Naked King Fish...

This 8-0 King Fish is shaped from 2.0lb EPS, which is difficult to handshape, but yields a very light finished board. I had to borrow a planer with a grit drum to do this one. Board will get epoxy resin with one layer of 6-oz S-Glass and one layer of 4-oz E-Glass on deck, and one layer of 6-oz S-glass on bottom. The S-glass is stronger than e-glass without adding more weight. (more expensive, too)

Customer Kirt likes his boards colorful and this one is no exception. But you'll have to wait until next week to see it...

Pros & Cons of EPS/Epoxy Boards: Finished board is probably 30%-40% lighter than comparable polyurethane foam board. Some people like to add extra layers of glass cloth yielding a much more durable board at the same weight of a PU. Hand-glassed EPS boards have great flex properties, and are not near as stiff as the vacuum-bagged, sandwiched construction boards, e.g. Surftech, Boardworks. EPS foam is made of tiny individual foam beads compressed together, leaving air in the teeny-tiny spaces between the foam beads. This air wants to expand when heated. Heated air from the core finds it way to the surface (gas-off) and can form an air pocket between the foam and its fiberglass shell (de-lam). The newer EPS foams do this less but you need to avoid leaving any EPS boards in the direct sun or locked in the car on a hot day. If you live or travel to the tropics, having your shaper install a one-way air-vent is a good idea. EPS foam does not finish-sand as nicely as PU, and small pock-marks are left in the foam. Not a problem if the board is finished "clear" or with opaque resin, but resin color tints are out, and the blank should be sealed before air-spraying color. Epoxy resins are about 30% more costly than polyester resins, so expect the price to be higher for an EPS/Epoxy board.