5-fin air board?

Archive 1999-2004
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i’ve been thinking about making a little 5-fin air board? i was thinking 5’8, 22 wide, w/ swallow tail, and i’d like to make it a 5-finner. the problem is, i dont know anything about shortboards. so i was wonder how i should do the rails, how thick i should make it, cloth weight i should glass it in, etc. i’d like to make all of the fins, so i need fin sizes and approximately where i should place them… i dont know much about bonzer-type placement. also… should i do any special rails and bottom stuff with the 5-fins? any help would be great. thanks, steve

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also… what weight foam should i use? and which blank? 6’2C in superblue or superlight?

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also… what weight foam should i use? and which blank? 6’2C in superblue > or superlight? I use superlight foam in all my boards w/out too much problem(after a season i’m ready to shape a new version anyway). 4+4oz glass top and 4oz bottom 1/8th" stringer.if you wanna bust air keep it as light as poss. 22" sounds a little wide, i’d go more like 20 1/2" width. maybe 2 3/8th - 2 1/2" thick(maybe try thinner with a flatter deck). those are about right for me(160#). check out the 6’0R blank,good natural rocker and its a lot less foam to mow. put some concave thru the fins, single to dbl. fading to flat/slight vee right off the trailer fin. rails standard, soft 50/50 up front to hard edge just in front of fins. supercharged thruster setup. bring in the punter…

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i only weigh 130, so id like to make it a little smaller. 22 is wide, but i like wide boards, especially since i only longboard, sometimes singlefin shorties. i know that shorter rounder boards are better for airs so i was thinking going a lot shorter but a lot wider. is there much of a difference for airs between a 5-fin and a thruster set up? -steve

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hey herb, im just wondering here… i hear a lot about your superchargers but im not exactly sure what they are, why they work, what they are supposed to do, where i can get some from you, etc. think they would help on a board like this? any info helps. steve

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i only weigh 130, so id like to make it a little smaller. 22 is wide, but > i like wide boards, especially since i only longboard, sometimes singlefin > shorties. i know that shorter rounder boards are better for airs so i was > thinking going a lot shorter but a lot wider. is there much of a > difference for airs between a 5-fin and a thruster set up?>>> -steve You want down the line speed/drive regardless of 3 or 5 fins. Remember there are always trade offs for things. Since you are going shorter than what you are use to you might want to flatten out your entry rocker to help with wave entry, but that will make re-entry on off the lips etc. a little more difficult (you might stick the nose more). Herb’s setup might be the answer.

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hey herb,>>> im just wondering here… i hear a lot about your superchargers but im not > exactly sure what they are, why they work, what they are supposed to do, > where i can get some from you, etc. think they would help on a board like > this? any info helps.>>> steve…YES,THEY WILL HELP!!!,but you should see ,and try one like my 6’-1" it’s a little narrower than you want,but it will give you a feel for what direction you want to go…E-MAIL ME … we can get together.for a session.Herb.

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hey Bruce, looks like a good plan this side [smile] as a variation of the glass job - i like to do a 3/2/1 stepping with 4oz. lay a piece at the bottom 3rd, a second piece that comes up 1/3 from the nose, and then a full layer (and a single 4oz on bottom). i highly recommend S glass for this. when you cut the individual layers, DONT cut straight across, cut it like a V shape, with the tip of the V pointing towards the nose. (looks sort of like arrows pointing up to the nose). one other suggestion, for those hard-core-has-to-be-ultra-light-board people. do a hollow board (i’ve posted elsewhere here). split the blank at the stringer on both sides. drill holes outward, towards the rails (i use a 1 1/4 bit). be sure to draw the outline of the board you want on the raw blank FIRST (before you split it). doing this will ensure just how far you can bore to the rail. put as many holes as you’re brave enough to [smile] i space 'em about one inch apart - i think this is about as aggressive as anyone wants to get. once yor’re finished, glue both sides back together to the stringer. then, procede as usual [smile] and have fun showing people them ribs in the board. cheers!