Doesn't this just beg to be done with a wakesurf board?

[Surfdad]

Swiped this picture from someone on Facebook. Thermoformed Lexan, I'd bet. Imagine though, wakesurfer shape and the fins in clear lexan also.

Whadd'ya think? Like the silver surfer comic character and an invisible board?

[Timmy!]

THAT would be cool!

[Surfdad]

I thought so too! I can imagine it would look like you're just barefoot surfing Ok, that's 2 votes for!

[Guma]

Make it 3, and I want one!

[Surfdad]

LOL I get first dibs! Ok we are up to three! I wonder what the pictures will look like? I'd really love to get James airing it out so it looks like he just blasted off the water, barefoot.

[Timmy!]

So many cool pics going through my head...

Would it need to be multi layer? I.E - a box like design that has 1" of air trapped in between 2 layers? Like a double paned window? Or, would just the regular sheet of lexan have enough buoyancy?

[Surfdad]

Honestly, I don't know, Timmy. My thought was to just thermoform some nose rocker in the board and give it a go. Float or bouyancy isn't really needed in a wakesurfboard, so long as the board is less densse than water, otherwise it sinks. Beyond that, it's just personal preference.

But I like your idea! Can you imagine bending and gluing up a normally looking board? Like you suggest, hollow maybe with something trapped inside like marbles or maybe kids glitter That would be so cool.

So here is what I'm thinking.

1) With the protective paper still on, cut the basic shape of the board.

2) Remove protective paper.

3) Clamp the nose and mid-section and apply some pressure

4) Heat that general area so that the rocker takes shape

5) Let it cool and polish the "rails" back to clear

6) Cut and shape a fin from the scrap Lexan

7) Glue the fin onto the board

8) Ride it and laugh like crazy Emphasis on the second phase of this item

Think it's doable? The laughing part is, I know THAT for a fact!

[Timmy!]

It's 100% doable! What thickness will you use? You can probably use the form that was used for the flyboy boards and just heat and apply pressure to get it to form.

[Surfdad]

That would be a great idea, but I think I used a real low grade EPS for that rocker bed. I just checked and Lexan thermoforms above 150 degrees F, but that EPS turns to LIQUID at that temperature. I wish I had though further ahead!

I may have a bottom mold to a board that would work, my memory fails me at the moment, actually most moments. If I don't get too fancy, just do it for fun, I think all we really need to do is give the nose a slight bend so it doesn't pearl too bad. Hopefully it's clear enough that you can't tell it's a super ugly shape.

I think that I'm going to have to go with close to 1/4", I'll double check the local TAP Plastics and Home Depot to see what's available. THAT may prove to be the harder part, what I can actually source locally.

[skippabcool]

x4

[Timmy!]

1/4" will be too thin. You will need 1/2" at a minimum and they won't have that at your local hardware store.

[Surfdad]

Up to four with skipabcool's vote!

Are you concerned with it being too floppy Timmy!? Would a compound curve rectify that? I've seen some thermoformed Lexan and it's gets crazy stiff with the thermoforming and cooling process.

[Timmy!]

Yeah, it will not support the weight from what I have seen. I have some 1/4" stuff at home that I was messing with and you can bend it pretty easily with your hands. I don't have experience with the thermoforming or cooling though so maybe that does strengthen it.

[Surfdad]

I'm not sure I understand the physics behind it, but almost all of the thermoformable plastics become more rigid after being thermoformed once. Whatever it is, once it's heated and cooled, it seems to lose a great deal of it's original elasticity. I struggle with that on my divinycell use also, I mold the rail shape and then it's a bugger to get it closer if I miss it that first shot!

Definately sounds like I need to do a test panel first!

[Timmy!]

Next question is...how do you thermoform a piece that large? I worked at a shop that made giant lexan fish aquariums for a summer and they used hot water running through copper pipes to make the nice bends. They just had a hot water heater cranked all the way up and opened up the valve when it was time to make the bends. Think that could be applied to this?