Since 2004 Greek shaper JT has been shaping custom surfboards and developing not only the design of the surfboards but also the technology used in the manufacturing process. Through out the passed year Cohete surfboards has been developing and innovating a new surfing technology the EPS EPOXY CARBON STRINGER FUSED CARBON WRAP. The shaping process of this patent pending, cutting edge technology is different from classic surfboard shaping techniques. The main differences between shaping a traditional polyurethane blank (PU) and an expanded polystyrene blank (EPS) is that due to the properties of the PU blank the sanding process is much easier. The properties of the EPS blank make the material much harder to fine tune especially by hand, which is the way JT shapes his custom surfboards. So why would we use an EPS core in this technology and what are the advantages to surfers? While both materials are flexible and have a lively surfing feel when ridden, the EPS core is incredibly lightweight making it ideal for performance surfing compared to PU cores. The reason EPS cores are constructed of 98% air and only 2% petroleum based materials. This is the reason why the EPS core is an environmentally friendly material, as it is 100% recyclable and along with the combination of Kwik epoxy resins used in the glassing process, which are made from 75% recyclable approved materials, this technology is leading the surfboard construction process into a new area. EPS cores also come in a true white color and combined with epoxy resins that contain increased UVB properties ensure a never yellowing surfboard. We must also emphasize the incredible feedback that we have from our team riders who have ridden their carbon stringer boards both in competition and while training. The carbon fiber stringer dramatically reduces the weight of the surfboard compared to classic wooden stringers so the surfboard is a performance wave carving machine. The carbon fiber properties make the surfboard flex along the axis while the carbon fiber wrap makes the surfboard stiff and responsive. This year we are adapting Cohete’s EPS EPOXY CARBON STRINGER FUSED CARBON WRAP technology to our whole range of surfboards which will be released in 2018 so stay tuned. Below a few photos of JT and his fellow shapers, shaping the AMS and Bandito for team riders Alex Maniatis and Italo Soracco. Enjoy!
