XTR Epoxy...game changer or just another mousetrap?

After 20 year working with Extruded Foam and
epoxy resins, we announce an important step forward with the new
XTR 7 series, (7.C & 7.0).The new foam is very light and durable and still 100% water proof. You can actually
surf with just a shaped blank before glassing.
After 20After 20 year working with Extruded Foam and
epoxy resins, we announce an important step forward with the new
XTR 7 series, (7.C & 7.0).The new foam is very light and durable and still 100% water proof. You can actually
surf with just a shaped blank before glassing.
After 20 year working with Extruded Foam anAfter 20 year working with Extruded Foam and
epoxy resins, we announce an important step forward with the new
XTR 7 series, (7.C & 7.0).The new foam is very light and durable and still 100% water proof. You can actually
surf with just a shaped blank before glassing.
d
epoxy resins, we announce an important step forward with the new
XTR 7 series, (7.C & 7.0).The new foam is very light and durable and still 100% water proof. You can actually
surf with just a shaped blank before glassing.
year working with Extruded Foam and
epoxy resins, we announce an important step forward with the new
XTR 7 series, (7.C & 7.0).The new foam is very light and durable and still 100% water proof. You can actually
surf with just a shaped blank before glassing.

so much for my cut and paste skills… LOL

I built a blue extruded board, as it got old and dead it got very heavy with water soak.

Just another OLD mousetrap…

The only real virtue being it doesn’t take on water… Whoopy!!

Some say it stays livelier longer than EPS… Maybe,  as long as the laminate doesn’t de-lam  before you could prove that right…

I think that’s the foam in Marty Allen’s boards.  There’s a few around here and they seem to hold up pretty well to hard surfing.  Tiny little holes in the lam so they really do not appear to take in water(like eps). I did a fin repair for a guy who snapped the fin over to the side with a hard turn.  I don’t know if that says anything about the quality of the foam or not. He’s a big powerful surfer.  The newer fcs system.  I’d like to get some and  hand shape it, but I don’t think the guy sells them to hobbyist or even other pro shapers unless they are ‘in the fold’ so to speak.  Could be very wrong about that though. Mike

Shaped a lot maybe 100 or so of XTR and hands down the hardest foam to shape. It peals off when pulling screen on rails. It is not for everyone. I would say EPS surfs just as good. It can be a little gassy hence the pin holes. I wouldn’t recommend it for hand shaping. Off the machine is tolerable Hand shaping takes a fine touch. 

Surfding has posted a bunch regarding the delam issue.

He seems to have it sussed out. I’d like to get my hands on some foam to play with.

People say they ride great.

100% water proof? Does’nt that mean its also resin proof? An important part of laminating is the absorbtion of the resin in the foam for bonding the two together. This means that it is a surface bond only. Delam nightmare caused by heat or gassing. I shaped this foam nearly 25 years ago when Pedro sold it. Nearly the same Dow Chemical foam it was then. They delamed like crazy. One board I gave them to glass came back with an entire deck poked with a series of holes that looked like they pounded nails through a board and forced them into the foam for (bonding). Looked like crap! Javier told us the blanks were sanded too fine. Then told us that we needed to “post-cure” using an oven. Guess what? Even after doing what we were told, they still delamed! Even XTR gave up and started to drill tiny holes in the finished board to let the gas escape. Forget shaping it like any other foam. It rips like crazy. Production quality foam, never. Only XTR can glass it. They make it work because they have to. Game changer?

 

You can teach a man a technique. But you can’t teach him passion.

Mike:

Ask and you shall receive.

PM me.

Kind regards,

surfding

Barry you do have to handle them with kit gloves!

I have made over 300 Blue XPS Boards with about 3 that had issues that were fixed.

It is lively stuff.

However for production they can be a pain to deal with.

I have 10 billets from 2006 in storage.

We did find that you can not finish them beyond 60 grit.

No screen cloth on these babies.

Javier is the best guy at glassing them.

However there is a couple of glass shops that do them very well in Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach.

These guys learnt from Greg Mugal who is the pioneer of epoxy surfboards.

I do have a couple of customers that have some xps boards they have been riding for 5 years now.

Suprisingly they have held up pretty well. ( I did fix a delam 3 years ago)

I do agree on your comment: “Production quality foam, never.” (True)

We do have to make a living so PU is the most production friendy foam there is and its not going away anytime soon.

So you just get a new board every 3 months.

It’s good for the economy!

Kind regards,

surfding

I have some billets for sale.

Cheap.

Never use screen on XPS.

60 grit emery cloth (Klingspore)

They do ride great.

People just don’t want to pay.

Kind regards,

surfding

I did suss out and went to Tahiti where it’s a bit warmer for the holidays.

I hate the cold.

Funny thing is I got an order for a XPS from a guy from Australia?