Contemplating making my next board which will be a thruster of some sort - i was tossing up with the idea of a sort of semi-gun of around 7’8-7’10 with dimensions of around 22 x 13n x 14t x 3in thick with a rounded pin tail and normal fcs thruster set up. But then i went surfing on a small island just off the coast here in West Oz and had to lug my 7’6 single fin on a crowded bus and then all about the island. So i got to thinking - how can i make a thruster that i can lug on buses/planes/indo etc but still be a good floater and wave catcher (i weigh 200punds but am reasonably strong paddler). I was thinking something like 7’0 or 7’2 with more rocker than the single but still 22 wide and 3 thick for float. maybe a square tail or rounded pin. Im 5’11 200 pounds and of average to intermediate ability (depending on the day of course). I want to surf mainly chest to over head high waves. I have a 10 foot log and single fin for the small days.
Basically, i want to go down in size, within reason. Ive made the transition from 10 foot log to 7’6 single quite well now i want to go a little smaller.
Try a 7’2 about 21 wide… but make the deck a bit flatter, and the rails a bit fuller for the extra volume. I think 3" is a little thick, but better to have too much foam than not enough, I suppose. I’d go 2.75.
I may venture to add that, if you aren’t riding overhead hollow waves, you could carry a bit of width into your tail area. Also, I think that a quad layout may accommodate a wider board better than a thruster but that is mostly speculation on my part. Perhaps some more experienced folk could pitch in on this.
Hi surfer dave, i do intend to ride some hollow overhead waves this winter so i need something that will still paddle well but be a bit easier to control in steeper more hollow waves. my current small board is a 7’6 retro style single which is really more for smaller summer waves, maybe up to chest to head high but not too hollow. Plus i want to be able to travel a bit to and 7’6 is too long for comfort and ease.
I think 12.5 is enough nose, and 14.5 is good for a round pin… coming off a 21" wide point. Look at some of the Ken Bradshaw shapes for planshape ideas… really nice curves for a big guy, riding bigger waves. Mostly smooth, parabolic curves without those pronounced hips. Just a gentle acceleration of curve toward the tail.
I like the single to double thrusters for those “semi-gun” type shapes.
For rocker i was thinking of going about 5 in for the nose and around 2 in for the tail. I can get more nose rocker out of the blank with no problems by shifting the template to the appropriate spot on the blank.