Alright, I just got my first blank it’s a 6’9" Clark Foam. I have a place to shape it, a place to glass and a place to sand. It’s gonna be my first shape ever. I basically have a general understanding of surfboard design and what works having been pretty picky about how my boards ride. Normally ride small competition shortboards around 6’0". (I am 5’8" 155lbs.) But I decided I wanted a board that could let me have fun on days too small and weak for my SB, but will still fit in my car. I thought something between a …lost rn fish and a classic twin fish might be the ticket…low rocker for drive (Classic), curvy outline for sharper turns (rn).
I decided I’d trace a buddies 8’0" funboard (since I don’t have anything else to eye and compare) , and basically chop out 2’4" of length to make it a 5’8". The outline I traced revealed a 5’8" with 20 3/4" widepoint about 3" forward of mid. The nose is 16.5" and rounded and the tail would be only 14.25". That’s a pretty pulled in tail but if it works for the funboard, it should work for this 5’8" shouldn’t it? My thought is that it will be like those performance longboards, fast down the line when leaning forward (over the widespot), carvier when leaning back. (Note; I saw a similar idea on greg webber’s website afterwards on his spoon model…check it at www.webbersurfboards.com)
Anyways, my big problem now is rocker. I have no idea how much is too much or too little, let alone what is appropriate for this board. Anyone have any rocker suggestions or advice when cutting out the rocker?
Also, last request I promise, can one of you pros give me some guidance, tips, two-cents, or advice on fin placement? I am not sure what should work for this.
Thanks heaps,
SharkBoy
i dont really know if i like the shape of this board. some times a board works well because of its length . and by choping off 2 feet you lose that functionability.
may i recomdend trying the aps3000 board design program. this will allow you to make something more like you where talking about. its a free program as well www.aps3000.com
i would try this first and see if you can come out with a little better shape.
if you decided to stick with this shape, i wish you the best of luck and cant wait to see some pictures.
Thanks Turbo Hog, I’ll definitely check out the program, maybe I’ll trace further up so the tail would be an inch wider. In this case, should I add rocker?
thanks
if it was me i would probably go at least 2 to 2 3/4 in the nose and maybe an inch and a half in the tail.
a board like yours is kind of experimental so you really never know whats going to work. so i would play it by eye. if it looks right to you chances are its probably right.
the best tools you can use during shaping are the free ones, common sense and your sight.
What 6’9" blank. A, H or R ??? Kind of a big endevor for your first board. to make things a little easier on yourself the 6’2" C would have been the way to go…You can however with some trickery make a sucessful 5’8" board out of a 6’9"A. there is a lot of foam to work but blending and Shaping in a workable bottom rocker might be a bit tricky for a first timer. Make your own outline by placing the width location marks on your blank or masonite. Use a long bendable stick to connect the dots. hand draw or trace in your nose and tail of choice. Carefully cut it out. true up. Bam! there you go, your very own original SharkBoy template
Not sure of the exact blank, my mate just ordered the blank for me. It’s arrived but i have yet to hold it in my hands…those damn custom agents!!!
Anyways, the rocker is the scary part. I am not sure what I’ll do there, first, i don’t even know what numbers translate to high rocker, and low rocker. I have been doing research and it seems like most classic fish have around 1.3 tail rocker and vary in the nose but usually over 3 inches there. Lost boards, and other thruster/performance fish things(whatever you call them) usually have around 2" in the tail and 4-4.25 in the nose. But I am guessing here, anyways, thanks for the help so far.
those numbers sound ok…
without shaping anything…
put any board on a rack, stand back 20 feet…
and use your eyes!!!
Don’t get caught up too much on dimensions…you’ll likely fail…
on the same rack stack some boards on top of each other…look some more…print some rocker pics off the CI website and compare…
find a rocker pic you want to shape, stand back again and compare…does it differ a lot from the blank’s natural rocker?
If so, pick another shape or another blank…too much rocker shaping is very risky.
Get some sleep…then repeat the next day…you’ll likely see things you didnt see the day b4…
Moral of the story…your eyes and hands are much more valuable to you than a rocker measurement…yeah sounds kooky but after a few dozen shapes you’ll understand…
if the blank is already ordered, just shape it to whatever the natural rocker of the blank is…skin the deck, and shape up from there…any drastic changes in rocker will cause a great reduction in the strength of the blank.
they key to your first board is simplicity. if you dont fart around to much with the foam you will have a board that works. trying to mow off a foot of foam isnt easy.
i think soulstices idea is the best, check out your blank first and really look at it. have a conversation with it and see what kind of board it wants to become.
the rockers that i suggested and the ones you did sound about right. but you really need to consider the break and the optimal conditions in which you want to surf it.
if it looks right, it probably is
Cool, thanks guys, I’ll try and keep in mind that the rocker numbers are just a guide, not necessarily the single goal.
Anyways, I’ll take y’alls advice and wait and see what kind of rocker the blank has before I shape anything. I guess if the blank’s rocker is flattish (after chopping out 13"'s), then I’ll try and cut out a rounder outline, and if the blank has a bit of rocker then I’ll keep the outline straighter. I’ll have the blank in my hands in just a few days so I’ll let you guys know everything then.
peace
Hey Turbo,
I checked out that program and downloaded it onto my computer. That was the easy part, hard part was using it. I don’t think it is the programs fault it’s just that I am extremely computer illiterate. I tried to use the help button but still couldn’t figure it out. How do you plug in the numbers and staring connecting the lines?
honestly its kind of a hard program. i took a few hours over a week to kind of figure it out and i dint think that i have completely figured it out either. you have to play with it and throw a bunch out.
there are probably some guys that could explain it better then i could.