Cardboard Surfboard - 6'4"

UPDATE: 12/2014 - More board designs available at http://sheldrake.net/cardboards/, now under a less restrictive CC-BY license.

Cardboard surfboard core structure assembly. Cut and assemble these parts to form the shaped core structure for a 6'4" surfboard. Fiberglassing instructions on my project website will help you complete the board build.

I've been making and riding cardboard-core surfboards for about three years now. They work. Leaks are not the huge problem you would expect. And they happen to look - what's that old term the surfers used to use - awe..., awes..., awessss..., Bitchin!

These files are also a source of replacement part cut patterns, if you've ordered this board core kit from me or a cutting service. Just search through these files to find any part that's been damaged or gone missing. It shouldn't be too hard to cut one or two pieces by hand, with an x-acto knife.

This set of cut patterns is published under a Creative Commons attribution, share alike, non-commercial license. Derivatives are permitted, but discouraged, since this is not the best format for making changes. But if you do figure out some useful modification, I would be pleased to know about it, share it, and possibly integrate it into my file production pipeline.

The license is non-commercial. The primary purpose of publishing these files is to enable the lowest levels of the board-building ecosystem (where I reside) to experiment with building these boards at the lowest cost. Lots of people have local access to laser cutters, and cardboard is ubiquitous, so widely distributed low-cost production of these core kits is possible.

If you see glowing dollar signs in those translucent hexagons, you'll want to build at least one and surf it before considering whether there's any money to be made. I would be glad to discuss it with you. But I recommend you do a little "non-commercial" research first.

Bottom line: if you really want to build one of these boards, and can't get a core kit from me for whatever reason, here's a way to make your own.

If you build a board from these files, I will be thrilled to see pictures of the results. I'll feature the first response on my project web site.

[Photos on this page: 1.) Nick Yarnes with his very experimental build from one of my router-cut core kits. 2.) A Different Nick, in New South Wales, with his assembled router-cut core. 3.) Finished board by Nick in NSW 4.) A recent laser-cut version of this core.]