Jim's MJF4 - 5'11" x 21" !

General Discussion
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Update: I have decided to build a Quad finner bcuz I think it might have more control? It damn well should be a ‘fun ride’ nonetheless! Enjoy.

Recently sum people on swayz are getting
bored bcuz of no build threads…well, I’ll do my best to fill in the steps here shortly I hope. I gotta pick up some cloth, fin rope and a plug. Hope you like the big wide FISH TAIL AT TEN INCHES ! I actually can’t wait to ride it !

Folk’s - I had a change of plans. I was going to build a offshoot shortboard, but it was substantially narrower then my Mabile Fish blank - which is 25" wide…I hate to waste foam, so my other design will wait till I get a narrower blank. So I decided on going with a idea of recreating a old trusty twin fin board I used to own. There will be some modern mods going into it also.

So I got it measured, centered + put wide point up center 3" as to a tip from - rooster, or Mike who I’m very thankful for inviting me out to design and shape my phenomenal Fish board! The nose half I designed, the tail was one of Mike’s templates -thanks Mike! He even donated fin templates! …STOKED…

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Here’s the tail view. Today I planed the bottom to thickness, skinned the deck, but I had slight difficulty cutting at my forty deg angle planer cuts on deck there w flip…So I thought of an idea ! Cross cut at Forty deg angle about two rows of cuts on one side up towards nose cleaning it up. There’s a few marks I need to scrub out, but that will be dealt with when I turn rail bands after cutting out my outline. Fish tail will be last.

Anyway, I was a bit rusty planing, but
MIKE offered some awsum tips and I can now do reversals! Slow but steady seemed to get the job done. Again, thanks Mike! I’m thinking about mods ill shape in next. I think being it’s coming out well, I think I might just do the roll to v just to play it safe? If I get gutsy ill do spiral v out of doubles! Lol

For glassing ltr on, I think I want to do resin art, acid splash, or swirls of multi color mango green on bottom, a fade of yellow on deck to make a Retro Fish - with mango colors. I think ill put double foiled marine plywood keel fins on. So keep posted, im going to take plenty of photos of rail bands etc… etc… etc…

Johnmellor - thanks for those tips + tools you sent !!! They worked AWSUM ! That surform works sweet on ridges after planing ! Dunno, but the small size fits perfect in hand, and I was able to just nail um down ! Also, the big sanding block w/ firm flexy rubber helps knock down the bigger areas…then - Mike got me goin on longer sweeps w hard block sanding end to end as if a water flow…good tip there! HERE’S THE PIC OF MY NEW WEAPON! A Stock out of box -Hitachi p20sb. I got it at Sear’s online for $99.00 plus tax. We got it to cut 1/8" depth cuts ! I geuss these badboys can cut! I’m at two and three quarter thick, and that was only two passes on bottom, one on deck + surform + sanding.Anyway, I just thought I’d give FIVE STARS to HITACHI POWER PLANERS! For a backyarder, or even pro-it’ll get you by np at all, but I’ll have to dust it down in the am.

–BIG THANKS TO SWAYZ ! Dunno how I found the site? I think I heard shapers in industry some 30 yrs ago yapping about it…also, if I didn’t ever order a custom board I wouldn’t be here in the first place.A Toast to all who contribute ! --Jim

Update:

Gentlemen, I haven’t got the time to cover every step, but if you happen to have any questions -feel free to msg me.upfront, I’m not one of the more elite types who frown on help n ya out…answering questions even helps remind me of the art of shaping a phenomenal Surfboard. Nobody is the best, a master etc… shaping board’s is not an exact science. Your either good, or your not. But who really cares - I dont. I’m here to hang out, shape board’s, glass etc…

More about the build: the next steps are to cut out my design about 1/8" outside the line. I will then fine tune that with the surform + sanding block. It will look totally perfect, and then I’m off to the bottom contours and turning rails. Stay tuned.

Why I chose “21” wide? The answer is: I tried a shorter five eight x22.5" wide fish that just felt a bit too wide for me. At 21" wide I can take full control on quik directional turns in tight situations. I’ve had favorable speed and ample power on my first fish I bought as a custom yrs back. So I just had to build one myself! On this badboy, I’m going to put pavel keel fins on it, a coord loop, and I think I will set my fins at May be 6-8" up, and tow them In a bit, and the cant ill have to figure out ltr.any fin tips appreciated.

Gobs of v, or no v?

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Cool outline. Should be a fun ride. Look forward to more posts.

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Thanks Sir.
The plan is to carefully saw out my shape. What I do is cut outside my line at least 1/8", and then I take a surform to get it closer, finally I will block sand to get my outline as true to my lines as possible.

The next steps are bottom contours + sloping over a sixty forty rail with a pretty hard edge end to end. We might put a hearty panel v to get it to TILT up on rail eAsier.I’ll see about taking pics for rail bands.- Jim

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Planing is something I’m relatively new at. Anyway, thanks to this site, thanks to tips from a bunch of excellent shapers I finally got my mojo going.

Here’s how I did my planning: Rooster helped me figure out about my brand new Hitachi p20sb - a perfect planer for board building ! Dunno how mike set it up? But it cut eighth inch cuts !

So I first started slightly outside a corner at tail end, I angle my planer in, set shoe on front of planer so it’s flush down on surface slowly but steadily cut roughly a forty deg angle all the way down out tip in smooth flow. Mike had to give me pointer to not float my planer off near end. He recommends a follow through on the curves…or flow all the way through. Anyway, I just did rows across bottom. So for my next row you lift the shoe to next step and plane through at a steady pace…then I just planed down center of stringer, and carefully oriented my planer to plane out any
Big spots I missed. Repeat for other side minus center ofcourse. I tried a reversal, but didn’t quite do it right. So -Mike pointed out I wasn’t lifting the planer for the reversal…But I finally got it! Thanks Mike. One thing.I recommend if anyone tries cross cutting, you still cut at angles, could be almost any angle…but put cut depth to low setting ! Lucky I only had a shallow blow out of wood on stringer. But it will be gone when I do my s deck.

After planing there were slight ridges, and a few rough spots I took down with surform at a 45
Angle, or wherever it cuts best, and I scrubbed out the high spots…shadow shows the high spots also. So I just sanded long passes to clean up, took the small block plane down stringer to get rid if any spine. Now I just move to next steps. Keep posted.

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Looking good.  Very clean outline!   Waiting for updates.

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John - hope all is well. I thank you for tips, and I passed msg’s with a few swayz guys, and yeah we’re gonna kick the tail up skyward a bit to increase pocket surfing etc…but I’m not going extreme bcuz the beach breaks get these jbay like bars and you can bet I don’t plan on not making my waves. That just isn’t on my plans…if I don’t make my waves, I.may as well sell.that board ! :smiley: not to boast, but man, it makes me cringe when I see these guys on the prettiest board’s, but they bog out trying to do a bottom turn, cut back - then wave blares on by bcuz they got the wrong board…this happens a lot btw. This is WHY I am designing a modified fish Surfboard ! I’m thinking about keeping it pretty flat, pretty basic, but poke up the tail skyward a notch…as much as I like gliding, and stuff, it’s nice occasionally go on “auto-pilot”, where you just let the wave and YOU take over…I think a slight v w concave more near rails might be good. It’s going to come out fine tho. T c and I Thank you, and every
Single one of you who sweats, builds and share what you know. HAPPY SHAPING !-
Jim

Here’s a str8 on shot of the design. Note a somewhat narrower nose then the tail, note the wider nose then the tail. I’m going this route as I believe a slightly narrower tail holds in better, and will provide ample torque out of my turns as I think my tail is fifeteen inch +? Possibly fifeteen and a half wide.

Anyway, I was reading some posts, and I liked one where someone said to sand the bottom rail edges w block…I’m in full agreement with it. Bcuz if I do a good old-fashioned hard slightly fuller down rail - ill have to sand lightly as screening also can take a sliver off… I am going to put v in after all bcuz the plan is to use it exclusively in almost everything I am going to surf. I’m thinking a not too crushing almost double over head. I might have to get six ounce cloth man?:confused: folk’s - it just dawned on me I’m designing a - Lis/Abalirra/Braum rocket Fish ! I’m geussing it should work great!?I’m Hopeful my test rides make me yell out loud once I test her out. Good times.

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Fuck… I figured you’d be glassing it by now!  HAHA

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my 2 cents on hard edges that might be a help.  

Leave the hardest edges for the sander.  A crisp foam edge creates a difficult wrap and air bubble trap.  Ask me how I know. Even taking your thumbnail and dragiging it helps.

Keep on \

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John -I haven’t finished it yet bcuz I don’t have my saw horses built yet…I also shaped at Mike’s , so I am trying to confirm if I can finish shaping there on weekend… I was going to saw out my lumber, but I’m short three or four pieces. Otherwise I would be done by now. I’m going to try to borrow my brother’s truck so I can get the rest of my lumber. I know it’s going to come out good bcuz I’m dead serious about doing the best job humanely possible. Keep posted! T c -Jim

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so light sand behind fins also? Thanks man.

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Folk’s I’m done on step two…I sawed out my template 1/4" outside my line bcuz it’s been quite awhile since last shaping. So I cut w handsaw - just basic carpentry style, I then surformed + sanded design to line and called it a draw. It looks close to perfect.

Damn, I flippin cut the saw horses length for legs at 33" is perfect for me! I’m using sum ace hardware brackets that were five sumthin w my discount…the cross beam gives me another couple inches also. I put a few old shower rugs to keep my blank from getting f’d over -pretty k for now. Next week I’ll build me a box stand !:open_mouth: gotta build a good old long board or an Ostrich Egg??? Lol. That’d be about a seven ten x 22"! Bet it would be k:/? Cutting out sum fins in the next days aft winding this “Modified Jet Fish 2” up with sum mods and good old fashioned low rails! -Jim

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Folk’s - sorry my builds on hold for about a week bcuz I landed sum part time work painting houses outa town. So my board’s just at the same point I left off on (cutting it out/sanding).

I ran into one problem, I don’t want to add gobs of rocker -so I’ll have to thin her out off deck side? Ive never done this man?

False alarm on tail thickness ! It’s 1 3/4" thick a foot up from tip of tail. I can live with that. Besides, by the time I put in my double barrel concaves, and thin my rails -I’m good there. But my nose! Its a whopping 2" THICK! Just trying ti figure out how I’ll thin her down there. If anyone has any tips for thinning deck nose/tail - I’d luv to hear about it! I’m thinkin about takin the planer and angle it at a 45 and plane down deck sum…?:confused:

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I will always start on the bottom side and get the rocker I want on the board.  The tail is a little more forgiving when thinning from the deck since it doesn’t have as dramatic an upward curve as the nose.  If the tail is too thick after doing my rocker, I will thin it out from deck side.  I start about 4 inches from the tail and plane it out.  I will make a short pass at the middle, from 4 inches in and off the end of the tail.  Then I blend the ridges left on either side of the cut to the rail to make it flat.  At this point the last 4 inches of the tail will be freshly planed.  I  then move back 4 more inches and take it out to the tail end and through the area I previously planed.  then scoot back 4 more inches, and so on and so fourth.  My planer hasn’t been modified so I am only taking about 5/32" off at a time, but it helps fromt mowing off too much foam.  I’d rather make more passes and assure I get it right than take too much off and screw up the foam.  If it is really thick, you can take your passes back as far as the rear 1/3 of the board to blend it all in until get the thickness you want.  I’ll do my noses the same way, but you just have to angle the planer a lot more when you start traveling up the curve towards the nose.  I’m no expert but that is what I do and have had good results.  And if the planer is a little daunting, the ol’ surform is your friend as well.  I’m not here to plug any products or anything, but I got one of those Foam-EZ foam sanding “block” with the velcro screens.  It works awesome, and they have screens as rough as 30 or 40 grit all the way down to 320 or so.  The rough grit screens are really efficient at removing foam but not so much that you are going to be gouging your blank up.  And at 25 bucks and a little more cash for additional screens, it was a wise investment for me.  It is really versatile for such a simple tool.  Hoep you can get back on this–keep the reports coming!

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Thanks man. Yeah, I never had to mess with deck before, but my arctic mf blank seems meaty up n nose half? Maybe fish board’s are traditionally thick in front?? Thanks for the tips. Oh, and I don’t have issues planing. It’s just wanted to know what’s best direction to thin + tail near the 12" mark. I’m trying to shoot for 1 1/2"- 1 3/4" thick a foot up tip of tail, and one and a half , or one and 5/8" a foot from nose. Maybe not a biggie to sum, but I’m trying to thin my tail + nose out so my board functions well. Trying to make sum Magic happen!? Lol. T c-Jim

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I’m no expert either, but I try to figure out ways to biy. I saw your board’s pretty good ! How’d a seven ten for a fifty m 200 -pounds? I’ve ridden a six ten x 22" -it was sweet.But i wonder how a seven ten would go? I’m thinking about makin one for med size to small surf egg shape. Real pinched out rails, and hull bottom…Jim

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Folk’s - who do a fish build read this:

You will need a round rasp to thin down the butt crack.

I will get pigments .

And more finer grit sandpaper 80, 150 to finish. I started with sixty. Good times. See you need next week! Might get 220 sanding screen to tune her up!

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shaperholic , will you build some shaping stands , at some stage ?

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Yup! I’ve got plans in my head for a 4’ long x ten wide rectangular box setup w “u” platform in it…right now I’m just shaping off of reg old saw horses w zero problems. You can shape off horses from start-to-finish, but the “u” cutout -just makes sanding the rails easier.but yeah, I can’t wait to saw out more lumber -once I get it! Very therapeutic cutting wood is.

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Jim’s Jet Fish now has it’s --X -tra tail kick added! I figured WHERE I’d want my twins set, and that is 11", and I figured in the width of fin forward -that point for my tail kick… so I drew in pencil marks along the side of my blank the length of kick tail. Made a straight even line top to bottom of blank by measuring, and I measured 1/4" of tail kick across the tail block. Well, I measured 1/4" at bottom center, tip corners down…then drew a straight line. I drew another line on deck to align with my side measurements… then I feathered in tail kick w power planer on low setting to -close to done, and finished w hard block sanding, and used a trim plane alse to accentuate my curves towards tip ends from fin side out block…

It looks nice man! I still gotta tone down the camel hump -for a smooth transition.

Note: all my planing techniques are my own using a stock pp (planer). I cut and kinda fade out and off…and repeat cuts…it works, but you have to have control over pp… best to cut shy, and block it out whatever you’re doing.

I also cut rails w light, gradually cutting deepest in the center, and coming out light near tips. Keep in mind YOU become almost like a shaping machine…so give your self 12" of leeway at tips! Dont start your cuts near tips -its too thin. Gradually cut in 10"-12" from tips at a 45 deg angle, and carefully cut your main band. It may not be totally even, but take your block and even it as needed. Once you finish first band, do second and so on…keep posted as I had to quit planing bcuz my housemate came home. Dangit! All is well! It’s loook n sweet! Reverb -I think you’re going to like my pics! TAIL KICK !:open_mouth:

You can still se my penciled line across the tail block…I still gotta sand to line, but I had to stop bcuz house mate came home…

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