here’s another one i just finished up. 5’4" x 22" x 2 5/8"
a young local guy, Sam Hall…we actually have a wealth of good photogs around here…cheers Huck…
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Nice photo - who takes your photos?
Beautiful Board! Congratulations!
Hayley
Of course you love it! It is your baby, your first baby!
What calls my attention is the simplicity allover it. And I (we all) recognize the need for another session. There is defenitilly a time to adapt for such a different shape and length. Mind to stay low…
Have fun(and you all swaylockers)!
Miguel
Hayley,
What blank did you use for your simmons? Looks great!
This is my first board (that I’ve shaped). It’s a 5’5" x 23" x 2.75" mini-simmons. 3" nose rocker and 0.5" tail. Belly in front third, to flat in middle third to double concave in last third between fins with a roll on the rails throughout the length of the board. The rails are relatively knifey for the thickness (something i’m glad i did). I used xps foam and 2x 6oz cloth top and one 6oz for bottom with epoxy resin. Double foiled keel fins. Glassing was done beautifully by John from Evenflow surfboards here in Cape Town. I shaped by hand using surforms and sanding blocks. The xps is pretty tough stuff and took me almost 8 hours from in total for the shaping.
I am so stoked! And a big thanks to all of you on the forums for providing great advice and inspiration for this beast. Up until this project started, I had not seen a mini-simmons at all. Barring John’s boards, I don’t think anyone in Cape Town is shaping these things, so I relied totally on words on this forum and advice from John on the shape.
I took it for a surf in overhead to double overhead (I’m 6ft, 78kg (175lbs) and 30 years young) beach break surf at a popular crowded spot as soon as I picked it up from glassing. Speed, speed and more speed! I am amazed how the shape holds so well in much bigger surf than I planned on using it for. The thinnish rails helped hold in on the suckier waves…there was at no time a feeling that the board would slide out. In fact I was able to keep a really high line most of the time. Prior to this board, the widest board I had surfed was my old 20" wide mini mal, so I was very skeptical that I could get this stick from rail to rail easily, but its butter smooth from side to side. In fact my next board (yes, I’m already thinking of the next few!), will almost definitely have some belly in it. To me it seems to be such a great design principle.
So what would i change if i were to do it again? Well, I would definitely go smaller - these suckers pack so much volume and also hold the line like a far bigger board. I would think something like 5’2" x 22 x 2.5 for my dimensions. I would also maybe put a quad removable setup on - something really adjustable like the 4-way fin system - just to mess around with the settings a little, although I am very happy with the double foiled keels I have atm. And that’s about it. The construction materials of xps and epoxy feel super solid and are nice and light. Ciao all.
[img_assist|nid=1056771|title=5'5" Mini-Simmons|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=75][img_assist|nid=1056772|title=5'5" Mini-Simmons 2|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=75|height=100][img_assist|nid=1056773|title=5'5" Mini-Simmons 3|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=75][img_assist|nid=1056774|title=5'5" Mini-Simmons 4|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=100|height=75]
cool! ride report / pics??
I see you put FCS fusions into the mini simmons. What kinds of fins are you putting into that board? custom made ones that work in the FCS system? or are you putting stock FCS fins in it. Although I have never used them, The FCS Bonzer Fin Setup always has appealed to me for Mini Simmons.
And I know why she loves long walks on the beach. That board is a head turner. I love having people ask me questions about my boards and my art when im surfing them. Im sure that board does the same for you
I have been mixing up the fins on it. I started with a set of the FCS triple plug keels that I pulled off of a twin keel I didn’t really like (http://custom.surfboardshack.com/fcs-triple-plug-keel-fins/). I ended up sawing the back tab off and those work great. I also tried out a pair of the FCS Fk-2s but those were way too loose and the board kept coming unstuck. It is really funny walking to the beach and seeing peoples faces. It’s like you are melting minds.
No fiberglass was used in the construction of this surfboard. i have taken it out three times and so far… no leaks.
5’6" x 22" x 3"
Nice Marke,
What did you use to seal the board? , im just making a wood board and id like to leave it unglassed maybe just oiled…
Anyway heres my simmons bar of soap, 5’8 ish 21" wide, Agave central stringer, think I have already posted it on here somewhere but here it is again:
That stringer is epic. How do you like the fins? I was having issues with the smaller fins on mine being too loose, do those hold?
nocean i love that board. the stringer is really cool. do you like that much rocker in the nose? i generally put less rocker into my simmons boards because it makes it faster, but i would love to hear some insight about adding some more entry rocker and whether it is beneficial or not
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No fiberglass was used in the construction of this surfboard. i have taken it out three times and so far.......... no leaks.
5'6" x 22" x 3"
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Lucy! you've got some splainin to do...
how'd you do it Marke?
Could you tell us what kind of a finish you put on the board? And how you think it is holding up?
It is a real nice looking board, and I bet it is a blast to ride. Thanks.
I made the blank from HomeDepot eps. Vac bagged the 1/8" poplar ply skins on with gorilla glue. Rails are built up with 1/8" ply and I finished it with 3 coats of Spar varnish. The fins are doweled in to pine blocking that I glued into the blank before I bagged on the skins.
It weighs in at 8lbs.
I have only had it out three times but it seems to be holding up.