So, I’m diving (carefully) down the path of making my first surfboard, and I just need some design confirmation/suggestions. I’ve made a mockup of the board in boardcad to get things organized and such, but theres a few things I want to make sure of before I start tearing into that foam.
Just a side note, this will be by first shortboard, coming from a 6’8" miniMal kind of thing – a mcctavish sumo. I live on the Gulf, so the waves are really just mushy slop, though I do go up to NJ in the summers where I would like a board that could hold well up there too. If this helps anyone, im 5’11", 145 lbs, 16 yo.
Now I’ll get to the board:
Essentially, the board I have in mind is somewhat inspired by the superbrand fling shapewise, though I may change a few things.
First off, before the picture throws you off, I was thinking of doing a concave deck. I just kind of like the idea, coming from skateboarding. From the attached pictures of the cross section, does that depth seem about right? Its just about a quarter inch.
Now the big question, rails. If I'm taking inspiration from the fling, superbrand describes them as boxy. So, does that look about right from the picture? I assume that a boxier rail would be better for me for the stability and forgivness, considering this would be my first shorty.
So on to bottom concaves. I'm thinking flat (or belly) to single to double to vee? What kind of depth should I be putting on these? In the picture I have 1/4".
How are my profile and outline looking? Any suggestions? Would it be beneficial to go a tad wider, such as a baked potato? Maybe pull in the tail a tad?
for some reason on my boardcad model it has some weird point pulled down in the back, any idea why?
Also a couple other notes
I have access to a 3d printer, so I'm planning to print some templates just to keep me in check along the way, or maybe to shape the concave and tuck.
Here's a google drive folder with the boardcad file in it, If you would like to take a closer peek: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1ZXG962QrPV41q8WMJLmKCOxU_M772LjA
Please let me know if you have any other suggestions, criticisms, advice, warnings, insults, whatever.
I think it looks good. Sorry - I don’t know enough about the computer process to tell you why you have that bump in the tail. I’m also not sure about some of the numbers I’m looking at… I.E. “tail rocker” = 0"? It doesn’t seem to go with what I see in the diagram.
On the side view, it looks to me like you might be better off with a lower nose rocker and a bit of a boost in the tail rocker - maybe a tighter radius ahead of the fin zone but with a slight increase at the tip of tail. I think that once you add the concave to the bottom, you’ll agree on the idea of overall tail rocker increase…
I do like the cross section and the outline. I think you have the rail crown in a good place to ‘fit’ the deck concave.
For a first board, in the conditions described, I would eliminate all the concaves. Especially the deck concave, and especially if you will be glassing this yourself.
The rocker looks too flat through the middle to me, a more gradual curve throughout would be more like the actual fling. But most modern close tolerance blanks have viable rocker already built in.
The rails look good, although not what I would call boxy.
Will you be handshaping this at home? Glassing it in the garage? The boardbuilding process has a bit of a learning curve, keeping it simple and basic increases your chance of success.
I am so glad we did not have all the computer stuff and Youtube overload when i started making boards.Yes there are some good tips that might have made it eaiser but sooo many bad ones as well. I was talking with another long time board builder at the beach the other day. We were laughing at our first attempts… We did not know any better you just made what you wanted to try and make with the limited info you had to do it. You put it in the water and rode it. Then you would make another one trying to fix the mistakes you made in the last one. Make em ride em improve em. It was all good fun back than…
…hello Ace, is better like you say but he s 16; the generations up to 35 or so want all now. Nobody want to do the learning curve of years.
Concave deck would be good to fit there but you will finish with a too soft deck in the standing up area. Regarding that concave lamination, there is no problem, the problem could be in the sanding.
The future box and the logotypes in your example are not real, look photoshoped after.
I barely read the measurements but 6 4 ? that is too much when you use a wider nose area and pretend to make some action turns at your weight. No doubt that you are looking for more action if you are changing from that other board to these others.
With those lines you will have good take off and good paddling approach but is more to the front foot oriented surfer; if you still want this model and you are not a front foot surfer, you need to reduce the lenght (if is 6 4)
Clubbers, the mishapes at the nose and tail are probably some curve control points that oare overlapping and the software is trying to make sense of it. Usually you can pick through it and get rid of those. There is a toggle button for selecting top or bottom or both while editing.
Reverb, from Clubbers’ first picture:
length= 5 foot 4 inches
width= 20.41"
thickness= 2.08"
I think this thread could be really fun if the rocker for a groveller is deeply discussed.
I suspect like Reverb that the Boardcave pics are a little ‘enhanced to show texture’ as that rocker and thickness would be close to 2 3/4" on a 5’4" board
Designing by Cad is one thing. But doing your first board via CNC cheats yourself out of understanding the complete shaping process. Lots of high quality hand shapers do not glass their own boards, grind their own fins etc. That doesn’t make them inferior to the reefers of the world. Otherwise follow Huck’s advice.
I’d download one of the blank catalogs and start looking at their stock rockers. They lay their curves out in 6" increments, which you can emulate with the CAD. These rockers and their variants form that starting point for most shapers. Besides, if you lay a rocker out that the machine can’t cut from a blank then that’s not going to work anyway.
Yeah, I definitely how the sharp edge of the concave deck could cause some sanding issues. I assume if i kept that in Il’d need to hand sand that area. What do you mean by too soft in the standing up area? as in too thin and flexy? Im considering taking the concave out and just going with a flat deck to keep some volume, or if that is hard too just a normal deck.
Sorry, I didn’t realize that the pictures wouldn’t be able to be opened directly. The board is actually 5’4" at roughly 33 liters. (this is higher than the fling at the same size, I assume because I moved some volume to the rails.
I actually already have a greenlight blank, I think a 5’7" v. Basically its just a modern flat profile, so it will do most of the rocker for me, I just need to figure out the small bits ill be taking off since there will be an inch extra on the front and back.
I sincerely wish I had the computer skills that so many of the Sways crew has. Until I do I am sentenced to pound them out with a Skil 100. When I come up with something that I think is worthwhile a nd can be tweaked via 3D, I have Cobey or Ty at Marko scan it and create a file. I highly recommend their Marko EPS blanks and their cutting services. Lowel
Ok yeah taking off the concaves probably would be a good idea, especially that top one. I assume the most problematic part of doing it would be the sanding, right? Should I just switch it to a flat deck to keep some volume, or just go for a regular curve?
Also, is a flat bottom better for small waves? I thought the concave was supposed to help it plane a bit earlier, but that might be entirely wrong haha.
I already have a blank from greenlight. Its a 5’7 v, basically just a flat modern rocker. That should handle most of the rocker for me, I just need to figure out the back and front as there will be a bit of excess foam on each end.
Yes to both of those, but I’m not a complete newbie to fiberglassing. My father has a bit of experience just over the years for boats and such, and I’ve worked with it a few times. I resurfaced a skimboard bottom last week, but thats a hell of a lot easier than glassing and entire board I suppose.
Yeah, poked around in the back and still can’t seem to find whats going on. I checked and moved all the points and tried deleting them and putting new ones in, but no cigar. It shouldn’t really matter though since I’m not CNCing from this or anything. I assume its not throwing off my volume, right?
Also yeah, I was looking at some of those pictures for the fling and they just didnt seem to line up with other grovelers ive seen.
Yeah, will probably lower the nose a tad, I guess ill raise the tail too. I already have a blank that is pretty close with most of the rocker and such, so I’ll see what I can do. What do you mean by a tighter radius around the fin zone and more at the tail, though?
The design has too much foam forward of the mid point and not enough foam behind the mid point. It’s not balanced. You need to either add more foam around the tail or remove foam around the nose.
I learnt this one the hard way. Man was that board a dog!
Nice to see a 16 year old willing to put the work in to shape his first board. Board cad can help you think about the design you want. Now you need to think how can you get hat design out of that Blank. Like Huke said for your first few Boards keep it simple. Learn how to use your tools. You will also learn develop your eyes and hands to see and feel the the imperfections. One little tip is stick to your plan. Don’t over think it. Measure and then remeasure everything before to take the planer to the foam.
There are a lot of diffrents ways to skin a cat. Some better then others. You will get lots of good advice here.
As a fellow Gulf coaster, I think the Fling is not a bad design to follow. Not sure where you are, but in my area when we get rideable waves, they are either complete mush that require a longboard or super fast breaking, sucking and semi-hollow sand bars or shorepound. I don’t usually bother with the mush. With the suckers, I have personally found I need more rocker, especially in the tail.
I haven’t gotten to ride one yet, but the Evo looks to me like about the perfect design for the Gulf. Now if we can just get rid of this confounded red tide . . .
