Big hollow wave long board

General Discussion
1

Whats up guys me and some friends are going to costa rica in march and one of my friends longboards and is wanting a new board to take ive never shaped a long board like he is wanting just cruisers with really soft rails what type of longboard is suited for bigger waves? how long,width,nose,and tail suggestions would be great

                                                                       thanks.
2

You’d have to take into account his previous boards, what he likes to ride, how much paddle he wants, how big he is, and what he can handle now with his boards.

Remember, even for BongaP, logs BREAK when pushed thru the whitewater, or when the lip lands on the board, or the rider standing on the board. Logs are the most fragile boards for bigger wave surfing.

That one of the big reasons that big wave surfing was such a mystical experience before the late '60’s. Everyone broke them out in bigger surf, so goes the mystique. And those old boards were glassed double 8oz, with full deck patches and no skimp in resin!

The closer you make it to a full gun, the better it will work, with respect to the owners wishes, wants, and needs.

3

I have a Harbour Simms (9’0" and 17 1/4, 22, 13 1/2 and 2 3/4) that I think performs great in larger, heavier waves. But perhaps shaping something more like the Habanero, with the narrower nose would be good. At 9’0" it is 15 1/2, 21 1/2, 13 3/8 and 2 3/4)

There are pics at http://www.harboursurfboards.com/surfboards.html

4

Pull the nose in say like between 13 and 15 inches. Put a little extra kick in the nose say 1/2 inch the last 18 inches. Make the bottom in the nose area rounded so it is easy to get into the the wave even with a little side chop. I like my rails to be soft all the way through until the last 18 inches to 24 inches, now harden the rail up back there. A rounded pin works good and don’t make the tail to wide 14 inches or so. I also like a little concave back in the tail just in front of the fin all the way to the tail. You don’t need a lot maybe 1/4 inch, I also like two concaves. My big wave longboard has balsa rails this makes them a lot stronger. Good luck.

5

Here’s what I’m building right now (it’s a wooden hollow designed for Parlementia, a French big wave spot) :

It’s very much inspired from Dave Parmenter’s definition of a longboard gun.

  • Rolled bottom
  • Domed deck
  • pinched 50/50 rails blending into hard down rail in the tail area
6

i’d suggest checking out some of Jon Mar’s boards. he’s a shaper out in hawaii, with a lot of talent and style…and some REALLY cool shapes for all types/sizes of waves. seeing what Joey Valentine did with his speed shape at Sunset Beach damn-near made my jaw drop to the ground. http://www.jmarsurf.com