A board suitable for riding a wave is described. The board includes interconnected deck and bottom reinforcing zones.

In a water sports board structure (3), a composite material shell (20) encloses a core (10) including a shaped body (11) made of a foam material obtained by a mixture of polylactic acid, preferably between 60% and 80% by weight, and of a polymer selected between an aliphatic polyester and an aliphatic/aromatic co-polyester. For the foam material, a biodegradable Ecovio EA material is preferably used, in particular Ecovio? EA200 or ECOVIO? 80EA2394EXP. In an exemplary embodiment, the shaped body (11) incorporates at least one, or preferably two cork longitudinal stringers (13) spaced apart from each other by about half the cross width of the core (10). The shell (20) can comprise a fibre layer (21,24), preferably of basalt fibres, impregnating with a resin, which can optionally form a resin layer (23,26) outside the fibre layers (21,24). A further resin-impregnated fabric layer (22) can be present between the core (10) and the fibre layer (21) of the shell (20). The above foam materials allow manufacturing boards that are at least 20% lighter than the conventional boards including polystyrene foam cores, and that have suitable elasticity while having excellent impact strength and/or resistance to abrasion, such a combination leading to high-performance water sports boards. Moreover, polylactic acid as well as the above aliphatic polyesters or aliphatic/aromatic co-polyesters are fully biodegradable, which allows environment-friendly disposal of the water sport boards of the invention, for instance, by composting, without forming any special waste.

In a water sports board structure (3), a composite material shell (20) encloses a core (10) including a shaped body (11) made of a foam material obtained by a mixture of polylactic acid, preferably between 60% and 80% by weight, and of a polymer selected between an aliphatic polyester and an aliphatic/aromatic co-polyester. For the foam material, a biodegradable Ecovio EA material is preferably used, in particular Ecovio? EA200 or ECOVIO? 80EA2394EXP. In an exemplary embodiment, the shaped body (11) incorporates at least one, or preferably two cork longitudinal stringers (13) spaced apart from each other by about half the cross width of the core (10). The shell (20) can comprise a fibre layer (21,24), preferably of basalt fibres, impregnating with a resin, which can optionally form a resin layer (23,26) outside the fibre layers (21,24). A further resin-impregnated fabric layer (22) can be present between the core (10) and the fibre layer (21) of the shell (20). The above foam materials allow manufacturing boards that are at least 20% lighter than the conventional boards including polystyrene foam cores, and that have suitable elasticity while having excellent impact strength and/or resistance to abrasion, such a combination leading to high-performance water sports boards. Moreover, polylactic acid as well as the above aliphatic polyesters or aliphatic/aromatic co-polyesters are fully biodegradable, which allows environment-friendly disposal of the water sport boards of the invention, for instance, by composting, without forming any special waste.

This invention is directed toward a surfboard made from at least two different types of foam and laminating methods. The general invention has a central core, preferably of EPS foam, and two outside panelslocated either on the sides, or rails, of the blank, or above and below the central core. In a preferred embodiment, the panels are made from PU foam, and the panels are attached to the central core through a laminating substrate, which can be another type of foam or copolymer, such as TPU, or a harder material such as plastic or wood. The invention produces a blank that can be shaped into a surfboard that is both strong and flexible.

A foam product includes a foam core, a soft skin covering the foam core, and a base structure on which the foam core is disposed. The foam core of expanded beads has an outer surface on which some outermost beads of the expanded beads are exposed and bulging outward with different heights to form a bubbly texture. The foam skin has an inner surface attached to the outer surface of the foam core, and has at its inner surface a plurality of concave cavities each matedly surrounding a respective one of the bulging, outermost beads on the outer surface of the foam core.

A motile buoyancy apparatus for use in a fluid. The motile buoyancy apparatus includes an outer layer, the outer layer having a performance surface. The motile buoyancy apparatus includes at least a portion including a first material. The first material is a non-Newtonian material. The at least a portion causes the performance surface to exhibit a shear rate-variable shear response.

A method of applying wax to a slippery surface such as a surfboard in various patterns to create traction. A wax design is applied to a substrate surface. The wax design can easily be applied directly to the surfboard and the substrate removed, leaving the wax design affixed to the surfboard. The wax can easily be removed from the surfboard surface when desired.

Embodiments of a wave riding board include a body having a top, a bottom, a right edge, a left edge, a front, a rear and a length defined from the front to the rear. The bottom of the body includes a plurality of steps and a channel defined between at least a portion of the plurality of steps. The channel extends along at least a portion of the length of the body.

Disclosed is an apparatus that is able to generate an image to deter a shark from attacking a watercraft (e.g. a surf-craft). Also disclosed are methods of manufacturing and retrofitting watercraft to include the apparatus that is able to generate an image to deter a shark from attacking the watercraft.

The present disclosure is directed to a personal watercraft, such as a standup paddleboard, provided with a viewing window that allows the user to view the underwater environment. The viewing window may be watertight and constructed from at least two durable, transparent panels. The area between panels may be sealed from air and water infiltration. A user may add waterproof lights to the bottom of the standup paddleboard in order to allow viewing of the underwater marine environment at night.