When it comes to glassing a surfboard, one thing to think about, is how much fibreglass cloth you are going to put on the board. This is called the “glass schedule” and it relates to the final strength and weight of your board – the more layers of fibreglass you use (and also the heavier weight of cloth you use), the stronger but heavier your board will be.
Surfboard fibreglass cloth is available in two common weights – 4oz and 6oz (per yard) – this relates to how much polyester surfboard resin it takes for the cloth to become fully saturated. The more resin it takes means the board will be stronger, but also heavier.
We stock surfboard fiberglass in rolls of 27” and 30” wide and meant to be cut to the correct length and width once the glass is rolled out over your blank.
A common glassing schedule for a shortboard is:
For a heavier and stronger glassing schedule, you may wish to add a “deck patch” – this is an additional layer of 40z cloth, which is not full length. i.e. where your feet go. This adds strength where you need it, whilst saving as much weight as possible.
For a lighter glass job, you can go for two layers of 4oz on the deck instead of one. This is the chosen schedule for Channel Islands ultra light glassing
If you are using FCS or FCS compatible fin plugs, you may want to add extra strength where the plugs will be. This can be done by adding “fin patches” (oval shapes of 4oz fibreglass) under the layer(s) of fibreglass you have on the underside of the board.
A common glassing schedule for a minimal is:
Again, you may want to add fin patches if you are using FCS or FCS-compatible fin plugs.
You would not really want to have a lighter glassing schedule than this on a minimal, however you may want to use two layers of 6oz fibreglass cloth on the deck if you are looking for a stronger glass job and do not mind a little extra weight.
A common glassing schedule for a longboard is:
This is the lightest glassing schedule you would want on a longboard.
You may wish to add a deck patch on to this glass schedule if you are making a bit of a cruiser, where a little extra weight and glide is a better thing.
When laminating multiple layers of fibreglass cloth, you should put the heavier weight cloth closest to the foam and the lighter cloth on the top. This keeps the stronger layer of fibreglass in direct contact to the foam and uses less resin in the hot coat stage, as the 4oz cloth will have a smaller weave and take less resin to fill it.
Be sure to watch the resin mixing guide we have on the knowledge base for more information on polyester surfboard resin and catalyst used in glassing surfboards
Comments