Looking into a 10 - 10’2"+ LB. I’m wondering if a board with really pinched 50/50 rails are are more difficult (less stable) than a board with fuller 50/50 egg rails? I was also thinking 23 1/2" - 24" wide with belly/convex bottom - V in the tail, too. The nose and tail rails turned-up.
Will this be markedly different from your standard 9’ HP LB with a little concave and full rails, turned hard in the tail? I suppose the width will help w/. stability. Also wide square tail (for wave-catching) or pintail (for turning)?
A pinched rail is going to be easier to sink but once sunk they get stuck...so you have to be careful with your rocker along the rail line. On such a long board you'll want it pretty curvey if you have a parallel outline. You can go straighter if you put some more curve in the outline.
Sounds like your plan should work if you keep the rail apex line smooth. I don't know if a pinched rail is any more stable. They tend to get a little catchy in bumpy surf on boards over 8 feet long.
Thanks LeeV. I'm thinking I want really low / flat nose rocker with a fairly parallel planshape/outline - so really pinched 50/50 rails would be problematic w/. this classic noserider shape? Just go with a fuller 50/50 egg rail. I've only seen Cooperfish boards on-line but they look like Gene shapes them with super-pinched rails and flat rocker - true? Are CF's difficult to turn or catch edges readily? Thanks again.
I remember the old, heavy, logs with pinched rails from when I was a kid… about 137 years ago! Some of them I just couldn’t ride well at all. Some nose rode beautifully. I was too young to study the shape well enough to figure them out at the time, but I think I remember them almost all of them having rails that were pretty pinched.
But today, my noseriders (even the “Classic” model) have soft medium/full, 50/50 rails, thinned out only in the tail and pinched and turned up in the nose. The other thing you mentioned was the planshape - parallel, and 10+ feet long. Whew… Sounds like the only kind of turn I’d be able to do would be a hard pivot type turn. If I put it on a rail, I fall over. So to answer your question, I’d have to say, yea… more unstable than a fuller rail.
I prefer the wide point back and a soft hip in the outline for noseriding. I like the belly to go into a rolled vee in the tail. Blended concave under the nose. Squash tail as a compromise between the rounded pin and old school square. Single fin, of course.
IMO pinched rails area harder to ride. I have a Christenson that has really flat rocker and rails that are fairly pinched and there was definetely some transition time learning how to ride it. Definitely not as forgiving/ user friendly as a fuller, softer, 50/50 rail.
"I'm wondering if a board with really pinched 50/50 rails are are more difficult (less stable) than a board with fuller 50/50 egg rails?"
In theory, yes but assuming all else being equal, the 23"-24" width you describe elsewhere should still be relatively stable.
"Will this be markedly different from your standard 9' HP LB with a little concave and full rails, turned hard in the tail?"
Yes. Even more so when you consider that you've added a foot or more in length. Other factors might be considered as well... fins for instance which might play a bigger role overall. Compare a big glassed on skeg to an adjustable 2+1.
"Also wide square tail (for wave-catching) or pintail (for turning)?"
Considering the other variables involved, tail outline is less important. The difference between a 9' HP longboard and a 10'+ Cooperfish style board is going to be pretty drastic regardless of tail specifics.
FWIW Cooperfish boards typically have a nice blend of rocker, belly, outline, foil and fin design to make for a sure-fire winner. It will however be a different ride than what you'd expect from a HP longboard.
HP = quick, twitchy, maneuverable. CF = smooth and stable.
My brother has a 10’ longboard with a slightly rolled bottom and pinched egg shaped rails. It rides really nice, it’s very manuverable and it very fast.
If you want a board to cruise along and ride in the hook, but not be concerned about making extremely hard square turns, you should be fine with a cooper fish board. You’ll probably explore a whole new way of riding and get more nose time than on a HP longboard.
I prefer riding longboard in a more traditional style, something more like the late 60’s early 70’s. Just ride in the sweet spot of the wave, turn as needed to stay right there. If I want to ride more radically, I get on a short board, or a shorter board.
Seems to me that riding a longboard the way you would ride a short board is more about getting more waves because the board is long and easy to paddle.