Going to make myself a huge SUP vac formed SUP… maybe 16 foot or something? Balsawood and light eps… how long does it need to be to Catch a swell that hasnt… or isnt going to really break? … ummm i heard there are some cool bottom shapes like boats that help you to do this? anyone know anything about that kind of stuff, your help would be much appreciated.
Cheers scotty
You’re in Oz, so use the surf ski as your template…just remember, you don’t have the paddling power the ski has, so you’ll need even more help…
Although, maybe since a SUP has more exposure to a tail wind, that’ll compensate in some small way…
Good luck – can’t wait to see the results!
I don’t know about an 18" wide ski template unless you’re a Chinese tightrope walker. Google “Sandwich Islands Composites F16” and you’ll find info on the top open ocean board in use today - specifically made for downwind point-to-point paddling. They’re about 27" wide and look more like a windsurfer template than anything else. If you’re looking for something for more varied conditions or for flat water you might want to look to a ski or U/L paddleboard template with some vee entry. Flat or double concave on the bottom - don’t put a roll on it or you will be sorry. I think about 25" is the narrowest right now, although Machado had a 14’ earlier this year that was 23" wide, but that’s Machado. Also, the catamaran (aka standamaran) design is very fast in mild ocean conditions. Ron House has made a couple from 14’ to 18’.
I can catch them on my 13.5" Single-fin Yellow that Paul Krotzebue made. But it’s a regular surfboard, not a paddleboard.
Dave
thanks for the advice. i think i’m going to do something like the f16!
Good luck & please keep post up pics of your progress !
To surf in the “open-ocean” you want to catch a fetch wave…the locally generated wind swells…which means its gonna be high , tight frequency, wind capping and sloopy…translation, you’ll need a alot of stability, a nose that gives a planing surface as far forward as possible while still allowing room for a “V” nose entry. The trick is to stick the nose into the wave infront…theres a “dead zone” on the back of the wave where water “falls off” the energy cycle, then you drop down into the trough where that water from the front wave is sorta falling into. The wave coming up…the one youre on, is acelerating and pushing into the trough…
If your nose gets stuck in the wave in front…it’ll hit that dead/slow water and hit the brakes, so to speak…whereas the back of the board, which is on the incoming wave is accelerating…getting pushed forward. …so , like I was saying…if the nose sticks, youll broach, or get spun around. So to surf an open ocean swell you need to have the proper rocker, and entry, leading into a planing surface and then finally an exist/release. Surfskis, prone PB’s and OC1’s are excellent at this, but because your center of gravity is so high you’ll need something much wider, more stabill. I traditionl prone board is a good start…jst go wider. But the “Molokai” boards have proven rockers. Also consider this…you’ll need thickness for flotation, but you can drop your COG by creating foot troughs…glass the bottom first and dig out the deck right down to the bottom laminate before glassing.