Bonzer / Stubbie template advice

General Discussion
1

Hello, i’m playing with the APS3000 (THANKS!!!) and i came with this template for my next board.

I want to ride it on small waves, mostly on beach breaks, and i was thinking about making a singlefin, but now i see the template and wonder if it will ride better as a bonzer… maybe i’ll end building both variations.

The board will be close to 3’’ thick, and low rockered, just around 3’’ on the nose and just over 2’’ on the tail. I have a 8’’ paddle fin that i want to try on it, but of course it will have a fin box installed to play with it.

Take in mind that i’m 5’11’’ and around 190 pounds…

I like to read your opinions since i haven’t ride before any board of this kind, and i don’t know what to spect from it, but it seems to me like a “singlefin fish” like board. I’ve seen some boards like this one on this forum and i want to try it.

Thanks to all of you for your advice every single day on this forum.

2

You’re talking small waves, why not widen the tail slightly, try to keep the tail block the same, move WPoint 4" back, maybe go with narrower nose to penetrate offshore winds and increase quickness and flickablility?

It would catch waves much easier and earlier, and spin out is not a problem in small waves.

Your template is nice, but very old school '70’s. We’ve come a long way in every piece of sports equipment since then, why not embrace the new technology?

And slightly concave the front bottom, going to a modern tri fin bottom, exiting as a double concave for lift, responce, and bite.

3

I like it. I rode a board for a while that was very similar. It was a 70’s shape from Steve Seebold, single fin, lots of fun. Check out mandala’s bonzers. www.mandalacustomshapes.com. As shown below.

A single fin would be great, but so would a bonzer. Single might be better in smaller surf though, its up to you. I like the mellow diamond tail. Looks like fun.

D

4

that shape, deep concaves, five fin boxes…you’re set for whatever setup takes your fancy, every day !

And , with making your own fins for each setup…the possibilities are endless !! [see ZoSurf’s 6 finner !]

ben

5

Thanks for the advice LeeDD, I’ll play a little more with the program to see what i have following your directions, but what you’re saying sounds me like a board “a la McCoy”, a template close to a Nugget or a Potbelly.

Actually the wide point is couple inches front.

D. Henry, i read some reviews about the Mandala you’re talking about and Manuel himself was saying that the board hasen’t too much hold… but maybe he wasn’t riding small waves. That’s why i tried to keep the tail narrower than on his version.

About chose if i want to make a bonzer or a singlefin, i want to know it frist because if i make the concaves to fit the fin placement they’ll be there too when i ride it single. And the board will have the lift of the concaves but wont have the drive of the side runners.

Also, the rocker, i think, will be different if i’m going to put on the board deeper concaves for a Bonzer bottom configuration.

Yesterday i checked Kalani’s “Bumble Bee” on Surfermag’s forum, and it seems so sweet… He says it rides really well on small waves.

I’ll be back later with a modified template and clearer ideas.

Thanks guys!!!

6

hiya again Coque !

maybe if you can hold off for a week or two, I’ll have ridden my ‘pineapple’ as a single and , hopefully, a bonzer setup by then too…

it will very definately be in small waves, I should be able to let you know my findings by then.

of course, that will be for a 6’5 ROUNDED PIN though, and with my very own strange canyons / concaves , so…

ben
7

I’m on a similar project.

I started with a 5’10" fish template and added a wide diamond instead of a huge swallow.

The result is:

I’m working on the concaves, as I decided it’ll be a “Bonzer 3”.

Hopefully it’ll ride fine.

So far, I just started with concaves and I have to make them smoother and a bit more symetrical.

Max depth is 8mm at the very end of the tail.

To be read in french on: http://www.surf4all.net/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=185734#185734

8

nice , Lob !!

Are you going with homemade glassons all round ?

What size runners and back fin ?

…stay in touch eh ? [looks like a FEW ‘bonzer projects’ are going on at the moment …STOKED !!! ]

ben

malheureusement, my french is not good enough to comprehend what you wrote there…any chance of a few english words here in translation , or as a ‘p.m.’ ? [I saw a few familiar pictures there, though…WHATEVER happened to “shaperoom.net” …did all the pro ho’s close it down , or something ??]

9

Hi, Chipfish61!

Come on, don’t be shy: post on Shaperoom.net, in English. Lob or Pierre or Jeffrey or myself or a few others will translate, don’t worry. And we’ll reply, in French, of course… (Just kidding…) Look for another post soon to translate the various columns so you know where to post.

10

balsa…‘p.m.’, mate !

cheers

“chip”

11

All right, Chipfish61, here we go! (And all of you out there for that matter, if you’re not too familiar with French… Which I do understand: English is way easier, I reckon.)

Ok, so you log into Shaperoom.net. I know you’ve already done it. Good. In the upper left, you’ll see: “En ligne” (Who’s on line), followed by the names of those who are. Underneath that, you find: Introduction (need I translate?), then “outils” (tools used for shaping and glassing), then “le shape” (shaping), “la stratification” (glassing), “les plugs” (fins and leash plugs) and “la décoration” (deco).

Still underneath: “les articles” (articles), “les comptes rendus” (reports), “le forum” (guess what?), “les liens” (links), “les annonces” (classified ads).

Ok, now click on “le forum” and you get this:

“Fabriquer sa planche” (building your own surfboard)

“Les outils/matériaux” (Tools and materials)

“Les techniques” (building techniques)

“La décoration” (deco techniques)

“Vos réalisations” (the equivalent of browse resources: members made boards)

“Communauté de shapers” (shapers union, unactive right now)

Then: “…En attendant les vagues” (waiting for waves)

“Discussion générale” (need I translate? Anything that’s not related to previous rubrics)

“Que choisir?” (which board for which guy-wave-level…?)

“Les réparations” (ding repairs)

“A vendre” (“For sale”, to sell any surf-related item except boards for there is a special category for that)

Then: “A propos du site” (about the site)

“Vos remarques” (your comments)

“Poubelle” (garbage can, all unwanted posts are supposed to end there. Since there are none, I guess we must be quite open-minded…)

Then: “Qui est en ligne?” (who’s on line)

“Nos membres ont posté un total de X messages” (our members have posted X posts)

“Nous avons X membres enregistrés” (registered members number)

“L’utilisateur enregistré le plus récent est Chipfish61” (the latest posting registered member is Chipfish61)

“Il y a en tout X utilisateurs en ligne: X enregistrés, X invisibles et X invités.” (X registered users are on line, X invisible, X invited)

“Le record du nombre d’utilisateurs en ligne est de X le …/…/…” (the registered members on line at the same time record number is X on …/…/…)

That’s for a start. If you need any other detail, feel free to ask, we gladly welcome any enquiries…

12

wow . good info, balsa !!

now, how the heck do I post a reply to someone on the forum there ?

I know I couldn’t seem to get it together before…

and should I try french, or just write english, and hope someone replies in english ?

cheers mate !

ben

p.s. - is the site now called ‘surf4all’ ? or is it still 'shaperoom.net ’ ? [ www.shaperoom.net ] ?? …I forget !

13

…back on track now…

Lob , can you video that being ridden for the french connection sways footage, please ? [maybe you and balsa could have a surf together and compare stubbie and bonzer templates or something ?]

What will the other dimensions be for that 3 finner , Lob ?

thanks !

 ben
14

Chipfish61,

first, you need to log-in -right upper corner, it’s called “identification” (log-in) then your password, then click the “identification” button. This should bring you to the page I just translated. Then, when you want to answer a thread, click in the lower left corner “répondre” (answer). A new window will appear where you write your post. At the very bottom, you will find a “visualisation” button (OK?) and a “envoyer” button (send message). Then you will be re-directed to the thread you were answering to. As I said, just post in English and hope for one of us English speaking guys to be on line. As you may have noticed, some of us also post on Swaylock’s (PierreB, Lob, Jeffrey, to name a few that come to mind). It would be pure bad luck if none of them is on line at the time you post…

15

I may bother you but I think I remeber that thread was Coque’s one.

But, Coque, feel free to come to shaperoom.net and share with us…

I mean, anyone is actualy welcome…

Just follow the Balsa Brick Road.

16

Lob, look what they did, i’m one single day at bed with some fever, let my thread alone and they change it and forget my template…

Last time i put together an aussie and a french surfer (with some beers to share) in my hotel room at Hossegor, i couldn’t sleep… it’s a “bad” mix, you know! Well just kidding… The good thing was that the next day i was surfing before the heats started and they were sleeping.

You board looks awesome, and you concaves seem really nice, sincerely. I have an Eaton Bonzer three, so if you want any information about fin placement, fin templates, concave placement, rails, etc, just PM me with an email address and i’ll send you a bunch of photos and some numbers.

As you can see here, i made this template form a fish, but then i curved the line close to the tail to keep the tail narrower. Maybe curving those lines will slow the board, but maybe if i finally shape a Bonzer i can keep the tail wide, as yours and it will have the drive it needs… we’ll see.

By the way, i found that making the concaves after i finished the rails on the board gives me a better finished shape and allows me to place the concaves just were i want them. Maybe i’m wrong, i don’t know how the pros do it.

Tomorrow i hope to be well again and working in the office, so maybe i’ll have the time to finally develop a new template.

This is going to be a funny night with all this fever on me…

17

I went in the garage to make you a copy of my edge stubbie template a couple of weeks ago and remembered that I had loaned it out…getting it back tomorrow and will mail to you Friday…don’t know how long it will take. Your cad looks good to me.

18

Lob, Beautifal Concaves Mate!

19

Lee, thanks! i’ll be waiting the template. On this one i’m on a doubt as i said before, i don’t know if try it like a Bonzer or just do it as a single fin to try a bunch of fins i have… Specially an Halcyon (it’s magic on my 9’2’') Flaco, a Liddle and a paddle fin (Grenough/Trueames).

I think i’ll finally shape this one as a singlefin and i’ll wait to receive the Lokbox bonzer fins that will make all the bonzer project easier.

Sincerely, i keep trying but my experiences foiling fins (specially after receiving Halcyon’s set up) tell me that i’m a REALLY BAD foiler. But i’m sure my skils will improve, maybe in ten or twelve years… So, for now, it’s better to buy the fins to the pros.

Thanks to all.

20

It’s finaly done.

Thanks to everyone who helped me, specialy: LeeV, Manny (for the inspiration), Jim Dunlop, Halcyon, etc…

Coque