The Basalt Board Project - Part 1
"I've had interest from all the eco board guys," says John Dowse from Sanded about the new basalt cloth, "that was to be expected. Yet a few older shapers, guys I never thought would take it up, have called me and ordered some." The attention his new product is receiving has taken John by surprise.
A few weeks back Swellnet wrote an article on basalt cloth. Developed by John and made by Colan Australia, it's an alternative to fibreglass cloth. Both basalt and fibreglass are made in a similar manner, each using an extracted mineral - silica for fibreglass, basalt for basalt, uh-huh - then heated and formed into malleable twine before being woven into cloth.
The differences are that, unlike silica, heating basalt uses less energy and it also releases no greenhouse gases. After all, basalt is volcanic rock so the noxious stuff was vented during eruption however many thousand years ago.
The other more noticeable difference is the colour. It's not clear like fibreglass, it's brown, and that limits the colour palette. In a recent discussion with Hayden Cox, who's been experimenting with basalt and flax, a combination that makes for black boards, he estimated he'd lose 90% of his customers if his boards were only offered in that colour. A similar result could be expected with brown boards.
On the flipside, the eco board makers love the colour as it gives an earthy feel and also compliments wooden boards wonderfully.
I'm not an eco board maker myself though I liked the colour of the basalt boards I'd seen, but more significantly I was curious about the concept. The last decade has seen a host of alternative materials hit the market, there's been all manner of foam blanks and resins to set the laminate, yet the options for cloth are limited. Carbon is hellishly expensive, innegra too, and while both hemp and flax are strong they require second coats of fibreglass to protect the cloth from fuzzing if it's hit with a sander.
Basalt presents a convincing case for a clean swap: it's the most abundant rock on Earth, the price point is the same as fibreglass, and it's apparently every bit as strong. So I ordered six metres of 4 ounce cloth and got to work.
Or rather, Stuart Paterson from Paterson surfboards got to work and I kept ringing him up and asking how much longer he'd be.
In the interim I spoke to Robbie from Soul Arch Surfboards on the NSW South Coast about his early experience with basalt. Robbie was an early adopter, teaming the basalt cloth with timber decks and panels for aesthetics, and digging the workability of the cloth.
"I actually think it's easier to work with than other cloths," says Robbie. "It wets out easily. And it has more tensile strength too."
The strength of the cloth became evident to Robbie while glassing an EPS blank. "I'd glassed the blank with basalt but the foam gassed out and created a delamination," explains Robbie. "There was nothing to do but strip the glass off the board." The cloth had been laid down 24 hours earlier and the resin was almost completely set.
"I pulled the glass up, but rather than come off in strips as fibreglass would, it lifted as one whole panel. The weave stayed together and I can only attribute that to its tensile strength."
"Basalt over timber rail stringers looks red hot!" - Robbie from Soul Arch blending the bronze tones of basalt with his timber flourishes
Meanwhile, ten phone calls and two weeks later, Pato had finished my board. It was an exact replica of the last three boards I'd had from him, the only difference being the cloth. I was keen to find out what difference, if any, there was in performance between the materials.
However, with forty years of industry experience I was also curious about Pato's thoughts on the cloth. How, I asked him, does basalt differ from fibreglass?
"It's brown," deadpanned Pato.
"Nothing else...?" I pressed him further.
"No. It wets out the same as 4 ounce fibreglass. Rolls around the rails the same. I guess sanding might be harder because any hits are visible on the laps. You wouldn't see that with clear glass."
We agreed that doing the second deck layer with fibreglass would fix that, and it would also keep the whole board the same colour. But that's not what this experiment was about, and anyway, the two tone colour appeals: bronze on the bottom and a deep, rich chestnut on the deck. The subtle imperfections in the weave, which is present in all cloths but only visible in coloured ones, adds to the aesthetic.
5'11" quad, PU foam, polyester resin, but basalt cloth, by Paterson Surfboards
I've yet to ride the board, yet to wax it in fact, but with swell on the way it won't be long till it's christened and I'll assess its performance. Other early adopters have told me not to expect any difference; it's apparently stronger than E-glass but rides the same as any other fibreglass board.
"It meets all the conditions for an alternative," says John Dowse. "It's just as strong, just as cheap, and just as easy to work with."
Because of this, John sees basalt cloth as being a stayer in the marketplace. "We've had various basalt rail tapes and mixed weaves and they've been popular, but this is the first time we've had full width cloth, and it's been selling really well."
Performance notwithstanding, the popularity of basalt cloth will ultimately hinge on acceptance of the colour. As Hayden Cox said, right now it would limit the sales reach, but fashion works in peculiar ways: what repelled us last year, attracts us the next.
Though for anyone indifferent to colour, or those who dig the complexion, basalt presents a workable alternative to fibreglass.
Ride report coming in a few weeks.
Comments
Wow, that look stunning.
Can't wait for the ride report.
I don't think it will ride better than normal glass. The dark colour is a problem as the board will heat up if left out in the sun.
Exotic, looks like rich dark walnut and it pops the logo really well, very nice.
looks amazing, as someone else said though, have to keep it out of the sun.
Did they glass the bottom first or the deck ?
Uv glass or catalyst.
What blank did they use ?
Hot coat, yes or no ?
Bro, they usually glass the bottom first. At least I do on mine anyway
Judging buy the bottom color, it looks like they glassed the deck first on this one,
looks like a cut lap. Pretty nice. I'd say 4oz bottom and 2 by 4oz deck hence the darker colour
Dunno.
Catalyst.
PU (South Coast Foam)
Yes.
Hey Stu, killer little asym you've got for yourself there. If you don't want to fuck up the aesthetics with a coat of wax, you could always set down some versa-traction patches from Mark Riley up in Cronulla. Having trialled it on one of my boards over the last couple of months, I can testify that it works pretty well.
Dumb question maybe regarding the colour but can it be sprayed a different colour? The board JJF was riding in that last clip was a yellowy green, assume that was sprayed that colour after starting out white?
Awesome love the colour, just tonal - the big boys would hate it not SHOUTING COLOUR AT YOU. I wonder if Josh is onto it for my assym? Cool shape too we will need vids of this one! Like the logo as well.
That logo is the shiz! Love the minimalism, not even label name. Who does that??
Less is more, wildenstein.
There's this stuff that could deal with the colour 'issue'...
... it's called Paint.
Used to have this black and blue ‘flower of life’ pattern Gary Mcneill. Wasn’t too bad winter / autumn but jeez when it got hot........took it on a trip to PNG and was wax just melted on it.
Looks unreal, I'm guessing you are a natural footer! Logo is reminiscent of Gary McNiels too!
Yep, natural footer. Long rail for toeside etc.
All your wax are belong to melt
but seriously I love this idea, seal the boards with rock that's far nicer on the environment, it's a winner
Pending on blank /
Sun/ heat is going to be an issue.
I have a board with the bottom sprayed grey and the thing is a nightmare in the sun . two minutes and I have to turn it over.
Then the wax on top starts melting .
If you see a guy at the beach flipping his board over and over and throwing in the shore break for no apparent reason .
That is me . LOL.
Good luck this summer Stu net.
Lets get an update mid December.
People say this, the wax will melt etc etc, but I'm struggling to think of the last time I sat on the beach, or even just in the sun, with my board.
I don't hang at the beach, don't tan myself, dont take an esky and settle in for the day. I run across the sand, surf, then run back across the sand and piss off home to do important stuff that I cant think of just now.
The rare times I'm on a boat the board goes into a board bag, same goes moto trips or bushwalks into the Nasho, and I also leave it in a bag at boardriders cos the groms all think my boards are weird.
At any rate I'll buy rock-hard base coat to be safe.
Not too worried about the wax. If you keep a board in the covers it should be ok . Ijust i had a board that i shaped then sprayed dark and that thing warped almost straight away,was a bigger board. ... but still.,,, in some areas the foam underneath actually shrunk.......
should be something to take note of.
Thanks Stu
The board looks unreal! Thank Patto for us.
I love how everyone is thinking wax melts, I mainly do the same as Stu, surf and then home but when i take the kids to the beach in summer I have left a basalt deck board on the beach for a few hours and the wax was similar to another board with carbon strips .. slightly melted in a few patches not much of a prob. We have a few basalt boards go to Indo and the owners said the wax melt was no more of an issue to a tinted board.. if you are worried about Wax melt just do one layer of basalt and a layer of glass on the deck and the colour is like an olive tint .
Heres what it looks like with one layer
Like the article said some people will love it and some will hate it as its different to the norm.
We are looking to do a basalt/flax hybrid cloth soon so this will also lighten up the colour
Loving these earthy colours guys keep them coming.
Stu
About that Patterson board. I want one.....2-6ft performance style thingy. Is that what that board is crafted for? I have seen the radical asym shapes but that one seems conventional with just the lengthened rails. What's the pro's and con's? Also, did you order through Patto in the US? It looks so rad!
Yeah, it's a high performance board for that size range. I don't consider it a boutique or hipster board, it's supremely functional.
If you look close, the fin clusters are offset the same amount the tail is, but the board is symmetrical up to the fins. I guess you could keep the fins all the same and just have the lengthened rail, there'd still be an effect.
Toeside the board rides completely normal, no changes whatsoever, but heelside there's a bit more pivot and turn cos the rail is shorter and the fins are further up the board. Pros are lightning fast backside bottom turns, and also the ability to alter any heelside turn (forehand off the top for example) mid-carve if you get the weighting wrong, or if the wave changes shape on you.
I haven't found any cons. A friend who got one didn't like how quick the board will come around on backside bottom turns, he likes to lean in and really feel the resistance, but for mine the pros far outweigh that shortcoming.
I only ride them up to about 6ft. After that you place your turns further apart which nullifies the lightning quick response, though there may be other asymmetrical theories that work in big waves. I haven't gone there myself.
Had a few of them now. Two from Chris Garrett, and a handful from Pato at Cronulla: http://swllnt.com/29E7rrj
Sold! Cheers Stu
Part way through putting my agave blank together- bigger process than first thought. I have 8m of 4oz basalt cloth but plan on using only a single layer on the deck and bottom. Using Super Sap epoxy ... any “tips” on pitfalls to look out for?
SurfStarved made an agave board last year, and John from Sanded may be able to help with the laminating. Hopefully they call by again soon.
"Basalt ...the most abundant rock on Earth...the price point the same as fibreglass?"
Volcanoes shape Surf hubs...GC WSR formed by Largest in Southern Hemisphere.
Volcanoes erupt Basalt...However Hawaii is Coastal (hot)vs GC Continental.(Less Hot)
Focal Peak/Tweed Volcanoes erupted 5 times with Silica-Rhyolite layering the Basalt.
Deposits of Basalt did flow rivers high & low to Headlands then lava tubing Reefs.
https://www.calderawildscapes.org/uploads/1/8/1/4/18141597/green_cauldro...
Saltwater crew celebrate festivals at sacred monumental Headlands & Sentinels.
They storyline each climactic event by creatures of time & place & weather by caves
Their Quarries of Basalt give rise to Bora Rings & tools again sacred with ceremony.
Black Bean (Basalt)Trail leads to Bunya Festival. Basalt Heads weave sea eagle song.
New arrivals displaced Saltwater crew from river mouths then Quarried Basalt caves.
Next the Central Point was Quarried to secure River Mouth Trade.
Society settled & reserved Basalt Headlands & ridge lines too difficult to Quarry.
National Parks & Beach Headland Basalt reserves remain off limits for all reason.
Graffiti covered sacred Monuments, soon drones would dump funeral ashes over all.
No machinery or Roads can access the Basalt outcrops...forget it!
Seawalls soon Groynes destroyed & exhausted former Aboriginal Basalt Quarries.
Examples: Reedy Creek / Tugun / Terranora ..
By 1980's Basalt was a depleted resource in Surf City.
Seaway was mostly an onsite concrete plant blocks with Basalt Rock cushioning.
Spotters tipped off truckies to roll rocks down Tamborine & tumble thru town.(I got it!)
Sausage Groynes/Reefs along with Greywacke rocks then & soon NSW likewise.
file:///C:/Users/Owner/Downloads/W20181144-FINAL-Coastal-Hazard-Management-Study-Byron-Bay-Embayment-WRL-Technical-Report-201328-23-March-2016.pdf
Page 27 Availability of Materials
Large Basalt / Rocks are limited...Concrete/Textiles & (Retreat) are now considered.
Of near Quarries considered at 'Ballina', the explosions & run off impact fish breeding.
Oddly Dolphins never populate up Richmond River as far as nearby watercourses...
https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/news/media-releases/2016/epamedia16101104
Pause! That's a pretty rough history & rocky future for Surfers to wade into.
Today Bora rings & graves further a field are destroyed for present Basalt Quarries.
https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/2016/07/19/human-remains-present-at-...
Basalt Reserves & who gets the good stuff.
'Geological survey of Queensland' ..."No major deposits left!"
All current 'level sites' (mine) Basalt deeper with greater cost
Local / quality Basalt is a finite resource in high demand as so the price will soar.
Big Volcano Reserves...
Note: Terranora has 20% of deep reserve. (50/50) No Trucks in residential zone?
2043 Kyogle
2045 Tuckombil /Stokers (Ballina)
2050 Cryna (Beaudesert)
2056 Tevan (Ballina)
2110 *Bromelton (Beaudesert) Rail siding > Oz Govt Rail < > Oz Ports +Syd' orders.
A Large Bromelton Basalt seam measures 65m x 35m
Basically only *Bromelton (quality)+Tevan limited supplies for Council seawalls of size.
Culture destroyed for Maritime + surfers sucking rivers dry for wave pools.
WSL build then vacate Surf Cities to trawl comp pollution over last Marine Park sites.
Do surfers now brand unsustainable resource further from Surf Mall & to save who!
If Basalt, then would not isolated Hawaii have to jet all Surfboards to ends of world.
tbb salutes less Surfer's pollution & admits Basalt has much potential...Somewhere!
TBB there is no shortage of Basalt in Victoria. We have one of the largest volcanic plains in the world and its called the western district. Goes for Melbourne nearly to the South Australian border.
Western Plains are 3rd largest in the world x 400 volcanoes as recent as 7,200 yrs.
Similar but more lively Aboriginal stories & Basalt Tool Quarries...
Goldie had exhausted Basalt...so tbb knew it ruled us out as Basalt Surf Hub!
Hawaii Surf City was a no brainer but Vic Surf City Basalt would also do nicely...
Eco Cred! Abundant poorer Basalt also crushes to replace short supply Coral/Sand.
My apologies memlasurf Vic Surf Coast is also a major Surfboard Hub.
Sydney rails Qldurr's Basalt as they're too good for rich Vic Basalt.
Gold Coast offers up 1st apology for stealing posh 'Surf City' name from Torquay.
GC had a few GC 1980's Car Dealers,Buses,Removals branding 'Surf City'.
Torquay shapes Basalt City Surf Boards > Goldie stickers Surf City Basalt Boards
Soul Arch Surfboards - plenty of basalt to see in that area. They reckon the caldera stretched some 70kms.
Tweed & Focal Peak Calderas are huge yes!
However all the 'loose visual' basalt boulders that we see are not for sale. Basalt Headlands & Foreshores / Mountain outcrops are all N.P.s.
As mentioned this Basalt can't be accessed by Trucks up Mountainous fire trails.
This is not a white rock quarry...Dark Hard Rock basalt needs huge explosives. Explosions spread over 3 months maybe twice a year then sorted.
Fed/State govt's larger electorates take the envelope for odd Hinterland Quarries. They stand back & watch Corp Quarry vs Council / Nimbies battle it out. Councillors have no choice than to stand up for larger % of Council electorate.
tbb's-Reedy Creek closing one + State approved Boral site knocked back by GCCC. Terranora also closed one & Readymix scaled back to one fifth the size in limbo. Hinterland hillside communities will fight to the death to keep Quarries away. Understand all Hinterland quarry trucks must pass by School & thru the town.
Any Quarry explosions near a Creek or River or Forest cloaks native wildlife. Explosions rattle Fish & bird eggs loose & tbb mentioned Dolphin / Bat (Sound) Bigger explosion suffocating the water surface or cloaking pollen...starving life.
Only permitted Basalt reserves are the said Boring rings on outskirts of town. Qld/Nsw border Basalt Quarries are all now 4-5 kms from Towns / N.P's / Airports. Local supplies are limited until it's environmentally safe & sound to extract Basalt. Water water everywhere & not a drop to drink (Same deal applies to town Basalt)
This site is a good summary-regional Map by those in the game.
https://www.quarrymagazine.com/Article/2249/Geological-sources-of-quarry...
Basalt as water force is rock solid.- Basalt under water pressure? Qld Govt recall on steel shelled...('25mm thick' Basalt lined Pipe 'Y Junction') @ 1100kPa...No spoiler...(Just stand back for photo...allow a 50m view shed). Qld Mines have The Basalt Ding Doctor on speed dial.
https://www.dnrme.qld.gov.au/business/mining/safety-and-health/alerts-an...
OK thanks TBB. Basalt certainly is hard, on the NSW south coast its exposed in a few spots on the coast, not boulders but solid platforms, they host a couple of the best waves on the east coast, its a good thing they can't touch it. Given the apparent Caldera size (word of mouth) I would have thought it would have extended a fair way inland as well, probably too much cover to make it economical to mine or little demand for it.
A+ TBB !
Interesting, surely whoever is right can improve from surfers using fibreglass..gotta be a chemical, toxic fuckaround that benefits none of us average joes
@stunet,
you running bigger toe side fins yet?
Nah, haven't gone down that rabbit hole...yet.
Mr Monk would never get an asym. And either would I
Open your mind, or is that why your are a DK?
My mind is open. A famous shaper once said "If it looks good it'll generally go good" and, my friend, asyms look shit, ergo.......Apart from that I have my reasons. And I'll leave it at that.
Just checked a friends new out a esp board hemp fibre / bio resin.
Seemed a little heavier than usual.
Had basalt stringer strips also.
Thats fair enough DK, enough said. Enjoy your glide.
Thanks will do. You too.
Things of stone and wood!
This board was made by Robbie from Soul Arch - mentioned in the above article - for David Marshall and has an EPS blank with wooden parabolic rails, the deck is skinned with reused cedar veneer, and the bottom and rails are wrapped with basalt cloth. The fin cluster has two layers of basalt.
Easy to see how basalt is a functional and aesthetically pleasing match for boards with wooden panels. It doesn't carry extra weight, has a touch more strength than E-glass while costing the same, and it looks damn good too.
Well Stu, as you said it looks dame good and the same weight as other eps boards, it hasn’t been ridden yet but once it’s been in the water i will get back to you with a review.
Please do, David. I rode my basalt board yesterday and it went great. Didn't feel any different to fibreglass boards the same shape which is what I was hoping for.
Also, John from Sanded just posted this photo of a customer's board, foam and fibreglass snapped but the basalt tape intact.
Cheap board in basalt cloth on gumtree.
Hypto Krypto copy by the look of it.
https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/burleigh-heads/surfing/custom-surfboard-...
A couple of companion sites...swellnet recently showcased old school Colan.
http://www.colan.com.au/surfcraft/news/surfabout/
Sanded
http://www.colan.com.au/surfcraft/news/colan-blog-sanded/
colanaustralia PICANO is like a giant shrine to Oz cloth masters...re (Basalt Cloth)
Plenty of alternate shapes going on here...anything goes...well worth a look!
https://picnano.com/tags/colanaustralia
US Bioflex Surfboard Promo...presents Basalt Cloth in a Natural 3 piece suit?
https://www.solidsurfco.com/bioflex
Twiggy Baker and his basalt gun, made by Mike Wallace at Iconoclast:
Basalt Edge