Kevlar Honeycomb Core Verses Foam Core

We have incorporated a Kevlar Honeycomb core (Nomex) into your hollow carbon surfboard instead of a foam core (polystyrene or urethane) for a number of different reasons.and it is these reasons that make Blackboards market leaders in the manufacture of your next carbonfibre surfboard



1. Nomex doesn’t deteriorate over time when flexed.

2. Nomex allows concave without creating tension.

3. Nomex doesn’t suffer pressure dings like foam.





1. Nomex doesn’t deteriorate over time when flexed.

All foam whether it is polystyrene, urethane or high density PVC is made up of tiny little spheres all jammed together into a blank, which is then shaped using an electric plainer (old school) or a CNC router (more modern but still not state of the art). This blank is then shaped to the desired dimensions and then glassed. As this board flexes the top layer of glass is under compression load and the bottom is under tension load, and the foam in the middle is under both tension and compression. As this compression and tension continues over time the tiny little spheres start to separate from each other and the result is delamination, then… Snap!

We believe that you deserve more for your money than this and have therefore decided to ditch the foam core in favour of a core that has superior flex properties.

This type of core is made up of small vertical cells (3mm) in the shape of honeycomb. The wall of the cell is made of Kevlar and the centre of the cell is nothing but air! The benefit of this core over foam is that it is ultra flexible (see pics) and therefore doesn’t receive the same compression and tension loads that the foam does. As a result, it doesn’t deteriorate over time like foam. This type of core lets the fibres do the work of taking the load, and this is why we have chosen to use this superior core for a superior board.

2. Nomex allows concave without creating tension.



The cores are formed in moulds, they are only 5mm thick and very flexible and therefore can not be shaped in the old fashioned way. When the core is vacuumed into the mould the concave naturally forms as the rocker is formed.

This is beneficial as it doesn’t create tension in the core.

when glassing a surfboard in the traditional manner it builds tension in the core. This tension is the reason the foam core starts to deteriorate and break away from the glass as soon as the board is flexed, and is the reason glass boards loose that fresh feel after about 6 months of use!!

Black boards have a hollow centre with an outer laminate of ‘fibre/core/fibre’. This laminate is only 5mm thick with a 0.25mm skin of fibre each side. Both top and bottom laminates (deck and hull) are supported by stringers just like the wing of a plane (space shuttle) or the hull of a boat (Americas Cup / Volvo Ocean race yachts).

The benefit of having a deck laminate separate from the hull laminate is you don’t get the same tension and compression stress that is found in a surfboard made with foam. This characteristic (the hollow board) means that the board stays responsive for a long period of time.

Your new Blackboard doesn’t have internal tension in its core and this means the fibres are doing the work and not the core, so you can continue ripping after 6 months and not be grovelling like your mates!!

The combination of the carbonfibre set at 90˚ and 0˚,the core with vertical cell walls and the ribbon running the length of the board and the glassfibre set at +45˚and -45˚ means the board has formula one type technology and will have the speed and perfomance that is characteristic of this combination



Carbon fibre surfboards ARE what they claim to be!!

Just make sure you ride a Black board!

3. Nomex doesn’t suffer pressure dings like foam.



The vertical cell wall structure of the honeycomb core acts like thousands of little vertical walls or beams, providing greater pressure resistance. When pressure is applied to the surface of foam the result is pressure dings. This happens because the tiny little spheres that make up the structure of foam collapse and get compressed. After this happens repetitively, as is the case with surfing foam boards, the glass becomes dinged and the result is yet again… Snap! You are then back to square one again looking for another board while your broken one will be polluting the play ground we all want to protect!!!

The rails of Black carbon surfboards are fibre taped BOTH inside and outside. This creates a parabolic rail far superior to single taped parabolic rails, turning the weakest part of the board into the STRONGEST. At the same time creating a type of suspension that converts the energy you apply to the board directly into speed.



You will never get this type of rail on other boards, as you need to have a hollow board to be able to have the inner tape. This type of rail system means IT WON’T CRACK while under normal use like the other hollow carbon boards!

We have moved Surfboard manufacturing in to the 21st century!



Isn’t it time to use new technology in manufacturing your new surfboard?