I have often wondered about gun dimensions : what do the pro’s ride at wiamea or mavericks . fin set ups and bottom shapes . I have had some involvement with bali style guns up to 7’8" but wonder the style of stick the big boys ride.
Very few big wave riders are actually surfing PROS. Most are expert surfers who have other jobs, trustfunders, or just surviving.
I’ve had 4 boards over 9’6", one over 10", and about a dozen 8’ 6" semi guns…mostly for OceanBeachSF, but some for Oahu and one that did not work out for Mavs.
Most are basically 19-20" wide, slight belly front to accelerating V out the back, made for control, not speed, and tail widths from 9" to 11.5". All manners of fins applicable nowadays.
Thickness should be over 3", as stress from hardbreaking waves like to stress out your board, and you need float somewhat similar to a longboard, for ease of paddle, paddle speed, good vision outside, and sheer mass to overcome all the water moving around.
Narrow noses for predominantly offshore winds, or slightly bumpy glassy waters, any tail shape seems fine, but mostly rounded pins.
Heavy glassing works fine, weights typically for a 9’6" x 19 around 18lbs. Lighter just means it’s quicker, but limited to glassier water conditions or slightly smaller waves.
While most of my 7’6" x 19’s weighed around 10 lbs., the bigger boards are a different breed surfed more conservatively and in much different conditions.
Yeah, fat stringers, or multiples, glass on fins or fin, and pretty much low egg to semi hard thin tail rails not only for holding power, but for ease of banking at high speeds.
At Mavericks
mostly Vee or rounded vee hulls, either reverse Vee or Vee deepening through the tail
mostly 11 inch tails, 20.5 - 22 or even 23 inch widepoints
mostly thrusters, mostly glass-ons
mostly 10’ to 11’
At Ocean Beach
mostly 7’6" to 8’6"
mostly 12 inch tails and 19-21 inch widepoints
mostly thrusters
mostly glass-ons
but there’s some harebrain riding a rotating single out there a lot too, and a few guys riding quads at both spots
lotta rocker
Of course, all of my bigger wave surfing has been at around 135 lbs., so my boards tend to be narrower than most.
It’s a shocker to balloon up to 152lbs. now, and sink what used to be too floaty boards and paddle around like a slug.
I’d guess GrantWashburn, at 220lbs. or so, uses the widest out there.
And Dave’s 7’6"ers… there’s Pipe 7’6"ers, thin, lightly glassed, narrow, quick…
then there’s Sunset 7’6"ers, thicker, glassed heavier for offshore winds, bump in the water, triple the paddle, competition with 11’ guns, flatter, more water moving around…
and there’s Hanalei 7’6"ers, which seem to have some double concave out the back, lightly glassed, but wider than the Pipe boards, for much longer, more even waves…
I like the Sunset kind of 7’6"er, as the others, I might as well ride a 6’ chip tri, for all the waves I get sitting armpit underwater.
O’k so bottom shape is usually vee, wide point is a little wider than your normal gun (bali gun 7’2) and go heavy in the glass department. I suppose a boxy rail to keep the volume and sanded finish.
Gun quest motives-
catch waves earlier
added paddledpower
6’10’’ - 12’8’’
whaddya ride now ? anything longer is longer
volume determines floatation not length
guns tend to paddle like a shorter board because of reduction in width
longer drawn out turns=stability front to back at higher speeds…
bottom shape :rocker turny- straight speedy
rails down skippy skimming character quick reactions- fin dependant,
rails up surface tension activating more deliberate -potential for fin area reduction ie lateral resistance from bottom contact
…ambrose… one mans gun is another mans semi ,another’s hotdog board…
guns dont do mush…