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INSIDE ACCESS: How a surfboard is made

Go behind the scenes of Wave Riding Vehicles to learn how a surfboard is made

KITTY HAWK, N.C. (WVEC) — On this week’s Inside Access, Crystal Harper takes us to the Outer Banks where we get a behind-the-scenes look at the surfboard factory, Wave Riding Vehicles, and how a surfboard is made.

The entire process takes place over a four-week time frame and each board has about 10 to 15 man-hours put into it.

A surfboard starts off as a "blank," which is simply a rectangular piece of Styrofoam. A shaper then carves the board by hand or with a machine. Once this is done, the board becomes very fragile and one dent could cause the entire board to be ruined. There is a lot of pressure on the shaper at this stage to use extreme detail and caution, until it goes through the next few steps and gains some strength.

Once the board is shaped, color is added to it either by airbrushing the board or by adding dye to the resin during the glassing process. If it’s done during the glassing process, fiberglass first needs to be added to the board. A sheet of fiberglass is measured, cut, and draped over the Styrofoam with resin poured on top. The excess resin is then squeegeed off and the board is then left to dry.

Once dry, it gets sent down the production line to the sanding and glossing rooms. This adds luster to the exterior.

Finally, after spending some time in the warehouse to fully dry, it will get shipped to stores along the East Coast and will be waiting for its new owner!

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