Hey Swaylockians, maybe you can help me. I am looking to shape a board for the summer, waves here are around waist to head high and often a little choppy, windblown. I am 6 foot and weigh 220pounds(100kg). I surf 4-5 times a week. I want to be able to surf in the pocket and snap / cutback etc. I dont want to just go down the line. I dont want to end up on a normal modern day thruster as they end up being too long (around6’8" or 6’10) to get the float.These dont work for me in under head high waves. What about a board that was something close to an original thruster. They were quite thick all the way to the nose. Do they go well in these conditions? Or I could go the winged / swallow tail approach to get more volume with looseness. Maybe I should go flat wide with Vee and make a board that planes but can be turned sharp? I have made a traditional fish and it flies but I cant get to go vertical or stay in the pocket - its always out on the face. anyone’s advice welcomed.
shape a expanded shortboard
thanks reverb but do you simply mean increase width? If so, what will this do to the loosness of the board? Will I need to make other changes to make up for it?
expanded shortboards = same outline but wider. is not a pig or egg, or fun, or fish or malibú. also, you should increase width, may be only on the center all along the stringer (dome deck) if you want response rails for quicker arcs or fast rail to rail action…or a flat deck for more flotation action… may be try with other fins configurations, like “single twin” , this configuration is good for a loosen board…
Big guy, If you’re in the chop much of the time. Bottom configuration is primary to deal with the bumpy surface you’re working all the time. Either a paneled or triplane bottomw would be my choice. I’d choose a rather full rounded pintail with enough vee to make it work well. I think you should say away from concaves. The key to making it snap the way you want it to is a nice calm continuous rocker. You get the right shaper you get the right board. Talk to some local shapers and see who’s work appeals to you the most and who will listen to what you want your board to do. Mahalo, Rich
i’m pretty much your weight (10 lbs plus)and ride a few diff boards. My 6 10 x20 x 2 5/8 standard big boy is good but if you want to ride a shorter board you should go wider. I ride a fishy 6 6 X 20 3/4 x 2 5/8 rpin tail that goes brill in waves up to 5 ft. Importantly for big guys tho’ you need a light board (adds buoyancy), and stiffness (reduces loss of energy). The best board i ve ever had was super light (vinylester) with a carbon fibre stringer. Checkout www.tombstonesurf.com - these are different.