So whats better epoxy or fiberglass?

Question

surf

Answer 1

Forgetting the tons of other types of boards that have been introduced since Clark Foam shut down...

Epoxy is much more stiff, due to the material, which typically doesn't require a stringer. Also, most epoxys (and I'm generalizing here) use Future Fins, which allow for less flex in the tail. That said, they are pretty durable. They hardly pressure dent and they don't ding easily, but it can be done. Don't be mistaken, they aren't unbreakable, I just broke my Rusty vertical; it was one beast of a lip but its broken.

PU boards are pretty much the opposite. More flex, easier to break. Also, can't leave them in the sun, at all. Ideally you shouldn't leave an epoxy in the sun either, but for a little while its ok. But PU boards get these gnar bubbles in them, it really sucks.

I enjoy both boards, but when in comes to competition and what I need to rely on, I take my PU.

Answer 2

ya man i think that PU boards carry alot more performance

Answer 3

fiberglass performs better

epoxy is more durable

you decide

Answer 4

Fiberglass boards perform much better than the surftech epoxy boards or boards of similar construction.  however there are epoxy cores that are still constructed using fiberglass.  the fiberglass is not the resin or the core, it is the cloth that is wrapped around the board that is then coated in resin to strengthen the board.  always go with a board made with a traditional type glass job (that is some combination of cloth and resin)  that leads us into the next question: what type of core do you want.  there are two choices, the epoxy foam cores and the polyurathane cores.  the main difference between the two cores is the weight.  epoxy boards tend to be a little lighter and a little stiffer, but not much (what makes the surftech style boards stiff is the construction technique, not just the core)  the epoxy cores do lack a little bit of the springyness found in the pu cores.  the pu cores on the other hand are a little heavier and a little more flexible, which means they hold alot of the energy gained in the flex of a turn and snap back a little better when coming out of a turn.  the epoxy cores are also stronger than pu boards of the same thickness (about twice as durrable)

personally my favorite construction type so far is my wrv made through a vaccuum molding procedure which they call coil construction (cause its springy like a coil).  it is an epoxy core that is stringerless.  this makes the board lighter and more flexible with more spring than a pu board.  in order to make up for the lost strength they put a thicker glass job on (different layers of different weight cloth) which they fine tune to get the flex they want out of the areas they want.  so far this is the lightest and most durable board ive ever used (ive had it for over a year and haven't even put a pressure ding in it, even on the deck where my heels land) if you have the chance get a coil type board, its stronger than a regular epoxy and glass board is more flexible and lighter than a normal pu constructed board.

heres a good review and better description than i can give:

http://eastcoastsurfer.com/reviews/coil/...

Answer 5

Epoxy boards tend to be lighter and more durable than fiberglass. Fiberglass has better flexibility and for surfers with enough skill to notice the difference, Fiberglass is a better ride. It seems that most traditional, custom board shapers are still using fiberglass. For somebody who is just an average surfer, the difference is negligible. However, many piece of s--t, mass produced popouts are epoxy boards, so use caution when

buying.http://www.mckevlins.com/nopopstory.htm

A couple answers back, Chris K was riding a TL2, I guess he doesn't think anybody reads more than one answer. If you don't have enough to say about yourself truthfully, then just don't say anything at all. Insecurity is a b#tch.

Robinsmv answer is dead on. Obviously he knows board construction. And For your information, Surtech and others were building epoxy popouts long before Clarke Foam went out of business. The use of Epoxy instead of Polyethylene resin on an otherwise conventionally built board has also been around for a while. My son-in-law has a great Davo 6'8" quad fish with a normal PU blank with a double basswood stringer ( really neat, it splits, and each side runs down to the tips of the swallow tail). It is wrapped in fiberglass with epoxy resin. A nice, light, durable board, just a Little stiffer than the PE resin equivalent.

Take the time to read the link, and remember that epoxy does not necessarily equal popout, Davo shapes a wonderful, radical surfboard.