Latest Creation's

General Discussion
1

hey guys…

i had an idea that may suit the resource section…

im sure there’s a lot of custom guys who are always building different boards to suit different people for different conditions…

so i was thinking when you build something a little different or specific for an individual ,a picture could get posted of the board ,then a basic rundown on the shape and why you designed it that way…

if people comment thats kool ,but maybe down the track each post that has a picture and an explanation ,could be pulled aside and all put together …

that way it starts to build a picture of what basically works for who ,why,and where… and for crew who are in the dark about design or cant make up there mind on what suits them , they may find that a description of a board built for certain conditions and its rider ,might actually apply to them…

im gonna post a pic on the next comment that way the intro wont be on the same post…

regards

BERT

2

this board has been built for Justin Redman as a competition board ,to go to france next week …

what he was looking for in this board was something really surfable in small waves…

the board is quite light a shade under 9lb 9’-2" x 24 x 2 1/4…its not real wide in the nose , about 18 1/2 , he wanted the nose brought in a bit coz he reckons it gets in the way if its to wide,plus he can nose ride real well and doesnt need the aid of extra nose area…it also helps add good outline curve through the middle giving more shortboard ability…

all the width means itll plane at low speeds ,its quite hard in the bottom edge right through the tail , for release and speed…

the hip is quite pronounced very late near the tail ,he stands right on the tail for tight pocket snaps ,so combined with his fins back,he can get good tight hacks right off the tail deep in the pocket…

its real thin ,i cant make em thin enough for him,he wanted me to go to 2" i said i would , but i couldnt go there…

he loves thinness for maximum sensitivity…

thruster of coarse ,adds to surfability…

this one also has the concave deck…its his first…i havent been able to convince him on his last few boards…but i did it anyway…dam pro surfers always think they know best…(joke)…

the nose edge also gets harder so when the nose is right down it starts to throw spray, plus it helps keep it on top,if your edge is to soft right up the nose the water wraps to early and it slows you , plus it makes the tail wanna swing around…

thats about it i think…

regards

BERT

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3

As allways good looking board Bert. What did you do with the tail? Looks like a pretty steep bump… What about rocker?

Good info thanks…

4

yea rocker is like a giant shortboard just stretched with a little more tail…

5 1/2 nose 3 1/4 tail …

i call that tail a hip flyer …its a cross between hip and a flyer …just after the hip the outlines reverses briefly like a strectched flyer…

nice and pivoty off the back foot …good for going vertical earlier so you hit the lip more square on …

regards

BERT

6

not really a “latest creation” or innovation… but about as far as i’ve gone from conventional (besides my rotating harware nail fins… but those didnt work too well)

This board was my first epoxy, and is equipped with a smaller trailer fin… glassed in december, but everything but the laps came out decent. Thick tail, thick everything in fact. VERY slight double…belly(?) (tried to capture it in 3rd photo) to humble single concave to flat thru the fin area… caught the smallest waves of my life (SC of course, where else would the smallest waves of your life be other than on the east coast?) 6 inches! really bored that day… but here it is… maybe i’ll try and dig up photos my my nail fins. certainly more entertaining.

…sorry first time picture upload-er

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7

heres another scenario where a board was built for change of circumstances…

the board is 7’-2" x 21 5/8 x 2 3/4 ,15 1/2 tail,13 1/2 nose…

the guy who its for is a 43 year old white collar worker ,has the house ,kids ,car,and the job…

just isnt getting in the water enough …weighs about 90 kilo (200 lb) but should really be 80 (175)…

his previous board was 7’-2" x 19 1/2 x 2 1/2,quite a gunny shape…

he couldnt catch waves very easy on it …got tired to quickly these days …had no chance of getting waves in a crowd…

he borrowed a Mc coy quite liked the concept …could catch waves easier , didnt tire out as much and could hassle in the pack…

so when he came in he had a package in mind ,but wanted that bit more release and a little more speed than the Mc coy …plus wanted to lose a little rail volume…

theres nothing outstanding about this outline …but it will deliver a clean carving style turn,he said “im not interested in going vert,i just wanna make the wave”…“i dont wanna nose dive and spear into the bottom”…

so the straighter outline will deliver a more drawn turn,plus the tail area will help keep the speed between sections ,hardened the bottom edge for that extra release …(in comparison to the Mc coy) width in the nose will help paddle plus allow for mistakes on take off…

most of the time hes in small waves …a few times a year gets a little more juice …hes keeping the gunny board …

ive thrown in a second larger tail fin ,to help with hold , to allow for the harder edges in the tail and the flat bottom…

rocker is clean and even , middle of the road…

his other request was something unique looking that no one else had …so i found some different cuts of timber…plus made sure it was nice and shiny…

to match his shoes and his car…

regards

BERT

8

heres one i finished today…

the story with this one is …

its for a big guy in larger surf…

dimensions are 8’ x 20 3/4 x 2 3/4 ,nose 11" ,tail 13 7/8 …

the guy is 6’-4" 110 kilo (240 lb) late twenties…

his current board is 7’-6" x 21 1/2 x 2 3/4 …big guys hybrid small wave board…

he loves it in small waves but at speed it tends to hover and skate around a bit due to the 15" tail area…and super hard small wave rails,he does a trip to indo every year and wanted something that would handle the speed plus allow him in nice and early,but didnt want an extreme big wave board that he only used once a year,he said he still wanted to use it from head high to double over head so the range of his boards crossed over by a few feet…

so even tho it presents a bit wider for a bigger wave board it is for a real big guy …at first i would liked to have made the tail narrower for some serious bite at high speed ,but i knew if i did that it would be unworkable in the head to double head range…

speed was a major concern for him to hes reknown for sitting unmakeably deep and still making it…

so i ran with the slightly fuller tail ,kept a clean rocker which flatens a little into the tail before a subtle tail kick in the last 4" …

i ran a softer rail all the way into the tail so theres not as much release and it will ride high and hug the face on the late drops along with that ,the front fins have a 80/20 leading edge with a fraction more toe in, which means they wont pull as hard into turns and be capable of handling higher speeds and if the drop is real late and theres only one fin touching the face its not as prone to pulling the nose up when your screaming across a vertical wall…

the fins are set back as well as the tail fin being a little larger ,the larger tail fin and the subtle tail flip will both help to keep the tail where it should be ,the resistence of the fin and the slight pressure drag of the tail rocker will make sure the tail feels nice and firm in the face… most of this had to be put in place to off set the width and wider tail,as paddling was a major concern for him …he definatly wanted more paddle power than his current 7’-6" …

so i felt this board was a delicate balancing act to make it fit the range he wanted and to suit his tastes in surfing and his size…

had fun building this one …

regards

BERT

9

heres an interesting longboard quiver, i didnt manage to get a good variety of photos of all of them , all three were for one guy, he wanted a longboard for every occasion…one is for small waves 9’-1" x 24 1/8 x 2 5/8 , 19 1/4 nose , 14 5/8 tail…

kept it edgy and fairly hard the whole rail (like a good small wave shortboard) carried the width into the tail then pulled it in late , giving good curve in the tail outline…

ran him big side fins(twinny size) and a small trailer , its super light …a clean rocker line with a tweak flater tail…(see second pic for finished outline)…

the next one i have no decent pictures of except in the line up of three shot…

they were all supposed to ready at the same time,

but coz i had a disorganised month they got picked up one by one over the week , he had a comp on so he asked for the one most suitable for the comp location first…i was cutting it fine deadline wise…he was kinda putting pressure on so i forgot to take photos , then i was taking photos as hes walking out the door almost…

the second board is 9’-1" x 23 x 2 5/8 , 14 1/4 tail, 18 1/2 nose,

very similar out line to the one above just a slimer version…it carries a slightly softer rail through the mid section , standard thruster set up , a shade more tail rocker … this is the everyday board …

10

the last one is the big wave longboard , 9’-1" x 22 x 2 5/8 , 17 3/4 nose, 13 5/8 tail…

carries a real tucked edge right past the fins , softer rail the whole length. pulled in tail for bite and hold at speed , plus the rail set up helps with chops and holding the face at speed , the most tail rocker of all three , loss of speed isnt really the issue , its getting some control at high speed …

larger tail fin , smaller sides , the sides are double foiled , to soften there feel and give a cleaner smoother ride , combined with the larger tail fin it will feel solid under feet ,plus wont over react at speed coz of reduced fin lift, its glassed solid plus double thickness timber skins , so not much flex at all , good for plowing through chops with out reverberation. the tail is quite pinny , but it sinks into the lawn so you cant see it,

the guy is bigger probably 6’-3" and close to 200 lb so 22 wide isnt overly wide for a guy that size…

i got a lot of funny responses from other customers who came in and saw these three longboards lined up , most were kinda jealous that he was gettin three new sticks ,specially one of the guys who competes against him…

everyone thought hed won the lottery or something…

another fun project…

regards

BERT

11

Beautiful job, Bert!

12

THAT is one SMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTH curve!

13

heres one from last week …its not that out of the ordinary …but i thought i would throw it in coz the guy is not your average dimensions…

the guy is 6’-6" and only 85kg or 190lb… age mid 20s

the board is 6’-10" x 19 3/4 x 2 1/2 …tail about 14 1/2 …

its pretty much stock rocker as far as an all rounder…

its gonna be his only board …he travels alot and wanted something to cover as much as possible …

a guy that weight could have handled 19 1/2 for width , but i didnt want it getting to parralel in the outline , plus at mid 20s and 85kg surely the guy has gota grow…

so its possibly a tad big for his weight , but that will help in the softer waves,

its got medium wave rails , not to hard not to soft,then hard in the tail for some squirt…

the only real thing i did to help him have more range was make 2 tail fins a big and a small one ,

the little bit of extra size in the board should help with getting him over the edge then the larger tail will help keep it there…

even tho its supposed to be an all rounder i dont like to pack to much of everything in , other wise you start missing those magic surfs ,coz it goes ok in everything but doesnt go off in anything…

but it will work from waist to twice head high …

i really beefed up the boxes , coz i was worried if he damaged them in transit , he may have trouble getting good repair work done…

i can always send him some more fins…

even to fine tune for a specific location if need be …

regards

BERT

14

heres one for the greenies…

this isnt really a new creation , its more a recreation…

this board is about 6 years old , late 98 , maybe early 99 …

6’-4" x 18 3/4 x 2 1/2 pintail ,originally built for a guy in his 40s he just out grew it after a few years…he just wasnt a grommet anymore…got traded and sold to a late teen , he had it for nearly 2 years , then retraded to a new board …then this one gets a few dings fixed and sold to a young grom about 14 …his second board …so the grom is the 3rd owner hes had it for about 1 1/2 years …

i could see he was making progress surfing , getting good quick,

his dad comes in for some resin for a repair ,?? said his son had a comp the next day and it was an urgent …

the story is the dad damaged the board at home somehow…the fin got lifted the rail line split and he done a dodgy repair …didnt seal it …

kid keeps surfing it coz he had the comp and had to surf it …

comes back a few weeks later …

kid is almost crying coz he reckons it was his dads fault…hes looking real bummed , dad is looking real sheepish …and the board was fully water logged … the kid was keen on a new board something thinner and shorter , but i had nothing in there price range…

the board was definatly to thick for where he was at in his development…

it had hell chunky rails at 2 1/2 thick…

i made the dad an offer and they excepted…

i cut around the join line on the deck and pulled the deck shell off , left it for a week to dry out …

then i reshaped the core and knocked off 3/8 of an inch in thickness ,pulled the rail thickness right down ,

then i vacumed the deck shell back on , but at the same time i set a new rocker into it plus give it a little extra nose flip to keep him happy…

it had a heap of dings around the rails , so it worked out well coz i had to reglass a few strips around the edge to cover where i had cut the deck shell off …

cut 4" off the tail and put a new tail block on , put some boxes in , put the old fins in the spare repair box, made him some newer smaller ones …

sanded and a coat of 2 pac …

now the kid has a brand new old board , superlight again and now its 6’-1" x 18 3/4 x 2 1/8 with thin rails , square tail…

250.00 ,the kid is happy ,dad is happy coz it was within the price range …and the greenies are happy coz these boards can be rebuilt …

the shell is immune to pressure dings and it keeps its form and will always spring back…with a bit of resin and some pressure while the resin is drying you can get them to conform to new shapes…(within reason)…

had fun with this , just for the stoke on the groms face when he picked his board up …he didnt believe it was the same board , but i could see him checking out all the old marks and distiguishing signs , saying “yep its the same board alright”…

regards

BERT

15

the max’s one is great!!! i like it too much.

16

Those are some VERY nice looking boards there Bert! I like your rocker curves also!

17

wells heres a board for the guy who has every possible board, but got another one coz there was a gap between his 7’-6" and his 7’-4" …

i will definatly say this one is different…

he saw my magic carpet and said "yea make me an old boy version of this "…

so its really a stretched version of the magic carpet for a guy who is 54 years old ,not that you could tell if you seen him surfing…still does hacks like a guy half his age …

the board is 7’-5" by 23 1/8 by 2 1/2 14. something nose and 16 1/4 tail …

its specifically designed for microwaves…

same story , getting bored of surfing a longboard in smallwaves…

i concaved the deck so i will keep you guys posted there ,he normally rides close to 3" thick …

my magic carpet has 17 1/2 tail i made this one a little narrower coz hes way lighter than me and doesnt have the height to force the leverage onto the rail…

i was worried if i made the tippy tail to wide he couldnt get a foot anywhere and get it onto the rail easier…i wasnt worried to much about losing planeing area , coz hes light , the board has a very flat rocker and plenty of area anyway…

i set it up as a twinny with a trailer , hes got other fins to try if need be …

ive carried the widest point back a bit , to give it a shorter feel …the rocker is a flatened version of a performance shortboard rocker , 4 1/2 nose, 1 1/2 tail, designed to give drive off the tail when stomping the back foot , because its for flat soft waves , a hack in the pocket wasnt even considered , but rather heaps of drive off flat water whenever turning off the tail but still able to turn a tighter arc because of the curvy outline…kept the edges super hard all the way tail to nose , tucked hard edge up front, for maximum release at low speeds…

a light single to double concave , tho not my favourite bottom for mush , at least it will allow him to ease onto the rail with a little less effort , somehow in the photo the concave looks uneven , in real life the other side looks deeper ???

but when i measure it , its all an optical illusion…ive pulled the fins away from the rails clustered them a little , so the transition from rail fin to rail fin wont take as long …it helps with not getting that slidy feeling on the transition, you normally get with real wide tailed boards…its also hell light , its under 3kg around 6lb …i reckon he could boost on this…ive given some rake to the side fins , so when ever you start to put it on the rail it will feel like it wants to drive forward ,theres a balance there between the curvy loose outline and the drivy rocker and side fins , with the loser tail fin…

the loss of paddle power was a major concern , or else i would have gone shorter ,

but considering he buys surfboards like some guys buy beer , he can always come to the bar for another shorter one…

next time i promise i will learn to hold the camera straight…

most board builders would consider this guy the customer from hell…

very particular about boards …i like it …means i get to use my brain …if its a keeper i know i done well …if its not you might find it on swaybay…

regards

BERT

18

Hey Bert,

Mark Martinson makes a board that is similar to this one. Specks and rocker are close. On his version the tail is more rounded, as a matter of fact the whole board has a rounder look about it the rail are really knifey. He calls it a Martinson “X” and his is single fin. It think three fins is a better approach myself. With a Bahne center you can go both ways. That’s what I do with my boards. Cause I like to surf them with lots of different fin combinations. Sometimes a single is great other times three fins are a must.

Nice job Bert – Keep up the great work, Rich

19

Bert,

That looks very similar to a scaled up version of what I ride every day. My past boards have had more of a squash tail. But, the one I just took to be glass with DHP is rounded like yours. But, my brother did take some of the hip out of the tail that you put in at the fins. Cool Board!

20

Bert - beautiful boards - a friend of mine’s recently emigrated to your neck of the woods - I’ll have to get him to put an order in for me!

'til then - I wonder if you’d tell me how you measure the apex of your rocker - I’ve heard no real satisfactory explanation. _ I just kinda eyeball mine but there must be a better way - is there?