I have been thinking about getting into board shaping for quite a while, and I am hoping that this winter I’ll finally find the motivation I need to get started.
First off- I live in Washington state, which makes shipping blanks and everything more expensive. I am a student, so price is a pretty important. The greenlight beginner kit seems pretty economical, but I was wondering if any of you knew of resources that would be more affordable.
Also, I am a larger guy (6’3ish and 215 pounds) and I usually prefer to ride longboards. The board I ride 95% of the time is a 9’6 tyler sleek zeke. I also have a 6’7 single fin that rarely gets used, but is fun to goof around with. If there was a way to get a longboard blank for cheaper, I’d be probably more stoked to shape one. However, I am also interested in fish designs, provided they would be decent paddlers.
I mostly surf crappy beachbreak, and would be stoked if my first design was one that I could surf regularly. However, price is a limiting factor and the beginner kits only come with blanks as long as 6’6. Is this a good purchase, or is there a better way to get into it? Also, if there are any forum members in the pacific northwest, it would be cool to know where you get your supplies and get any tips.
Check out FiberGlassSupply.com those guys are located out in Washington State and they carry everything you need to make a board start to finish, plus they have really great prices. Buy all the stuff from them and go for it
Any material, but poly glass is the basic first step material to go with.
A 6'6" x 24" wide, 3.25" thick, with turned down blocky rails will float you another half time better than your single fin. Keep the tail around 18", the wide point centered at 24", and maybe a low rocked 19" nose with blocky rails. You're not riding 10' bombs, but beachbreak small waves with that board.
Do the #'s on your single fin, and you'll see almost another half times the volume of it from the board described above. ; Just skim the blank, don't thin it out.
I'm 145lbs. and have ridden 3.5" thick x 24" surfboards in overhead OceanBeach.
If you’re looking for a bit shorter, I have a 6’4" that’s like 21.5 or 22" wide, probably almost 3" thick in the center with a decently tapered deck going out to the rails. I’m significantly smaller than you, but it floats like a longboard for me, doesn’t even sink. I can’t duckdive it, it cruises hard though. I don’t have to do a thing while riding it except shift my weight a bit, it’s what I bring out when it’s super small. Flat rocker, by my measures about 2" out the back and 3.25 front, but very flat and gradual. Diamond tail, wide point slightly forward. BUT, the only issue with it is the nose rocker. It’s so gradual, that it’s easier to bury than my other boards. So consider adding a flip at the end so that doesn’t happen on the little, steep beach type waves. Not enought to make it push water/create drag though. It’s a 3 fin by the way.
So if you did the biggest the 6’6" blank would allow, with some width and thickness like said above, I could see it going well in small, steep beach break type waves. Just watch the nose, cause mine gets in the wave so fast that it likes to tip. Or I suck at riding bigger boards, I usually ride 5’7" and 5’4" lengths. Although, I’ve never been 6’3" or that heavy, so it might not work for you, who knows.
Basically, shape it. You’ll probably enjoy shaping it. And if the first one is bad, then you have a great excuse to make another. Plus you’ll get to ride something and see what changes need to be made.
Thanks for all the advice! Now that I realized I can pick up supplies without shipping them, I realize I can be a little less cheap about it. I think I’m gonna go for an 8’ egg shape. Seems like I can make it a simple shape and have something that suits my skill level and local conditions. I’m definitely gonna stick with hand tools to cut costs, and it seems like that will help me get a feel for shaping.
I’m also interested in finding out how much of an effect nose rocker has on paddling. My 6’7 single fin has a ton of nose rocker and seems like it paddles poorly, but I am admitadly in pretty terrible shape. I’m already stoked about the process and I haven’t even started!
Tib------- I have some blanks, cloth etc. in my shop in Pacific City. Not fully stocked yet but getting there. Misc. fin parts and sytems. Bringing up another load in Feb… Hoping to have the doors officially open by Easter. Oregon Shapers-------- Lowel.
Oregon Shapers Supply. No sign up yet. Still putting the interior together. Next door to the “Oar House”. PM me . Let me know what you are looking for. I may have it already’ if not; I will late next month. I’ve got 100 Misc. cheap blanks in a warehouse that will come North 3/1/13. I know I’ve talked smack about this to guys on this Forum about doing this over the last couple of years, but it’s coming together now. Finally. Since I don’t have a benefactor for the start-up $$$$ it a case of time and money. The thing to remember is that though my inventory may start out weak initially, it will strengthen over time. One thing is for sure you won’t get a better price on Blanks-Resin-Cloth from anyone else in the Northwest or Oregon. That is unless my competitors start a price war to drive me out of business. Lowel
hey tiblet. the flatter your nose rocker the longer your planing surface, i.e more planing surface = faster board/ (less resistance when not planing). in saying this flatter boards track where as boards with more nose rocker are looser.