Surfblanks Australia has been making surfboard foam since 1968. With the opening of Surfblanks America, Surfblanks now offers a closer resource then ever before.

Surfblanks is dedicated to producing the highest quality foam/stringer combinations. The density chart below offers great choices for lightness and strength. A wide range of good blank shapes (see Surfblanks Blank Diagram Book) puts the shaper closer to the design target. Many stringer choices coupled with functional rocker curves will allow for cutting edge surfboard design. That is and always has been the core feature of the custom surfboard industry.

Note: Surfblanks foams are formulated for the surfer first, and the shaper second. It would be very easy (and cynical) to tilt the formula in the shapers favor, however doing so would halve the life of the finished board.

Experienced shapers have the answer to strong foam in their cutting quiver.

Tungsten carbide grit barrels for Hitachi and Makita planers are becoming widely available around the world. Sharp, conventional planer blades work well with Surfblanks foam as do sharp surforms and sand paper.

Many fast shaping foams have a dead feel in the water. A pleasing feature with Surfblanks foams is that they make a very lively feeling surfboard. This liveliness can be attributed to memory, or spring back.

Yellow Foam - Has developed substantially since 2002. Cell size is down and compression strength is up. ‘ Yellow` will produce what might be considered the lightest urethane foam surfboard on the planet. As of 2006 Surfblanks has been making increasing numbers of blanks from this foam. Blanks made from this foam are always glued with yellow glue for identification purposes. There is a 5% extra charge on this foam due to failure rate in production.

Green Foam - The ‘all time’ favorite foam for shortboards. Widely used for team rider’s shortboards, and our most popular formula. The popularity of this foam continues to grow even though the life of the finished surfboard may be short. It is increasingly used in longboards. Green Foam in longboards is considered very light and buoyant. Surfblanks encourages manufacturers to choose BlueFoam instead for the reasons below.

There are cutting edge manufacturers who make most of their shortboards from Green Foam and their team rider boards from Yellow Foam. By comparison, more conservative manufacturers feel that dent free longboards should be made from either Blueor Red Foam. It is also true that these heavier foams require less glass and thus a saving is made.

Blue Foam - The high paddling buoyancy and lively surfing response on a wave make this foam the choice of hard core to recreational surfers. Blue Foam is often used in shortboards where over shaping may occur.

Red and whitewood ply combinations offered as ply T Bands or reverse ply T Bands. These laminated relatively inexpensive T Bands are considerably stronger than any other stringer wood on offer. Because of the varying grain directions (which make the laminate strong) extra care is required in the finish shaping of this stringer type.

Red and whitewood T Bands made from laminated Red Cedar and White wood in the Surfblanks factory are the ultimate in visual appeal. A great variety of wood widths and color combinations are offered.

White wood sawn to any thickness. A very pale wood with beautiful texture and some grain reversal.

Red wood (Red Cedar) sawn to any thickness. A stunning reddish/orange wood with fine texture and some grain reversal. Needs sealing (lam resin) before glassing.

Balsa wood from South America sawn to any thickness. A pale yellow to white wood with greatly varying grain patterns, cuts very easily. Needs sealing (lam resin) before glassing.

Foam (high density, white and colored) sawn to any thickness. Colors available.

Stringer thicknesses and types available are listed in the Surfblanks Price List. They appear in combination with a foam blank size (already glued in), or else as an option in ‘Single stringer glued beside another', ‘Single stringer glued in a plain blank', or ‘Two stringers glued any distance from center'.

Surfblanks offers a wide range of stringers. The reason for this is to allow each manufacturer to make their finished product look different to their competitors. Taking this a step further, a manufacturer may choose to offer a wide range of stringer types to satisfy their individual customer needs (i.e., singles, doubles and triples). A hand shaped surfboard made with an impressive stringer or two under a good glass job will outshine a molded ‘popout' in any cosmetic contest.

Stringer choices by price list ‘foam blanks'. Approximately 4 stock & 7 custom stringer choices appear on the price list for shortboards and approximately 4 stock & 7 custom appear for longboards. These choices are based on most ordered stringers and are included with the blank cost.

Stringer choices by price list ‘stringer options'. Many more stringers appear on the price list as options that can be added to a plain blank. ‘Single stringer glued beside another', ‘Single stringer glued in a plain blank', or ‘Two stringers glued any distance from center'. To determine the cost first take the ‘plain blank' price from ‘foam blanks', then add the stringer option. As the chosen blank size gets larger, so should the stringer thickness, if it is the center and only stringer.

Rockers - A rocker chart is available. Custom rockers are welcome. A one off $6 template making charge for custom rockers will appear on the customer's next sales invoice.

Customer generated rocker curves- Customers may supply an exact stringer template to fit the required blank size avoiding the $6 charge. Alternatively the customer's deck curve can be drawn onto paper clearly marking the nose starting point. Existing templates can be altered with nose and tail variations. Any alterations will attract the $6 template making charge as a new template must be made. Customers may request their curves to be kept confidential.

Stringer Notes :

Stringers are used to stiffen a surfboard blank for shaping purposes. Without a piece of wood glued into the center of a blank the foam on its own would be too floppy, particularly in small, thin blanks.

Stringers are used for decoration. The contrasting darkness or light color of wood adds to the visual appeal of white foam blanks under transparent fiberglass. Balsa wood laminated with Red Cedar in a longboard give a warm, natural look to a longboard blank. The traditional Cedar triple stringer combination has been considered very desirable since 1960.

Stringers are used for strength. Big wave boards have always used thicker or stronger stringer woods. Multiple laminates of stronger woods have proven to be the ultimate in resisting snaps.

Note - Some of the strongest surfboards ever made have been built without any stringer at all. With the addition of extra glass cloth (during glassing) on the rails of a foam shape, snapping can be delayed to a much higher degree. It is known that a good glass job can save a board whereas a good stringer with a bad glass job has very little chance. A flexing stringerless blank will shrug off explosive energy (similar to an airplane wing) by absorbing and washing off energy along its length.

A stiff stringer no matter how strong will force the energy to focus at one point (usually the weakest) somewhere on the blank.

Having said the above it is also known that a stiff and strong stringer will resist allowing the blank to flex and distort. Resisting distortion keeps the top and bottom glass skins intact. Snaps occur when the blank distorts, the rail laps fail, the bottom skin compresses inwards in a buckle and the top skin separates in a tension snap line.

Blank & Stringer Abbreviations

Prices

1 - All prices are ex warehouse, per the scheduled weekly deliveries, if applicable.

2 - Pick Up and Pay prices are the lowest possible.

3 – Surfblanks accepts credit cards, cash and checks. Third party delivery charges will be quoted before shipping. Delivered C.O.D blank orders are higher due to packing and box charges.

Discounts

1 - Discounts are directly related to prompt on time payment, regardless of the blank buyers reputation.

2 - Discounts are based on the number of blanks purchased. The greater the number of blanks purchased and delivered at one time, the greater the discount.

Quality Labeling

1- A FIRST quality blank is one with few or very minor imperfections. Foam blank making is not a precise art and relies to a great extent on human skill and expertise. It is fair to say that there is no such thing as a perfect blank, but there are blanks with fewer imperfections. These blanks are judged to be Firsts by the staff at Surfblanks.

2 - SECONDS are blanks with imperfections that may or may not shape out. The staff of Surfblanks determines which blank is a Second.

3 - REJECTS are blanks with major imperfections that will definitely not shape out and will require filling or cosmetic disguise. The staff of

Surfblanks will determine which blank is a Reject.

Over many decades, attempts have been made to mechanize blank making. Surfboard design changes so fast it is not possible to justify the huge expense of conventional molding and processing equipment relative to the wholesale price of a foam blank. The finished surfboard is in a similar situation. The human manufacturing skill component is so great in a blank and a surfboard that it is difficult to view either as a commodity.

The Surfblanks foam formulation will alter with current requirements. This formulation should always provide the greatest compression strength relative to density, the finest cell for minimal resin absorption, and an ease of shaping that makes it desirable for most shapes. Correct foam density choice is critical for the end user. Thin, lightly glassed shapes made from thick, light density foam blanks will have nowhere near the durability required for day-to-day use over a reasonable period. Good judgment is required by the manufacturer to choose the foam density that will satisfy the end user.

Shortboards

Dent free shortboards can be made using Blue foam and a standard glass job. Green foam (lighter than Blue) is preferred by most performance surfers, while Yellow foam (Lighter than Green) is the favorite of team riders with all big brands. Needless to say the Green and Blue foams have less compression strength than the Red.

Longboards

Dent free longboards can be made using Blue foam. Green foam (8% lighter than Blue) paddles and surfs better than Blue, but is not recommended for overly deep cut concaves or overly shaped up tails.

Where a blank is to be used on a shaping machine (computer or hand driven) it is desirable that higher density foam should be chosen. There is an eight per cent progressive increase in foam weight from one density to the next higher. This higher density foam will be more dimensionally stable when it is cut more deeply. Some machines cut more foam of the deck of the blank than the bottom effectively destroying all deck foam structural integrity.

Choosing the correct size of blank for minimal shaping is a critical factor in the finished board’s structural integrity. Surfblanks encourages shapers to submit designs that will facilitate less foam waste on the shaping room floor.

Correct stringer choice will increase the life of a surfboard. The blank buyer has the responsibility to choose wood and stringer thickness that suit the end user. Weak, easy to shape, soft stringer wood will always be preferred by the shaper who is not responsible to the end user, the surfer. All shapers and manufacturers are encouraged to use stronger wood in their blanks. Each and every surfboard can be snapped by even the smallest of waves. A thicker, tougher stringer wood will delay breakage. A quality glass job employing stronger resin and better tensile strength glass cloth will obviously assist in snap prevention.

Foam Stability Guarantee

No Surfblank (in a finished surfboard) is guaranteed against breakage, denting or damage that is the result of wear and tear. Only a suitable glass job can prevent the above.

No Surfblank is guaranteed against scorching and the resultant shrinkage. Scorching occurs at temperatures in excess of 212 F. (100 C.). This temperature can be achieved inside a parked car under the front and rear windows on peak temperature and ultra violet radiation days. Scorching is defined as a yellowed (cooked) glass job with prominent weave (styrene shrinkage) and shrunken foam under the immediate yellow zone.

Every Surfblank sold and converted to a surfboard is guaranteed to be dimensionally stable for six months from the date of purchase as a surfboard provided that,

1 - The blank was not over shaped by removing more than one half inch of foam from any flat surface or not more than four inches from any extremity (nose, rails, tail) thereby exposing the lower density core and rendering it weak.

2 - Enough fiberglass cloth and resin are used to prevent the foam from compressing inwards under the bodily parts of a user or object. The glass job should resist wear, tear and delaminating.

3 - The Surfboard is not exposed to temperatures greater than 212 F. (100 C.). Dark colored cars parked in midday sunlight with sealed windows easily generate temperatures near to or in excess of 176 F. (80 C.). Dark pigment colors decorating the surfboard will achieve the same result.

4 - The Surfboard is not waterlogged through neglect and then subjected to temperatures that will steam the water under the fiberglass skin thereby driving the water further beneath the glass job, softening the foam surface and rendering it weak and unstable.

Should a Surfblank become dimensionally unstable (shrink or expand greater than 1% of its finished shape) Surfblanks will reimburse the cost of materials plus labor to reproduce the same board, less the retail sale price of the faulty surfboard. The reimbursement will be either in blanks or as a credit. Surfblanks will decide the method of reimbursement based on distance to the manufacturer and status of the manufacturer’s account. The faulty surfboard will be resold by agreement between Surfblanks and the manufacturer.

'SURFBLANKS Foam' - Strength, Cost Savings, Cell Size & Feel

Surfblanks foam does not require white lacquer spray over the shaped blank. The resin in a glass job will often yellow before the Surfblanks foam underneath will. Surfblanks foam appears bright in the factory but appears particularly bright in the retail shop. Estimated savings for not having to paint the foam of a shortboard or longboard blank, range from $3 to $6 depending on what costs are included. Paint, tape, spray booth, and labor costs vary greatly from factory to factory. Drying 'down time' for foam spray prior to glassing is another negative factor as well as 'silvering' and glass job 'blow offs'.

Surfblanks foam offers further considerable cost savings due to its greater tensile strength. Wood stringers can be thinner, saving up to $5. This is the difference between 1/8" and 3/16" on 'other brand' price lists.

Surfblanks foam absorbs less resin than any other surfboard foam due to its finer cell size. Savings of 100 to 200 grams per side glassed are common. Surfblanks foam has greater buoyancy than any other urethane surfboard foam. It paddles higher and faster due to less drag. Surfblanks foam feels livelier on a wave.