surf boards 86

Behind the Great Pacific Iron Works store near Ventura Point is the small tin shed where Yvon Chouinard set up his blacksmith shop in 1966. The shed once housed Bob Cooper’s Australian Surf Shop and Morey-Pope’s shaping room. The location was ideal for everyone’s passion: surf and build the finest mountaineering gear in the winter, climb and sell the gear in the summer. Chouinard Equipment Company went on to redesign and improve virtually every tool used in mountaineering, from carabiners to crampons. In 1973, the company branched out to make outdoor clothing under the Patagonia® label.

Almost 25 years later and after 4 years of shaping traditional polyurethane blanks, Fletcher, Yvon’s son, started Point Blanks to build better surfboards in a shack next door to the original Iron Works. Like father like son: Fletcher and Point Blanks proceeded to lay-up and destroy hundreds of fiberglass/ foam panels until they found a better, stronger and lighter way to build boards. And, with a group of freethinking surfers and shapers, designed higher-performance boards using the new technology. From there, our surfboard business has grown, exploring new fiberglass composite technologies and expanding our circle of shapers and test riders. We’ve also got a new name, Fletcher Chouinard Designs (FCD). But we always come back to our desire to build a better surfboard.

Surf Technology

FCD surfboards have been using Patagonia Technology for almost 10 years to create the finest epoxy boards on the market. A careful combination of superior materials allows us to make stronger boards that perform better. All materials and hardware components used in the construction of our boards are of the highest quality available. Some examples:

Foam: Our extruded polystyrene foam blanks have a greater sheer strength (resistance to breaking) and use less toxic materials than polyurethane foam (the standard foam used in surfboards). They have consistent density, and thus strength, throughout the entire blank. Polyurethane blanks are blown into a mold creating foam with greater density at the skin, and weaker, less dense foam in the core. The high compression strength of extruded foam creates a stronger core to resist the buckling force of the outer shell under a load. Our foam blanks are also lighter than a polyurethane blank, which allows us to put more layers of fiberglass in the outer shell to further increase the strength of the board. When dinged they also absorb 73% less water than a polyurethane blank.

Resin: Epoxy resin is available in a wide range of formulations based on the end use. We use an epoxy resin specially formulated to balance tensile strength, flexibility, hardness, impact strength and lesser toxicity. It is 15% stronger than polyester resin, and 300% tougher (strength in resin resists breakage, toughness resists dings).

Fiberglass: Both the type and weight of fiberglass cloth used affects the strength of a surfboard. Warp glass has heavier fibers woven in one direction of the cloth. When oriented along the length of the board, it adds stiffness and strength without going to a heavier, balanced-weave cloth. Two layers of 4-oz. warp is the minimum amount of fiberglass you’ll find on any one side of our surfboards.

Stringers: In our search for better stringer materials, we experimented with all kinds of woods from apple plywood to okoume and bamboo. We looked into metal (too stiff and potentially dangerous), exotic foams (too weak) and PVC (too toxic). We currently use hemlock and spruce because of their high strength to weight ratio.

Fins: We use Red X Fin System®, Lokbox™ and Future Fins™ based on our strength and performance research.

Red X Fin System is a trademark of Larry Block Enterprises.
Lokbox is a trademark of Kasey Curtis, Andrew Bleecher and James Robertson

Environmental Impact

Fletcher Chouinard Designs and Patagonia share a commitment to causing the least amount of damage to the natural environment as possible. Though we assess every material and process to lessen our impact, admittedly, we are not perfect. Our goal is to produce the most environmentally sound surfboards possible while maintaining the highest standards of quality and performance. Here’s where we’re at right now:

Foam: Extruded polystyrene foam contains and releases no VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) and it’s recyclable. Extruded polystyrene foam is safer for shapers to use, and less toxic to the planet. VOCs are a source of air pollution and can be a significant health hazard.

Resin: Epoxy resin has 75% fewer VOCs contained in the resin itself and two-thirds fewer VOCs are released into the atmosphere than from polyester resin. VOCs are a source of air pollution and can be a significant health hazard.

Fiberglass: The main ingredient in fiberglass is sand. The glass fibers are treated with various finishes so they absorb and bond well with the different resins. Our fiberglass is sized for epoxy resin.

Stringers: Our supplier slices the wood into the thickness required which wastes less wood than saw-cut wood. Glue cleanup uses soap and water.

Waste: Because epoxy construction requires precision there is less waste in the glassing process. According to an article in Longboard Magazine (V9 #7) reviewing surfboard construction techniques, the standard urethane/polyester shop wastes over five times as much materials as an epoxy glass shop.

Care and Feeding

Epoxy/extruded polystyrene boards need the same care and attention you would give any other board. The sun is damaging to all surfboards. To protect your board keep it in a reflective board bag (don’t use a board sock, it makes the board hotter than using nothing). If it’s too hot in your car for a dog it’s too hot for your board. The bottom line is keep your board protected from exposure to sun and heat.

Extruded polystyrene will absorb 73% less water than normal surfboard foam. This makes minor dings less of an immediate problem, but they should still be repaired as soon as possible to maintain structural integrity. A board with a major ding should be removed from the water and fixed immediately just like you would for any type of surfboard.

Any board will pressure ding; particularly shortboards that are glassed superlight. We try to anticipate high impact areas and beef them up with extra glass.

Exposure to heat and sunlight degrades all surfboards over time and must be avoided. We use a resin that has a UV inhibitor and UV stabilizers, however it still yellows if left in the sun.

Fixing Dings

Repairs can be done by a local glass shop, just remind them to use epoxy resin. Do not attempt to repair the board with polyester resin, the styrene in the resin will dissolve the extruded polystyrene foam. Epoxy ding repair kits are available from shops that carry our boards or from Fletcher Chouinard Designs. Clean up can be done with alcohol, it does not require acetone.

Before you attempt a major ding repair, make sure the foam is absolutely dry. Do your repair in temperatures above 70 degrees Fahrenheit. When you mix your resin and hardener, don’t try to eyeball the amounts, you must be exact: use an accurate measuring device. Adding more hardener will not make the resin go off sooner, in fact, it may make it not go off at all.

A second coat of resin should be applied before the first coat is completely hardened for maximum bond. If more than 24 hours pass before you apply a second coat, sand the area and then clean it with alcohol before applying the next layer of resin.

Quick repairs are best done with stickers, waterproof tape or epoxy glue (including 5-minute epoxy, epoxy sticks and epoxy Solarez®). These glues will turn yellow or brown, so you should eventually do a proper repair with epoxy resin.

Solarez is a registered trademark of Wahoo International.