40-20-40 rails?

General Discussion
1

So I’m making a very wide longboard with deck dome & belly that start way in at about the center. I’ve tried a few friends’ boards with the super-foiled rails and like the looseness. Just looking at how to treat the rail shape…and wondering if anyone has tried a very pinched egg rail with a flat spot sanded into the outside. It seems that it might help to speed up transitions by letting the water ‘break’ off the rail when you ask it to.

This extremely crude illustration kind of shows what I have in mind. Top is your ever-lovin’ pointy-end-of-the-egg rail. Middle is part of what inspired my thinking - Carve Nalu’s beautiful treatment of thick deck-pinched rail on his knee-paddle gun. Bottom is what I might do if anyone says its a good idea. The cut line is just a band - the resulting corners would be eased off, just leaving a flat spot right in the middle of the curve…

Any thoughts? Anyone tried this before?

2

It would all depend on what kind of wave it would be ridden on. Mushy waves probably wouldn’t make any difference. IMHO

3

Squared-off rails, such as those you describe, were made back in the 70’s and were mainly associated with “tracking” if I remember well.

4

i have a couple boards that were made with the super pinched 50-50 rail, which were then sande ever so slightly to do what you are describing.work pretty good…

5

Thanks, Matt. Balsa, I hope it wouldn’t track, I only planned on about a 3mm flat spot, with no hard corners, running from the fin area up about 3 feet to help sheet off water and let the soft rails break loose a little easier.

I ended up skipping it anyway, but something to think about for next time :slight_smile: Thanks for the responses.