About to start a build on an already shaped blank, but the current blank is not the end product.
It’s been donated to me by a local shaper and the plan is to change it from a 5’3" 19.5" 2.5" groveler thing designed for an adult. To bring it down to a 5’2" (The length will depend on the swallow removal) by 18" by less thickness. Fairly performance based thruster for a young ripper.
Why?
There is a kid in our program who surfs really well, doesn’t have sponsors, and i want to make him the best performance board I possibly can and have it cost almost nothing. It will be reusing materials as much as we can, salvaged FCS 2 leggie plug and the blank. It’s my way to help and have him learn a bunch about shaping and board making in the process.
There is going to be a bunch of issues. The blank is painted already, fully coated in. Rattle can paint black and dark purple. The rocker is fairly flat, and there are some small micro channel things associated with the single flier and these may end up being shaped out.
The kid currently has a super beat up DHD DX1 at 5’5" by 17.5" by 2 1/8" and he has out grown it.
The plan is a performance tail and a fuller nose, a bit more thickness to account for his growth, foiling the ends out and keep the rails as performance as I can.
I have two blending curves templates that I plan to … well… blend. I have also taken a template off the back half of his DHD and a pin tail from the short B from Blending curves. but it will all depend on what feels right when we get to the marking out.
I will add a pic of the blank to the thread later.
Grom boards are a special challenge. I’ve built a lot of them for my boys and I am very happy that they have grown enough now that I can build them boards from blanks with proper rockers rather than trying to fit a rocker to a blank which is very challenging. Good luck and post lots of pics.
Most of us would love to see another build thread. By the way… there are definitely ways to tweak rocker in the glassing process. If glassing the bottom first, place a couple of screw eyes in the stringer (deck side) near the ends of the board and hang weights. Glass and be sure to let it completely cure before releasing the weights. There will be some rebound, but it will add rocker. Just glassing the deck side first and pulling the glass tight during the lamination will result in some rocker increase. If you have a variable rocker vacuum table and doing a compsand skin, you can really do some tweaking with rocker. Some guys who are using stringerless EPS blanks start with a flat profiled slab and set the rocker however they want in the vacuum process.
Yeah, I agree with many of the posters. Post the build & specs. Shaping grom boards is really a challenge to get the rockers right. I don’t do them, and refer anyone asking to a couple of other shapers who have them dialed in. I did make a few for my boy when he was a tad, but he stopped surfing for a while and when he came back to it he was a lot bigger so it was easy. I would think that any DHD or Gold Coast board would have good rockers. If the blank is sprayed it should be easy to remove most of it when you dial it down to thickness. 2.5" gives you some leeway. I would plane the bottom leaving a 1/16 or so and sand the deck to keep more of the foam strength. If it’s a Bennett or a Midget blank you have great foam. Look up Surfding’s posts, I remember he posted a Shape3d cut for groms that was really nice with all the dims. Good luck and try to post some pics of the grom surfing it!!
The surfding post is awesome. the kid isn’t a total grom, he is probably 50 kg and yes I have taken a rough idea of the rocker from the DHD, tip of tail, 100mm and 300mm from tail.
Not at work today and haven’t had the chance to take initial photo’s.
99% of this, is just going to be feel. Trying to make stuff from what i have to work with. There will be calipers, sanding blocks, surform and hand plane.
The space I can use at school has no power to it. And the templates are combinations of paper and cardboard ones. I’ll post pics early next week. Had a conference today and out Monday, reports due Tuesday so I won’t get into it fo a bit. But I did just get a lead on around 30 seconds, old Burfords stock. Ranging from 5 foot to 12 foot triple stringer nose rider blanks. (EDIT. The 30 old blanks was of course a wild goose chase, too good to be true)
Got into the Ghetto this morning for a half hour or so, just cleaning off the paint and stuff.
I went in for half an hour yesterday at lunch an got the out line roughed in/out.
The paint was kinda difficult to move, to be expected I suppose. Didn’t have a planer, even my stringer planer is at home so I couldn’t do it.
Would have killed for some air compressor action. but its starting to look like a surfboard. Even if it looks like a super dirty one.
Came up with a funky technique with the blade of the hand saw to break up the paint and made it easier to move.
Bbbahahhhahah I think I’ll take that as a complement.
Details
Donated 5’3” blank into a 5’2”ish thing. Blending a DHD 5’5” dx1 tail with the curve from a 5’4” fish nose template. Kinda looking ok need some time in a bay with real lights and tools.
