I am chasing some dimensions for a full on rhino chaser, It will primarily be a wall hanger as the surf and ability of me and my location will dictate. And will be cool hanging in the new house .
I am looking at about 8’6 to 9’6 thruster glass on fins maybe three stringer full polish.
I need nose& tail dimensions as well as wide point . the guns I have seen have the wide point forward or that is how they seem, It will need to be at least 20 wide as my normal boards are that width but I may have to go wider ??? pin tail
I may even go 7’6 as that length will get used more by me. but will need to be a gun not just a big guy shorty.
Keep in mind I’m an East Coaster, so I’m no gun expert. But I have done a few and am doing one right now for a guy here who goes to Hawaii every year.
Here are some round numbers for a true gun, designed for 20ft surf:
Length: 9 to 10 ft
N: 10 inches
W: 18.5 to 19
T: 11.5 inches (pulled tight to a pin)
Thickness: 2.75 inches
Outline is minimally curved from wide point (about 3 inches forward of center) to tail, and front is relatively straight. Bottoms are usually reverse vee to flat to vee in the back third. Rocker is smooth and continuous with no flat spots, rocker accelerating toward the nose and tail. Thickness foil is gradual and even from the wide point to the nose and tail, which should be thin. Deck slightly crowned with the volume where you need it and not where you dont. Rails are soft and fogiving, and transition to super hard in the tail iwth little or no tuck. Fins relatively forward.
Keep in mind that there’s a different kind of gun for every big wave spot, and these spots often present life and death situations.
These boards don’t work well in double overhead surf, so for surf in the double to triple overhead range, you might want to go with a semi-gun in the 7"6 to 8’6" range, round pin, wider all the way around, with subtle single to double concave.
Depends on what you’re aiming for of course but “full on” would be the 9’6" with width between 19.5 and 22, nose and tail around 11-12 inches… can go narrower of course if you want super pinny. leave some foam under the chest for paddling speed. 3 stringer looks nice!
there are some good examples in the photo archives, search for hand-shaper’s boards, or resinhead’s…
I have an 8’3" gun (thruster) shaped by a local shaper here in Vic (Mick Pearce) who has a good reputation as a shaper with boards like this. I can measure it up over the weekend if you want and give you the details. It was made for me and I weigh about 100kg so it may or may not suit depending on how heavy you are. I had it made for winter waves here and the odd trip to Bali and it has performed admirably in all cases.
My reef guns (Mavs) are 10’4" N10", WP 201/2" @+4" of C, T 101/2", 31/4" thick and 11’2" N11", WP22" @ +6 of C, T12", 4"thick. Beach break guns are 10’-7’8" most N10"-11" WP21"@ +3-5 of C and T 12"-131/2", 31/2"-41/2"thick.
For wall hangers I like retro Curren style guns with lots of wood that can be longboarded as well.
Gentlemen, thank you for your input, The bigest surf we will get here is around 10 feet and that may not happen for 10 years, But an 8ft day can , so I may go 8ft x 20 x 2&7/8, like I say It may not get ridden. wide point to the front but I’m still open to suggestions 4 inches looks good so far.
WPoint forward 4" works fine, but usually on boards longer than 8’.
At 150lbs., I like ‘em over 20" wide at 8’, and add an inch for every 8" of length, as you want more paddle the longer you go.
Narrow noses for offshore winds, wider noses for glassy conditions and more float.
Keep it over 3" so it don’t break or stress fracture…don’t worry about sinking the rails, you gotta WEIGHT the rails on gun boards, and flat decked, even 4" thick boards are easy to bank in it’s intended waves.
Spread the fin cluster 3-4" more than a normal shorty tri, for a bigger sweetspot.
Bottom shape what you like, but V for choppy conditions, concaves for glass.
Why a …Extended Range 7.62mm. X 39mm. carbide/steel core/spitzer bullet… fired from a custom 16" barreled AKM made specifically for the Russian army special forces (guess who’s got one here? ATF/Ca.DOJ class III legal…for now anyway).
…But not so cerelous…look at board #201 in the archives…that should completely answer your questions.
AKM, wildly inaccurate, groupings usually in the 6" range at 100 yards, but ultra reliable and almost impervious to neglect and abuse.
You need the full 30 round mag to get your business done, as the sights are crude, the kick violent, and the ammo charge inconsistent…unless you reload.
The surfboard I was refering to is in the “8 footer catagory” at the bottom of page 5 /surfboard archives here on swaylocks.
LeeDD … I have a G-3 IN .308 but it pales is comparison…it’s heavy,it very sensitive to dust,dirt and unburnt goo due to it’s flutted chamber…good target rifle/horrible battle rifle…and really not that much more accurate,w/o bedding and a whole lot of work.
My Argie FAL…was a much better rifle as far as function and accuracy…but still fails in extreme weather/including dust,dirt/and un-burnt goo…I sold my triple proof Fal to an Arizona res. a month ago…and probably will also sell the G-3 due to the fact that they are way over wt. to deal with ,“IN COUNTRY”(you need a wheel dolly to move them around).
As far as my AKM…It holds a group at.75 inches at 125 yrds,and at 300yrds will hold a head size pattern…the rounds donot drift…and I prefer using South Afican ammo or Sampson ROUNDS from Israel…this ammo is better than our domestic ammos…hands down.
While in the military,I took my AK THRU the ringer(along with just about every battle rifle you know of ,including some you don’t of)…It is the only Rifle that passed the sub zero tests…and get this, the only one that would fire competely underwater,in semi,or full…flawlessly.
Again the rifle is Hungarian,and is coupled w/ a match Steyr barrel(the chamber is ramped and throated to accept standard rounds).///////////It wt’s only 6.5lbs and is complemented w/A.C.E. stock kit/…LeeDD if you like to shoot like I do…you got to try this one!!!It’s a one of a kind and have been offered over 5000.00 for it.I have put approx. 20,000 rounds thru it and all the parts are as new…best part is …it has never jammed…never not even in the extreme battle rifle challenges in 1981…there is no equal on any level,by my tests…Also, There are features on this rifle that started to show up on todays battle rifles…these features I created some 25 years ago…by-the-way…in my opinion(and my fail eye sight)…irons are for rookies…I use a 40mm reddot or compact 7 X 40mm scope.
…Lee,if you like to go poke holes thru paper…I’m game…email,pm,or leave a message here for me…I like to shoot as much AS I LIKE TO SURF…Got plenty of ammo…like a life time supply…
Well, I certainly can’t argue with you, just that I owned the G-3 and my roomate was an FN fanatic.
I spent a touch of time in the Army, did M-16 back in '70, when the reputation was tainted and flawed.
Bought mine in '77, got over 10,000 rounds thru two barrels and mostly replaced parts, and found it adaquate but not accurate, even with the BarSto heavy barrel.
Saw quite a few AK’s around, but all 7.62’s. Not many civilians have AKM’s.
First thing I mentioned was reliability, something nice to have when the chips are down.
Without constant maintainance, most autoloaders are suspect.
That’s why they store .45 L&L, but no round in the chamber…so you cycle thru to clear dirt or dust. Yes, and sloppy ones were the ones deemed for protection. Tightones went to the range for points.
I figure if you’re gonna carry something that goes thru heavy car doors, you need some weight to counterbalance the power.
NightFlash, noise, availibility of scrouged ammo and parts, minimal # of carried rounds for effect, are certainly a consideration.
I have a longtime customer that is the Captain of the Ft. Lauderdale life guards. In an effort to promote a healthy life style, the city provides a certain amount of money to its employees for exercise equipment. With this money in hand, he ordered his Pico Alto gun. Along with the order was all of the Mavericks crew dimensions for their favorite paddle in guns, length, width and thicknesses.
I plugged all of these measurements in and got an average of what all of them rode. Ten foot for length out of a Clark 10’4", I don’t remember the rest of the dim’s, but on his first 20 foot Pico Alto wave, he said later, it was like he had ridden the board for years
I’ve seen some beautiful and really great guns shaped by Jim Phillips. Of couse they ride better than they look, I can’t give a direct review. Something about no business being out in conditions I can’t handle at my level in surfing.
