Instructions!
Windsurfing is a sport that requires sea, wind, waves and smooth weather. Probably
Hawaii is the
best location but next is ... Greece (I wish it were but it isn't. The main
drawback is the relative luck of wave side-shore conditions). However, since I am
currently living in the bay area, I have enough side-on conditions on my feet, but
ofcourse I don't have time (hopefully I will have in the near future).
Well, time for the instructions. (Any comments on the special vocabulary are welcome.
Be aware that these instructions were written in 1996 and have not been updated since then.)
You will need:
- 100.000 DRM = 400$ (at least)
- 2 weeks full time work (at least)
- a lot of skill, effort and persistence
- foam (for the interior of the board)
- glass-cloth (about 18 meters - it depends on how hard, strong and heavy you want it)
- 3 to 4 kilos of epoxy glue (prefer the expnsive if it is better)
- extra strong but light wood for the stringers
- fin-box, most-box, footstraps
- paint for either the foam or the glass-cloth
Brief presentation of the work:
- First you need to shape the foam. This is very important as the glass-cloth is going
to follow all the imperfections of the foam.
- Then you have to cover the foam with the glass-cloth. Apply the glue in the cloth.
Try to throw the presice amount of glue so that the glass-cloth gets
see-through. Do not overuse the glue. The
deck will normally need 4 layers and the bottom 3.
- Open holes on the deck for the footstraps and the mast-box. Open one more hole on the
bottom fot the fin-box. Put the boxes and the adaptors for the screws of the
footstraps in the holes filed with glue.
- Paint the board if you haven't done that at the beginnig. It is easier
to paint the board at the end but you need primer so you are going to add
about half a kilo to the board.
This presentation is too brief and simplified but it is better than nothing.
Do not get discouraged. Go ahead and do it if you are up to it. Take a look at my board (it
is the first one I have ever made):
The board in action!
For more windsurfing photos click here