I was a 60’s board restoration guy / glasser, and a fledgling shaper. I was looking at the Cooperfish Surfboard site looking for glassing inspiration and saw the link too this page. Now I’m doomed to this damed page and shaping. I can’t stop, my priorities are all screwed up. My grass is so long that I lost my dog, my son doesn’t know me, and my wife ran off with my next door neighbor. But I still have my glassing / shaping room.
You did - By the way - I have a rail question for you that needs serious, quick attention. For the chines&strakes to resolve into the tail??? I am thinking of a curve to bring the chine up to the flat tail… I thought it would kind of flaten out as I put more rocker in, but I ended up with slight chines almost to the very end and I am not sure I want that extra low pressure when I already have some V in there. I have built it up w/Qcell, and was thinking of an S curve at the end of the strakes where the concaves end and the flex tail begins - some high pressure to lift it, and some low to pull the water around. I also though about only a slight concave to lift the whole thing, but once it’s flexing I am not sure I need to send all that water off the edges. Interesting to think about, but I would like to start with the “best” idea. God bless you all. This site is an addictive substance. Ps Dale - the paddle fin is coming along great - did you see the thread on the aluminum one the guy made? Sweet.
The chines taper down and disappear as they approach the rear of the template. The 1/4" high stepped strakes can also be blended down into just a sharp break along the rail line. Overall release (and penetration) increase toward the back of the board.
BTW… ask moderator Lee V. He`ll likely have further insight into this subject, too:
Good news about your paddle fin! Dont forget to post some pics. Yes... "Run" has some fresh ideas and the tech ability to make them happen... a serious combination. Im looking forward to seeing more!
The board Dale referenced, I just melted the edge by kicking the tail rocker by 1/4 inch. Greenough carries the edge off the tail right at the corners of his kneeboards and sailboards. My newest board (to be posted this week) follows both Greenough (on some boards he made for Charlie Coffee) and the ones currently being made by Bob Duncan at Wilderness. I thin and run the edge off the tail just in front of the outside fins of a thruster set up.
I think you want the edge to run off the tail or rail for a flex set up but thats just a shot in the dark. Sounds too late to run them off the tail corners unless the outline is right.
You might go up a foot or so past the fin (cluster?) and plane the whole bottom down so they are gone before your flex pannel. If it were me, I’d simplify the bottom and rail contours in the flex area as much as I could. If it flexes right, you are going to feel that more than any effects from the edge…
I came here about a year ago after really learning more about what went into making a surfboard, actually wanting to learn more about what exactly went into one. I’ve been overwhelmed with knowledge and humbled beyond belief.
I love this lil board, however it’s the baine of my employer’s existence
I was asking lots of technical questions of Peter, the owner of Moonlight Glassing, and he finally decided to “teach me how to fish”. He said, “Go to Swaylocks. That’s the ticket. You’ll find what you want to know there”. To his relief, I did. Lot’s of knowledge, and a willingness to help here. Thanks Peter!
Hey Lee - Thanks for the insight - I do want to keep the tail simple. I am going with a paddle fin (Greenough 8?) I am trying to keep too much V off the tail - I want some but the slight chines (no strakes, as they end at the flex point) seemed like it would add to much low pressure. mOre later.
Lee - I am new at the tech/comp stuff, and in a rush here at work, so I don’t know if these will make sense, but let me know if you have any more thoughts. I am still thinking of the “s” curve for a little push-pull as the water transitions down the rail - esp. during down the line times. I guess I could just play with an concave “lift” point (the beauty of glass beads), and re shape if it sucks - kind of like the old wing things - had a board that really turned well off of them. I will take some pics on my crappy dig. cam. and try to post 'em tomorrow. Ps how did that board Dale reference go for you. looks cool. I used to see Dale and a friend of ours fly on his tri plane hulls. So unreal. Ask him about his knee at boiler some time.
i was lurking on a local forum and someone had posted Parmenter’s Manifesto thru swaylocks. so after i read that, i started in on the discussions and thought “so this is where everyone is”.
i just like to build stuff and i wanted to re-live my youth (grew up in Narragansett, now in smoggy Seattle along Interstate 5) so i figured i would build a surfboard or two and was lucky enough to find Swaylocks during my ‘research phase’. Now i visit almost every day. a thousand thanks to all
As I mentioned in my first post on this forum, I did a search on Google for the name of my old surfboard company, just on the off chance… Unbelieveable, I got a hit here. It’s been the old stoke and neglecting my chores ever since. You guys are great…
I was lurking on a few other forums. Somebody was always dropping the Swaylocks tag. So I cruized on over to see what the buzz was all about. Damn! This place is like the freakin Brainiac Surfers University!!! Thanx!