Hi All, I did some searching but didn’t see this exact question so here goes. I want to shape my first board and wonder if it will be easier to chose a shortboard design or a longboard. I’ve been reading all the posts about how to get the rocker correct for a noserider, which blank to chose, etc… That is the type of board I would add to my quiver next. But in the learning to walk before running way of looking at things, maybe starting out with a 7’ blank versus 10’ will be that much simpler for me. I plan to go with all the advice I’ve seen here and read elsewhere about chosing a blank that closely matches my desired end result, and not messing with it too much. I’d like to shape all kinds of boards eventually but I don’t have a ton of cash to practice with. I will be taking it to a professional for glassing as I don’t have a good workspace for that. Thanks for any tips.
Oh, one more thing - if the advice is to go shorter, should I go with a typical thruster or something like an egg or funboard?
usually novice shapers bite off more than they can chew and many times they will meet some degree of success.
Your question is a good one and it’s great that you are flexible in your range of size.
I would suggest making a fun board. Using the 6’11"R or 7’4"R. A shortboard is too sensitive to anomalies in the shape. Longboards tolerate wierd spots in the shape best but they are a bit big, more so when it comes to glassing. Which leaves the middle range, which can tolerate not-so-perfect shaping but is not too big to laminate by yourself.
Net size probably should be about 1 to 2 inches less than the length of the blank you get. Length numbers vary depending upon where/how you measure so I won’t throw out an actual number.
Also, you can make a slight concave under the nose or at least a flat spot (rail-to-rail) and you should be able to get some fun “stretch-5ives”!
A lot of first-timers will do colors, but for the sake of not distracting yourself too much, I would go clear, use a fin system and have a sanded finish.
As far as laminating, I’ll be taking it to Moonlight or some other pros for the glassing, so maybe that might influence your advice on starting with a longboard. And I agree with you on color since I don’t even own an airbrush, much less know how to use one. I was wondering how horrible it might look if I used a brush to apply some acrylic! Anyway, I suppose a place like Moonlight can hook me up with some simple colored rails, pinstripes, etc. or maybe even a tinted resin job. Or, I could go clear like you say to save money on my first hack job!
shape the board you want. if you want a noserider…make a noserider. ordering the right blank with the right rocker is key (and the people here can help you with that)…once you’ve got that down, things should run pretty smoothly. just be sure to take it as a learning experience. you’re more or less guaranteed to make some mistakes. make a list of all the key ingredients for the board you want (pinched rails, rolled bottom, etc…). put 'em in the right order, and when you’ve got it all…stop shaping. that’s really all there is to it. and if it looks good, splurge on that resin tint.
Plus One has some good advice, I’ll add to it. Since it is your first shape, don’t try to shape it all at once. If your doing it in a garage or outside wait for the early evening light so you can get some good shadows. shape the board over a couple days, skin it and get it to thickness one day, the next day outline, cut and trim the shape…set it aside and look at the foil from a far. The next day turn the rails etc…there’s no hurry. So many try to get it done in one shape session.
two important things are like Jay alludes to: get into it and do it over several sessions. This will get the best result.
Also, you were right as I did not know you were subbing-out the glassing. This changes the equation. Go with the noserider!!! One of your hardest tasks will be getting it to the glasser unmolested!!!
I don’t want to hijack your thread but I could suggest some transpo methods if you like and, also I would be curious as to how others would get a 10 foot noserider from home to glassing…
Transportation methods advice would be welcome - guess I won’t be able to bungy it on top of the sedan! Also, since I don’t have a board to copy, where can I get a good pattern to make a template? I’m intrigued by the suggestions to turn around a Y blank to get the tail rocker flipped up.
a flipped Yater will noseride insane but for a first board the foam distribution will fight you a bit. Cutting the template for the nose in the tail of a blank causes the thickness at the rail to increase rather than taper. If you had a good planer and the skills I would say go for it. I think you will get a great noserider by using something like the 10’1"Y in normal config. Depending upon where you get your blank, you can have them relax the nose rocker and increase the tail rocker during glue up of the blank. In fact you can get 10’1"Y rocker “reversed” when they make a blank for you.
flipping around a blank to get a rocker better suited for noseriding is really just something to do in a pinch. if you’ve got the time, you’re better off to order the blank of choice with a custom rocker. and on that note…what size board are you looking to make? the 9’9"W is a great blank for boards under 9’8". after that, i’d usually step up the 10’1"Y for boards in the low 10’ range. and if i wanted to go into the mid-10s, the 10’7"H is the winner. you’ll need to tweak the rocker on all of these blanks…and as long as you’re putting in a custom order for rocker, i’d highly suggest doing something nice with the stringer…it really makes a good board look great. but, anyhow…back to the important stuff. if you can get your hands on a quality board (like a bing, tyler, jt, etc…) to make a template, that’d be great…in fact, if you can…make one for me, too! if that isn’t possible, i’d start playing around with APS3000. it’s this great little program for designing surfboards. then you can even take the file over to a copy center and have them print you up a full-size template. search the forums for all the threads about how to do things with APS3000. it’s a little tricky at first, but people tend to get the hang of it pretty quickly. as for how to transfer your board to moonlight once it’s done…i’m sure those guys probably have a couple of boxes lying around that they’d let you use. if not, go buy a roll of bubble-wrap and totally mummify the thing. that stuff is great (and so much fun to pop the bubbles).
Thanks for all the tips. You guys have given me enough to chew on for a month or so! One more question. I was reading a thread about flipping the Yater 10’1"Y and this is one of the comments:
"The way its plugged, too much nose rocker, not enough tail rocker for a noserider. But shaping it backwards is VERY common - and its got plenty of width in the (intended) tail, so no problem to template… "
which contradicts the advice here to go ahead and shape it without flipping it around. Is there another blank that would yield a good noserider without so much “tweaking” by me? OK, actually two more questions. I’m 6’ 180 pounds - do I really need to go 10’ to noseride (I want ten toes over dammit) or can I get by with 9’6"? Doesn’t that open up more blank options for me? Damn, that’s three questions!
a 10’ board will be easier and better to noseride…so if you’re designing a board specifically for this purpose, you should definitely be around that length. that’s not to say that you aren’t capable of noseriding on a 9’6". sure…you could. but if you’re looking for a board that you can noseride for days…the kind of board that’s so stable you can run up top and do some jumping jacks in perfect trim…then 10’+ is the way to go.
the problem with flipping around the 10’1"Y is that it makes it difficult for many people to get their desired width at the nose (which is actually the tail of the blank). simple solution…PLAN AHEAD! order your 10’1"Y with a custom rocker…less nose, more tail. and while you’re at it, treat yourself to a t-band stringer.
OK, I think I’m going to go ahead with a noserider instead of a shorter board for my first try. Hey, I can do 10 feet of fifty/fifty rails on my first try, right!?!?!
Now the question is which blank. All the threads I’ve seen seem to point to the 10’1"Y and I’ve read all the stuff about flipping it but that doesn’t seem to be a good way to go for me. So if I order it with a relaxed nose rocker and added tail rocker, how much? The Foam E-Z site shows it as 5 1/8 N and 3 5/8 tail as stock. How much to take off and add, and should I specify at what point to make the changes? For example, should the extra tail rocker just be in the last foot from the end?
PlusOneShaper said it would be a good noserider in normal config, which is also what the guy at the local blank dealer told me. The latter said I would have enough to worry about keeping both sides looking the same!
Once I get a blank I’ll start grilling you guys on dimensions.
I’ve been following your thread. Swaylurking un-detected. You mention Moonlight so I guess you are in San Diego.
I’m no expert…I’m independent and am not promoting any shop.
Mitch’s has lots of stuff but you already know that. Go there on Sat. and ask questions. I won’t name any one but the tall guys know the most.
I’ve never been to Bashums in San Clemete but I hear they have good prices on Clark foam blanks.
Lucadia surf shop has a warehouse in Escondido near Nordal and Hwy 78. They sell Walker blanks. I can’t say if Walker blanks are better but it’s an option. I don’t have the phone number
Next door to Lucadia’s warehouse is North County Glassing. Another option
There’s a glass shop in Oceanside called Sugar Mill. I see their logo on some of the boards that I repair.
I think Morning Glass is connected to Nezy Surfboards. Never been there but my neighbor has four of their boards.
Moonlight does awesome glass work but you might want to call around…
almost any longboard blank (clark) can be modified to suit noseriding at the factory by your order. takes about a week/10 days for it to arrive on florida’s east coast in melbourne.
a big, thick, wide blank like the 9’9W which actually is 9’11 or so will make a great noserider and catch anything that ripples in during the summer. dimensions of the one i built for this summer are: 9’10 x 24.5 x 21n x 16.5h x 3.25 thick. ordered the blank with an extra inch of tail rocker beginning 2’ from the tip of the tail. put in a big concave under the nose and there you go. you can also order any weight of foam or stringer combo. we went with classic weight foam and with a single layer of 8.5 volan have no deck depressions yet. it weighs 28 lbs. i weigh 175.
if you want a shorter board, an interesting blank is the 9’3. it is right around 4" thick and will provide a lot of flotation and a lot less board to walk to get to the tip. the 9’1 y is also actually over 9’3" but is not as thick.
in any case i recommend at least a 1" increase in tail rocker starting around 24 - 36 inches from the tail of the board. i’d look out about lowering the nose rocker esp. in the 2 blanks mentioned as the rocker in them is minimal to begin with. i’d also stay away from down rails in the rear on a noserider, preferring a rounded 50/50 rail all the way back rolling up towards the deck just a hair (there’s an accurate measurement standard, the hair). i like a soft down rail in the middle of the board and a down rail with the nose also. although,( here’s another option), it does seem that raising the rail in the nose with a little v in the first coupla inches helps with that darn pearling problem.
any how that’s just details.
strongly advise against flipping the blank, go with custom ordered rocker. dimensions will vary for the sort of wave you’re going to ride. the above seem to suit the florida ripple pretty well. good luck.