Awesome ride report, sounds sweet mate. Waves look awesome too!!
Just read this whole thread again. Unreal thread mate. What were the final dims?, and how tall, and heavy ( or light ) are you?. I dig it!
Just read this whole thread again. Unreal thread mate. What were the final dims?, and how tall, and heavy ( or light ) are you?. I dig it!
Cool board and great thread had been hoping there would be a ride report soon.
Might have to go look at it on the computer so I can see the photos properly.
woohoo
wow , you SCORED ... SURE leaves st. kilda for dead eh ? [your 'local' beach , mate ?]
on waves like those in the photos [ HOW much smaller was YOUR reef ??] , a couple of little bonzer runners certainly wouldn't hinder the speed off the bottom.
But , maybe the 'too big' fin WAS a good decision , after all ? at least , in waves THIS size ?
east coast south , or south coast , or south west ?
if you get the chance , take the board to 'speedneedle' land .... I reckon josh would be interested to see your board !! ...
and maybe he or peter kirkhouse or steve triance or steve ryan or ??? could photo or film the board in action ...
....failing that ...
"go pro " , [bicep or forearm mounted , mate ?]
....please ?!
cheers
ben
Thanks Beerfan! Final dims ended up 5’2" x 21" x 2 7/8". Volume is 37L, which is about 4-5L more than I normally ride. I’m 5’8 and 80kgs.
Cheers
Paul
LOL! I might live in Melbourne, not too far from St Kilda, but I wouldn’t call it my local beach! I don’t think I’ve ever got in the water there. Surfed some summer wind swell on the bay at Port Melbourne, Williamstown and Brighton, but never St Kilda! I’ve been driving down to Torquay/Anglesea each weekend for years, so I’d probably describe 13th/Torquay/Fairhaven as my local beaches.
The report this morning called Bells/Winki 3-5ft, which from the photos looks about right. I’d call the reef I was on 3ft, with the odd bigger one. Looking forward to this Saturday, with the forecast for 6-8ft and offshore.
Josh is in Ocean Grove, isn’t he? I’d be keen to see his boards in real life. Might have to swing by one day, next time I surf 13th Beach perhaps. Don’t know about the photos though…
Cheers
Paul
ocean grove yep
without photos we only have your word for it paul ha
so , what did your board end up WEIGHING ? [ I'm no good with litres , except for when it comes to eating my homemade [yes, SWIRLED !] ICECREAM !]
cheers mate , keep up the test ride reports ! and have FUN !
("chip") ben
Haha, I guess it never happened then! Besides, there are no waves on the Surf Coast, especially not in winter. In fact, it’s a pretty lousy part of the world to visit…
I was a little dissapointed with the weight of this one. It came in around 3.8kgs, which is about 800g more than I was hoping. I really noticed the weight increase after I installed the fin boxes. Also using 6oz both under and over the bamboo adds unnecessary weight, but I didn’t want to buy cloth for this board given I still have a heap of 6oz. That said, it doesn’t feel heavy under the arm, and I certainly don’t notice it in the water.
Cheers
Paul
" Haha, I guess it never happened then! Besides, there are no waves on the Surf Coast, especially not in winter. In fact, it's a pretty lousy part of the world to visit...;-) "
....yep ! same HERE , in west oz
NO waves here , ANYWHERE ! Just heaps of huge sharks.
your board .... 3.8kgs ...is that about 8 to 8 1/2 lbs ?
at least the board should last a long time with that glass job ? [hopefully ! ] And , with your 80kgs , and the size waves you are riding , do you REALLY feel the "extra 800g " ??
.....the board looks GREAT from the photos , mate , be PROUD !!
And build threads are , for , me , what makes swaylocks GREAT , over the years !
Build photo threads distinguish Sways from all the 'other ' surfboard TALK [but not make / show ] forums .
great to SEE what people here make !
We only have to look at how many photos are posted on Stingray's prolific "what are you working on ? post your current project here " thread , for proof that people here MAKE stuff , not just talk about it ! And , fortunately , they PHOTOGRAPH it too, for other's edification , and ...yes ....STOKE !!
If "talk is cheap !" [which it IS ! ].... THEN , is typing words on a screen , even CHEAPER , I wonder ?!
cheers
ben
"without photos , it never happened " haha [might have to make that 'fins's signature ?! ]
Hey Paul, the board looks great. A question on the pic above. You’ve drilled a hole at the front of the fin there. On the production single fins I’ve bought, there’s a piece of stainless steel tube fixed into that hole, which slots into the finbox and holds the front of the fin in. Did you do something similar, and if so, what did you use? Where did you get it, how did you cut it to size.
Ok, that’s actually four questions, but they’re all about the same thing. I’m just getting into making my own fins and I ride single fins more than anything else (until I finish the little quad that’s been sitting in my shed half-made for the last 4 months).
Thanks Cass!
That’s right, I put a small metal rod in that front hole. I’ve got some from Greenlight (posted from the USA) that are stainless, but for this fin, I ended up using a brass one that was the perfect size/length from Riley balsa surfboards, who supply a kit with the brass rod and stainless screw and plate for just a few bucks. You can find it towards the bottom of this page: http://www.balsasurfboardsriley.com.au/shop_boxes.html
I find I have a love/hate relationship with making fins. On one hand, there’s the dust and the mess and the frustration of getting the foil right. But when you get them done, and they look decent and ride well, I guess that makes up for it!
Cheers
Paul
hey guys they sell the stainless bars at surfblanks aus. their now stocking fin systems, fin sets also etc
hi again , Paul !
[perhaps you 'could ' also post it in answer to my question on the 'surfing tips sub forum' , of 'Beerfan's, but...]
..... taking off on those well overhead waves you pictured ,
on your 5'2 " board ,
can you please say a little about that ?
[eg: positioning ? , how the board felt / paddled ?, extra srokes needed ?, 'airdrops?" , etc]
.... cheers mate !
ben
Hey Ben!
Just to be clear, those photos were from Winkipop, whereas the reef I was surfing was a bit further down the road and a little smaller. Winki was 3-5ft (head-high to 1.5x overhead), and the spot I surfed was 3ft (head-high) with the odd bigger one, so it was more like the first two photos I posted, rather than the third. The other thing is Winki has a wicked takeoff when it gets a bit of size, whereas the spot I surfed generally has a gentler takeoff (it can still get hollow on the takeoff, it just depends on how much sand is pushed up against the reef). Winki also runs a bit faster, so if you stuff the takeoff you often don’t have time to recover and get back into the wall.
As for technique in getting into them on a 5’2, it’s not really any different to getting into them on a 6’0; paddle hard and don’t hesitate! I get a bit lazy, so I tend to sit deep and under the lip rather than wide on the shoulder, so I don’t have to paddle as much. There were a few where I had to pop to my feet early and negotiate a steeper drop, and I think there was only one where I got slammed, but most were pretty friendly on the takeoff. The board has a fairly low rocker, but I didn’t find I had to change anything about my takeoffs to compensate. I know I angled into the wave on some, but I do that on my standard shorty too if required. Sorry, I know that’s not much of an answer, but to be honest, I didn’t really pay too much attention to my takeoffs, I was more focused on doing smooth bottom turns, top turns and cutbacks, and I don’t think any of those were compromised by the wave, just my inexperience on the single-fin.
@Zac, thanks for the tip, I’ll remember that for next time.
Cheers
Paul
..... oops !
[ flashback to a previous time here ... ]
( okay , I'll try that again ...
....this time , as my "Fins" personality , eh ? ha ! ".... chippy has LEFT the building [ " ah , thank you , THANK you VERY MUCH ! ....you've been a great " , etc] )
so , Paul ...
1. did you feel you lost any drive off the bottom , compared to the thrusters [which you normally ride] ?
and ,
2. were your top turns a noticeably shorter radius , than when riding your thrusters ? [ ie : with 5'2 of rail , compared to the thruster's being 6' , and ? a thinner / narrower / more rockered board ?]. Did you feel you maintained speed off the top ?
....it would be REALLY good to have video of you riding BOTH boards during the same session , for a comparison , eh ? (Do you feel like coming to west oz some time , Paul ?)
Or ....as I previously asked , maybe if you are in Josh 'Speedneedle's vicinty , could you and RDM and he share (boards and ) camera duties ?
[ ... " the West Coast Vicco Sways Tribe Weekend Gathering " , perhaps ? .... just a thought ...]
cheers mate !
ben
Hey Paulr,
Great thread. This totally inspires my next build. Is this a refined shape of one of your previous 5?
Paul, that trick with the stone and wax paper works great for fin panels. I do the same for my fin panels, I’ve got a few 1.25" (3CM) granite offcuts from work that weigh 30 pounds each. I keep a few spacers that are the thickness that I want the panel to be. I cut my glass stack to be just a hair less than the desired panel thickness. I keep laying the glass between the stone and checking it with the spacers. Once I get the right amount of glass I wet out a few layers at a time till its good then I lay the stone on top. Then I set a 40 pond dumbell on top of the stone.I keep the spacers between the stone on the corners so the panel comes out the right thickness. Its the strippers splits if ya ask me.