killer. i like the thought behind it.
The other rail!
I suppose now I can add “didn’t wait the recommended time for gorilla glue to set” to my list of reasons why this shouldn’t work, but I’m goin to a concert tonight, so I had to get the other one goin, or else the first one would get lonely.
C’mon, c’mon, c’mon… I hate these ‘slow reveal’ threads that take forever… you’ll never find me doin that !
It’s great reading about your build, because even though its basic, I can tell you’re going thru all the mental gymnastics like the rest of us.
Love it.
Lookin like fun dawg! You are gettin er done! Have you condidered the change in flex the placement of your bracing will have? Just a thought as you begin that stage. Also, if you have a table saw at your disposal, consider re sawing the lumber to a 1/4" thickness and adding a few more ribs while increasing strength. Also if you have forstner bits you can drill holes in them to reduce weight. If you know where your rails will be you can also drill these out as well. Great job by the way. It’s coming along nicely. Final thought. Hard rails shear water and release easier. Rounded rails hold. So consider where you want water to hold and where you want it to release while shaping your.rails…
got some bracing started. I started just cutting the ply to use that without a stringer, but it seemed unsound to me when I mocked it up with the rough pieces, so the ply is going to be coming off the drilled up stringer 2x4 like ribs, with the possiblity of a couple “ribs” being made of 2x4. My worst nightmare is popping up and sending my foot through the deck, so I’m trying to maximize the inner strength, hence the 2x4 ribs (which will be drilled so as to reduce weight)
- **Rails: **right now I'm thinking I'll be doing a rounded semicircular rail for the first 3/4 of the board (from nose back), and then a downturned sharp rail for the last about 1/4 of the board. I was under the impression that sharper rails increased one's ability to "grip" or "dig in" to a wave face, so considering your input my design may change. I need to do tons more research on rail shapes before I dive into shaping them out, so as of now, I'm undecided, but thank you for your input. If anyone knows any great places to get accurate rail-shaping and reasoning information please let me know!
finished glueing the nose block six pack. I don’t trust my 1/4 hp jigsaw to slice this up, so I’m going to make rough cuts with my hand saw and then borrow an electric planer from my friend to finish it out.
gold, lol! keep it up, can’t wait for more progress.
Hey bro,
If you are looking for a good primer on rail shape YouTube designs to free your mind parts one and two. Geoff McCoy explains the effect of rail shape and offers some interesting opinions on the overall design of a surfboard. Whether you buy in to it or not it is fun to watch a legend expound on his thought process. If you want more inspiration go to your local shop and check out some boards designed for different types of conditions. Logs, fun shapes, semi guns, guns, short boards, fish and floaty summer sticks. Pay close attention to the rail shape. Then ask yourself what the range of conditions are you plan to Design your board for. Make notes about where the rails change shape and what type of board they are on. This will help you visualize what you are trying to accomplish. Also if the shop has a mini sim or two pay closest attention to these shapes. Roy Stewart has a book available called original sim on the subject as well. He answers e mail but be ware. He’s a nice guy but very opinionated and can be brusque at times. He is also very intellegent and knowledgable on hollow const.
I cut the rocker into the stringer tonight, as you can see, it’s still solid, so my next step is to drill out most of the middle of the 2x4 to relieve weight. I also plan on doing the same (but not drilling all the way through) to the rails as was suggested by someone previously. Taking it one day at a time, and eyeballing ALOT. This should turn out interesting.
On a personal note, it’s raining outside and I am surprised at the ease with which my mind turns to surfing.
Hey seann,
What is your finished thickness going to be? This is certainly looking interesting. I can’t wait to see the next step in your process. You are going to make your own fins aren’t you? Hope you saved the off fall from your deck and bottom cuts. You may want to include support for the fins in your sub frame. Then you can route the fins into the board and they will be very strong and won’t tear off or delaminate the ply under stress. the surface veneer on most modern plywood is micro thin. Fir ply is generally thicker but as you plan a glass less construction routing the fins in will insure a measure of security. Use dookie schmuts as the adhesive and as you push the fins into the well take advantage of the squeeze out and use that to create a fillet around the fin base.
Have you considered what your method will be for filling in the area from the end of your rails to the nose? A band saw would make quick work of that. As a woodworker you may have made cabriole legs for furniture. I believe a similar approach would be good here as well. Basically a scribe of the rail contour on a thin flexible pattern and a scribe of the outlin on another. Then transfer the outline to the work piece, cut that out then apply the thickness scribe to the outline cut to transfer your rocker to the work piece. Cut the rocker out. Then after you have test fit go back and remove excess material to shave weight.
This is certainly looking interesting. I can’t wait to see the next step in your process.
I appreciate all the input regarding the rails and fins, but I am not an experienced woodworker, nor do I have any of the tools you have mentioned. I have done the entire project thus far with four clamps, a handheld jigsaw a power sander, and a hand saw. Gotta work with whatcha got!
considering the circumstances, I am planning on accomplishing those tasks (which are certainly important) like this:
Fins: I am planning on drilling holes (like fin boxes) into a thickened section of the hull (created by an additional layer of 1/4 ply on the inside of the structure) wide enough to seat my fin’s tabs ( fins with tabs made from 1/4" ply) into the holes. I will then seal the hole and hold the fin in place with the wood glue and sawdust mixture.
Nose and Tail: I have not finalized my plans for these things (been taking it one day at a time!) but right now, I’m thinking of cutting little half-moon shaped noses only 3 to 6" wide and layering them up to construct the rails at the nose. The tail I am plannin on making a 2x4 layed on edge with the last 2" of the board being just ply flappin in the breeze. Yes, that’s seriously my plan, but I’m sure I’ll sharpen it up come time for those kinda finishing touches!
for those of you following along: My experience thus far with gorilla glue has been somewhat less than fantastic as its holding strength seems to be less than I experienced previously. could be old glue, as it’s been sitting around for two years. Either way, my next purchase will be titebond 2, and I’m looking forward to it.
See if you can find titebond 3, isn’t it supposd to be better with water? But this is sick. Working with what you’ve got is cool, that’s what I’ve always done.
MOAR PICS! loving the progress
I think seann is trying to sneak out the back door !!
interesting thread. I’m a backyarder myself, with a couple of “traditional” hollow wood boards under my belt. my favorite is probably the one I built out of a $12 dollar sheet of 1/4 ply from home depot. My thoughts: the 2x4 stringer seems REALLY heavy and waay over-kill to me. between that , your rails and all of your ribs, i would literally not be surprised if you could support the nose and tail and park a car (or at least one wheel anyway) on this thing. seems unneccessary on such a short board. why not use a little of your off cut plywood. It’ll be PLENTY strong and should weigh a lot less. but hey, the world needs more people willing to mess around with preconceived notions.
I just want to read a ride report.
Good luck
Seann, Seann !!! Where are you ,did you give up or are you still working on your board ??
would love to see pics!!!
midterms yet again put the rest of my life on hold.
Progress update: i’ve purchased an 8’ x 2’ x 4" block of Dow blueboard XPS for $15 and I am going to affix that to the middle of my board in lieu of my 2x4 stringer. My current drills have been exhausted and I have only drilled out 1/3 of the 2x4. The foam should provide me with enough support given the convex of the deck and the 1/4" deck thickness, unless I have to support that with another layer to make it 1/2" thick.
Good plan mate! Nix that 2x4! You’re on the right track now man. Your gorilla glue should join up the xps and the ply just dandy. Nose and tail blocks some fins and a bit I varnish and you’re there. Good on ya for payin attention to school. We have plenty of dumb surfers and I’m one of em. We need guys like you. What are you studying? Good luck on the tests, and don’t give up on this build. I can’t wait for a ride report.