…For here in San Diego. I want something I can take out in 2’-5’ surf, usually dumpy beachbreaks that can get hollow sometimes. I drew a board up on paper that looks pretty neat, and was wondering what you guys thought of it. It would be a 6’0", really flat bottomed board (from a 6’2"C Clark), 22" wide, about 2 1/2" thick, big round nose with the wide point about 3" up from center and a diamond tail. Fin setup would probably be a larger center fin and, I was thinking, two very shallow, very canted “bonzer-type” side bites…Any thoughts?
I’ve seen something like that used by guys up in North County. it was a wide stubby giant diamond tail and I think he said it was a GHD board. The father shaped the sons boards; also saw Rob Machado on one. Might have been “Gary/Greg Handley Designs”. Your numbers look good but I wonder about the fin set-up. They had tri fins all the same size and the boards were successful. Probably want a single concave bottom with quite a bit of vee out the fins. I don’t know, just a suggestion…
Pay close attention to tail width if you want a shortboard particularly for smaller waves. Tail width plays a very important role in allowing you to plane higher, and with less force, in smaller waves. Measure the board width one foot up from the tail - go at least 1 inch wider than whatever you would use in head high to overhead waves.
sounds reasonable to me…as far as fin setup you’ll 1,001 opinions. It all depends on your style and how you plan to ride those waves. For tight pocket surfing I’d go with a traditional three fin setup…for line speed and getting thru flat sections your bonzer style fin description would be my call. I’ve experimented a lot with different sized fins particularly the front rail fins and the smaller they get the faster the board glides, but lift and turning suffers.
One lesson I have recently learned on Swaylocks is using a standard FU/Bahne fin box in the center and a removable rail fin system of your choosing. You have virtually unlimited setup/tune potential…see the attached pic of a board I recently made. Good luck…
Thanks for the suggestions. I’m not looking to surf it vertically, but I want to be able to do nice, tight roundhouses…
Add flat deck, hard turned down rails.
Subtract flat tail rocker, keep it rockered for late drops and quick turns.
Flatten the nose kick!
Since it’s for 5’ and under, why not make it 2.75 thick for quicker and easier paddling, snaking, and you don’t need to really duckdive small waves.
Tail width around 17" for small waves, V as you need for positive banking in 5’ sizing.
You surf style determines fin config. Anything from single fin 11", to tri 5’s, to twin 6.5"'s works fine.
I have a Rusty Pirannah (first off the rack board in many, many years) and it has similar dimensions. 14.5 nose, 21.5 width, and 15.5 tail. Two regular fins on the sides and a three inch center fin. Low rocker in the nose, concave in the nose and center, running to double concave in the tail. Tripple wing swallow.
I know that the off the rack boards run counter to everything talked about here, but the proof was in the pudding with this board. It performs like no other in smaller, mushy surf.
I was THIS close to giving up shortboarding alltogether until that board. Now I ride it about 90% of the time.
And it works in all conditions up to about a foot overhead. After that it spins out if I make a sharp bottom turn. So I ride it in surf up to seven feet.
Plus, having a name-brand board makes me cooler than everyone else 