I have! I ended up picking up a Rhyno blank. It’s their K-fish blank at 6’0" in length. With my outline pushed to the back of the blank, the rocker ends up pretty close to on-target.
I really understand what you mean about taking your time early on. Mistakes beget mistakes, with anything I guess.
I owe it to George (PlusOneShaper) for slowing me down, and for a wealth of additional information (including my rocker numbers).
The slower I go, the more I enjoy the process. I’ve become kind of addicted to preparation now. It feels good to spend days dialing in the template, or making tools.
Here are photos of the blank, the outline drawn on the bottom of the blank, and the rocker template I cut out today. I’ll be sighting the rocker template and smoothing it out over the next couple of days… and I’ll be cutting the outline as well.
Tonight I spent some time drawing out rail profiles. I’ve had a mental block about that until now. I’m starting to get moving on it. It feels strange to be thinking about them so late. I guess building something as well-understood as a fish comes with that luxury. In the future I think I’ll focus on rocker and rails before I really know what sort of outline I want.
Sooner or later I’ll start actually, you know, shaping
Thanks!