I only have a few measurements on this one
10’ 20" N14" T11"
Can anyone help with thickness, nose and tail rocker measurements (photo used without permission from Surfresearch)
thanks
Hicksy
…and, did you say it was 21" wide, from memory ?
Was that in their ‘resources’, by the way, Grant ? [I couldn’t seem to find it in the ‘catalogue’ section ]
[…thanks, Bob McTavish, for an informative ‘photo gallery’ !]
20" wide, not too sure about widepoint either.
It is under History http://www.surfresearch.com.au/00000000h.html
Hicksy
awesome !
THANKS for that, Grant !
…worth checking, for sure !
[again , photo used without permission…
… WAS this shot also used in the 1988/9 ‘guns and hunters’ issue of ‘Surfer’, from memory…a George Orbelian article, if memory serves me correctly ? [gee 16 years ago now, already !!!]
OK people, I’m getting desperate now. The blank has been thinned to 3" now and I’m ready to shape.
I’m set for the outline but I still need some direction on the nose and tail rocker measurements.
Can anyone suggest something that would be suitable for this type of board.
thanks
Hicksy
I’d suppose 3" thick might be too thin, causing stress fracture and breaking problems.
I had plenty of 9’6" to 10’3" guns, and all looked much narrower than your pics, and they were mostly 20" wide.
I’d suspect Downings board really was closer to 21" wide.
Most full guns have lots of nose kick, around 8" is normal, sometimes much more.
Tail rocker, when measured over 6’ span, tends to be close to 5", which is more than some small wave shortboards.
The rocker gives control in bumpy, fast waves, where speed is already too much, and controlling the bounce is the main criteria, besides catching waves early.
Thanks LeeDD,
My blank is now 9’ long so those suggestions will come in handy.
Do you think a moderate V in the tail section would be typical of a board like this?
cheers
Hicksy
Oh, your blank is 9’, so not a 10’er.
If you put V, it works better/smoother in rough waters, big chop, and huge waves.
If you put concave out the tail, the reverse, which is what Plumeria Brewers are nowadaze.
A 9’ x 19" wide board is really small, very little area and volume, for bigger waves. You need the paddle power of BarryKaniapuni to get out repeatedly catching more than 7 waves a day.
Seems a 9’ x 21 does really well in smaller Mavericks surf. V for control, no or little concaves, soft rails forward, tucked out the back…not looking to generate speed, but looking to control the excessive speed you are dealing with.
What’s the projected weight? Most of my 9’6" x 20 guns, self made, Colletas, Morgan Brewers, Country Hinds, weighed between 14-20lbs. Heavier was easier to ride.
I don’t get to surf big waves over here, mostly beach breaks and mush.
Maybe go for a slight concave in the tail, 20.5" wide, how does that sound?
As far as weight goes I have no idea but I’m sure it’ll be lighter than my 8’ HWS which comes in at 24 lbs… planning on using epoxy on 2 x 6oz all over.
Hicksy
Interesting, you are building a fun gun, or gunny longboard, for beach breaks and small waves.
I’d look into the McCoy Nugget concept, WP 5" behind center, thick tail…you might not need rolled V, as concaves would hold fine, wide tail, narrower front section so the board tips downward when the swell hits the tail, making it easier and earlier to paddle in and catch waves earlier.
A WP back, with sorta a wide tail, like maybe 15", but really pulled in behind the one foot mark, would keep the nose from catching/pearling, but also make for snappier, quicker turns in surf under 1.5 overhead.
I’d imagine, but don’t know, that Balsa is strength equivelent to 9lbs. styro/poly, so your glassing schedule seems middle of the road.
The early Waimea footage sure looks like those old guns are all pretty under-rockered by today’s standards, I’d guess like 3-4 inches front and 2-3 inches rear. Like in Riding Giants, or other classic early North Shore footage. Every wave, I’m wondering how they kept from pearling.
Dave, perhaps you can help with some rocker and nose kick measurements off your Mavericks board.
Not sure if it’s to be applied, but it sure would be good to know.
My history with guns ended in '98, haven’t had one since.
Knee still sensitive to extention and bending, I’ll miss this stretch of 8-11’ waves for sure.
For the waves you’re after, Hicksy, you wouldn’t go wrong with 21.5" wide point, 5" behind center…14" tail…nose any shape you like…5" tail rocker, 3.5" nose rocker. Nice round numbers to start with anyway…draw it out & see how you like it
Hicksy why don’t you try to contact George Downing?He has a shop in Hawaii called Downing Surf. RB
Quote:
Dave, perhaps you can help with some rocker and nose kick measurements off your Mavericks board.Not sure if it’s to be applied, but it sure would be good to know.
My history with guns ended in '98, haven’t had one since.
Knee still sensitive to extention and bending, I’ll miss this stretch of 8-11’ waves for sure.
I did some digging last night. AFTER the Downing board, Pat Curren made waves with his guns. He had a masonite template for the rocker, and put more curve in it than previous boards. This preceded the Waimea footage in Riding Giants, in which in nearly every wave the board’s nose is perilously close to the water surface.
Current gun rockers you can get from the blank catalog, something like 3 inches rear 6-7 inches front. I would contact Downing directly. And if you can’t get it, I can ask Orbelian for you - he probably measured one if he came across it.
After my digging, my best guess is 1.5 inches rear and 2.5 inches front rocker.
Thanks for all the help guys, very much appreciated.
I cut out the outline last night and put the wide point 3" ahead of centre (I traced the outline to graph paper and it looked wider at that point), made the tail 12" width 20.5" and nose 14".
Looks really gunny now. Tail lift is 1.5" and the nose I’ve kept at 5.5".
2.5" in the nose seemed to be asking for trouble considering the type/lack of waves we have here.
I’ll keep you posted on how it progresses here.
cheers
Hicksy
Around here, it’s Clark blanks.
Seems all the windsurfer blanks are too flat rockered in the tail and too exxagerated a nose kick.
Does anyone really need 5" of foam to carve?
are my eyes playing tricks on me, or does that australian blank say “pineapple scented” on it???
Mr. Clark!!! When are WE going to get scented blanks!!
What, does that stop the neighbors from complaining about the dust? “yes, honey, your laundry is covered with foam dust, but now it smells tropical!”
Blakestah,
your “digging” is very good indeed. Those are very close to pre-shape glue-up rocker figures. By current standards Guns “in the day” would be considered to be under rockered.
Bill