Anthony Brock's Electric Surfboard Project

The project goal was to design and build an electric motorized surfboard. The electric motor and propeller fit into a standard
longboard fin box. The propeller is in place to replace paddling.
The board will propel itself out to the line-up and into a wave. Once riding a wave, the board uses the forward motion produced from the wave to continue to spin the propeller and produce energy from the electric motor. This energy is stored to recharge the batteries. The board is essentially a miniature wave energy power plant. The board uses a small commercially available electric trolling motor and a 12V 7.2amp-hr battery. Wires run along the deck of the board under the glass next to the stringer from the battery housing back to the motor.

As this board was a prototype there were some problems. It was difficult to keep the battery compartment on the top deck of the board waterproof. It was flooded with water several times. Somehow the motor continued to work even when flooded, but I was shocked a few times when trying to take the battery out of the flooded compartment back on shore. The board itself was huge. It turned out to be overbuilt and did not need to be quite that large. It is a 10'8" x 30" x 5.5" SUP. I first tried the board out at the Santa Ana River jetties just because it was close and I wanted to get it into the water right when it was finished. The board powered through the crashing waves and quickly got me to the line-up, but it was very
difficult to actually ride a wave because of the size of the board.
It does not turn easily and it tends to pearl. I was able to catch a few waves there, but I had much more success at SanO. The problem at SanO, though, was that the seaweed floating around in the water kept getting caught on the propeller.

Work is still being done on this project as a hobby. Future developments will have everything housed in a single attachment that can fit into a standard longboard fin box. This way any longboard can be modified with this device. We won't have to worry about running wired to a battery housing on the top deck anymore. I am also working on incorporating a flow sensor that will detect the speed of the board while riding a wave and adjust the speed of the motor to counteract the drag caused by the motor. A wireless motor controller that you can wear around a wrist is also being developed.

That's a brief overview of the project. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Neil's Single Fin Eggy!

1. Your Name: Neil

2. Your Brand name: Don’t have one.

3. How did you hear about us? Browsing the web.

4. How was your initial experience at Foam E-Z? It was good…got everything I needed and could afford to build my own board.

5. Why did you want to build your own board? Watched “North Shore” one too many times I guess.

6. Shape of finished board? Single fin Eggy.

7. Size of finished board: Length 5’10” Nose 17” Width 22” Tail 17” Thickness 2 ¾”

8. What blank did you use? US Blanks 6’2” A fish.

9. How was your board building experience? Excellent and time consuming…didn’t use a single power tool all hand planer and sandpaper…built shaping racks with a hand saw and 2 x 4’s too.

10. Did you use videos, books, web, other? All of it.

11. What videos, books, web, other did you use? Shaping 101 and Glassing 101…some different books…swaylocks.com is a lifesaver.

12. Do you recommend these resources? yes

13. What do you wish you knew going into this project? How to glass better.

14. What would you recommend to someone else for their first time? Have fun and don’t worry if it doesn’t turn out perfect Mine is far from perfect, but its so much fun to surf and so rewarding.

15. What tools did you find most useful? Planer, calipers, sand paper.

16. Where did you run into trouble? Glassing…cutting down humidity and keeping a stable temperature.

17. What kind of fin system did you use and why? O fish l single fin box…it was the easiest…get it set…glass over it…sand the cover off...i wanted to make a single fin.

18. Did you glass the board and what was that experience like? I did…it was a little sketchy at first but I got the hang of it…ended up pretty smooth except where the top and bottom overlapped near the rails.

19. Where did you shape and glass your board? Shaped on my back porch and glassed in the break room at my office (don’t tell anyone)…It was the best place I could find where I could really control the temp.

20. What type of board do you want to make next? I was thinking a quad fish but I bought one instead…now I'm thinking SUP.

21. Extra info: Building your own board was so much fun…cant wait to do it again.

The Bouvier Keel Fish

1. Your Name: Mark Bouvier

2. Your Brand name: None of that nonsense

3. How did you hear about us? I saw your booth at the sacred craft tradeshow.

4. How was your initial experience at Foam E-Z? Great, the crew is very helpful, and full of knowledge.

5. Why did you want to build your own board? It seems as though when you go to the surf shops these days all of the boards are built to be an “every-man’s” board. To me that means they do all the basic things a boards should do, without actually doing anything well. So to find that diversity it’s best to look at your own style of surfing and try to make something that will work well for you as an individual. And if it doesn’t work like you thought, then you’ve learned something new because you’re riding something that isn’t just a basic all-arounder type shape.

6. Shape of finished board? 5’11 Fish. Thick with thin pulled down rails with belly in the belly and "V" in the tail.

7. Size of finished board: Length 5’11 Nose 16 ½ Width 21 ½ Tail 17 Thickness 2 ¾

8. What blank did you use? 6’5 A. I picked this blank so that I could pull the template back a few inches and cut some of the rocker out of the nose giving me a flatter entry rocker.

9. How was your board building experience? Great. I used the E-Z Shaping Box at the shop for the second time. I love the Shaping Box, it’s totally set up, I can get in there, shape, rent whatever tools I don’t have, and then just sweep up and walk out. Way better than having a shaping room in my garage.

10. Did you use videos, books, web, other? I did not. This one came entirely out of my head. Because it was such a funky design, I tried not to pull ideas from other shapers, otherwise it would be that much less unique.

11. Do you recommend these resources? I recommend trying new things with your surfing and board building. It helps you put things in perspective and look at what you love from another point of view.

12. What do you wish you knew going into this project? How to better do a fabric inlay. I get the feeling that my fabric didn’t lam up too well, and am kind of afraid of the board delaminating in the future. But I’ll just deal with that when and if it comes along.

13. What would you recommend to someone else for their first time? Know what you want to shape before you even buy your blank. Know exactly what you want, because if you go into a project like this with an uncertain idea of what you want to end up with, even if you’re just torn between two designs it will never come out quite right.

14. What tools did you find most useful? TAPE!!!! I know I’m getting ahead of myself, but doing a cut-lap on the rail, using tape actually takes just a short time to set up, but saves a lot of time in sanding. Tape is your friend.

15. Where did you run into trouble? This board actually went very smoothly. The only thing that kinda bummed me out was when I built up my hotcoat on the tail so I could get a nice down rail, I built it up too thick, and it cracked. No biggie…it kinda gives it character. But next time I’ll know not to kick it so hot if I’m going to pool it so deep.

16. What kind of fin system did you use? I glassed on a pair of custom keels that I made.

17. Did you glass the board and what was that experience like? I did. It was messy, stinky, and left my patio looking like an abused armadillo dying in a pile of tape, resin covered brushes and fiberglass dust.

18. What supplies were purchased from Foam E-Z? all of them. Everything from the blank to the armadillo! Ok, except the razor blades and the fabric. I got those from JoAnn’s fabric right down the street.

RadRob's 5'4" Mini-Nose Rider

1. Your Name: RadRob

2. Your Brand name: RadRob's radical surf creations

3. How did you hear about us? I work here (Foam E-Z)

4. How was your initial experience at Foam E-Z? Absolutely amazing!!!!!!!!

5. Why did you want to build your own board? It's a cool experience to ride something you built.

6. Shape of finished board? mini noserider

7. Size of finished board: 5'-4" x 25 ¼" x 2 15/16"

8. What blank did you use? The new 5-10 RP (second)

9. How was your board building experience? It was great.I tried to get a little creative on the glass job this time.

10. Did you use videos, books, web, other? Not so much this time. I couldn't find a board quite like i wanted out there.

11. What videos, books, web, other did you use? I have watched the JC videos as well as the Master series.

12. Do you recommend these resources? For sure.

13. What do you wish you knew going into this project? I feel like I was pretty prepared for this one.

14. What would you recommend to someone else for their first time? Get as much information as possible before you start.

15. What tools did you find most useful? CF planer.Once you get comforterble with a power planer it makes the shaping experience much more enjoyable.

16. Where did you run into trouble? The giant nose concave.

17. What kind of fin system did you use? Glass-On single fin.

18. Did you glass the board and what was that experience like? Of course, the UV resin is awesome.

RadRob's Short Board

1. Your Name: RadRob

2. Your Brand name: RadRob's radical surf creations

3. How did you hear about us? I work here (Foam E-Z)

4. How was your initial experience at Foam E-Z? Absolutely amazing!!!!!!!!

5. Why did you want to build your own board? It's a cool experience to ride something you built.

6. Shape of finished board? Short board

7. Size of finished board: 5'-10" x 19 ¼" x 2 ¼"

8. What blank did you use? I had to use the (US Blanks) 6-3 EA to get the width I wanted.

9. How was your board building experience? This is my best one so far.

10. Did you use videos, books, web, other? I got some advice from Stamps (www.stampssurfboards.com)

11. What videos, books, web, other did you use? I have watched the JC videos as well as the Master series.

12. Do you recommend these resources? For sure.

13. What do you wish you knew going into this project? I feel like I was pretty prepared for this one.

14. What would you recommend to someone else for their first time? Get as much information as possible before you start.

15. What tools did you find most useful? I had to use a sanding block a lot since the new red foam has a tendency to tear.

16. Where did you run into trouble? I got into a little bit of trouble on the rails, but was able to fix it.

17. What kind of fin system did you use? Glass-On thruster fins.

18. Did you glass the board and what was that experience like? Of course, the UV resin is awesome.

Miles Jackson Surfboards

1. Your Name: Miles Jackson

2. Your Brand name: Miles Jackson Surfboards

3. How did you hear about us? Online search

4. How was your initial experience at Foam E-Z? Great service.

5. Why did you want to build your own board? For the love. Grassroots surfing at its finest.

6. Shape of finished board? Shortboard

7. Size of finished board: Length 6’3” Width 19” Thickness 2 3/8”

8. What blank did you use? My last Clark Foam.

9. How was your board building experience? Choice. Everything worked out this time. Got the gel times perfect. Cut lap was a dream. Just a great experience

10. Did you use videos, books, web, other? Started on John Carper’s. Love the Donald Duck impersonations.

11. What videos, books, web, other did you use? Swaylocks a little.

12. Do you recommend these resources? Swaylocks has a lot of info, but it’s not all great, but most is. I guess that’s the cost of an open forum. JC’s DVDs are great though.

13. What do you wish you knew going into this project? Which side of the logo paper to print on. One side printed crisp and the other side printed kinda blurred. I forget which one was best.

14. What would you recommend to someone else for their first time? The first board may not be the greatest but you can still surf it. Shape more and more and pretty soon you’ll pump out some great ones.

15. What tools did you find most useful? Planer for skinning the blank. Doing by hand takes forever and you risk gouging the foam when you get frustrated.

16. Where did you run into trouble? I don’t have calipers. Need calipers, it’s a pain to measure the thickness without calipers. The framing square is just too tedious and time consuming.

17. What kind of fin system did you use? FCS thruster setup

18. Did you glass the board and what was that experience like? Yup, I always glass my own boards. Its kinda wimpy to shape and not glass it don’t you think?

Roots Surfboards by Brandon Davis

Customer Name: Brandon Davis

Brand name: Roots

How did you hear about us? Surfin the net for supplies

How was your initial experience at Foam E-Z? Smooth ordering on-line, was able to adjust my order when I needed to add some things last minute.

Why did you want to build your own board? Wanted a quad fish with a retro vibe and just couldn’t swing the money for what I wanted. Also I’ve always been a DIY kinda guy and thought that it would deepen my connection with surfing in the grand scheme of things

Shape of finished board: Retro Skinny Fish

Size of finished board: Length 5’11” Nose 17.5” Width 21” Tail 16.5” Thickness 2 7/8”

What blank did you use? 61HTM Bennett Foam blank.

How was your board building experience? Intense it was a lot like sculpture design or pottery where it’s a multistep process that takes shape and becomes your vision as you go.

Did you use videos, books, web, other? DVD’s; You Tube; Local Shop; Foam E-Z

What videos, books, web, other did you use? Shaping 101, Futures Install DVD, art of Design book.

Do you recommend these resources? Absolutely, the more info and ideas/viewpoints you can get the better.

What do you wish you knew going into this project? More trick tips on cleaner lap lines, resin tinting, fabric inlay, methods for perfecting concave design.

What would you recommend to someone else for their first time? DON’T RUSH!

What tools did you find most useful? Microblades replacement blades saved time on the blank and finish sanding, good sharp trim plane, power sander, Futures Install Jig/Kit.

Where did you run into trouble? Cutting in my concave for evenness was a battle. I finally got it but there’s gotta be a methodical approach rather than “eyeing it”.

What kind of fin system did you use? FUTURES, the install kit I got from Foam E-Z was badass!!! Simplified things immensely and was easy to use right outta the box.

Did you glass the board and what was that experience like? Yes I did glass the board it was my second board I’ve ever done and it was better than the first. For your first I was told to not mess with resin tints and pigments which was great advice because it allowed me to focus more on laps and clean lines. For this board I jumped up to the plate and did a Paisley fabric inlay on the deck and green resin tint to put some pop in the overall look. I tried to lay the tint uneven to give the appearance of water color paintings- came out awesome still need to work on perfecting concaves and lap lines. The biggest thing I can say to first time shaper/glasser is; TAKE YOUR TIME AND IT WILL SHINE THRU IN THE END!!!!!