ECOBOARDS
Our ongoing quest is to develop the highest performing Directional Surf and Foil Kiteboards on the market while reducing our environmental impact. As an industry first, we have teamed up with Sustainable Surf to develop a full line of Directional Surf and Foil Kiteboards that comply with and exceed the Ecoboard fundamentals of:
- A measurably reduced carbon footprint
- Renewable, recycled and/or up-cycled material inputs
- Optimizing materials and processes that reduce toxicity during manufacturing
BIO RESIN
Bio Resin Systems reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 50% over conventional petroleum-based epoxies. These resin systems replace petroleum-based raw materials with renewable plant-based materials.
Wherever possible the raw materials used in Bio Resins are co-products or waste products of industrial processes, which do not compete with food sources or displace food-based agriculture. Along with the environmental benefits, epoxy bio-resin offers 3.5% to 4.5% tensile elongation at failure compared to 1% to 2% for typical polyester resins. Polyester resins are also more toxic during the lamination and are avoided wherever possible.
EPS CORE
As a base material for our surfboard cores, EPS can be easily recycled during manufacture and afterward, whilst less harmful to produce. At the same time, the EPS core is typically lighter, allowing us to put a tougher outside skin onto the board to increase the lifespan. EPS requires an epoxy skin, and typically epoxy resin has five times the strength of polyester because of its molecular bonding.
ALTERNATE SANDWICH MATERIALS
Sandwich constructions create a stronger skin while requiring less cloth and resin. In addition, we have explored ways to optimize the materials used on the sandwich construction. Featured in our Reflex Bamboo surf range, the bamboo sandwich is a non-toxic, renewable material that displaces a substantial amount of the cloth and resin typically used to make a board.
Featured in our Reflex Carbon surf range, Gurit® Corecell™ is a structural foam core material using a SAN polymer base, featuring high toughness and impact resistant characteristics. It offers very reliable processing without outgassing, and the base materials are PVC free, as opposed to traditional sandwich materials.
ALTERNATIVE LAMINATES
Alternatives to glass and carbon are still in their development stages with Flax emerging as a viable alternative to the glass fiber. Flax offers nearly 50% better performance in tensile elongation than regular glass and when exposed to pressure perpendicular to its length direction, a Flax yarn has the tendency to maintain its round cross-section.
This is a great advantage over glass or carbon yarns that tend to flatten out due to the sliding of the fibers constituting the yarns. These mechanical properties are combined with significant environmental benefits; Flax has a third of the carbon footprint of glass or carbon.
REFLEX BAMBOO
Originally developed as our most sustainable construction, the Reflex Bamboo combines incredible flex with a durable sandwich outer layer, making it ideal for the rider looking for a bombproof and reliable performance construction.
The unique bamboo top deck progressive flex is achieved through a variable orientation, where the nose area features a longitudinally oriented bamboo section, the center section a 45-degree bias, and the tail section a horizontal orientation.
Using the same medium density core as our Custom Epoxy construction, but have removed the traditional wood stringer and have added a flex bamboo sandwich layer and an additional longitudinally oriented bamboo center panel on the bottom deck.
To top this off we include a UD Flax rail, which strengthens the rail section while improving impact resistance. UD Flax offers nearly 50% better performance in tensile elongation than regular glass, with significantly improved environmental credentials.
The Reflex Bamboo shapes do not have foot strap inserts. If you use the new AK stick on straps, insert positions are indicated on the board.
REFLEX CARBON INNEGRA
In our quest to develop the lightest performance surfboard on the market with increased flex and response, we introduced the Reflex Carbon Innegra construction. The first key ingredient is our flyweight core where the unique molding process creates an extremely light core, less than half the weight of a traditional surf core, but with a dense outer skin created through a specific molded core for each board size.
The second key ingredient is our tough Corecell sandwich layer on the top and bottom skin. This unique material keeps the top and bottom deck from buckling while preserving the flex characteristics. We also don’t sandwich the rail, which enhances the flex further.
The final outer skin comprises of a Biaxial Carbon fiber bottom deck and a unique Biaxial Carbon Innegra top deck. This fanatical use of biaxial fibers results in an extremely high-performance skin that enables the board to flex significantly while still being extremely durable and responsive.
The Reflex Carbon shapes do not have foot strap inserts. If you use the new AK stick on straps, insert positions are indicated on the board.
View the range here: Surf Series
