Ideas for a portable setup board?

[kfxguy]

There's some creative minds on this forum, so I ask for some ideas.....

Need to make a setup board to bring with me to the lake. Needs to be pretty much perfectly flat (so I think wood is out) and has to be tough because it's being strapped to a 4 wheeler (so I think glass is out) and needs to be damp/water resistant (no wood again) because sometimes I'll get caught in the rain. It needs to about 2ft long by 10" wide......ideas what I can make it out of (cheap preferred)

[RaceMechaniX]

Buy a piece of 3/4" MDO (medium density overlay) plywood or Melamine . Cut it to shape and seal it with epoxy.

[kfxguy]

Buy a piece of 3/4" MDO (medium density overlay) plywood or Melamine . Cut it to shape and seal it with epoxy.

Not a bad idea! I was just thinking about 1/4 colored plexi or lexan but I haven't looked the price up yet. Probably can get the wood cheaper tho

[Darin Jordan]

Not a bad idea! I was just thinking about 1/4 colored plexi or lexan but I haven't looked the price up yet. Probably can get the wood cheaper tho

You want something that is REALLY flat, and will continue to be so when in various environments. I think 1/4" plexi or lexan would flex too much. When you get done to real tuning, you're going to be talking about adjusting struts with feeler gauges, so you'll want a reliable surface. Tyler's suggesting works well.

[kfxguy]

I'm already using feeler gauges. I thought the plexi in 1/4" (1/8" definitely not) would suffice so I ordered a piece of 12x24" in black for cheap right after I read the first post. O well. Guess I'll see how stiff it is when it gets here. Not like I'm going to be bending on it or putting pressure on it anyway lol. I think it might work in a pinch. Be better than eye balling it.

[Darin Jordan]

Be better than eye balling it.

I'm certain you can come up with a nice way to make it rigid and make it work well. Sounds like you are on the right track!

[longballlumber]

Not sure if this is portable enough or not, but I like granite. You can usually find "scraps" at your local counter top place that is a suitable size for our boats.

Later,
Ball

[kfxguy]

I wonder how thin I can get granite? Sounds expensive tho.

[Tamelesstgr]

Granite is very prone to cracking especially when transported. Trust me, I worked for years making countertops. You might want to look at Dupont Corian though or other cheaper solid surface materials. You can get scraps from local countertop fabricators cheap. Comes 1/2" thick but typically requires some framework undermeath. Completely weatherproof and if you scratch it you can refinish with simple sandpaper to keep it looking brand new.

[Darin Jordan]

Ken Haines built several from scraps of Corian and it makes for a VERY nice setup board. Not too heavy either. You can shape the board and put slots in it to support turn fins, rudders, etc., and make it in a shape to accommodate all of your hulls and remove any excess board surface.

[kfxguy]

Ok. I contacted the seller to see if I can cancel the 1/4" thick one and get a 3/8" thick one. Should work. And be tough.

[kfxguy]

Ken Haines built several from scraps of Corian and it makes for a VERY nice setup board. Not too heavy either. You can shape the board and put slots in it to support turn fins, rudders, etc., and make it in a shape to accommodate all of your hulls and remove any excess board surface.

Good idea. I may end up getting a bigger one for rigger setup since I'm veering off to that direction

[ray schrauwen]

I bought a scap piece corian for $20. It's about 14" x 30". They had different sizes. It's a 1/2" thick. I was able to cut slots for rudder and skeg strut on one end using drills and diamond bits in my dremel. Best $20 I ever spent!

It came from a Kitchener countertops in Canada. They were the only place to help me out I could find after searching for 6 months. Usually they cut scraps up into cutting boards and sell them for $20 or more.