HANDMADE CARBON WAKEBOARDS

The North German company SchierBoards, based in Stade near Hamburg, produces handmade and individual wakeboards from SAERTEX non-crimp fabrics. They are not conventional wakeboards as they’re known. The boards are completely made of carbon fiber and a wooden core.

THE IDEA

The story was born out of a crackpot idea. The two founders, Daniel and Lars, got to know each other at a course for fiber composite components in 2012. Since Lars works at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and deals with CFRP development, both the know-how and the material for their own boards were available.
A short time later the first wakeboard was built in the garage. It was not as easy as previously thought. Stiffness, flex and many other details had to be considered. In order to make a more precise analysis of the boards, Dominik, who also works at DLR, was brought on board. He calculates and simulates complex components. So why not just do the same with a wakeboard?

REINFORCING THIS IDEA

Many analyses and tests were carried out to ensure that all the materials in the different layers work in harmony together.
For the wood core only Poulownia wood is used, as it has optimum properties such as stiffness and flexibility. This wooden core is surrounded by several layers of SAERTEX carbon fabrics.
A high load with minimal component weight is possible through the use of carbon.
In addition, the edge is coated with a special resin mixture and the bottom of the board consists of an abrasion-resistant laminate which, in combination with CFRP, develops special properties.

TECHNICAL BENEFITS

1. Extreme lightweight
2. High stiffness
3. High loadcapacity

THE SUCCESS STORY

Thanks to the SAERTEX material, the wakeboards are much more stable and lighter than conventional boards. The lightest boards from the Stade-based company weigh under 3 kilograms. All wakeboards are handmade and therefore not mass-produced. This makes each wakeboard a unique item.