So I spent most of the winter thinking about this one board, researching here and asking questions about rocker while playing with AKU Shaper to compare to the existing LB rocker template I had;
and drawing ideas out.
Made my blank a while ago. I used my existing LB profile templates, but cut it 3/8" thicker by doing the deck hotwire cut and the dropping the profile templates by 3/8". I then cut it into narrower strips to put in my stringers.
I finally got into getting the wood work done a few weeks ago.
I cut the template using a reverse rocker on the blank, cutting an inch off the tail(what was the nose rocker) and then with my extra thickness shaping down the curve in the center of the bottom and shaping in the rocker at the font of the board.
Then more mowing foam.
With a blank that if finished shaped, comes the slightly scary part, for the fist timer, of cutting the nose and tail off a perfectly nice shape.
Glued on the blocks using epoxy and q-cell.
Then shaped them using power sander and sanding blocks with tape around the foam to protect it.
Foil the fin while glass layers and hotcoats are curing
Coat of resin to seal the wood and make a clear bead.
And then after sanding, then glassing and sanding it again, glass it on.
Nice Johan -
Another sweet stick!
And the final product after sanding and glossing.
Final Dims: 9’5" x 18 1/2" x 23 1/2" x 16 1/4" x 3 1/8" Rocker: 3 1/2" nose / 4 1/4" tail
I wanted it heavier than my previous longboards to get more glide, so on top of the extra stringers and nose/tail blocks I glased it a touch more. 6/4 bottom 6/6/4 deck + half patch. I used some glass that a friend had bought for repairs but couldn’t use as it has a greenish tint to it. Not sure if its Volan, its 6oz sold as ‘plain weave’ from a local composite supplier.
Final weight: 21 pounds. vs just under 15 for my previous LB. * I only had a digital bathroom scale to use, so maybe not terribly accurate.
Of course now that it is done, it looks like the east coast off of New England is going to be flat for at least a week. :-(
Oh well.
Thanks John.
Can’t wait to see how she goes!
Sweet looking board. Is the core PU or EPS?
Karl
Its 2# EPS. From a local foam maker.
Thanks.
nice board…EPIC WOODSHOP!
I want to touch it! I want to ride it! And I'm not even a longboarder. But I could be converted!
I love build threads!
It certainly is an epic woodshop. Alas, it is not mine. Its a friend of mine who is a cabinetmaker and framer, who I work with from time to time. He lets me use the tools every now and then. He does some nice projects on the side too, has made a bunch of longboard skateboards on his vacuum press. We’ve talked about hollow wooden surfboards as well. We’ll see when something happens for that. Has to pay the rent first.
Thanks for the comments guys.
Sweet board! Thanks for sharing.
one of my longboards has a flat spot in the rocker near the nose which looks like your board has too. makes it really tricky to noseride. Excellent trainer though since you can only get up there in perfect trim. Can’t wait for the ride report.
I can’t wait to ride it and get formulate my report.
I spent a lot of time shaping in the rocker for the front of the board and was worried about that too. There is no dead flat spot (checked with straight edge many times), but it is a very shallow curve.
When you say “only get up there in perfect trim” I am guessing that it may have a tendency to pearl otherwise? What do you think is a better front rocker for a noserider, more curve with a concave added in to flatten out the curve at the stringer?
I know; from my searches here; that there are a lot of varying opinions on noserider rocker and concaves. The LB I made and have been riding for a couple of years now has too much curve in the front, so it bogs down if I go right to the tip, even when in trim on a nice peeling wave. As far as the ‘flat’ rocker I put in my new one, I guess I will find out. Maybe soon. Might be a swell in New England end of this week into next.
I’ll let you know how it goes when I get out.
I don’t know numbers because I usually eye up my log rockers. anyways, the reason mine has the flat spot is because my dad tried putting in concave but felt the nose rocker was too low so they got rid of the concave leaving a flatish spot. The reason I say perfect trim is other wise is a but unpredicatable. It is really fast and it has a tendency to get much faster on the nose out running the pocket and consequently pearling, sometimes i’ll be walking up and it will just stop dead and I will fall over the nose. You have more tail rocker it seems, so out running the pocket probably won’t be as much (if at all) an issue.