For more than 20 years, Jake Holloway has headed SHAPERS AUSTRALIA®, a grassroots surf company evolving out of the global surfing hub that is the Gold Coast, Australia.
For three decades, Shapers® has been arming leading surfboard manufacturers at home and around the world with the tools, materials and knowledge that drive quality surfboard design and production. Shapers prides themselves as the industry leader in supply specialised epoxy and composites to the country’s preeminent surfboard board manufactures as the Australian dealer of KINETIX epoxy resins, made by ATL Composites.
In the early 2000’s, Jake approached ATL Composites about formulating an epoxy resin specifically for the surfboard manufacturing industry, and they created the KINETIX range.
“KINETIX is the most used surfboard epoxy system in Australia,” he states. “We distribute KINETIX to the largest surfboard brands and manufacturers in Australia. It’s used on global brands including Channel Islands, Sharpeye, Pyzel and Lost, which places boards under the feet of the world’s champion surfers.”
Other customers include Surf Life Saving boards and foil board manufacturers.
There are four variations of the KINETIX epoxy resins, including a bio series which comprises “greener” raw materials.“The three others are suitable for full carbon and timber boards and two clear white formulations,” Jake explains. “They are user-friendly, aesthetically superior and high performing compared to anything on the market.”
KINETIX epoxy surfboard systems have been formulated to address the surfing industry’s interest in reducing the release of VOC’s into the atmosphere and are rapidly gaining acceptance for surfboard construction on the international market. While focusing on producing the most user-friendly epoxy system that reduces the problematic issues that may arise with downstream manufacturing on a large scale surfboard production.
KINETIX systems provide rapid room-temperature cure for lamination and cure to a clear, bloom-free finish
The latest product in the range is KINETIX® R111 – a clear, bright laminating system for production surfboard lamination, which is hailed “a game-changer” by the industry’s leading proponents.
KINETIX® R111 is a solvent free liquid epoxy resin optimised with a translucent blue tint that produces a clear, bright finish, It cures to a bloom-free finish that is UV stable and has excellent resistance to yellowing. With a choice of two hardener speeds, fabricators have a choice of flip speeds – the H130 Fast can be flipped within 3 hours and sanded within 5 hours at 25°C*, which is approximately half the turnaround time of the H125 Standard hardener. 
Jake says the system represents “a new benchmark for production boards”.
“KINETIX® R111 is the most advanced system on the market. It has a tinted blue undertone that creates a whiter brighter surfboard. This attribute allows epoxy surfboards to maintain a new board look for a longer period of its product lifespan.
“These attributes benefit retailers selling surfboards manufactured with the Kinetix R111, board manufacturers who are able to produce the best-looking boards and surfers who will appreciate a surfboard that maintains the new board look for a longer period.”
atlcomposites.com.au/category/4/Surfing