So, at long last i am starting my first board. I currently ride a 7’3 x 22 1/2 x 2 3/4’’ speed egg type board. It has a rolled nose into almost flat (tiny roll) into V It is a 2+1.
It goes great in most conditions and especially in slow waves. However as with most bigger boards its not so good in strong off shores with late take offs where my old 6’8 superfish quad seemed to fair better.
I am in ireland so strong offshores are a frequent menace. I therefore want to make a board similar to mine but a fraction smaller and perhaps a quad for outright speed to get down the line after the late windy take offs.
I am 6’5 and 225 lbs.
I am going to go for 7’0 x 22 x 2 3/4 in a similar shape but perhaps slightly narrower nose. What sort of contours should i go for, I’m thinking rolled nose into flat/very mild concave and v out the tail but i very much need advice on this aspect. I have searched and read a lot of posts but my weight is perhaps unusual and am in need to opinions.
I have made a stringer using my own 7’3 as a template, i am keeping the rocker pretty much the same as this seems to be an area where you can totally ruin a board.
I am hot wiring the rough shape and inserting the stringer this week.
Again this board is for outright speed down the line and carving rather than snappy performance surfing.
Thanks so much and thanks for the undoubted volume of further questions as the board progresses.
Slainte` Remember, Flat is fastest. This means rocker, rail, and bottom contours. However, there must be a compromise to be able to turn quickly and efficiently. Hard rails will be fastest also but not so much you catch a them on the turns. This is where experience and trial and error meet. Bottom concaves will make it turn but will slow down the line speed. These decisions are up to you. We all have to go with a gut feeling at times to see what works. Also, what works for others might not work for you. If I were to offer advice, it would be no roll in the entry to a subtle concave or dual concave depending on fin set up. Which saying that (fins) is another complicated issue as well. This makes me say keep it simple on the trial shapes and work to more progressive boards. Figure it out through elimination. You don’t have to make a lot of boards to do this. Try trading off with a few friends and get the feel of their boards. Your size is a bit limiting. I am 6’3’’ and about 19 stone. I don’t ride anything under eight foot but I am after glide mostly. Fast Glide. I am an old schooler but you can make hot rods for bigger guys. Look up UncleD or Joe Blair here and see what they offer for ideas. One key thing…take into consideration the TYPE of waves to be surfed when designing. Quads don’t designate speed. Multi-fins allow quick snap turns but slow down overall speed. Keep researching and asking questions. ps. I scored Crab Island in the late eighties and had the time of my life there. My mother is from Clifden. Best of Luck.
Cheers for the replies. I’m going to rough in the outline and flatten the blank later in the week so will post some pics then.
I’m considering beefing it up to a magic carpet/ egg hybrid as I reckon a bigger board with a bad first shape will at least be surfable, whereas a foiled board with concaves will be past my skill level and might turn out totally unsurfable. Haha the doubts are creeping in now I’m actually doing it!!
Got the outline cut out and flattened the blank down to my stringer. What should the next step be? Im Going to foil out the nose and tail a fraction and then do deck then rails then bottom. That the right order? Cheers.
…hello,
the convex on the entry really works in conjunction with the nose rails edges and nose rocker to provide security in steeped drops to not pearl the rails.
I am talking modern curves here with modern rocker curves.
Regarding your dimensions, are you sure your final outline cut have those?
This one have similar dimensions but the outline looks different.
Check again to be sure.
I like the plan shape on your board Reverb! The nose looks like what I pictured when the o.p. said he wanted to pull the nose in for offshore conditions.
…hello Huck, thanks. I uploaded the photo because I do not think that his final cut have those dims mentioned.
The only technical thing that a shaper should have is to develop an eye; a feel for the curves with only the eyes. I see many relying on pencil lines etc…even today I watched three short internet clips from an Aussie shaper (that seems that to have a big clientele there) that really does not know even how to manipulate the planer but somehow the final boards look fantastic (may be they are machined¿? and he pretends to be a handshaper¿?)
I changed my mind a bit on the board. I have gone for a magic carpet type board and am going to keep more volume throughout. I thought this would be a lower stakes board as even if it is crap then at least with good volume and low rocker it will still be a bit of fun. Then I can use my experience from the first one to have a crack at a more foiled pulled in nose board I originally described.
Reverb, what is the bottom like on that board? The roll in the nose was for the chop, its almost never glassy in ireland so there is nearly always a little chop to deal with.
The board you posted is very similar to my current one and the one i had intended to copy but take a few inches off the length and foil it a fraction more.
Thanks, I think I’m going to take a bit mire off the nose and go for the more foiled affair I originally planned. I’m going to go mild roll into very shallow single concave into flat/ very slight v out of the tail. I’m going to keep the rails pretty full all the way. Thanks for your thoughts.
Last query is about order. Would you shape the rails first and then do the concaves?
…the protocol is: 1- pre shaping (planshape, true the blank etc)
2- Shaping: bottom rocker/bottom shape, then bottom rails; so you finish with all there then flip the shape and start on top.
So I went for it last night, foiled the deck to desired thickness, squared it up again and got the bottom contours done and the bottom edge of the rails.
I got one of the rails done but stayed clear of the nose and tail with the planer as i planned to rough them in with paper and surform. However i encountered a problem at the nose rail. I have managed to round off the bottom edge of the rail too much for about the first 9’’ from the nose. Its partly just mistake and partly because i made the blank by glueing two thin sheets of foam together with rocker bent into them. As i foiled the nose down i was dangerously close to the glue line and worried about tearing it out in this area.
So my question is, will the front 9’‘’ of rail matter on a 7’ x 22 1/2’’ x 2 3/4 board? Its pretty low rockered.
If it needs dealt with i have two options as i see it, Plane a little off the bottom which will increase rocker fractionally and thin out the nose 1/4’’ or my preffered choice would be to take an inch off the overall length. If i took an inch off it would obviously pull in the planshape and allow me to redo the front rail as it will almost completely remove the rounded off part.
Any advice? I realise this is not much use without photos so will try and get some later.
Working from the bottom first; take the Blank down to the desired thickness. Clean up the deck and foil the nose and tail. Turn the rails and add any fluffy bottom features last. Much easier that way. Next time leave cutting the outline until after you have thinned and foiled the Blank. You will maintain a more consistent and flowing outline minus any bumps by waiting until later in the process to cut the outline. Up to now you have done everything in a rather unorganized and reversed order. Figure out your order and what works for you. Then do it the same way every time.
A big part of it is because im using a home made insulation blank which i why i had a cut the outline roughly before foiling it as it was a 2 foot wide rectangular sheet.
Others including reverb had suggested the order of doing the outline -true up blank- bottom rocker and contours - bottom of rails then flip and do the deck side.
I fully accept my arse about face style though, when your not sure what your doing its easy to get distracted trying to get something right and blending out errors.
