New board

[muehlcj]

[QUOTE=dakota4ce;317726]Caution: not all EPS are the same categorically. Choose a craftsman that shapes it by hand and gives it the bottom contours that make it fast.


There's a lot of magic that goes into the bottom contours on every board. Def. makes a huge difference. What do you think works for you and your crew?

[wario]

If I was on Conroe all the time I wouldn’t consider anything skim style, I hate to ride skim in chop.

[5:00]

We have a Hammerhead and more and more people are riding it on our boat and liking it. We are really only riding skim now and only have one surf style left but that is us.

[Chaos]

We were putting them in the aisle but found that once you have 4+ people in the boat it was cumbersome getting to the bow. We had planned to build a sleeve-bimini next season. This is the first time I've heard someone say you shouldn't use one. What are the reasons for not using a sleeve bimini? What are the alternatives? We typically have 3 boards on the boat.

Circling back to the bimini sleeves, etc. What Chris says is correct, the black denier of a bimini can bake a board. It hot climates it can bake a board so hot that it melts the foam. Delamination is often something different. You can get a delamination from melted foam, but it is more often caused by outgassing or really foam with too much air in it. Not all EPS is the same. There is good EPS and bad. As a safe guard in the past we use to always put in vents that allowed the board to equalize to an extent. Modern EPS made for surfboard manufacturing does not require this. I haven't had a board delaminate in years. That does not mean you cannot make it happen.

The best place to put them in my opinion is get some straps or a rack that go on top of the bimini, with some simple pads and use a board bag. The Board bag becomes your sleeve. You hook, strap or secure the board bag, then just shove the board in when not using it. A good board bag will keep your board looking new for years. A wet board sock also works in normal bimini sleeves to keep the board cool.

Nick

[trayson]

Circling back to the bimini sleeves, etc. What Chris says is correct, the black denier of a bimini can bake a board. It hot climates it can bake a board so hot that it melts the foam. Delamination is often something different. You can get a delamination from melted foam, but it is more often caused by outgassing or really foam with too much air in it. Not all EPS is the same. There is good EPS and bad. As a safe guard in the past we use to always put in vents that allowed the board to equalize to an extent. Modern EPS made for surfboard manufacturing does not require this. I haven't had a board delaminate in years. That does not mean you cannot make it happen.

The best place to put them in my opinion is get some straps or a rack that go on top of the bimini, with some simple pads and use a board bag. The Board bag becomes your sleeve. You hook, strap or secure the board bag, then just shove the board in when not using it. A good board bag will keep your board looking new for years. A wet board sock also works in normal bimini sleeves to keep the board cool.

Nick

Thanks for this info Nick. Really appreciate your insight.