I’ve searched the archives, and I just can’t find specifically what I’m looking for: a picture or drawing of a Brewer Rail. I hear terms like boxy, thick, down rails - just like to get a visual. Anyone?
Huck go feel some rails. Brewer-style rails are still the choice for big waves when it really matters. Not shaping 101, but should be something that all people who shape or aspire to shape should try to understand, but that would be asking too much. One time he did tell me though: “I like the way you do your rails.” Youl’ld think stuff like that would matter. When your around the masters I recommend you pay attention. Not saying I am a master I still struggle with it all.
Rat say nothing about rails. Only about rat. Maybe rat dont know rails.
I’m thinking something like this. (what would be cool is if someone could wrap their hand around a Brewer rail, and snap a picture of it, then post it)
That isn’t close it looks pregnant; furthermore a Brewer rail isn’t a cross-section but a way of blending a foil all the way through in conjunction with the bottom and outline. As I said before go feel some rails and invision what they were like before they were filled with glass. Ratcatcher you got me, I really don’t know rails, or anything that well. Still it was nice to actually watch him blend in quite a few and learn first-hand from him; that’s what I bring to the table; what do you have?
rats in traps
I saw a cross section diagram of a Brewer board on the old Brewer website – gone now.
The Rat did a fair job of describing the essence of Brewer rails without a diagram. Hucks diagram is not like them. I could not give an accurate diagram now either.
Do you have a precise drawing Catcher?
hahaha - not looking for what it isn’t, but what it is - hoping for something visual not verbal.
I guess sometimes the hardest thing to do is take something you think you know and put it into an actual drawing or diagram, so much easier just to say “thats not it”. A Brewer rail isn’t a cross-section, no rail is a cross section, but you can get a cross-section of any rail, and learn from it. The cross-section tells a portion of the story.
My sketch is rough, just trying to prime the pump lol. But you know, from the pics I can find, Brewer’s rails do look kinda “full”, or pregnant.
Maybe someone out there has a Brewer rail they can grab and photograph? Thats what I’m really after, although all the fluff and bluster can be fun too. =)
Rails are 3-D for sure. And as the Rat said, they flow/are continuous with the whole board and its performance. IMO rail profiles are the most vague and generalized aspect of modern surfboard design – much wide open territory to explore (the undiscovered continent).
The third profile in this particular diagram (labled 60:40 pinched low) is “closest” to what I recall seeing – as I said, not easy to communicate precisely:
I didn’t think Brewer rails were “pinched” at all?
Look at this pic. He carries the volume all the way out to the rails, very little dome to the deck, then the rails taper down just a few inches from the perimeter. Seems they just never put pics up of a rail close-up. Like anyone besides swaylockers would care!
The diagram says “pinched,” not I – just the label used in that diagram. The shape depicted is Close to what I recall but not the same – the general look portrayed in image 3.
Don’t know how accurate this is, but here is a drawing from surfingsandiego.com, the upper left corner has a drawing of a “Brewer rail”. Be interesting to hear from anyone with a Brewer gun how accurate this is.
In this pic, the board with the leash wrapped around (on the far right) gives a glimpse of the rail cross-section. Maybe this is as close as I’m gonna get. I’ll keep googling!
edited to add: Ooh, look what I just found - on Swaylocks no less! Gotta love this site, dig deep enough, amazing what’s there…
http://www2.swaylocks.com/forums/dick-brewer-gun-craigslist-find-advice
The rails I saw drawn were on a Brewer Plumeria concave diagram – more looking straight into the nose, with the bottom at eye level, than a cross section.
I searched Brewer Plumeria Gun but nothing showing rails popped up. This shows almost nothing, but I believe the rails roughly 40% back from the nose change signficantly as they sweep back into the tail:
These on Sways:
http://www.swaylocks.com/comment/1454798/Re-SweatMan-Shorter-mini-guns-bit-more-volume-re
"Brewer Rails" ???? So are you telling me the guy only did / does one type of rail???
You might want to look a little closer at the photos. Those nose rockers will not work very well at C Street or Terramar.........we need a flatter rocker in California............a D rail rolled into something......Yeah.....fun stuff.
No, but if you study the pics, you will see a consistency about his gun rails (not made for C street).
Stoneburner - great pics!
Aloha,…
Here’s my new DB for this coming winter,…big Rincon and Indicators,… 8’, 20"…single fin, 3" thick,…old school, thick beak nose— a paddle monster, I’m 180 and prefer the volume under me,…at 60 no airs,… just smooth draws.
Dick’s blend is the trick or should I say the magic----- between him and (rip DT) they’ve never let me down.
Aloha, Randy
Wow, that is a thing of beauty!
Any chance I could talk you into wrapping your hand around the rail and taking a pic? Or just posting some more pics if you have any. Nice!
I assume since you have been looking for gun shapes for a commissioned board Huck that we are still talking about guns – only this time Brewer Gun “rails.”
Also, my understanding is that Dick Brewer had little input at Dick Brewer Surfboards at one point and so created Brewer Plumeria Surfboards to maintain his own credibile identity and quality. Apparently, he then regained control of Dick Brewer Surfboards and maintained Brewer Plumeria Surfboards. I am sure SammyA and some of the other HI boys can give us the story.
Bottom line, it seems there may have been a period where Dick Brewer Surfboards were not true Brewers …
But perfect for Tamarack
“hanging d-rails with a hard tucked edged”
kind of like my stomach
is how I’d describe them
let me see if i can grab that with one hand
oops might take two…
fish and poi