Hi all
any advice for a blank or rocker numbers for a 2+1 setup in the 7’10’’ range would be welcome.
I am going to hotwire the blank from eps.
Started reading beerfans thread,
,pretty inspiring.
Thanks,
Jasper
I like the US blanks 8-1EA. its nets out a nice 7’ 11". I’ve used it for 7’9 to 8’0"
Thanks!
When cutting it down to size, do I leave the tail area like it is or do i cut symetrically nose and tail?
All the best,
Jasper
Best blank will require knowing where yr going before you go, and the catalog from the blank supplier. 
Unsolicited advice: open a wholesale acct w the supplier. In my exp, getting Arctic in Central CA is a horror show (due to distributor, not Arctic). US blanks takes some time but is 1000x better, CS, if in central or Norcal, probably much better in Socal
I used the US Blanks 8-2A for this board, 7’ 10". It was poly foam, don’t know if its available in EPS. Originally planned to be 8’ by 22", it ended up 7’ 10" by 21.5". I chose a thick blank, because the board itself is thick and high volume, I wanted extra foam for paddling.
What a jerk move man!
suggesting someone is smart enough to think through the situation and make their own decisions.
Not cool man… Not cool.
Thanks for the input Huck, and thanks for bumping up your other thread.
Will look into it as soon as possible and compare both options.
All the best
Jasper
LOL- shame on me.
I’ve been liking the 8’1" EA as well
The foil is forward, which I’ve discovered makes for a good paddling board that is very predictable paddling into waves, when used with the full nose rocker and a slightly pulled in nose that looks sort of on the gunny side.
I ordered a couple US Blanks 8-1 EAs with with +1/2" tail rocker. It’s possible to shape 3-5/8" tail rocker into one of those blanks.
My favorite boards are about 8’ fun/gun type boards. People think they’re a gun and wonder what I’m doing out in chest high waves… But then they really wonder what’s up when they see it surfs well in those conditions.
Good luck with the project - It’s good to see that I’m not the only one who likes fun shapes.
Jspr, when I cut out EPS hotwire rocker and outline templates, they are based on the fininshed board and not on the closest blank. Is that what you are thinking too?
Yes , thats what i am thinking too…
procedure would be to use a CAD programm to create a rockertemplate. The hotwire process is pretty accurate, so i would create a “general” outline and go from there, with a minimal margin for sanding the bottom.
Main reason for this thread is that the last board i made just did not go well…and i feel i have to go back to the start. I mean, with the first board i was really surprised it didnt sink , and when it kind of got me into waves i´d been happy enough.
Over the last boards i learned quiet a bit on process of building, but have to admit that i failed on understanding basic design aspects…,not that i didnt read about it,but i feel technique, shaping or glassing, is something that can be communicated to a certain ammount , but rockerdesign ? I guess that has to go down the road of experience, and experience is not going to happen in my life…not enough rolling dices to come up with statistics…
so next step is asking for good advice. The first one to respond to a question i had was resinhead, and he said : build good boards… -i am not there yet.
So i´ll go with the 8´1EA…
**@rajon **Thanks for your input! Highly appreciated - when you change the tail rocker ,how do you approach it? Does the whole rockerline change from the apex?
I made some rocker templates a few years ago, which I’ve been finding out will work on every board that I surf.
I used to work with some shapers who had a really good eye for rocker. But I discovered that for myself templates are a nessecary crutch. But they make it easy for me to duplicate rockers from one board to the next.
I’m not sure that others would agree on what my numbers are for measurements on rockers, but what I ended up finding out is that rockers for fun boards, guns and longboards, with some but not many exceptions tend to be based on the same template. That template is a radiused curve that connects to a parabolic curve.
Sounds complicated, but I just got a broken board and split it and drew a line on masonite and cut it.
The more exact you are, the better. By better, I mean to 1/100" if possible.
The natural rocker of many US blanks over 7’ use a radiused curve in the center with the same parabolic (accelerating) curve at both the nose and tail, The nose rocker just starts closer to center, so you end up with more nose rocker.
It’s hard to make a rocker template without sacrificing a board.
I’ll send a pic when the light is better
In the pic, the blank is an 8-4 SP It has 5" nose rocker and 3"tail - I ordered it with + 1/4" tail rocker
The template that is resting on the nose is the same template as the one on the tail, only it’s shifted further away from center for the tail.
The rectangular looking template isn’t rectangular - There’s an arc to it, and when it rests on the center of the bottom, there is no gap. When it’s shifted forward to the point where the logo is on the blank, you can begin to see a gap if you look carefully. The point where there is a gap in the arc is the point where the NR begins accelerating upward. If you used that template on the tail. the point where the tail rocker begins lifting up would be about 14" from the tail.
These templates look like some scrappy pieces of masonite, but I worked at getting them to be precise.
The center arc template, if it were used alone to rocker a board to make continuous rocker would make 2" of rocker on an 8’ board.
If you want to make things easy on yourself, you can cheat. if you get US Blanks Green Foam, you can just skin the bottom (I often use a hand held block plane sharpened razor sharp) that leaves less chance for error on the place where it’s critical. Then shape down the deck to the thickness you want. Green foam is denser and more forgiving to the practice of shaping down the deck!
Hope this is helpful
Hi Rajon,
I would say that one can indeed measure a board for rocker during and after it is made (google rocker stick, use a ruler and laser, string and a stir stick…), and that accuracy to 1/100th of an inch is a dimensional pipe dream after all steps of shaping and glassing and coefficients of thermal expansion are considered. All I hope for is something smooth relating back to the design intent.
Other than that, I find your thoughts on progressive rocker interesting.
Respect to all those who have ‘the eye(s)’ and ‘the hand(s)’ to do all this without computer-based aids.
!/100" - It depends upon where someone is measuring
That short radiused template shown in the pic is precise enough that someone can’t see light through any gap when it’s held against a matching radiused surface. The best thing about it is, when you hold it against the stringer while shaping, and slide it along, if you can see a crack where light gets through, you either have a bump or a dip.
1/16" over a span of 6in = 1/2" 4ft away
The thing that is most amazing is that skilled shapers can shape a curve that matches that template by eye.
There have been shapers that I showed that template to and they had a hard time understanding why I’d have a use for it - Then I showed them how it works, and they were like “Ok, now I get it”
it’s just geometry
Rajon,
that is more than helpful, and more than i was looking for.
Many thanks for taking the time and effort ,pictures ,numbers etc…
All the best,
Jasper
Here are some pics of a 7’10" Stewart that I salvaged after it was tossed out - Beyond repair, but good for rocker referencing.
On this board the shaper begins the entry rocker exactly at the center point, and gradually accelerates the curve.
The TR is 3-1/8" and NR is 4-7/8"
[quote=rajon
I think that was for me, lol - and taken in the spirit intended. \m/
Re blanks, one great thing abt opening a wholesale acct is the ability to get custom rockers, as opposed to whatever’s on hand at yr local source. I think having closer rocker in the blank saves me an hour or so in the bay per board, and there are fewer cases where you end up thinner than intended when the blank is skinned and the rocker’s in.
But…and this just occurred to me…probably learning curve will be steeper (you will learn more, faster) working from badly matched blanks…
1/100" rocker accuracy. Makes total sense. As long as the wave faces where you surf are consistent to within the same tolerance.