It Floats

After a surprising number of delays, Nina's new wing board finally hit the water today at Barnstable Harbor. Despite multiple rounds of epoxy coating, the board floated! I think it really helps that epoxy is lighter than salt water. On the other hand, Nina was able to carry the board to the water without being utterly exhausted, so perhaps it's not quite that heavy. Well, I did spent many hours sanding it, so maybe I removed a lot of that epoxy again, after all!

Fortunately, Nina had not problem wing foiling on the board, either, and actually like it. I think she did have problems seeing the board in the original foam blocks when we bought them at the local Home Depot, and ended up a bit surprised they ended up as a functional board. Here are a couple of pictures:

The board is unpainted; the colors are just a bit of pigment added to the top layer. This leaves the glass layer semi-transparent, so you can see every little issue underneath. Leaving the board this way should help us spotting any issues (like delamination) before they become a major problem. Perhaps more importantly, it also let Nina use the board a few days earlier.

The board is about 80 to 85 liters, 5 feet 5 inches long, and 26 1/2 inches wide. The weight is and shall forever remain unknown. The color scheme (with the foil) reflects the nationality of builder and rider :-)