Sneak Peak at T-Belly Gen 2...

I've been working on a couple of belly boards, one of which is a prototype for the next generation of T-Bellys. Here are some photos of the early stages of the build. I plan to do a complete article on the whole project in  a couple of weeks.

Tenplate underneath is TB-G1

 

Every shape starts with a template, and if its a new shape, a new template is created. One way I create templates is to print out the full outline from Aku, carefully tape together the 8.5x11 sheets of paper, cut the outline, and trace it onto a piece of masonite.












After cutting and truing the big curves with my Hitachi Planer, I use a surform true up the smaller curves and finish with a bit of sandpaper.

The outline is then traced onto the blank and cut out. I have another planer set-up to just true the outline on the blank. With all the contours on both the deck and the bottom, shaping one of theses takes almost as long as shaping a longboard.

Here's the finished bottom viewed from the tail. Notice the defined tail concave and the elevated wing on the rails.

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Yesterday, my glasser applied the sealer coat to the deck. I like to have my EPS boards sealed with a slurry of epoxy and cabosil, It helps to fill in the little pock marks that plague EPS blanks, provides a great surface to bond the rest of the lamination, and helps to prevent de-lamination.