Swim Board

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  This is an example of a custom-made board Matthew was able to borrow. A man with a yacht-club built this for his son.

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  Another view of the example.

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  Waiting for the adhesive to cure.

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  Getting going.

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  Learning to use a planer.

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  A smooth hull on one side.

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  Starting on the second side.

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  I had to get shopped vac'ed in order to go home.

Inspiration

Matthew has a spot in the Baltimore Triathlon with Athletes Serving Athletes. Typically, athletes are in a raft pulled by their Wingmen. Matthew wants to help his team kick across the finish line.

What it does

The swim board will provide the support Matthew's upper body needs while allowing his lower body the freedom to kick his legs in the water.

How I built it

First we adhered the pieces of foam together. Then waited for them to dry before we could shaping them. Originally, we tried shaping the foam with a hot wire cutter. This worked well to cut of large pieces but proved difficult in developing a stream-lined shaped. Then we moved on to a planer. It made a big mess and a world of difference. To date, we have a little over one side shaped.

Once the hull is shaped, we will cut out a piece for where Matthew's body will go, then cover the entire swim board with fiberglass mat and fiberglass resin. After that cures, we will test it and make adjustments from there.

Challenges I ran into

We started thinking about cutting a surfboard but realized that cutting fiberglass would not be very safe. Then we decided to build the swim board from scratch, using foam. Waiting for adhesive to dry is time consuming. Shaping the board was difficult and extremely messy (requiring A LOT of clean up time). There are multiple steps that require curing time.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

Getting the rectangular shape of the foam to a rounded hull shape was quite an accomplishment.

What I learned

Amber learned what a planer is and how to use one.

What's next for Swim Board

We will continue to shape the board and add a fiberglass shell. Then we will make adjustments as needed. Hopefully, we will be able create a tutorial or a mold that more of these can be easily produced for Athletes Serving Athletes.

Built With

• fiberglass
• foam