How to Build a Homemade Surfboard

Surfing is a popular recreational sport for people who live in beach areas. Several kinds of surfboards exist and come in a range of prices and materials. The cheapest and easiest to make is a polystyrene, or plastic foam, surfboard. Polystyrene surfboards might have a few advantages over others. They are harder to damage when coupled with epoxy. They also are more environment-friendly, lighter and float better than resin surfboards. With the proper materials, you can build a homemade surfboard.

Things You'll Need

  • Plastic foam surfboard blank
  • Hand saw
  • Electric planer
  • Spackling
  • Sandpaper
  • Squeegee
  • 4 oz. woven fiberglass cloth
  • Foam paint brush
  • Epoxy
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Instructions

    • 1

      Form the plastic foam blank using a hand saw. Surfboard blanks are already in the form of a surfboard, but you might want to alter the size and shape, depending on your needs. As is, the surfboard blank is ready for small, slow waves. A thinner, shorter board is better for faster, large waves. To make the surfboard blank smaller, draw the shape out on the blank, before using the hand saw to cut away the unneeded foam. Eliminate the external layer of the plastic foam with an electric planer and smooth the surfboard blank with sandpaper.

    • 2

      Coat the surface of the surfboard blank with interior/exterior spackling, using a squeegee. Spackling provides a cost-effective sealer for plastic foam compared to using an extra layer of epoxy. Smooth the spackling with sandpaper.

    • 3

      Use the surfboard as a guide to cut the 4 oz. woven fiberglass cloth. Cut two pieces for the top and one piece for the bottom of the surfboard. The top two pieces and bottom piece of woven fiberglass cloth should be the same size and shape as the top and bottom of the surfboard blank, with an extra inch around the perimeter to overlap the cloth on the board. Set the woven fiberglass cloth on the surface of the plastic foam blank. With your squeegee, coat the cloth and surfboard blank with epoxy. Dry the epoxy for about 6 hours. Continue applying the epoxy to the other pieces of woven fiberglass cloth until the whole surfboard blank is covered.

    • 4

      Coat the surfboard with another layer of epoxy using a foam paint brush. Fill gaps and smooth out the surface of the surfboard.

    • 5

      Allow the second coat of epoxy to dry for 6 hours. Using sandpaper, sand the surface once more. Paint the surfboard with an acrylic paint. Add artwork using computer-generated images and rice paper. Affix the printed images on your surfboard with your squeegee and epoxy.

    • 6

      Apply the last layer of epoxy to the entire surface of the surfboard with your foam paint brush. Dry the surfboard for 6 hours. Using sandpaper, sand the top of the surfboard to create traction for your feet.