Surfing School - Glassing - Lamination/Fins

The deck lamination is performed similar to the bottom lamination, except that blank tapping is not necessary. Bleached cloth will not show once resined down. The cloth hanging from the blank edge can be trimmed about 3 to 4 inches. After saturating the rail cloth, flip it down and squeegee the top excess resin to each rail. Beginning from the middle, work the cloth along the rail under the blank, again letting the excess resin drip to the floor. Let the blank stand until the resin has completely hardened.

Turn the blank over and using 1/2 inch masking tape position each fin in the desired position as shown in Figure 01. Use a small amount of non-hardening resin as glue to take each fin at its base. While the resin is curing, cut a piece of rope for the base of each side of the fin, about one inch or more beyond the front and back of the fin. Also cut two pieces of cloth for each fin, about 1/2 inch larger than the surface size of the fin, with about a 3 inch base lap onto the board (see Figure 02).

When the tape supports are removed and the fins are tacked down, they are ready to be resined. Put a strip of 1/2" masking tape on the outer edge of the tail section, flared out at the bottom, to allow excess resin to fall off the board. Only do one fin at a time with one resin mix. Mix about 1 pint of resin very cold, and place the rope into the resin. With your fingers, work the resin into the rope until completely saturated. Place this rope along one side of the fin base and repeat the process for the other rope.

Next, place the cloth into the remaining resin and work until saturated. Place this cloth over the rope and along each side of the fin. Using your thumbs, slowly work the rope into a smooth uniform slope along fin base on each side. A squeegee, or your fingers and thumbs can also be used to mount the cloth on the fin and board, working excess resin to the tape and off the board. When completed, the fin should appear similar to that shown in the pictures of Figure 02. The process is repeated for all fins.

Watch your resin closely for signs that it is curing too fast, such as an unusual smell or the appearance of brown spots. Once the resin has just started to set, use a razor blade to trim as far as possible all excess cloth and the thick rope extending beyond the front and back of the fin. This will give you some leeway against too hot of a cure and also reduce the final amount of sanding necessary on the finished board.