How long does it take to fiberglass a board?

EFOIL.builders Foils & Boards
1

Hey everyone,

So I’m planning on making my first build, and I was wondering how long it would take to go from a foam blank to a ready-to-ride fiberglassed model. I heard it takes 2-3 days to apply the epoxy, and then 10-30 days for it to cure. The 10-30 days seems like a large range, can anyone shed some light on what I need to know?

Also, does anyone has any fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin recommendations.

Thank you,
Ryan

2

You can probably not laminate the whole board in one step, as the time frame to work with the epoxy is rather short, 30min to 1h depending on the epoxy and temperature. It should not take more than 24h to cure. So, depending on how many steps you use to build, it will take a couple of days and there is most likely some sanding work to do as well. Gelcoat as a last layer, takes one more day to cure for each side. With normal epoxy, temperature to cure should not be below 15-20 degrees C.

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3

Thanks for the response!

So you’re saying for each layer I add (a layer being half the board) I will expect a 24hr cure period before doing another layer, then I can add a final coating at the end using Gelcoat?

Do I sand after each layer, or just before the final coating?

Also, why have I been seeing people mention one-month cure times? Would that have to do with the hot coat being added at the end? Would gelcoat be a substitute for the hotcoat?

Sorry for all the questions, I’m quite new to this area.

Thanks again,
Ryan

4

There are many ways, you can apply several layers in one go, there are plenty of videos on youtube, watch some of them. If you are new to composites, don’t start with the board, build something smal to get used to the matter.

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5

Generally it’s best for strength to layup wet on wet but to keep several layers tidy without bubbles or creases is hard, then second best is to layup first layer, let it cure to nontacky but not more (12h roughly), then cut away all excess material at a clean line, then second layup, let harden fully, sand to perfection, fill in any blemish you can’t accept, coat final layer, (repeat if needed, arghh) Final sanding, polish. Ride😃

It takes a lot of work to get it perfect, so i don’t.