Hey Sways, posted this in the SOAP thread last night, but I just got back from my maiden voyage at offshore 3-4 HB cliffs, and I just had to make this a stand alone topic and share my stoke of a successful project completed- none of which would have been possible without all of you who contribute here on a weekly basis. Whether coming from a seasoned Backyarder or Pro, the advice that is freely given here (grains of salt included) is invaluable.
The board performed (and didnt perform) as advertised. Fastest thing Ive ever ridden. Trimmed with ease when surfed from the middle, and turned (albeit a bit tracky) when I wanted it to with my foot over the back end. Connected sections my favorite fish would NOT have made with all the speed this thing has, and even threw myself off the first few waves when I carved and wasnt ready to shift my weight in compensation from such gnarly glide speed. One caveat that also rang true to the mini simmons experience is that I could EASILY see why people overcompensate and go taller when they should be going shorter. Im 200 lbs, and with the board dims below, I could very easily stand to go shorter by 1-2’'.
So stoked, can’t wait to do another. Couldn’t wipe the smile off my face earlier, from first paddling out to taking the last wave in on a board that I made by hand. Thanks again.
From the original post:
Figured I would add my shape to this thread since seeing all of the wild ideas in here was my inspiration to do this first cherry popping board.
All stubbornly done by hand; shaping, glassing, tinting, sanding, and fins. Some parts were easier than originally thought (the actual shaping), and others sent me scrambling before the resin kicked (impatiently forgoing the benefits of a gallon of pre mixed UV resin and deciding to glass at night in a dimly lit garage). However, EVERYTHING I did set a baseline for what to do and not to do next time though, and that kind of education is priceless- especially since I was basing all my processes on half-understood advice from this message board. All the gaps in trying to understand a lot of Sway's sage advice have begun filling in.
To everyone that contributes here on Sways, you have my thanks.
Anyways, heres the pertinent info for any beginning shapers out there:
~ 5'7 x 22.5'' x ~3'. Gentle hull > flat > subtle double concave out the back (hell, why not?). Domed S-Deck blending to flat in the back. Wide point pretty much center, with ~3.5'' of nose rocker and ~1.75 of tail. Rails pretty knifey (more butterknife than razor) in the nose hull section, blending to full 60/40 in the middle to a hard edge starting right before the fins. Fins have no cant, single foil and a toe-in of 4 degrees or so. Please mind the lame polka dots, silly spontaneous idea as I poured the resin. Resin leash loop. 6x6x4 glassing, cut lap on top and free lap on bottom (so as to understand both techniques), color done in tint on both board and fins. Wet sanded finish + polish.
All in all, turned out better than expected, with flaws sprinkled throughout. Taking it out tomorrow AM weather willing. Cant wait to do another, cheers.
