The Chemisty of Surfboards, Materials, Design, Tails, Fins, Rails, Rocker... and More
Saturday, May 16, 2009
| Click on pics for
larger image - if you want a hi-rez version suitable for printing
identify it by name or number and send an email to the SurfASC webmaster. Photos by Warren Overman & Neal Carver. |
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Mike Hague Surfboards · Lewes, DE · http://www.haguesurfboards.com/ · e-mail: hsurfboards@mchsi.com · 302-745-9336
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| A big thanks goes out to Mike Hague for an absolutely
fantastic presentation. It did not matter how long you have been
surfing, what you ride, or what your current surfing intellect is...
Mike was able to answer every question, dispel many misconceptions, and
provide the physics (in layman’s terms) related to all aspects of
surfboard design and board making materials. The fact that Mike brought
a huge amount of material samples, tools, and a great cross section of
his boards really made the seminar top notch. It gave everyone the
ability to see, touch, and feel all the aspects of board design that
Mike spoke about. Anyone who missed this presentation really missed a
great opportunity to learn about surfboard design and how to
communicate with your shaper to create the ultimate stick. Again, Hats off to Mike! I know where my next board is coming from! Neal Carver, Coordinator for the Shaper's Seminar |
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I've been around this surfing stuff a
long time and sort of thought I knew the basics about board design and
manufacture. In 2 hours Mike filled a huge gaping hole in my knowledge
base and I don't care how much you think you know, he would have added
to your knowledge too. His background with Dupont really brought home
the chemistry and materials aspects of just how important what these
things are made out of, not just it's shape. I actually feel sorry for
anyone who missed this gig. You missed out on a golden opportunity to
learn an awful lot in a short amount of time from a young guy who is
obviously very smart, practical and innovative. I'll be posting all the
slides from his power point presentation and some images of the seminar
for those of you who are interested (see the ASC Forum Album). I'm so impressed I would suggest we get him back in the future for a Fling, party or recruitment event. Warren "Foon" Overman |
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| Seconding and thirding what others said,
many thanks for Mike Hague's excellent presentation. Not only did he
cover the in's and out's of board making materials and board shape
considerations (rails, rocker, tails, etc.) and their relationships to
what types of waves, where and how you ride, Mike had excellent
presentation and communication skills. Not a spicoli this one! Rod Rodgers I just wanted to thank the ASC and Mike for putting on a great presentation! It was nice to finally meet Mike and Rod and few others. Some good info provided before, during and after the event. I'll definitely be thinking more about from where, whom and how I get my next board. Thanks again, Jason (driftingalong462) |
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It
was indeed far more learned in one session than I knew. I had MOST of
the misconceptions he spoke of. He really is pretty good at explaining
things, I can tell he is a teacher. I am also pretty impressed with his
boards and I fully endorse his work, given the new information I
learned. I think all of the club should look the guy up at some point.
He really seems to be dialing in what we need here in this area as
boards go, and he's honest about the things he's still learning. The
epoxy/eps stuff he is doing really look like works of art and he has a
knowledge base of the minutiae of what makes these things go that would
make some MIT guys sit up and take notice. To boot, Mike got into this
game via the world of polymer chemistry. He worked for DuPont, in the
area of.... you guessed it: fiberglass and resin chemistry. So he knows
a good deal that some shapers might not be aware of despite their years
behind the planer. I think this speaks for something, and |
| might translate into stronger and more durable boards. He spoke
a lot about how the chemistry plays into it and the nerd side of me was
impressed. I am looking into ordering a fish from him. It was worth chasing my kids around after 1.5 hrs. crawling through OC traffic during Motorhead weekend. I finally feel like I might know how to buy surfboards and get what I want out of them. Y'all missed it. Gary Lay, President, ASC |
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EPS Foam Blank Ready For Shaping
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Some of the Board Samples On Display
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EPS Foam Blank with a
Mahogany Marine Plywood Stringer  |
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Some Materials Used in Making a Board, Fin Boxes and Fins
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Mike Hague Surfboards · Lewes, DE · http://www.haguesurfboards.com/ · e-mail: hsurfboards@mchsi.com · 302-745-9336
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