diy glass fibre coated plywood core foil.
I reckon we can do better!
Who can find a good source for small quantities of suitable dropstitch fabric, say 5 to 20 meter lengths, ideally around 150mm pumped height?Like this: http://www.henshaw.co.uk/products/388-d ... -hen003097 or this: https://www.alibaba.com/showroom/drop-s ... ric_1.html or https://www.trelleborg.com/en/engineere ... s/about-us
Graham