Hoping I can get some advice on shaping a 9’2" longboard out of a stock U.S. Blanks 9’4"B . Planshape will be 18" nose 22 3/4" center 15 1/2" pintail widepoint center 50/50 rails…Singlefin of course. I need help on the tail rails and bottom. It’s not going to be noserider but an replacement for my shortboards and midlengths since my shoulder injury doesn’t allow me to surf them anymore.Good paddleing and smooth cutbacks is all I want. I know I want downrails and Vee in the tail but I’m not sure where and how much? From what I’ve gathered 1/8" of Vee starting at 22" up from tail is normal? should it go to flat behind the fin? How far up should the downrail go from the tail? This is my 4th board but I can’t find much info on longboard shaping. Does anyone have that Jim Phillips shaping video I could borrow/buy? Is it still available?
"1/8" of Vee starting at 22" up from tail is normal?"
There is a normal?
Stick to basics #4 soft rails flat or my preference slight crown visual flat bottom. No noseriding? No need concave. Do you Really need concave to noseride? Seen lots of good noserides without. "Some" V off the back keep a little vertical in the tail rail. Do not go crazy altering the blank longboards are sensitive to foam distribution. Visualize basic longboard...Shape basic longboard. Have fun get ready for #5
just something to consider - if you have a shoulder issue, and you surf lineups without a defined channel such as beachbreak, consider keeping the nose in the 17" range mol, thinned out, and with minimal flip.
A primary cause of shoulder/rotator cuff issues is trying to duck dive, wrestle wider nose longboards under approaching whitewater. Oncd the hands are wrapped round the nose rails, and the board is pulled in tight against the chest and arms contracted, the leverage strain is now completely on the shoulder/rotator cuff.
Have been dealing with a shoulder issue for a year, and have found getting off my wider nose boards makes all the difference.If you’re fortunate to surf waves with open channels, disregard.
Know what you mean ICC. I’ve forund that my last 9’2" I shaped is is a lot easier on my shoulder than my friends 10’0" x 4" beast. That’s why I’m shaping another 9’2" this time with Vee and a pintail so I can turn it.I know we surf at the same beachbreak.
Thanks Barry S. I will be doing what you say . A lttle tuck in the last 24" and some Vee in the last 18". Is 1/8" of Vee what you would recomend? Should the Vee carry out past the fin to the tail or should it go to flat out back?
18" nose is pretty wide for a board not intended as a noserider. Especially with a 15-1/2" tail. I’d get that nose down around 17, or even 16-3/4" More balanced, that way.
I’m a backyard hack. I’m not offering advice…just telling you what I do…or did…or am doing…
I started with the 9-9B because it had the most tail rocker I could find… B as in Bruce Jones. Tail rocker matters to me because of past surfboard blanks bought from companies going out of business…too much nose rocker /too little tail rocker in the bad blanks…I’m currently riding a 9-4 made from the 9-9B…awesome for me…about 8 months after building my awesome board I bought a 10 foot Bruce Jones surfboard…Guess what?? Tail flip…yep…not even on any blank profile…
outline is just a baseline…rails and belly matter…rocker is King…Stingray
Back at it. Here’s a look at the outline. 9’2" x 17" x 23" x 16" roundpin. I want to keep the rails as full as possible with a flattish deck. That being said, should I keep the bottom slight roll to vee panels in tail? I don’t want it to be a noserider. I want to stand up straight on turns ,project down the line and follow with a nice flowing cutback into the soup. That’s about all I want to do on it. This will be for head high and over waves. Kind of a singlefin gun .Any advice ? 60/40 rails? I would like to keep it a singlefin but I’m all ears.
Slight roll to V thru the fin area. No panels. 60/40 Rail. Soft to hard in the tail. A little belly in the neck and chest area will catch waves easily.
Stingray mentioned rocker earlier in this thread.
If you haven’t foiled it out yet, a good look at your tail rocker is worth considering. If you have enough thickness, a bit of a boost never seems to hurt. Maybe start 12" or so in front of the fin and carry it back to the end.
If you want more punch, try to flatten the tail rocker from the ‘apex’ back. For a better ‘fit’ in the steeps, maintain some curve back there. By ‘apex’ I mean the area in which the bottom rocker appears to blend to the tail rocker… often a slightly tighter radius.
There is a good reason why some guys develop rocker curves and maintain files for future blank customization. Rocker dimensions taken only at the tips leave a lot of open territory to consider.
The outline does look nice! My current ride is similar…
I like more tail rocker for turning. A little flatter under the front with slight concave for paddling and gliding. Made a few boards with a constant curve rocker that I really like for turning, an 8-5 and a 8-0. The 8-0 needs a little more power, but also handles more. The 8-5 is a great all around board, but I’m enjoying short boards again. The rocker is like a slice from a very large circle, maybe 42’ radius for the 8-0.
