I have a snapped longboard to convert. This has been done before but I’m considering going really short as an experiment. Let me run this by you: 4’10". Is it too short? The board is snapped closer to the fin, not the nose, making a bit harder than this normally would be. The available area is between 2/3rds and 3/4 of the ~9’ board. I actually have a choice to go longer… This is actually an idea I have where I’m wondering if I can get a usable board below the 5’2" airline oversize baggage limit. But maybe this is a bit too ambitious. I’d like to give more exact sizes including available thickness to plane down but its in storage at the moment. I plan to do this on a very tight budget. Just one planer, a sander (not orbital unfortunately, though could use a drill convention) and a saw. Working space is going to be difficult and it looks like I’m going to have to build a rig in the forest to do it… And use suck on a damn tube since I want to use epoxy. Expectations are low but total spend is going to be less than 40,euros… I’ll be rescuing the fin box. The alternative would be to hire a guy I know who’s cheap. Blanks here are 80 euros and he’ll shape me a board for 200. He does a good job considering. But this seems silly to spend money on reshaping a half knackered longboard and this seems like a cheap learning experience
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xmig5CxY_4
Too short? Depends on who you are, I guess. The first board they surf in that video is a bing speed square. I don’t know how big it is, but it’s definitely sub 5’ looking. Looks quite fun and doable though.
You’re trying to make it so it goes with checked baggage without incurring an oversize fee?
i had a majorly de-lammed longboard and turned it into a 4’11". off with the nose and tail, cut out the cancer, filled in the holes with new foam, shaped the bottom a bit, glassed on some keels, spray painted it, hated the spray paint, tried to sand it off and now it’s the ugliest board in the water. it has also brought me some of the biggest smiles on a surfboard.
i’ll boogie waves on it and and i stand on it. i’ve even had some cheater hang 5’s on it. it takes the right wave for me to be able to surf it…small, clean point/reef break that’s waist high or smaller. it doesn’t really turn, it just goes down the line. i weigh 200lbs or more with wetsuit and have literally been in ankle high waves standing on it cruising. it’s baffling. it’s not a longboard replacement though.
the board is heavy, overglassed, completely wrong “shape”, about 22" wide and 2 3/4" thick and i can surf it. i’m an intermediate surfer. i say go for it. it was my first time ever messing with fiberglass/epoxy or board “building” and figured it was worth the experiment. i have lots of fun on it because there are no expectations from it.
all that to say too short is relative and i bet you can make it work. if you can afford to see what will happen, why not?
Don’t need vacuum just because you’re using epoxy