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WRONG QUESTION TO ASK........... IS YOUR BOARD EPOXY?
AND WHY ARE XTR EPOXY BOARDS THE CHOICE OF SURFING CHAMPIONS?
 
Many people involved in the surfboard industry at what
point in the mid 80's accepted the wrong question...Is
your board epoxy?? Is like asking is your
car a "Yokohama" or "Good Year", based on the tires, Epoxy is just the resin (liquid) to laminate
the surfboard. You can use epoxy resin to laminate any material PU (Clark foam Type), you also use Epoxy to make
molded boards (pop out boards), and you have to
use epoxy resin to laminate EPS (beaded foam
type) and XPS (extruded , XTR Brand).
The most common resin Polyester resin can't be
used on EPS or XTR, the foam wil melt, only in PU (polyurethane foam) you can use polyester resin.
If you answer the question yes is epoxy, you must also
answer is a molded or XTR or EPS or PU....very confusing.
We should ask What Foam is your board made of ?
(PU, EPS or XTR), or what construction is your board.(Molded, EPS/epoxy, XTR/epoxy, PU/epoxy, PU/Poly).
It can get more confusing if you add any of the foams
with Parabolic stringers, or Carbon rails with no stringers, or hollow boards.
Just don't let anybody fool you with the wrong answers
based on the wrong questions to start.
Epoxy resin Is a two part liquid..........
Epoxy is a type of resin (liquid chemical) it is not
foam or fiberglass. It requires two chemicals Part A (resin) and Part (B) hardener, mixed together in exact ratios
to become hard and gain a particular strength.
This resin is used in many industrial applications, from
building for aerospace parts, electronics, sail boats, to surfboards. Most of the epoxy resins are less polluting
and more environmentally friendly than others like Polyester resins, they have very low VOC's (Volatile Organic
Compounds), so less material will evaporate and pollute the air.
Epoxy is the material of choice where strength, water
impermeability and specific flex patterns are required. There are hundreds or thousands of epoxy resin styles and
applications, each with its own unique properties.
Epoxy Pro has developed it's own custom epoxy resin formulation
called XTR-16. This resin is ideal for extreme surfing conditions. It has perfectly balanced optimal characteristics
of clarity (lack of discoloration), light weight, strength, and flexibility.
Why are some surfboards called epoxy?
Even though epoxy is just a resin some surfboards today
called epoxy use a polystyrene foam (lightweight foam) that is commonly covered (glassed) with epoxy resin and
fiberglass.
If polystyrene foam is glassed with standard polyester
resins, the resin will melt the foam and destroy it. This is the reason they are called epoxy surfboards, but remember
Epoxy is just the resin.
How many types of epoxy surfboard construction
are there?
Basically there are three common types
1. Custom (hand shaped or computer shaped) using
XTR or EPS
A piece of polystyrene foam is hand shaped to specific dimensions
to meet a particular surfing specifications
 It can be hand shaped or machine shaped (computer
/ cnc) and then hand laminated with epoxy resin and standard fiberglass. The rest of the process is the same as
the standard surfboard, sanded and polished if needed. The main difference is the foam and the resin, the fiberglass
is the same as the standard polyester surfboard.
2. Molded (Pop Out) (EPS inside)
A piece of expanded polystyrene foam (beaded foam) is poured
into a mold and is covered with several layers of fiberglass, epoxy resin, high density foam, to cover the expanded
foam, some have stringers to reinforce the structure. A variation is with PVC plastic applied with heat.
Then they are painted like a car and applied coats of resin
and lacquers for polishing finish.
These surfboards are strong, but also very stiff, with
little or no flex.
They don't ding easily, but when they are dinged, the
surfer must get out of the water to avoid a substantial gain in board weight because the foam used is the open
cell(expanded Polystyrene (EPS), which takes on water. These boards are mass produced and offer limited choice
of shape, size or color.. This systems are labor intensive and are manufactured mainly in Thailand, China, Vietnam,etc.
due to regulations and inexpensive labor.
Molded or "Pop out" boards use expanded Polystyrene
(EPS)
What is the difference between Expanded(EPS) and Extruded
(XPS) polystyrene Foams?
Expanded (beaded foam) commonly known as EPS:
Used for molded surfboards and a few hand shaped surfboards.
Expanded polystyrene is inexpensive and light weight (1 to 2 lb.per cubic foot).
It is made mainly for insulation applications in the
construction industry, because the cost is low compared to other foams.
The characteristics of this foam are like the ones you
see in beer coolers and Christmas tree ornaments. It has many small spheres of foam bonded together (the reason
it is also called beaded foam). The structure is based on an open cell that allows water to penetrate and travel
inside the foam.
This foam comes in different cell sizes with different
water absorption properties.
The disadvantages are the water aspiration, poor flex
patterns, and low resistance to compression. Because it breaks easily, it requires excessive fiberglass reinforcement.
The appearance of small balls in some (beaded) foam is noticeable. The small visible balls also make the board
difficult to fine shape and airbrush.
*Styrofoam is a trademark of DOW Chemical.
Extruded foam (XTR)
XTR
foam is a closed cell foam extruded at high speeds using expensive machinery. It is manufactured by only a few
chemical companies. This foam is also used in insulation and other applications. It comes in many densities from
1.5 Lb to 2.2 lb.
The main advantages are strength and imperviousness to
water absorbtion. It is very resistant to impact and compression.
One of the most significant and most misunderstood qualities
of the close cell construction is that almost no water absorption occurs in open dings (less than 1%). This means
that a surfboard with a ding will not gain weight or change color resulting in longer memory (resilience) of the
materials. You can surf with a shaped blank and the surfboard will not change weight.
Also, the flex patterns of extruded foam when glassed
properly can result in enormous advantage for a positive responsive surfboard. It generates more speed that any
other construction.
The reason closed cell foam has not been popular with
surfboard builders is the delaminations or bubbles that occurred mainly right under the front foot before ThermoVent
was introduced by Epoxy Pro in 2001..
Epoxy Pro has a patent pending system called THERMOVENTING
that solves the delamination problem 100%.The new XTR 7 series is resistan to temperatures up to 175'F.
XTR
foam can be hand shaped or CNC machine shaped for production.
XTR extruded foam has a nice presentation. The foam has
high whiteness and can be airbrushed for a custom surfboard.
Note: Epoxy Pro only uses only EXTRUDED closed cell
foam. XTR is a trademark of Epoxy Pro.
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