Any specialized woodworking/carpentry skills are not really going to be exercised all that much. Seems like compsand construction has its own skillset with only some crossover in the woodworking realm. But not having built a compsand I open myself up to ridicule and scorn no doubt. Let it fly.
The weight of even a “light” HWS is certainly a factor, and more so if you are a surfer of lighter mass, and lesser skill/experience, but its construction will require more of those specialized woodworking skills you say you want to employ.
My custom foam boards were always glassed triple 6 with a sanded gloss coat. I wanted them heavier just so they would not go dead underfoot or snap in half prematurely as I weigh ~100 Kilos. I was a pretty good board mangler up to my early twenties when buying boards of too little volume off the rack in the late 80’s early 90’s was the most chosen option. Even with a triple 6 schedule, they still went dead underfoot and more so as the deck got crushed and soft, as it inevitabley does. I hated the disposable nature of surfboards, and cared not for above the lip antics in my 20’s and certainly not in my 40’s.
My HWSs feel heavier under my arm than they do under my feet. No way would a fiberglass board as heavy, ride as well. I hypothesize the more direct foot to fin connection( when using fin boxes) is partly responsible. The lack of significant flex is also a factor both + and -, but leads to a inherent repeatability/predictability through turns, and in choppy conditions can allow one to still have gobs of fun that sends the crowd to the beach with their eyeballs still rattling. My HWSs have developed more flex with time. My traditional railed 9’7" is super high mileage and 13 years old and might flex 1/2 to 3/4"inch maximum, but perhaps only 1/8th when newly constructed.
They won’t be breaking any performance standards, but they allow me to go fast and turn hard and have lots of fun. They do require looking a little farther ahead on the wave as their responsiveness is delayed. Their durability means they are the longest lasting relationships in my life and my favorite travelling companions. They always get commented upon for the wood’s natural beauty, and the air vent tends to comically confuse the average Joe tremendously when they can’t grasp the concept of ‘hollow’, and temperature differences.
My hws internals are different than most. I use 3 or 5 stringers(not always parallel) and parabolic rails cut from a 1x12 and tapered and stacked square and clamped to the rail rocker. I think this method is easier to achieve a nice flowing rocker, and help keep the outline from having strange unintentionally aysymmetric warbles in the nose and tail that the traditional single stringer multiple rib construction appears to allow all too easily. I’ve not tried the parabolic rail first method Huck uses. Not sure how to do that and achieve the rocker I desire, so I stick with What I know.
I got a HWS in progress right now. A ridiculous amount of time and labor going into this one, as I’ve had a decade + since my last HWS build to think about, and overthink and overcomplicate the little details, and expect this board to last me the rest of my surfing years/life. As surely when I can no longer surf, I will no longer live, and riding my own creations is something special as anyone here can attest to, even if imperfect and a far cry from professional.
My HWS planks start just over 3/16" thick from a carefully selected WRcedar 2x4. I get 5 planks per 2x4 on my tablesaw, and dream of six, achievable with a good bandsaw perhaps. They are glassed on the interior to help prevent splitting along the grain as WRC likes to do when hit in the right spot by a Knee. Center stringer is glassed too, so bending stresses do not flatten out nose rocker, as can happen all too easily with HWS construction and make the board look like a dog.
HWS’s can also easily twist when one removes the weight/ clamps from them when applying the deck planks. This construction stage can make or break the boards performance and the ‘twist’ tendency should ideally me measured and fought from the time the board goes from 2 dimensional to three. Lots of foam handshapes are twisted too. Hard to notice when not looking for it. I had one HWS be an absolute precision rocketship down the line on my backhand if a little squirrely in turns, but on my forehand it barked like a pissed off sea lion down the line, but if I managed to accumulte some good speed despite the forehand barking, allowed me knee buckling grunting cutbacks most satisfying.
Anyway, have fun, and perhaps dedicate a nice level table in your workshop to slowly build a HWS in the future. I love woodworking and this latest HWS is proving challenging and using a good portion of the woodworking skills, and tools, I have accumulated since my last HWS build in 2006.
My HWS build is stalled as I need a good lightweight 1x12 for the rails, and am also considering a ‘stepped rail’ as this board is going to be 3" thick.
