2nd board build: Single Fin

 

hey everyone, since my first build got me really hooked I want to learn from all the mistakes I made and continue with a 2nd board. I ordered a blank today from france and in about 4 weeks I will embark on my new journey.

I would like to build a 6’6" to 6’8" egg shape single fin (maybe side bits, but pobably not unless people here advise different) in 23" wide and 3" thick. I am 6’2" and weigh 240lbs (some fat accumulation has happened over the years) and I would consider my surfing skills well on their way to leave the raw beginner territory. I can consistently surf green waves, am able to surf down the line and every once in a blue moon a cutback happens. I am not into crazy tricks or airs and smooth surfing is my thing (at least I think). My main spots to surf will be up and down the Atlantik coast from France to Portugal and once a year I will do a longer trip to Sri Lanka to visit my girlfriends family. So “relaxed” beach and point breaks somewhere between 2’-6’ is what I will be looking to surf…

My first question would be if that kind of board sounds like something that could work for me? And where should I look for bottom contour and rail shape? I did a flat bottom on my first board and wouldn’t mind doing that again, but apart from their usefulness I could see myself trying something from flat to vee or single concave to vee?

The blank I ordered is this one:

http://www.viral-surf.com/shaper/en/surfboard-blanks-egg-evolutive/1608-surfboards-polyurethane-pu-7-2-fish-arctic-foam.html

and considering my choosen dimensions this would be considered close tolerance blank, does it make sense to try myself on a planer? Or would you stick with the sureform?

I will probably have many, many more questions before I get started and I hope some of you will have the time to guide me trhough this…

cheers,

Sebastian

It seems TO ME that based on the skill level and sizing and the conditions you say you’re intending to surf that you could use that blank to build a “wide” version of the Late 1960s performance singelfin eggs, similar to the Harbour Spherical Revolver model shown below:

http://harboursurfboards.com/surfboard/spherical-revolver/

Really, that template at a 6-8 length would look better at 22" wide but I’m not sure the volume would be enough for you.    

Given the blank you’re using as well as your stature you shouldn’t have any problem handling a 7-0 length, which at 23" would still be pretty curvy (i.e., slower but easier to turn).  That rocker at that length would work really well as a single and would be easier to surf from a more forward position on the board, which novices tend to do anyway.  Surfing it as a single would also be a good learning experience for you with respect to forcing you to go for the bottom turn and stay with the wave as opposed to pumping a fin cluster to try to outrun it.  

I took the liberty of doing a rough pass as such a design.  Here are two screen grabs, at 6-8 and 7-0, respectively.  They look a little different from each other because of t he way the screen resized when I switched lengths, but if you look at the measurements you’ll see that not increasing the overall 23" width in the longer length resulted in narrower nose and tail measurements.  

You could also get similar volumes in shorter lengths with either a fish-based design or Simmons layout but those aren’t as versatile and are much less forgiving overall.   I think they’re much harder to surf than an egg-based design.  

 

No. I think around 50l is a good volume for me, but I don’t feel comfortable enough for something really small like a fish or mini-simmons. plus, I dig the look of single fin eggs. I like the 6’8" design but would maybe go for a slightly rounder nose, again purely based on optic preference.

 

I’ve been surfing midlength singles on a regular (albeit not constant) basis since 2002 or so.  If it was me and I was set on a 6-8 length for a single I’d go with a lot less width.  21.5" or maybe 21.75" would yield a nice eggy curve, and many (real) shapers wouldn’t even go that wide at that length.  I’ve had boards that were too curvy and I’m not making that mistake again.  I probably wouldn’t exceed 22" for a 7-0 length, and will probably go slightly narrower than that the next time I do one of those.

Different strokes, though; right?  

   

so I have been playing around on the AKU Shaper and came up with this so far! I neglected the bottom contour as of now, because I have yet to make up my mind on what I want.

Can I maybe have some feedback on the dimensions and look of the thing and whether it makes any sense the way I set it up so far?

thanks everyone,

Sebastian


I just saw that it is a tad bit thick! max thickness will be 3"!

I’m someone that is quite happy with thick boards, but if you need to make the plan “less curvy” you could make the tail diamond, square or swallow to straighten out the back half ???

Also I like vee in blending in to the back half of the board.

The reason your egg is looking WRONG is bcuz your
going about it wrong in that the wp should be forward of center - prob 2-3 “+… also, the nose width should be atleast 1” wider than tail.

thank you! I “reworked” my outline and hopefully I am getting closer to an egg now. How about rocker and foil? Am I off the mark here as well?

Sebastian

 


Cbass - i think it’s the old s deck; scooped out nose towards wp, pooling thickness just behind the center of board. Tail drops down behind rear foot thinning out the tail creating a s deck. Note: i actually learned this on a vid - tried it out on a twin fin build and it worked! I got a subtle s deck and i think it looks sweet!

The first one you posted had a much better curve - the 2nd one sucks.  If you want to move the wide point forward you mostly do that by moving the blue node forward, not by tilting the red/yellow axis.    A little movement there will do a lot.  You may have to lengthen the yellow node and shorten the red node, but either of those adjustments will be really small.  

It’s apparent that you’re leaning more towards an overgrown “alternative shortboard” design as opposed to a traditional egg or funboard shape, not that there’s anything wrong with that.  At your stature you might want to add some thickness to the tail because after all, that’s where you’re going to be standing.  If you were planning on running a longboard finbox you’d need at least 1.1/8" at the 4"- 5" anyway.  I think the shape you posted a couple days ago would work well as a quad, though.  Either with that curve or with the wide point further forward.  

 

Don’t fall into the trap of trying to hit the specific nose/tail widths.  Not all width/length combinations are equal - some yield nicer curves than others.  Consider your “target” widths as guidelines and focus on finding a curve you like.    

…years ago I meet a guy from your part of the world that played drums in a band called The Monsters (that sometimes still plays) that made trips to Sri Lanka…anyway, 23 is too much for ALL the eggs designs, then checking your rocker, I tell you that you cannot obtain such numbers (regarding thickness and overshaping) with that plug

alright then! I will go more narrow then… but can you please give me some directions as to where I should move? I am looking to get somewhere between 47-50l out of that shape or I hve to go longer…

23" is really wide for a 6’8" 20-1/2 to 21" is plenty. Wide point should be a few inches ahead of center. Real eggs have round tails, maybe a round pin.  Your first outline looked better to my eye, if you are trying to do a true egg. The one change on that which I’d make is to narrow the tail about 1/2 to 3/4". Keep the nose under 17". Too much width in the nose defeats the idea of an egg. Swing weight is altered and these boards are supposed to be really, really neutral. Much like a hull design.

Personally I think volume is way over rated as determining float.  The real measure is displacement
So don’t over think the volume and give more consideration to the plane shape of the board and foam distribution. The first outline looked better then the second one. At 6’8’’ you should be able to get a very nice egg shape with a max wide point of 20 to 21 wide. I would also do the board with a long center fin box and side bite boxes. Surf it as a single or two/one. This way you will get the feel for different fin configurations. An egg shape with a 2 1 set up should give you some confidence in doing a cut back. Keep the rails soft. and blended into the deck and bottom. Study egg shapes on line and get a feel for how they should look. The Harbor Spherical Revolver That Gdaddy posted is a great start. Look for Boards from Gary Hanel and take a look at the boards from Kane Garden in their San Diego series. Cambell Brothers also make a very nice looking Bonzer Egg. You can check out some Egg Shapes at Surfy Surfy.net. on the web

How about something like this?  PM me if you want me to make this into a printable outline for you.

 

 

Cheers, 

Andrew

 

What’s the nose and tail on that, jjlam? Looks like the real thing, to me.

Hey SammyA,

 

Nose is around 17 7/8", tail around 15 3/8".

 

Nose rocker at about 4 1/2", tail rocker around 2".

 

 

www.blendingcurves.com

Re: fins… 

For a board that will more easily be adaptable to a wide range of wave conditions you would be hard pressed to beat a single box and a set of sidebite plugs.  With a set of sidebite fins in 2 sizes and a couple of adjustable center fins you’d probably be able to dial in any of the designs shown so far.