I had a couple questions about foam density and weight of a 9,1A blank made into a gun. I want to shape a gun (with help from a friend) and I was wondering if a gun should be light or heavy. I’m not worried about it breaking. I’ll only use it when Swamis gets big. I might ride it at La Jolla Cove, but I doubt it. Anyway, I know I can’t go ultralight on the foam, but what about superlight? What about Superblue? What about glass? Is 4 + 4/4 enough or should I do 6 + 6/6? Questions, questions. Thanks for the help, and see, nothing controversial.
Mike dont use 4oz on a gun unless you want it to break. Light is supposedly better in small waves if you listen to modern theories. But when it comes to bigger waves the extra weight will come in handy for chop and thick lips.
i made myself a 9-o for chasing bigger winter waves here in san diego- all 6 oz t&b and a sanded gloss. the weight actually saved my ass quite a few times. where i surf this board is different from swamis though- swamis seems to have a ‘gentler’ entry, then again, when the tide is negative and the swell is an honest 10-12’ any wave can seem heavy.i say go at least 6 on the bottom and 6x4 on deck.and foam density would be fine at superblue- your not going to be ‘bashing the lip’ so to speak on this gun.good luck and good waves to ya! oh- a standard 1/4" bass or 3/8 is fine for the stringer as well. [smile]
I’m with shaper, San Diego waves can get nasty in the winter sometimes, Cliffs, Little Makaha, Hennamens etc. My 9’0" gun is thick and heavy, 3 1/4 thick and glassed 2x6 top 1x6 bottom with a 4oz stomp Superblue with a 3/8 stringer, 2 leash plugs…the better to drag you with my dearry. Make sure you put some color on it so when it gets away from you and floats 1/2 mile out to sea you can find it.
I’d say go with a triple stringer, 2x6 deck glass, 1x 6 bottom, double leash plugs. If it’s really mackin’ (2-3 x OH) a 9’6" or 10’ works well. Leave a flat spot in the bottom, you want to be able to paddle that mother fast. Just don’t take it out on 8’ days and be a wave hog.
I think I understand the concept of the double leash plug. Obviously, you put in two leash plugs. But how does the leash configuration work? Two nylong strings atached to one leash? Also, on the fins, how far from the tail of a 9,0 should my trailing fin be. Keep in mind, this board will only be used at Swamis, unless by strange chance Trestles hits huge this summer, which I doubt, and I certainly think a 9,0 would be overkill. Plus, what about the tail. I would prefer a squash. Is that kosher with a gun or do they have to be pin tails? Finally, what about rails. Where should they be soft and where should they be hard? Obviously I have no experience with guns, therefore, a million questions. Thanks.
yes, one plug on each side of the stringer, each one gets its own tie-in, they overlap right over the stringer & the leash goes through both of them. You want a pintail for a gun, not a squash. Rails hard & thin at the tail, & a bit boxy in the midsection. Look at a Brewer gun up at the shop near Swamis if you want a good example.
I guess I figured that the leash would break before a leash plug would rip out. Gee, I wasn’t thinking of riding anything like Todos. I was thinking fifteen foot Swamis (face value). A 7,6 would be great for performance, but since the crowd is grarlier than the wave (they are all really good surfers), I figured the extra boardage would help. What will be the result if I do, in fact, put a squash on a gun? I wanted it to turn well, and since I don’t plan to ride Waimea or Mavericks, I don’t think I’ll need it to track as well. Plus, why do guns have such limited tail rocker? It seems to me, though I really have no clue, that more tail rocker would make the drop easier. I was looking at a photo of, I think, Ron Erikson dropping in at Waimea in the current Surfers journal, and it looked like the pintail and straight tail rocker were hanging him up in the lip. I would be surprised if he made that drop.
ck out rusty’s desert island series- they will have what you are after
Dude, Get yourself a funboard.
you can’t have everything. If you want a longer board to outpaddle the better surfers (which I don’t personally agree with!) you will never have the turning ability you’d get with a shorter (eg 7’6") board, regardless of what tail shape you use. Instead of making a paddle-monster board for big days, make yourself into a paddle-monster. Surf every day, paddle for miles on days when there are no waves, swim in a pool if you have to. Then get a properly-sized board for the winter, go out on the big days, and TURN & BURN. You’ll get more respect that way and not piss off the other good surfers by showing up on a super-tanker to ruin their best session of the winter.
Point taken Keith. You are right, but with two little kids at home, surfing everyday is out of the question. God, I wish. I would love to log in at least three hours a day. Two doesn’t cut it. I usually surf two to three times per week, so when big winter days come, I want a big winter board. On a side note. Even though I will use my board as a paddling advantage occasionally, I am not a wave hog. I let good waves go by all the time when I longboard. Of course, I also notice a lot of people resent that as well. Can’t make everyone happy. As far as Swamis is concerned, there are a lot of snakes. So, the early bird gets the worm (or, the snake). I should have been a pro surfer. I am 34, so the time was right. Back in the day (80s) I had an opportunity to compete at a higher level. My friends were doing the PSSAs, and some of them pulled it off. That way I would be surfing everyday. Then again, I would be at retirement age (amazing!).
Well I have 4 kids, am 47, still manage to surf most days. You just have to get up at 5 am so as to not mess up the family life too much. So, make yourself a winter board however you like. It’s all a learning experience. Put a squash tail on it (just don’t make it TOO wide!). Heck, make three boards, make them all different, and keep the one you like best… try one with the tail rocker you think is best, see what happens when you take a really late drop… it’s all good… personally I prefer pintails in big waves and swallowtails in almost-that-big waves, but everybody’s got an opinion, in the long run there’s a lot more to a board than the last foot.
you guys ever heard of a VASA surf trainer? i remember seeing an ad with sam george endorsing- a lay down sort of thinggy. the motions accuratley simulated that of paddling. maybe that’d do, or just lots o push-ups and sit-ups [smile] i also agree with keithm- paddle even on the flat days- some serious riders prefer a paddle board, however just your reg longboard will suffice(and actually be harder at paddling a real distance- you know, that increased resistance training!?)stay fit bro and you wont have any probs.
Mike is turning into one of those kooks that hits the mid 30’s and gets the “paddle monster” board. Odds are he will end up with a fun board in the next year or two. I agree with Keith, get a paddle board and become a paddle monster. Thats why I get up pre dawn and paddle on my paddle board on the flat days. Did the fun board wreck modern surfing or what? Drunk guy
Did the fun board wreak modern surfing or what? I think modern shortboard surfing is sooo boring. Watching a surf video with modern shortboarders is like a 45 minute rerun of the same moves over and over and over…
I’m a mid thirties kook? Eh, Drunk Guy? Name the time and place. I’ll out surf you, out paddle you, and probably out drink you as well. And if I can’t? Well, it’s a good excuse to spend another day at the beach. By the way, Drunk Guy, I spend about 75% of my time on a 6,6 tri fin. I also have a 6,7 tri fin, a 7,6 pin tail tri fin, a 10,0 performance longboard, a 10,1 noserider, and a pair of Churchills for the shorepound and the occasional Wedge. My next two boards are going to be a 7,0 tri fin, squash tail for bigger days at Swamis and Trestles, and a gun. The reason I want the gun is because I have never surfed a real fifteen to twenty foot wave and am now interested. To me, that’s a step forward, not backward. You mentioned “fun board.” Funny thing is, all my boards are fun boards. I can never decide which board to ride because they are all so much fun. I have never owned a real gun (exept a Daisy Red Rider BB gun), and that’s why I am interested. I was simply asking about squash tails, tail rocker and such, but since so many people shunned the idea it led me to believe one of two things. Either everyone is close minded (since I have seen guns with squash tails) or you guys are right. Maybe guns HAVE to have a pin tail. I don’t know. That’s why I asked. YOU GUYS were the ones who started talking about Desert Island Series and Fun boards, etc. Fun boards (if that’s what you want to call them) are fine with me, but I don’t own one and don’t plan to in the forseeable future. I guess, according to you, the funboards ruined surfing. Isn’t that what you said? But I never read in the Union Tribune that surfing was ruined. The occasional sewage overflow can ruin it for a couple days, but not a surfboard. And since you calle me a kook, let me share my opinion of a kook. A kook, to me, is not a beginner, and not someone who rides a “funboard.” A kook is someone who: 1. Bitches about crowds (when it’s actually easy to find uncrowded surf, provided you don’t mind a good hike. God, there are a hundred good uncrowded waves in San Diego County). 2. Complains about how good things used to be (when they are damn fine now, unless you have something real to complain about, like heart disease, cancer, missing arms, etc.). 3. Pays no attention to surf etiquite (sp?). You know, the guys who are always trying to scratch for the shoulder as you race down the line. 4. Doesn’t consider how many waves the other surfers are or are not catching. In other words, a kook doesn’t give good waves away occasionally. A gentleman does, and is stoked to do so. 5. A kook is someone who never tried to teach someone how to surf because it might get too crowded, boo hoo. 6. A kook won’t stop to ask a beginner if he or she is having a good time or catching waves. 7. A kook disrespects women surfers and/or complains about them. 8. A kook refuses to eat the native food of foreign countries. 9. A kook puts down the surf in other places (like the East Coast or Great Lakes). 10. And finally, a kook is someone who calls people kooks who he has never met or seen surf. Last winter I paddled out at ten foot Swamis on a six,six. I caught one wave in one hour because it was crowded and there were some really good surfers out there. Buy I didn’t complain. The wave I caught kept me buzzing for a month. It was perfect. I went in to get wax, and then was diverted by a five dollar bill on the ground, which reminded me that I was hungry, which made me go to VG donuts. Later, I went back with a 7,6. Much better.
funny mike- i cked this post a couple days ago and didint reply because of the idiots who posted about being middle aged kook- haaha i had a good laugh to - im 33 and have no problem paddling out on the meanest of days- wonder if those idiots who replied could do the same? any how, what i was inferrring was that if you wanted something of a wide body gun was to look ar those DI from rusty- and work on the dimensions from there- may i suggest: the measurments for a 8’0’'- X 20"+ or minus- your choice X 13 3/4"(tail) X 2 7/8" thick. the fins for a board like this, i would put the lead fins@ 12 1/4" and trail fin @ 4 1/2". are you shaping this yourself?
All my boards are fun boards, aren’t yours?