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my DIY swallow tail burton supermodel 172

77K views 193 replies 29 participants last post by  ridethecliche 
#1 ·
Here are some pics of my DIY swallowtail job on my 172 supermodel.
Basically I cut it with a jig saw, cut the wood core back about 5mm between the top and bottom layers and filled the gap with flexible urethane.
It has turned my old board into an insane pow stick for under $50, cant wait to test it out in japan!







 
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#153 ·
looks retarded. the last thing anyone needs in powder is a notch in the tail to create resistance and slow you down. powder is already slow enough as it is...

i am the goddamn motherfuckin rooster king. i don't need a stupid notch to throw rooster tails.

edit: by notch i mean the hole cutout. swallowtails make sense in pow.
 
#157 ·
servus,
im from innsbruck austria and really loved this thread! so after inspiring me to bulid my own powdergun or at least transform one of my old decks into a powdergun i hope you can give me some advice! i plan on using an ride manic 160w for this project, but im not quite sure what i should take care on an hope that you can help me! i know there are plenty of information in this thread but my english is that bad that i cant understand most of it or im not quite sure when interpretating things i dont get...so i hope some of you are so kind and can help me! thanks for all and greetings from the alps!


ps. sry for my bad english, hope you can understand most of it :D
 
#161 · (Edited)
These boards all look really cool. I have a few questions:

What kind of filler should be used to seal the wood? Specifically what brand/formula

Why cut so much wood out of the edge? I have read about people making split boards and just seal the edges with spar-urethane.

I wan't to do this to my Option Free Plus 165. Im fairly handy and have access to a band saw, spindle sander, router table, etc. But I have little experience with resins and urethanes.
 
#162 ·
I suppose you don't have to hollow out the core on the cut. But I liked the idea and figured it would provide additional protection and rigidity to the cut tail. I used an epoxy for plastic that supposedly is more flexible and resistant to extreme temps. Honestly don't remember the brand. Just a 2 part from home depot. I think I put a pic of the dremel bit I used earlier in this thread. If you don't find it let me know I'll put one up. Anyway I haven't ridden the board yet so time will tell how it holds up. Here it is all finished and ready to rock...

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#164 ·
Hi gang,

I've got an old Arbor Element Wide (169) that I rode for 5 years. It was replaced with a custom Donek Phoenix last season, but i hung on to it for sentimental reasons. I'm tempted to cut a swallowtail into it to make myself a more powder friendly board for the few days a year that I ride pow.

Any suggestions as to the exact length of cut from tail towards the rear binding?
 
#169 ·
the tip was already 2.5 inches longer than the tail. I cut one side kind of F'ed up with the band saw so i had to take this much out. If it sucks or breaks I'm not worried as i already have a charlie slasher.
 
#173 ·
Well I took the beast to the hill this weekend! What shitty coverage there was on the one open run. But what the hell. Why not? I have to say the first turn on it bucked me off. Didn't know if it was being under prepared for this season or just underestimating the power required for the board. Well it was lack of power. Saddled up and flew down the hard pack with ease. Obviously in so cal there was no pow to be found at this point of the season. But... I can say there is little to no power loss in the cut tail on the groom. The bitch held on just fine. And... She was rocket Fast!

I will report back later this season on powder performance. I have high expectations. Just hope they're not too high.

Sent from Verticalsports.com Free App
 
#174 ·
.....2 years later......

I finally have an update! First off, F this drought we have had the last few years. Its been really bad. But...this last weekend we finally had a nice dump. about 3 feet in the trees, but really heavy and sticky. That didn't really matter though. The beast is a beast. So glad I cut that board. Absolutely flawless in powder. Id say its a bit big and stiff for tight tree runs but it is, afterall, a plank. The advantage though...cut through chop with ease. It was very damp, almost to a fault. I wasn't prepared for it! By the second or third run I was used to it and loved that I didn't have to shift my weight at all riding this board. Maybe next time I'll get a video or something. Moral of the story...expectations highly exceeded.
 
#175 ·
Thread is so old, that pictures dissapeared, but it is still actual, at least for me. I have a good used and abused 159 Salomon Man's Board, which is not looking so good to be sold for what it is really worth, so I think of making a DIY swallow tail from it. Will keep the shape simple, Nitro Quiver Squash or similar, don't know yet and not thingking about it too much, the only thing bothering me is what saw to use, so the board didn't fall to peaces while doing it, and what resin/glue to use to avoid delamination from water.
 
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