Is there any difference in durability in the finish of a surfboard?

Question

I'm new to buying surfboards, and I just bought a 9'4" Country Feeling with a glossy red finish. Looking at boards with a sand finish makes me woder if the sand finish is more durable. Is this true or not? (the Country Feeling board is beautiful; I just had to say)

Answer 1

no theres no difference in the finish. Just what the board is made of.

Answer 2

I think you made the right choice. The gloss coat means that the board was polished. it's an upgrade. The extra layer of resin will make the board heavier and stronger. Congratulations on buying one of the first 'green' boards.

Answer 3

If it is real slick then you will have trouble staying on it.  The gritty surface prevents that.    Isn't a 9 foot board kinda long?

Answer 4

generally a gloss coat is a tinny bit stronger, cause an extra coat of resin was used to construct the coat... but on the other hand a gloss coat can hide a multitude of sins eg sand throughs extra.

Answer 5

there is no difference in the durability of a board based on the type of finish, it is simply an aesthetic choice. its really the type of blank used (even the type brand can make a difference in the same type of blank), the thickness of the glass job, number of layers, type of resin used, and even they way the resin is applied.  all things being equal (which is impossible since every blank is different even in "pop outs") then there may be a slight difference, but odds are if your gonna bust up one finish the other wouldnt stand up either.

Answer 6

As for finishing, there is not a huge difference in durability between gloss and sand finish. The difference comes mainly in the materials used to construct the board, commonly EPS foam (extruded polystyrene foam. or EPS foam (expanded polystyrene foam) but there are many new types of technology, read the rest below if you're interested in that (its something I typed up a while ago).

Ever since the end of Clark Foam in 2005, the surf market has been flooded with new technology, and its not just epoxy and PU anymore.To break usage down:

P/U: 70%

Epoxy (Individually shaped, EPS or XTR constrution) 6%

Sandwhich Molded (aka Surftech, Placebo, NSP) 22%

High-End Composite (Firewire, Aviso, TL2) 2%

Clark Foam pretty much provided 90% (I'm guessing) of all PU blanks. No one company can match Clark's (rumored) 1000 blanks a day, and most shapers are buying from at least two different shapers. Don't get me wrong, there's no shortage of foam, just not a supreme king company like Clark. PU boards, in my opinion, have better flex than epoxy boards, though they are a lot less durable. You'll get a lot more pressure dents and dings with a PU than an epoxy. Rely on your PU, use your epoxy for fun.

But with Clark's closing, there's probably been about a ten percent increase in all other technologies. Most increased would be sandwhich molded, where the market has always been reliable just not big enough, until late 2005. These boards, like Tuflite etc, are reliable and durable, and therefore their long life makes them popular among beginners, and some are priced accordingly.

Epoxy is tricky. A lot of surfers are reluctant to switch from PU to epoxy (EPS, XTR), even with Preisendorfer pushing 40% in his EPS production, and others like ...Lost and Channel Islands making a big switch. In addition, the majority of epoxy boards post-Clark have been custom orders, there's just not a huge market out for it. In general, epoxy boards are stiffer (absence of a stringer) and more durable. Also, a bunch have Future Fins, which allow for less flex in the tail.

High-End composites such as Firewire, etc, are pretty expensive, and with Soloman gone, Firewire, Aviso, and TL2 are fighting to be top. At least in the US. Australian imports like DHD, JS and Chilli are a cheaper alternative. They are generally more durable than regular PU boards.