I normally ride a 6’10", 2 7/8" thk swallowtail, pretty typical shortboard dimensions and rails. I’m 6’8", 220, and this works pretty for me - floats me good. Shaping my first fish now, and wondering how short i should go with about 3" thickness and 22 1/2" - 23 inches width, yet not sink or feel too squirly.
Around 6’3" should be easy, but keep width and thickness to full max, keep deck flat to retain volume, and if you want quick responce, down the rails hard up to widepoint, or all the way to the nose.
Don’t thin anything.
I shape my fish like the Brom fish, thick, thick, and THICK. I’ve actually come up with some blazing ideas that work very well, as some high profile types have thanked me. I use my baseball bat rails. Thick and round. Even up at the nose, though a little smaller.
I bought one of the clark foam fish blanks. Cant remember off the top of my head if it was the 6-8 or 6-9, but it was the one with less rocker. Anyway it’s pretty much 3" thick to START. I got my P-20SB all rigged up and ready to go, but frankly I’m a little nervous about skinning the blank and ending up with a potato chip that I’ll have to pass off to one of my shorter surf buddies. Should I skin the blank with a sanding block and save the planer for the rails, so as to not shave too much off to begin with? Should I have bought more of a longboard blank to get the thickness?
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Should I have bought more of a longboard blank to get the thickness and less rocker?
You are the first one to bring this point up.
Will this give you more control w/ flatter rocker?
Keep pressing those ideas.
Set your planer as shallow as she’ll go and just barely skin the blank to maintain the thickness. I did that with the 6-2c. Went from 2 7/8th blank to a 2 3/4 surfboard. I also think the blanks measure out thicker thant the catalogue. Of course, with my homemade calipers measuring thickness is an estimate at best. Mike
[Oh yah, The 7-3 B is a good fish blank if you don’t like the others. Mike
I plane all my 6’2"C’s by hand. Just enough to get the skin off then start the foam sanding block. No nee to take anything off of the deck and bottom, really. Main thing is power planing your rails. I take about 4-5 swipes on each side with a medium cut setting. Then the most time consuming chore is the butt crack. I can shape a fish in an hour or less.
Brom makes his out of a longboard blank. I am 6’2"-220lbs …close to your weight,my latest was 6’4" x 2-1/2’" and is too floaty for me. I use EPS not clark stuff so can’t help you there…definitely going thinner next time.Go with a 6’4"… make it…if it is too corky…pass/sell it to a friend…then make another…then your hooked…have fun…