Last project, I noticed some people are very interested in a flexible,Vanguard like CF deck. Also,I am very curious to see if it’s even possible.
Ideas.
1)No Concave/Curved edges: It gives only stiffness(0 flex before). It 'll be flat.
2)No Core materials: Adding air(Foam) possibly causes a stress inside over time from the flex.
3)Using only Carbon Fiber layers with Resin. It’s going to be heavy,possibly more than a wood deck.
8 Layers of Non Crimp Carbon Fiber 24k 18oz/ 610gsm
4 Layers of Carbon Fiber Fabric Quadaxial 90/+45/-45/0 Degree 12k 815gsm
4 Layers of Carbon Fiber Cloth Fabric Veil Chopped Mat .20oz 7gsm
Pros:More durable, last longer. (Example: Trampa style) adding more layers as you desire for stiffness.
Cons:More cost and weight(expecting twice heavier than 5mm CF deck)
Non Crimp Carbon Fiber 50" 24k 18oz/ 610gsm is a fabric essentially made of two layers of uni directional carbon fiber stitched together at 0°/90° The deck will bend in one direction most of time this will add stiffness effectively.
Possible problem:
The resin can flow over the top but the bottom laminate lags a long way behind due to the tight packing and slow wet out of the unidirectional carbon fiber.
Carbon Fiber Cloth Fabric Veil Chopped Mat 35.5" .20oz 7gsm
wow, you are quick, everything done and sanded - really beautiful and looks quite like a vanguard! for a cruiser and the chamber its probably too stiff though - when you stand on the vanguard, the camber levels out and you wobble away around that point. its like negative travel on car/motorbike suspension!
this work you do is so precious for all of us - i knew the hardest part would not be to build just any carbon board, but to get the mold and flex right!
@MasterCho This is a fantastic thread, thank you for documenting your progress … I’m learning a lot from it. I have a few questions, if you have the time …
How many plies did you end up doing? At the start you said you were thinking of doing 8 plies (4 Layers of Carbon Fiber Fabric Quadaxial 90/+45/-45/0 Degree 12k 815gsm, and 4 Layers of Carbon Fiber Cloth Fabric Veil Chopped Mat .20oz 7gsm). Is this what you ended up doing?
How thick did the board end up being? Looks like it’s close to you initial estimate of 9mm - 10mm.
Do you think it’s heavier than an equivalent 8 ply wooden board? I guess most of the weight is the epoxy, but it’s hard to imagine it being heavier than a wooden board.
Thanks again for sharing your experiments with us!
Yes, it went with the plan. It’s 9mm thick 42 "long.
Yes, it’s heavy as I expected, twice heavier than a wood deck. I wanted to try “The vacuum press(thin plastic bag)vs The machine press(Trampa)” to see if there is any weight difference, I suspect that the machine press might be squeezing more resin out to make it lighter but an adequate resin needs to be fed in order to achieve the strength and so on.
During the infusion process, I noticed that way more resin had been fed than I thought it would be, and thought the electric vacuum pump wasn’t able to handle the thickness,but the outcome is rather satisfying.
CF 9mm 42"long deck stiff weight 2.5kg(5.5lbs)
Tampa 35"long deck weight (2.2 to 2.5kg)
@onloop they are using some kind of fiber-reinforced cloth(possibly woven fiberglass cloth) but definitely not carbon otherwise it gets too expensive to make for the thickness.
Time to update.
I have been looking for an alternative materials to duplicate the flex that achieved with full/pure carbon materials but to reduce the cost and weight. I think I found the solution.
Thanks for the tip from@KMeyerson that going with Hybrid option using bamboo veneer.
Initially, I was little worried that wood could get wet with resin and becomes hard solid wood but once I got the piece, noticed that bamboo seems very high density wood so it shouldn’t be a problem with one layer of clear coat to prevent it.
works as always and don’t have to polish 