Hello all. My name is Mike and I am a Swayaholic. This is my first post, but I’ve been lurking here for a few months figuring out how to build a hws. I’ve enjoyed many of the threads on here, especially the ones following a build from start to finish. I hope to do the same with this one.
I started building my hws last summer, but since I live in Whistler I haven’t been able to spend much time on it lately. If I’m not working I’m snowboarding and if I’m not snowboarding I’m drinking. That seems to be the way it goes in these resort towns.
Here are some pics of the build so far:
The shaping stand.
I have a tendancy for stupid faces. Apologies.
Templates of the outline and stringer.
The template aka Big Brown Turd.
I told you.
The completed stringer in 1/4" marine plywood (I think it’s fir). Tail-Nose.
The stringer and ribbers, with their notches cut out.
To do this weekend:
Rout a single concave in tail-end ribbers (last 1/3 or so).
Cut out weight-saving holes in the stringer and ribbers.
Glue stringer and ribbers together.
At this stage do I need to make any modifications/adjustments for fins? I’m planning on 2 FCS on the sides and 1 fin box in the center.
Any other suggestions are definately welcome!
Mike
P.S. Its going to be 6’8", cedar stripped and awesome!
Not meaning to scare you but why did you cut the stringer on THAT side for the ribs???
I’ve always done it on the topside, because I feel the weight is on top so the ribs will wedge in tight, your way would open up with pressure from the top down…
How did you come to get that rocker shape?
Just raising some things that stand out to me…I may be wrong though…
Great start mate, looks like you’ve put some thought into the preparations…
thirdly , bold move , laying a big brown turd on us , for your first post ?!
fouthly …you are not part AUSSIE , by any chance , ARE you mate ?
[it’s just that …well… THAT’S the sort of behaviour some of us are known [renown?] for from time to time [if you ever get a chance to see the movie ‘Kenny’ [especially the END of it ! ] you might understand what I mean .]
keep up the big brown ones ! [er…oops , sorry …I mean , “the good work , mate” !]
well, welcome out of lurker mode! Nice work, but I have to agree w/ Hicksy, that rocker looks a little banana bizarre to me - like about 2" too much tail rocker? Might just be the camera angle of course…
anyway, keep posting, we all love the construction-work-in-progress threads.
Nope. No Aussie in me I’m afraid. I’m half-Canadian, half-Dutch, born in Singapore, and lived in Thailand for 15 years. I went to school with many Aussies, Whistler is pretty much a part of Australia, and I like Warheads, Tim Tam’s and Vegemite, so I think a little bit of Aussie has rubbed off on me!
Hello Hicksy and thanks for the comments. I wrote a big reply on Friday that met an untimely end when my web browser decided to crash on me. Hopefully that won’t happen again!
Not meaning to scare you but why did you cut the stringer on THAT side for the ribs???
You’ve brought up a good point there. I cut the notch in the stringer using a 1/4" dado blade on a table saw. Using this method, it would have been harder to cut the notch on the other side of the stringer due to the inside curve of the stringer. I overlooked the fact that there would be downwards pressure from my weight above. I’m hoping that the glue will hold the joint securely. Fingers crossed.
How have you cut your notches on the boards that you have built? This is a learning process for me, so scare away!
How did you come to get that rocker shape?
I borrowed/rented a number of boards, and whittled them down to two whose characteristics I liked when I surfed them. One had the maneuverability that I liked, but wasn’t as fast as I wanted it to be; the other had plenty of speed, but very little maneuverability. I came up with my rocker shape based somewhere in-between my measurements of these two boards.
Thanks again for the comments and feel free to offer your advice. I’ll try to post lots of pictures as my surfboard come along.
Are you also using 1/4 inch ply for the cross ribs? What type of material will you be using for the rest of the board? I'm thinking about starting a HWS.
I like Tim Tams too (actually my daughters like them more than I do). Can"t find Tim Tams in Honolulu so we’ll have to go back to Sydney for more.
I think what Hicksy means about the rcocker (correct me if I’m wrong Hicksy) is that it’s one big bend, kind of centered in the middle. Normally, a board’s rocker flattens a bit in the middle, creating what some call the “speed box” in the center ( I realize “normal” is a ambiguoug term at best). The risk of having the rocker centered in the middle of the board is that it will push water and be slow. I could be wrong. Roy is the fastest surfer in the world, after all.
The stringer and ribs are both 1/4 inch marine ply. I’m going to be using cedar strips, similar to a cedar strip canoe, for the rest of the board. Nothing better than the smell of cedar.
My rocker is definately curvaceous, and I am aware that the flatter the rocker the more speed you get, but at the expense of maneuverability, and vice versa. I did base my rocker on two boards which had qualities I liked and disliked, but the ultimate test will be in the water. Then it will be on to board #2 with many lessons learned.
Roy is the fastest surfer in the world, and I think this is partly due to his orange jumpsuit.
