Help me shape 8'6" Single Fin

I am on my way to shaping my fourth board now after shaping a 5’9" twin fin, 7’10" single fin, and 5’0" surf skate. I want to shape an 8’6" single fin with a square tail to use in very small to chest high surf. Can someone give me some dimensions they think would be good including how far up I should put the wide point, where to start wrapping the tail and nose, and how thick. I was thinking something like 2 7/8 or 3" thick by 22" wide and 16.5" nose and 14" tail, but I just don’t know how far to measure the nose and tail at those points. I have just been looking at similar dimensions that I like. I should just copy an outline, but don’t really know anyone with an 8’6". Thanks all.

very cool of you, balsa, very cool.

No big deal, really, Oldy. This “surf designer” software by PierreB is just so user-friendly it only takes a few minutes (seconds?) to rough-draw a template. Try it! (Free advertisement…)

hey Balsa! how about an 8’6" roundtail board? something like 18.5 in the nose 22.5 width 15 tail thickness 3 widepoint about 8" ahead of center…meanwhile i’ll see if i can use that program you posted.thanks!

Matt, this is the best that I could (quickly) do, according to your measurements, and I’m not quite satisfied by this curve… Remember what Bill T always said: the curve dictates the measurements, not the opposite…

Balsa-

thanks! i tried that template program-it’s way cool! one thing, i was not able to get the tail to go round-it stayed square.i agree, that template needs a little adjustment, but it’s not too bad at all.

Matt, which design did you start with? In the bottom left side, you will find a button called “examples” where you can choose one shape that is generically near what you plan to shape: shortboard, evolutive, egg, minimal, longboard… with several different designs in each category. The above template was made using the “egg 8’00” as a basis, for instance, and then modifying measurements. It’s a rounded pintail design, so no worry with that.

thanks. i came up with an 8’4" roundtail 15x23x19 wide point 10 " ahead of center.sure is a fun gadget to mess around with!

Actually, can I ask someone to help me with a 9’6" noserider?

rocker is key…flat entry, kicked tail. downrail nose, transition to a pinched 60/40 or 50/50 through the midsection, with a knifey, up rail at the tail. roll the bottom, increasing out the back.

the rest is very wave-dependent, and a matter of personal preference. where you gonna be riding this thing??

concave? no concave?

plot out some points on APS3000 and see what you come up with.

here’s a straight up log outline for ya (didn’t really do rocker or rails…that’s on you)…

I’ve never really longboarded, I’ve always been shortboarding. I shaped a 7’10" single fin that I like a lot, but I can only get one foot up on the nose before it starts to sink. It’s usually crappy beach break I’ll be using it for that’s why I want a longer board and something that I can hang both feet on easier.

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the rest is very wave-dependent, and a matter of personal preference. where you gonna be riding this thing??

if you’ve never really longboarded, and aren’t surfing clean, lined up point waves, then that is NOT the board for you…

you’ll want something a little more forgiving.

I love this shape

How do you transpose this into life size??

Thanks - chaz

Aaaaaaahhhhh, here comes the fun part…

Grab a piece of masonite or plywood or similar material. It should be 8’6" long and half the width (at least) wide. Mark the main points i.e. max. width, nose width and tail width. Draw a curve through these points. (You may use the batten method: long, flexible pieces of wood or fiberglass that you can bend into the right curve, or you may use your eye and hand…) Cut that curve with a jigsaw, leaving a small margin of error. Then, true up the curve with a block plane: watch out for bumps and straight lines. You should end up with a natural curve, pleasing to the eye. The trouble is, your eye may not be “accustomed” to make the difference between a “natural” and “un-natural” curve yet. That comes with watching hundreds of different curves, there is really no other “trick”. Only some people develop a better “feel” for it than others…

Once you have that template, just lay it down on one side of the blank stringer and draw along it. Reverse the template to the other side and you get a perfectly symetrical (future) board…

Have fun!

thanks balsa, will give this a go. : )

What do you suggest? I ride a 6’0" twin fin sometimes, but I get lined up waves sometimes. What do you suggest for crappy beach break waves?

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if you’ve never really longboarded, and aren’t surfing clean, lined up point waves, then that is NOT the board for you…

you’ll want something a little more forgiving.

i’ve got two boards that i really like that have proved lots of fun in beachbreak, windslop, and whatever else…and both noseride well.

one is a Robert August “What I Ride”. snapped in half a couple weeks ago, but a great board. i’ll be piecing her back together in the next couple months. i really advanced my surfing a lot on this board, and it more or less taught me how to noseride properly.

awhile later, i picked up a 9’1" pintail. it’s pretty much your standard comp longboard shape. nose concave, widepoint forward, 60/40 rail (low in the nose, hard edge at the tail), steady entry rocker, with a gradual kick toward the tail. noserides GREAT (much better than i initially expected).

the robert august is a heavier, more traditional board, while the pintail was shaped to be more performance-oriented. the pintail is much lighter.

if you want a board to ride in a greater variety of conditions, i’d say go with the pintail. on the other hand, if you want a board to ride only when it’s super small and not worth busting out the shorter equipment, you’d probably be happier with something like the RA.

pics and dims of both boards are available on request.

where do you live?

planning on shaping this board yourself???

EDIT: i’d also like to ammend that list of boards worth checking out. the dodger kremmel models from RA are pretty nifty. the noserider looks great, and even the hi-pro might be good with a little sturdier glass schedule. also, i’m a big fan of Harbour Surfboards – take a look at the San-O, and maybe the Rapier. all good stuff.

For some reason (I’m slow) I can’t figure out how to post a pic here but I think this link will take you there.

It’s my quiver circa 1985 or so.

Seemed to fit into this thread somehow, although no computer programs were used in the shaping of any of these boards I don’t think.

8’2" Herbie Fletcher …to the left

7’7" Sunset rounded pin… in the middle

7’10" Cleanline square tail …closest to ya…

I’ve ridden those boards a few miles each…usually in 100 yard increments.

http://forum.surfermag.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/477/what/allfields/name/Hump

Note black marks from wetsuit showing buttock imprints.

Spent some time on each of those boards I’ll tell ya.

Every picture tells a story.

http://forum.surfermag.com/photopost/showphoto.php/photo/476/what/allfields/name/Hump

Take care.