What glass jobs do you guys do for midlengths?. I would be using surfblanks red foam, and basically hand sanding the crust off. Could i get away with 4oz bottom, and 6+4oz top as a “light” enough glass job so it can be light enough to move around easily? Looks like mum and dad might be getting a blank for me for my birthday ( today ), and i’ve already drawn up a nugget x big guy shorty, 7’ x 13’‘n x 21’’ wide x 15’’ x 2 7/8’'.
Cheers
Guess my short semi fish is gunna have to wait!!!
I love 7’-8’ boards more than anything.
I think I have a bunch of boards in this range and its what I ride the most.
My personal favorite is a 7’6" Bonzer from MC. I liked it so much I ordered another one right when clark closed.
That’s right Basswave, except I’m thinkin’ single fins, and you’re probably a lot
bigger than I am. 7’6 single pintail, wide nose cruiser, super versatile North County
sliders. Just made an 8’8 single ruond pin hull bottom. Super weird but good
N.C. cruiser. My go to smaller wave slide is a 7’7 round pin huge thick nose
heavy monster that rules the earth.
I think mid-lengths are sooopa fun and IDEAL for a lot of SAn DEgO. Rip one up…
My personal favorite is a 7’6" Bonzer from MC. I liked it so much I ordered another one right when clark closed.
Bingo! I have 7’6" Bonzer egg from MC, it’s an unbelieveable board, I have never had a bad surf on it. I was grumbling to Rich Pavel about the fact that it was the only bonzer I could get my hands on at the time and that I really wanted something shorter. He leaned towards me stressing each word and said " That board is deceptively high performance". Damn right too.
Nice answers - Swaylocks rarely dissapoints!
I love the fact that Swaylockians are so resistant to “group think” and are rarely “cooler than thou”.
This thread was provoked by a thread on midlengths on Surfermag forum…amazing how different two sets of answers could be:)
This thread was provoked by a thread on midlengths on Surfermag forum…amazing how different two sets of answers could be
The ultimate in denigrating labels is “funboard”…mostly because the sheep need some authoritarian corporate entity to tell them what “fun” is via the all-validating exchange of hard cash or credit for fashionable merchandise. Therefore in the culture that puts “pro surfing” on a pedestal, “Fun” is the opposite of “Money” and an evil to be cast out. But first “Common sense” must be disabled…
I think part of the problem with the 7’-9’ “no man’s land”, as the OP puts it has a lot to do with
a point another gentleman made in an unrelated thread recently…
There’s a breaking point where (some/most) can no longer duck dive the board effectively, further
up the height chart there’s a second point where paddling becomes ridiculously fast and easy which
is a great counterbalance for a board that forces you to take a couple sets on the head every
now and then. being between these two points can leave you with the worst of both worlds.
I’ve always ridden boards in the 9’+ range.
I recently finished my first board, a big 7’8" fish and have been surfing it almost exclusively in anything
but the highest tides and am falling madly in love.
I’ve noticed that the board is ridiculously good at keeping itself up in the pocket during pitchy beach
break take offs…I’m making waves and sections I would have NEVER made on a long board. On the
other hand the longer length (relative to other fish) makes it stable and easy to paddle…even duck
divable (it’s a heavy HWS).
Swaylocks has really opened my eyes to all the fun shit I can be goofing around on in the water when
it’s not a longboard day…I seriously considering a mat after reading the matafesto and my Spence
hull should be done in a few weeks.
I would suggest that part of the issue for mainstream surfers might be the availability of higher performance mid-length boards.
The sways community has easier access to customs which undoubtedly outperform the average 7’6’’ on the commercial market.
When I think of a 7-8 foot board(semi-guns excluded), I think of beginner brands, and plastic/tufflite constuction. I realize it’s entierly possible to make a great mid-length board, but I don’t think the general public will until you find them in the local shops, and enough surfers decide to ride them not just to learn on, but once they have improved too.
Ace,
That’s a beautiful board. Looks like a great setup with the fin config and diamond tail. Are the smaller black fins custom? Would love to hear more about this design.
Marc
Here are the dimensions, length 7’6" width 21 3/4’’ tail 15" nose 16 1/2" thick 2 3/4" EPS/EPOXY. Fish style rocker with flat to SLIGHT convex to flat panel “V”. The other one is a board I made in Ecuador 1978 7’2’’ 21’’ wide 15 1/2" nose 13 1/2" tail It is funny how the term “fun” is a negative in surfing…
that woodie is sexy.
I like the nose and swallow tail blocks…really handsome.
Thanks ACE, i agree, that woody is sexy lookin!. Both great looking boards.
Well, this place is so inspiring, and this thread has swayed me into making a midlength for my next board, instead of a semi fish quad. Got my blank ordered, got a sketch im happy with. Life is good.
Funny, after glassing a board, i walk out of the shed thinking i’ll never do it again, but, half an hour later i go back and have a look and i think " it wasn’t so bad, i just didn’t mix enough resin" or " i worked too slow", and realise if i plan it better, i’ll have less problems. Last week i lammed my latest, and even though i needed to quicly mix up more resin for the rails, and dropped a bucket of un catalysed resin in the process, it still turned out pretty good .
Cheers guys, thanks for the inspiration.
sounds like it might be time to update your signature.
Amen Morghead
Funny I’m on a Singlefin kick as of late.
I want to try one of Jake Moss’s Spacecakes.
He appears to have a good spin on them.
I want to a Nugget and Spacecake.
(Then I’m done…LOL)
Cheers
-B~
sweet. all the way around.
Amen Morghead
Funny I’m on a Singlefin kick as of late.
I want to try one of Jake Moss’s Spacecakes.
He appears to have a good spin on them.
I want to a Nugget and Spacecake.
(Then I’m done…LOL)
Cheers
-B~
No you not ! You know you want to try one of Neal Purchase jnr widowmakers with the John Harris fin. Particularly after the picture of THAT carve.
Were never done…
\
Thanks for the photos ACE…I printed this one …
Most of my personal boards fall into “no man’s land”. Over 6’5’ Less than 9 feet… whatever…I don’t give a shit what the cool people ride…
My first trip to Swaylock’s Big Sur was in 2005…I’m looking at these rad gun type boards with a little fin just in front of the side fins. I call Shipman over for a better look… " Check this out Ben ! Herb Spitzer Boards!!!". Ben says… “yeah , that’s Herb standing right there next to you.”
Share the stoke…
Signature updated. Now, as you’ll see in it, im debating whether to go a nugget style, wide tail, narrow nose style 7’er, or a minimal style, wider nose, narrower tail. Think i’d be happy either way. Decisions decisions. Although, it may depend on the blank, my dad said he ordered it, but i have no idea where from. Im pretty sure it’ll be a surfblanks, but, hey, who knows!
Sorry, forgot about the dims. I haven’t seen that board in awhile so I pulled it down out of racks this morning to have a look. Such a silly looking board but oh, so much fun to ride. I added Probox side fins to it last year and really made a huge difference in how it rides.
Anyway, dims are: 17"N x 21"W x 15"T x 2/34" TH Flat bottom transitioning to V just ahead of center fin and going flat off the tail.