Here is a custom 7’2" x 21.25" x 3" 5-fin Rocket for Jim Norton on the East Coast.
Its custom G-10 fins made for this board completes its perfomance. Included is his E-mail after riding it.
Greg, I finally got a chance to ride the 7’2” you made for me. We had a clean ground swell with shoulder to head high lines. I surfed for almost 4 hours (until I was worn out) From my first wave the board seemed perfect – it paddled good (I was in a 4/3 wetsuit with boots and gloves) and got into the waves easily, which is nice since I am 48 years old LOL. I caught my first wave and the board felt really natural- when I can jump on a board and it immediately feels “right” I know I have a keeper. I thought it had a great combination of speed, drive, looseness and control. I was able to pump it backside and beat sections. I liked the feel of it on a backside wall, loose enough that I could pump it, feeling the acceleration but with plenty of control. I guess that is how I would describe it after my first day riding it: Fast and loose with plenty of control and hold. For a little bit bigger board it is surprisingly loose. As you can tell, I really like the board and am sure I’ll learn to ride it better with some more time on it. It is definitely going with me on my next trip!! After one particularly nice ride, I remember laughing and thinking to myself “Yeah this guy can REALLY shape!!!” You can count me as a VERY happy customer – I will spread the word out here on the East Coast. Thanks Jim Norton
Any comments for disscussion on a non mimic custom with custom fins for the board with a customer review ?
In the last photo, it looks like you gave him kind of a staged rocker rather than continuous curves. You posted recently on the detail you put a longboard bottom through with 3 panels into 4 into two into flat, I think it was…
Similar attention to these, I’m sure. But anything you can say about it?
As for the fins, you answered the question I would have had in the other recent board’s thread - but don’t worry, I filed away the tidbit about all 3 trailers get smaller as the tail gets narrower. 
This board does have a multi- plane bottom but only .05 " in depth . It is important to realize the effort invoved in making a wide range of boards at this state of tune. Since fin systems showed up maketers have erased the concept of fins for the board concept.
This is a E-mail i got today from a custom longboard customer with custom G-10 thruster fins made for that board
Greg! We finally got a little surf last week, and I had a chance to get it out in some head high surf. The board works like magic. It is really, really fast and makes it easy to make sections, so I find I have to cut back and slow down a lot or I get way ahead of the pocket without even trying. It does take some adjustment though, cause I’m used to the more old style single fin, where as this board seems to want to surf much more like a shortboard. It’s a lot of fun. So fun, that I am already thinking about placing an order for another one, seriously. Thanks again.
What was your design thinking/ how did you approach shaping the ‘lobe’ for this particular board?
hunter
Jim ordered this board off of my posts of a similar board and i made it as ordered.
Its a pointy nosed fun board which has a lower than normal entry angle with some nose kick in the front 1’. The tail rocker is what works best with my 5-fin designs and the placement and size of the fins are what works best in this 5-fin design for this size board. It does have a tucked edge from nose to tail and works well this way.
what blank is it? in the first photo it looks to have some yellowing near the centre around the stringer, is that just more closed cell foam from just under the crust? i used to get that a bit when i wasnt taking enough crust/ foam from the deck. i even found that yellowing area to delam after a year or to if the resin hadnt penetrated the foam well enough due to the tight cells. maybe just the lighting in your photo… its a nice clean outline. i know what you mean about custom foiled fins… making fins was one of my first jobs when i started in the industry. i still make a few custom fins for discerning customers. i find these days most people dont surf well enough to warrant custom fins tho. keep up the good work…
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Hi Greg, as usual another perfect looking board, are you at liberty to explain the difference in your fin foiling/design compared with some of the branded fins ,pete
Hey look its my board!! LOL
The attention to details that Greg put into this board are pretty impressive. I’ve shaped a few boards (Thanks Swaylocks) but I don’t even pretend to know how they all influence the ride, all I know is this board works well and does what I asked for.
The tucked rail is pretty interesting, How about some insight on that GG?
Greg was really easy working with long distance. I’m thinking an Egg or a Fish next
Jim N
The way i foil the fins is not the big issue.
What is the biggest thing here is that the area use - template, sizing and placement have been designed to be the best for this board.
The customers do notice the difference , just check the responses i post as they ride them. Shortboards ,Longboards, Funboards, Fishes.2-3-4-5 Finned.
The concepts in my fin shapes come from what i learned in the late 60’s.
In the early 80’s living here in Hawaii and with the multi-fin revolution happening it was a great exsperience developing these designs in the places i surf.
Just wanted to comment on the shape after the last bit I
read about what is considered “advertising”…
G- I really like to see Brewer type rails on boards and have
had similar responses to friends that have ridden them. Nice…
I hope you left T&C with your longboard jig, that was really a
work of art!!! Are you still using Burfords and have you
tried any of the new blanks?
Also, here in Cali quads are the rage now. How do you find
them to work in longer boards and hollow waves (not to big, LOL)?
I found out years ago that so long as you preserve your craft,
you never loose the stoke no mater what you do to pay the bills.
I hope you get lots of orders from your posts, keep them coming!!!
BKB
This board was a King Mac blank that is a really good plug.
They sent a whole container with burnt foam from the stringer glue and i had to use it to make this shape. The foam seems to be the most durable of any i have used. The US blanks are the best clark foam made. Some of the rockers were to low and have now been fixed. Midget blanks are getting a good reputation here.
Yeah, just got two of Midgets blanks and rough shaped one to
see how it worked. Like it so far. It seems that a lot of the Aussie
blanks here in Cali are suffering from glue burn on the stringers. I
have had to spray a lot of my most current stuff white to cover it.
I hope you got the longboard rocker table when you left!
That rocker table is mine and i still have it.
I made one for T&C in the 80’s but no one could make a template for it so i was the only one using it.
King Mac and Bennet have fixed the stringer glue burn.