Boards
Foiling
Boards
If you see a board you like, but the dimensions are not exactly what you are looking for - give us a call!
We are more than happy to build you a custom board to your exact specification.
Why Carbon Longboard?
A light EPS Epoxy Longboard has many performance advantages over standard PU surfboards. The saving in weight, better quality resin and in some cases the use of small amounts of carbon fibre reinforcements have a huge effect on the board’s responsiveness to the rider’s input. It also aids in the board’s ability to perform radical moves. Unfortunately, this all has a trade-off: lightweight EPS epoxy boards are not very durable. They very quickly pick up pressure dings under normal use and are prone to snapping if they are made too light. Most EPS boards do not use stringers to keep the weight down, but this also compromises the board’s strength and makes it more prone to snapping. For the regular high-performance surfer, this is a problem that results in having to replace their board twice a year due to normal wear and tear.
For the past 3 years, we have been working hard to come up with a solution. We have designed and built many different prototype boards and tested them to destruction. Our goal is to design a laminate spec for Long Boards that are of the lightest on the market, but are strong, without compromising desirable flex -reflex characteristics and are very resistant to pressure dings.
The result? The most durable, lightest, strongest performance board on the market.
Carbon Sandwich Surf Board technology.
Our Carbon boards make use of the latest technological developments in the composites industry, as well as the latest manufacturing processes used to build premium lightweight Carbon Sandwich Construction Surf Boards. We have extensively built, tested and refined our laminate spec and build process, to produce the lightest strongest boards that do not pick up pressure dings under normal surfing conditions.
Our Carbon Surfboards are built using a very lightweight expanded polystyrene blank (EPS) with a High-Density PVC stringer. Once shaped we lay down ultra-light aircraft grade E glass and strategically place unidirectional and biaxial carbon fibre, to provide unmatched strength and desirable flex/ reflex characteristics. We then lay down a layer of 3mm high-density PVC core and place the board into a vacuum bag to consolidate all the layers. Once cured, we remove the board from the vacuum bag, clean her up and do the final shaping by hand on all the complex geometry.
Once this has taken place, we add inserts with extra carbon reinforcing and wrap the entire board in off-axis +- 45 biaxial carbon fibre. This adds huge strength, without compromising the desirable flex- reflex characteristics that generate huge amounts of speed and drive. The board is then placed into a vacuum bag to consolidate all the layers of material and remove excess resin, following which it is placed in a temperature-controlled environment to post cure the resin and finish the composite structure. This whole process takes 20 hours of hands-on labour and care and attention to detail, to provide you with the best board on the market.
The Carbon Advantage?
The carbon fibre board is an ultra-light, strong performance board, highly resistant to pressure dings and with unmatched flex reflex performance.
The light EPS Epoxy surfboard has many performance advantages over standard PU surfboards. The saving in weight, better quality resin and in some cases the use of small amounts of carbon fibre reinforcements have a huge effect on the board’s responsiveness to the rider’s input. It also aids in the board’s ability to perform radical moves. Unfortunately, this all has a trade-off: Lightweight EPS epoxy boards are not very durable. They quickly pick up pressure dings under normal use and are prone to snapping if they are made too light. Most EPS boards do not use stringers to keep weight down, but this also compromises the board strength and makes the board more prone to snapping. For the regular high-performance surfer, this is a problem that results in having to replace their board twice a year due to normal wear and tear.
For the past 3 years, we have been working hard to come up with a solution. We have designed and built many different prototype boards and tested them to destruction. Our goal is to design a laminate spec for surfboards that, although are of the lightest on the market, they are strong, without compromising desirable flex-reflex characteristics and being very resistant to pressure dings.
Carbon Sandwich Surf Board technology.
Our Carbon boards make use of the latest technological developments in the composites industry and the latest manufacturing processes used to build premium lightweight Carbon Sandwich Construction Surf Boards. We have extensively built, tested and refined our laminate spec and build process, to produce the lightest, strongest boards on the market, that do not pick up pressure dings under normal surfing conditions.
Our Carbon Surfboards are built using a very lightweight expanded polystyrene blank (EPS) with a High-Density PVC stringer. Once shaped, we lay down ultra-light aircraft grade E glass and strategically place unidirectional and biaxial carbon fibre, to provide unmatched strength and desired flex-reflex characteristics. We then lay down a layer of 3mm high-density PVC core and place the board into a vacuum bag to consolidate all the layers. Once cured, we remove the board from the vacuum bag, clean it up and do the final shaping by hand on all the complex geometry.
Once this has taken place, we add inserts with extra carbon reinforcing and wrap the entire board in off-axis +- 45 biaxial carbon fibre. This adds great strength to the board, without compromising the desirable flex-reflex characteristics that generate huge amounts of speed and drive. The board is then placed into a vacuum bag to consolidate all the layers of material and remove excess resin. This is followed by placing it in a temperature-controlled environment to post cure the resin and finish the composite structure. This whole process takes 18 hours of hands-on labour, care and attention, to detail to provide you with the best boards on the market.
Our Wood sandwich boards make use of the more traditional manufacture processes where cost is of more importance that having the lightest board on the water. Having said this, due to cleaver laminate spec calculations and build processes, our Wood sandwich boards are lighter than equivalent spec boards on the market.
All Zeal Surf products are designed, made and tested in Cape Town South Africa. We have the added advantage of manufacturing our own boards in a hand-made, low volume environment where we can pay special attention to the build and quality of the product.
Our Epoxy Tech boards are built using slightly denser expanded polystyrene blank (EPS) in comparison to our Carbon tech boards, this offers a more robust final product with a slight added weight penalty. The blank is shaped using a computer numerical controlled (CNC) machine with an accuracy of up to 1mm.
We laminate the fin boxes and leash plug into the board using biaxial carbon fiber for added strength and weight savings. From there we Lay down 2 layers of E-glass on the bottom and have a wood sandwich construction (sustainable sourced 0.6mm bamboo veneer) on the deck.
The veneer not only add a huge amount of strength and impact resistance especially in the standing area, it also gives the board a beautiful wood finish that complements the classic flowing lines of the board. The board is then placed into a vacuum bag to consolidate all the layers of material and remove excess resin, following which the board is placed in a temperature-controlled environment to post cure the resin and finish the composite structure.
Our Carbon boards make use of the latest technological developments and manufacturing processes used to build premium light weight Carbon Sandwich construction paddle boards. Leaning on our extensive composite experience, we took those build processes and tailored and refined them to meet our expectations in performance, weight and durability for all our Zeal Surf products.
We carefully calculated our laminate specifications to enhance the desirable flex-reflex characteristics of our boards and underwent further refinements through prototype testing until we had a product that exceeds international standard, and of which we are proud to put our name on.
All Zeal Surf products are designed, made and tested in Cape Town South Africa. We have the added advantage of manufacturing our own boards in a hand-made, low volume environment where we can pay special attention to the build and quality of the product.
Our Carbon Sandwich boards are built using a very light weight expanded polystyrene blank (EPS) that is shaped using a computer numerical controlled (CNC) machine with an accuracy of up to 1mm. Once shaped, we lay down strategically, placed high quality light weight glass and carbon fiber reinforcing then wrap the deck, hull and rails with a 3mm high density PVC core that has excellent shear properties in composite construction with great impact resistance. We then wrap the entire boards in off axis +- 45 biaxial carbon fiber. This adds huge strength to the board, without compromising the desirable flex- reflex characteristics that generate huge amounts of speed and drive.
We use Carbon Fiber for all our reinforcing: this provides unmatched strength and weight savings. The board is then placed into a vacuum bag to consolidate all the layers of material and remove excess resin, following which the board is placed in a temperature-controlled environment to post cure the resin and finish the composite structure.
Simon started his Composite career in 2011 when he was 22 years old. He was chosen along with 22 other hopefuls who passed a entry exam to be trained in the art of composites to manufacture multi megawatt wind turbine blades and at local R 100 000 000 start-up called Izivunguvungu Wind Energy Converter.
This was where Ian and Simon Met. Simon stood out from the pack in his passion eagerness to learn and quality of work and attention to detail. Unfortunately, I-WEK was eventually liquidated, and this is when ian and Simon Parted ways. Simon found his new passion in composites and decided to continue to peruse a career in the industry securing contract and permanent employment at industry leading board building composites such as Robertson & Caine.
During this time Ian was already underway building Zeal surf into a stable and successful business slowly scaling it up from his moms Garage into the company that it is today. Eventually the time came for Ian to add to the staff complement and due to his experience with Simon and his character he was naturally the first person who he had in mind to help him build Zeal Surf together.
Simon is currently attending leadership courses and Life Style In Action in order to further his natural leadership abilities so that he can eventual fulfil his dream and step into the factory management position as Zeal continues to grow.
Ian likes to think that he is behind the quality of the Zeal products, but this is actually all thanks to Simon, his passion and dedication to leadership and excellence. Ian only helps clean when needed ?
Hi, my name is Lyndon Read.
I’m a 4’10” bare foot little man. Iv been making water crafts from the age of 16 and am now at the age of 44 and still making watercrafts. I am old school hand shaper and specialize in Retro style loge’s and Single fins / Twin fins.
Over the last years I have gained valued experience and further developed my Retro surf passion by working for Anton Butler, Dave van Ginkel, Dave Stubbs Al Brown and a bunch of other brands in South Africa as a ghost shaper.
Ian Approached me with a idea of creating a 10 foot bamboo veneer single fin log style in Stand Up Paddle Board, I was intrigued by this idea and helped Zeal Surf developed there new Log using my retro design influence that I have developed over the past 28 years of shaping. If interested in the other retro boards that I shape you can contact me via my Face Book Page. www.facebook.com/lyndonsurf.
Until then, See you on the water.
I lived and grew up in Muizenberg, on the False Bay coastline, learning to surf there as a child, soon progressing on to the more powerful Atlantic side of the Cape Peninsular as a teenager.
I learned how to use fiberglass with the Sea Scouts and started to do my own ding repairs from my very first board. The book “Surfing in South Africa” had a detailed chapter on how to make your own surfboard, from design to shaping, glassing and finishing. I was a keen craftsman already and having learned to glass, I was confident that it could be worth a try. I was about fourteen years old at the time, and completely shaped, glassed and sanded to a fine finish my first board. While it was sort of made ok, it did not perform fantastically, and it took a few more shapes over the years to get better. By the time I was seventeen years old, I’d accomplished fifth place in the Western Cape Interschools Surfing Championships on a board that I’d shaped myself for maximum performance.
I did a job shadowing program with Pierre De Villiers, of then “Pacific Dream” surfboards, and was not only inspired to become a surfboard shaper, but had my mind opened to big wave surfing in Cape Town. As I learned more about boards ranging from six foot shortboards, to seven foot bigger wave guns, to eight, nine and ten footers, also expanding my wave riding to bigger, faster, hollower and deeper water, so also my passion for understanding board design grew.
Having frequently read the design articles in “Surfer” magazine, I was inspired by some discussions of the narrow boards used at Pipeline in Hawaii. After much detailed research I designed an experimental board focused on tube riding only. While compromising on manoeuvrability, the results were fantastic in deep barrels. Hallelujah
Later I was also inspired and influenced by a book on Viktor Schauberger, an Austrian Scientist who did comprehensive research in spiral reduction water flow energy, and this opened my mind to a whole new world of hydrodynamics.
Having worked for many years on racing yachts, also sailing in dinghies and windsurfing, I started to understand water flow and the quest for speed from another whole new angle. I was then better able to compare the differences to more clearly understand surfboard hydrodynamics. Sailing yachts at the top end, have progressed in leaps and bounds over the years, with the most high-performance trimarans sailing faster than the wind on advanced hydrofoils.
Recently inspired by working with Ian from Zeal Composites, and learning the beauty of the Shape 3D software, I’m excited by the possibility of taking surfboard performance to the level of progression to which sailing has already developed. With better dynamic flex characteristics, inherent properties of carbon fiber, tougher and lighter composite sandwich lamination, and maximum analytical research into hydrodynamic shapes using the vast information on the Internet and the ability to explore all the variables more fluently using computer aided design, all those hours, days and years spent in the ocean water, riding waves and gaining real experience, can now be used to follow the dream to advance wave riding equipment as extensions of our amphibiously created bodies.
Ian’s love for the ocean started when he was 5 years old, when his grandfather took him for his first sailing trip in False Bay. This ignited his love and interest for water sports and over the years he has had a keen interest in surfing, sailing, windsurfing, open water swimming, surf skiing, and off shore yacht racing.
At 20 Ian started his career, working for the world’s leading yacht mast manufacturers, learning about high tech carbon composites and all the cutting-edge manufacturing processes to date. This ignited his passion for high tech composite technology and led him to pursue a career in the field. At 21 Ian was called up to join Team Shosholoza to represent South Africa in there 2007 America’s Cup challenge campaign. This was an amazing experience, exposing him to the latest “Formula 1” level of composite technology, firmly routing him in his career choice. Since then Ian has been involved in and worked for several different companies in the marine, sports, retail, tourism, and renewable energy industry in South Africa, Europe and Mexico, where he has assumed leading roles in manufacturing, research and development in products and processes.
In 2014, Ian decided to pursue his dream to start his own business in the composite industry, Zeal Composites. The aim is to manufacture carbon and glass fiber components for the sports, marine, automotive, medical, aeronautical and military industries. Ian is also part time lecturer at SARETEC (South African Renewable Energy Technology Centre) a division of CPUT (Cape Peninsular University of Technology) in composite technology specific to wind turbine blade manufacturing and repairs.
As an entry point into the market, Ian saw an opportunity to start manufacturing Stand Up Paddle boards for the local and international markets, thus Zeal Surf was born. Leaning on his 15 years of cutting-edge composite experience, Jon Cole’s 30 plus years of surf knowledge and Simons dedication to excellence, a very strong team has been formed in designing and manufacturing light weight Stand up Paddle boards and accessories in South Africa that exceed international standards!