I have some time now to start a new build. I got this mini simmons template from a guy on YouTube who suggested I made it a little smaller. I’ve edited the template to 90% of original size and we’re off.
We’ve recently moved in before the lockdown so limited resources at the moment. Planning on building the deck strong (6mm) and sealing with resin. Yeah, no glass. Frame is 4mm and the bottom will be 3mm. Any advice/criticism welcome, that’s why I’m posting.
Bare with me, my PC has packed in and I’m doing this post from my phone. More images to come and build details.
I’m 5 days into this build, lots of watching glue dry. Rail bands are on and a couple of nose and tail blocks glued up from some repurposed pine, I think. Smells like it.
The tail has come in much narrower than I expected for a mini simmons, I guess 10% narrower so I’m thing about keel fish fins for this 3 inches up from the tail.
Has anyone had much luck with 3mm marine ply to build up the rails. Worried it will splinter badly when Im trying to shape it? Slow and steady might save me.
Also, Has anyone stained timber with natural dies like vegetable water, coffee or similar? Wouldnt mind doing something colourful on these fins. I am going to use cloth on these ofcourse.
Rail bands sorted out with the palm plane, and now the backyard glue up. The 3mm ply seems soft enough to bend easy but strong enough to hold a decent curve.
Love this build. How long did it take to keep the curve in the stringer?
I have a blunt nose Mini Simmons and run some longer double foiled keels with no rake, pretty much verticle in trailing edge. Works really well. I imagine the shorter raked keel you show would loose some drive off a longer base.
Cheers mate and Thanks for the fin advice, do you have a picture of them on the board?
For the ‘stringer’ piece in the deck I selected a piece of timber with a reasonable curve in it to start, then soaked it and left it clamped in the sun re. Picture until it was dry, maybe 4 hours. Then repeated on the other end to get the S curve. For better backyard results, leave in the rain clamped over night and slowly dry in the sun. I’ve done this for my rail strips but they are 6mm and might be too chunky to get around that nose still.
Awesome build thread! Can’t wait to see it finished. That is what kills me about the HWS builds… waiting on glue. I’m glassing my 3rd board now as well and learned to start milling the wood for the next one while I wait. It keeps me from being unproductive just watching and waiting. Ha
Do you prefer this method of constructing HWS over the bead and cove strips and laying a solid bottom and top skin on? I ask as I often see this method, but it seems somewhat harder in that you have to shape the rails instead of just following what was provided by the fishbone…
I think the marine ply rails would be a bit difficult with splintering, but perhaps if you only use very shallow passes with a sharp block plane and utilize a fairing board with 60 to 80 grit paper… It would be super cool to have the look of the ply on your rails though… like the ply fins
Never done natural stains… looking forward to seeing the results though
I’ll see if I can find it again, but read a blog on a guy who used the resin approach. He ended up having to glass it later when it developed a crack/split and took on water. Not sure how it would have faired if not cracked and who knows how thick his top skin was.
Veryinteresting build! 3mm ply on bottom sounds sufficient, but I hope you will be able to bend the 6mm deck in place, because following the front, the middle goes up into the rocker, but the rail sides have to be clamped down.
No glass will be the real challenge, what do you intend as outside sealing? Just varnish, epoxy, epoxy plus varnish? you need to seal it very carefully, and if you use epoxy anyway, why not reinforce it with a thin glass, I’m thinking about 2oz…
Good luck, now are the challenging parts of the build upon horizon!
Our wellknown friend HUCK opened that forum to give the woodboard enthusiasts an exchange platform. since Tree to Sea and Woodboardforum.com did, this is the chance to bring a wood surfboard forum back alive!
Thanks for the feedback, very motivating after waking up in the night to find the rain had got in under the roof and soaked the board in it’s current state. It looks salvagable for sure.
I’ve never done the roving strips around the rail method, mainly because I need to order a specific material. When im shaping the rails instead of going by eye Ill mark them at angles sand to the angles, then mark more, sand to the new mark and then blend all together. There are diagrams for different rail types to follow.
I did see that other forum but also lots of posts about how it wasn’t being used much. Would a WOODEN SURFBOARD GENERAL DISCUSION tab on swaylocks not be more practical rather than a new site altogether seeing as there is pretty minimal trafic. Just a thought.
More challenges to come, including those 6mm deck panels. 2oz cloth may be the best way to go too.
Water didn’t do too much damage at all, the pockets were 5mm deep in water in some spots, I guess it shows theres a good seal along the glue joint.
Roughed out the bottom outline and getting this next strip on the deck, lots of weight should do it but if it pops off i might need to rethink.
Does anyone in Aus know any shops delivering resin and glass in this lockdown? Preferably near Melbourne. I don’t know if getting these supplies would be considered essential or worth the fine.
Also, JRANDY, SURFDUDE and CURLZ you mentioned your own HWS projects, any chance you have pdf plans you could share, I might get a second board going whilst I’m waiting for glue to dry.
Infact if anyone has plans or has a good link would be much appreciated in this lockdown. Send to dalerobertfletcher@gmail.com
id be glad to share the plans I do have, but none are on PDF… all paper templates drawn up. I could mail you paper copies unless anyone here has a good method of keeping scale the same and taking pictures and then you enlarging on your end…? Doesn’t seem feasible but you never know with new apps and programs these days
I can offer you BoardCad files and pdfs of my 9’4 and my 8’0, both are clones of CJNelson boards, but I just estimated the measures of availlable pics and information. Did not ride the 9’4 by now, but the 8’0 does really well.
Thanks chaps, I don’t know how we would go about scanning and sending those paper templates but appreciate the thought. I would love those 8’ and 9’ plans though mate, could you send to dalerobertfletcher@gmail.com
8’ would be a board I can’t imagine buying but would love to have a crack at building.
These little strips are to add some extra support where the bottom 3mm ply has a join in it. The join in the bottom does line up with a rib in the frame but some extra glue strength won’t hurt.