I just finished shaping my first board and now I’m stoked to get started on another one. The only problem is I’m afraid I’ve run out of designs to try out that will work in small beachbreak waves. At the moment my quiver is:
9’1" single fin longboard
8’2" eggy funboard with a thruster setup, paddles like a dream
6’0" fish twin fin
5’9" singlefin s-deck
a 6’8" shortboard hybrid that I’m planning on buying with the store credit I got from selling another board on commission. I’d use the money for something else, but I don’t think I’d ever have a need for 400+ bars of wax.
I’d rather not have a funboard, and I’m not sure if I’m quite ready for a shortboard as I’m still working my way down from a longboard. I don’t think my shaping skills would qualify me for a SUP and I’m definitely not good enough to shape a board and just sell it (Although it’s either shape more boards or get a real job to pay for this habit, and I should probably pay back my dad for all the money he’s invested in this adventure).
Any ideas? I’m open to pretty much anything at this point. I just need to mow foam before the withdrawl symptons kick in!
Why don’t you pick one that you like and work on refining the design and your technique. If you spend your time jumping from one design to another you will never understand any of them well.
I thought about a quad, but I’m not sure I understand all the physics behind four-fins. I’ll have to read up on them a little more I guess. I’d love a template if you happen to have one. Never hurts to learn from the masters.
I’d try to perfect the boards I have, but they work pretty well and I don’t exactly have the resources or knowledge to know what would be better. I’m still a novice at all of this.
Hans,
I love the look of the MSF. I was soo tempted to buy one recently but the price is just a little too steep for me. A copy wouldn’t be bad though. And right now a singlefin seems easier than trying to figure out fin placement for a quad.
OK, what about a sweet, neutral, rounded pintail, single-fin 6’4"?
“…learn from the masters…”??? Wow! Looks like my status has changed, somehow… Come on, there are some genuine “masters” here, but I don’t qualify. Far from it. It takes a huge number of boards under your belt and some natural talent, too, to be a master. I like to call myself a craftsman.
Balsa, that is a sweet looking board! I think that is right on the mark for what I’m looking for. And I found a blank that should fit it pretty well.
Any recommendations when it comes to bottom contours and rails? To me it looks like maybe a flat to single concave that goes right out the tail and 60/40 slightly pinched rails. But I could be sooo wrong, as I usually am.
Rachel, for a singlefin like that I would expect to see a flat going to slight V just in front of the fin, then back to flat with tail kick behind the fin. That would be exactly like the boards we rode in the 70’s.
A couple years ago I bought a used 11’ 2" beast with the idea that I might tandem with my young daughter to get her stoked on surfing. My Daughter was a little intimidated but when I surfed the thing I discovered an new surf experience. A big cruiser can be fun. It’s a pain to handle in the water, but on small mushy days it’s easier to handle and it’s a blast. I can catch anything and on just thigh to hip high surf, it’s fast. Once turned and trimmed it zips along.
A side benefit is that it’s expanded my technique. Turning and trimming a really big board really forces you to work up and down the deck.
The thing is badly shaped, but I’m so stoked that I want to shape a replacement. I figure if it were well shaped I could grow it to about 11’ 6" and still make it handle better.
At 6’ 2", 220 lbs. I’m sure I’m bigger than you so a board to give you the equivalent experience would probably be smaller than 11’ 2".
Anyway, that’s my suggestion. Your quiver looks pretty full. If you have those small mushy days where you’d just like some glide, go for a big cruizer.
My advice would be to keep your bottom contour fairly simple. A good old flat turning to a V in the last quarter of the board. Not too much V, the tail is not so wide as to need being “broken”. I agree with your idea of 60/40 pinched rails, they should complement the outline just fine. Just make sure to turn them down hard in the tail for good water release.
i would make your tail alot wider like 14 squash, or a swallow. in the mushy eastcoast surf, it’s probably not wise to have that pinny tail. but hard tucked rails especailly in the last 14 inches
Hey Rachel, now that’s funny, look at this one (I made it one month ago or so for Shaperoom.net’s lottery) The template is damn near yours, except 6’5" instead of 6’4". I’m posting photos of the finished board so that you get a better idea of what it looks like:
And the winner is… Ben! (Still another one)
I tried to find the right angle to visualize the vee:
Hey balsa, and everyone, what would you call the minimum wave size for the boards you posted? I’m also thinking about a single or 2+1 for everyday surf, but I was thinking I’d go a bit longer than 6’4". This is what I’ve come up with so far:
Rider is 150 pounds (68 kg). Any thoughts on the shape and about how far back would the fin box go?
this is the 6’4 " single fin I was riding in knee to chest high waves for quite a while , prior to my 9’ mal being made , and when my 7’ single fin started feeling a bit dead in the water …it doesn’t have as much rocker as one I would make now , but in flatter / fatter waves , that’s okay ! [I also weigh about 8-10lbs more now than when the photos were taken , fortunately !]
the Bob Cooper [“Richie West Bullett” model !] single fin is …
14.5 x 6’4 x 20 x 13 x c 2 3/4" [ WHERE have my callipers gone to ??]
flat bottom to the midpoint , then double concave to about 6" up from the tail , then flat out the back of the tail
I put a fin box in it 4 1/2" up from the tail tip . [ It had a back thruster fin glassed on ?!, when I bought it ?!] … But now it has a 15" fin box in it , so LOTS of movement for the fin is possible !
" I put a fin box in it 4 1/2" up from the tail tip . [ It had a back thruster fin glassed on [?!] , when I bought it ] . But now it has a 15" fin box in it , so LOTS of movement for the fin is possible ! "
…I like the pinlines , the tint job , the outline , and the logo on it . That is why I’ve kept it. If it was thinner , finer railed , and more rockered , I would ride it in hollower waves. (But it IS , after all, “a 1975 board” , or so Bob’s son told us…)
The only problem is I’m afraid I’ve run out of designs to try out that will work in small beachbreak waves. At the moment my quiver is:
9’1" single fin longboard
8’2" eggy funboard with a thruster setup, paddles like a dream
6’0" fish twin fin
5’9" singlefin s-deck
For small no push beach breaks I’d go with a alot wider tail and bump squash than some of the designs you’ve seen here. Retro is fine but if you want mush wave performance just make a simple flyer design with a slight full concave, bump squash, low entry nose rocker and a little more tall rocker than normal and put in a 2+1 small rear box setup so you can mix up the fin options. I think you’ll find something like this to be very versatile and help you eliminate the need for “specialized” boards.
These flyer-type boards are a perfect small wave, mush wave, beach break type of designs you can have in your quiver.
