: I wonder ounce glass he is using, using varnish?

Hello Patrick,

For a chambered surfboard it is not mandatory to use glass. You can just varnish it, but it is better to use a very thin layer of glass. Nowadays most chambered boards are being made of Paulownia which is very rot resistant. If it were me I would put a thin layer of glass on a chambered board, but again it's not mandatory. The board has all the structure it needs as-is, so you can use 3.25 ounce or even 2.5 ounce. For a hollow wood surfboard like the ones I build I use 3.25 on the bottom, and two layers of 3.25 on the deck where you need more structure.

I have seen an agave surfboard before and the wood is amazingly beautiful. The one I saw had streaks of gray, green, and lighter sandy colors kind of like poplar, but much more varied in color. I am watching a local century plant (our term for an Agave) that has put up a stalk and am planning to make a board out of it when it gets done flowering. They put up these huge beautiful stalks that have tiny yellow buds on the ends. The hummingbirds and honeybees go nuts over them. They put up the stalks very rarely so they are called "centuray plants" locally because they supposedly put up a stalk every 100 years. I'm sure that's not true, but I will say it's rare to see them. However, in the Bahamas I see them often, so apparently different species put them up more often than others. The stalks eventually dry up, fall over, and decay. Down here people use them for Christmas trees, so you have to get one when you find it.

Cheers,

Malcolm
www.schweizersurf.com

Check out my wood surfboard forum for more info on wood boards
www.schweizersurf.com/forum