split board conversions

[shapp]

Has anyone bought the Voile split board kit to convert a regular board to a split board. If so, how hard was it? Opinions? Thanks,

[sverdina]

Yep. PM me for details.

[Rodchester]

A buddy of mine did it and I was surprised how easy it was. Now he is a carpenter, and very used to these kind of projects, but it still didn't seem that tough. (I actually watched him do the whole thing from A-Z).

 

He has been fairly happy with the outcome, though I know he has said he would do things a little different next time.

 

He is in the Valley right now and will be there for a couple of more weeks. I'll have him check in with you when he gets back (He trolls here and occasionally posts under the name "Kris").

 

[specialed]

I've personally never ridden one of those snowboard things, but I've got a buddy who rips on 'em and he converted an old board of his using the voile. He said is was fine for winter b/c riding on fresh snow but sucked ass for spring or on area riding where more lateral and torsional stiffness was required.

 

[Toast]

C'mon bro, you don't cut your board in half to ride in bounds.

[lancegranite]

I did a couple of split conversions back in the old days.

the main things were: have a nice work enviroment.

a good board vise: sawblades,fine grain of course.

buy the longest setting glue that you can find.the more plyable the better.go the extra mile and get the good stuff. also find a space heater and a bathroom.( for later)then,

plot the straightest line possible.

measure three times, cut once. (trust me on this one)

Do not plot out or drill the binding holes yet, as you will lose some width when you cut,usually a 1/16"-1/8"

then clamp the half-a-board flush to the edge of the bench so you can dado out the wood core along the 'new' inside edge.

Neatness counts now, as this is the crux..

set the saw for a 3/16 inch cut. now CAREFULLY dado out the core.

avoid nicking the top sheet or base for obvious reasons.

Once the core has been removed, take care to clean any debris out of the cut.ideally,the remaining top sheet and p-tex base sheet will form a trough for tommrow's glue to harden in, creating the board's 'new' side wall in the prossess.

now, open a frosty bevarage and admire your handy work,then, set the board(and SEALED glue,..important) into the bathroom with the space heater set on a low setting, the piece should be warm,not hot, in the morning. the idea is to have both glue and board at the same tempature for the pouring and curing prosess.

mix enough epoxy to do half a board at a time.

Pour the glue into the new sidewall flush to the top.

use a needle to get rid of air pockets. return the board to the warm bathroom to cure...repeat.

once cured(at LEAST 48 hours)sand and file the new sidewall flush.the pieces must fit PERFECTLY together.

now,plot and drill the binding holes.

neatness counts once again, as you have put in a lot of time in on this project.. nobody likes to blow it at the anchors.

once outfitted,take it easy on the break-in period,(as any hidden problems will now be showing up.)

 

all this because you can't tele..

 

[Tod]

Or you could just buy a split board so you don't have to worry about bindings pulling out, sidewalls cracking, lack of edge on one side, and many other problems that come with home made jobs....

 

I've had two split boards and they seem to go anywhere a tele or AT goes, and often times better since they float and climb better in deep snow. The factory boards ride very good and have no torsional stability problems.

 

In fact I'm looking to get another one, anyone want to buy mine?

[lancegranite]

you can buy a house and have no problems..

for some, the fun is building your own.

[shapp]

Thanks to all for the info. I actually Tele just fine and also like to ride. I started snowboarding in about 1989 and tele skiing about 1993. Some days I feel in the mood to bend the knee and some days I feel the need to float high in some steep and deep Pow! I have a couple boards, nice avalanche and a 1995 Rossignol Race. The racing board I ride plates and it is flat on the back and is a surprisingly wide board and good in poweder but nice and stiff for hard pack and glacier shit. I thought I might chop it and turn it into a splitter and now I think that I will. Voile now makes some plates that tele boots fit into so that sounds like it will make for some pretty stable and comfy touring on the splitter for the days when my knees are tired.

Cheers