I have been riding my board and cant get off it, only riding a finned board maybe 2 or 3 times in the last 3 months...I have a new one on the way with modifications made but the funny thing is, I have totally adapted and those mods seem less important than before....I love the challenge of adapting to different boards and finless just takes that to a whole new level, not sure I have ever enjoyed my surfing more.....
I made an 8' alaia and havent gotten any waves here yet. lol
So I took it out and I skimed on it!!! I realized that to realisticly wrap it on to a wave I had to slam my back foot on to the very tail of the board. Once I got on the wave though it went super fast!
The wrap is a fairly sharp manuver to make it on to a wave. I think having super sharp rails and a fat tail helped me with that manuver alot.
I'm curious. I sort of have a picture in my mind as to what the manuver is and why it works, but I'd love to hear your's.
By the way, 8 foot is a lot of length, where are you on the board when your skimming, and does it change after you make it onto a wave? (I can't imagine it does.) Also, approximately what kind of angle of approach to the wave are we talking about (roughly or bracket it) ... An 8 footer making skimboard entry?... jeez, is there video this kind of stuff, somewhere? ,,, I love this kind of stuff, its beyond my old ass, but I love it anyway.
If you still care to read my nonsense, here it is.
Yes. In fact, those notorious sweet spot issues, especially the ones that push you too far forward, or demand awkward postural changes, etc. are more often than not related to this. Its not the only way to screw up a board, but its one way. Well, what works for one, my be heaven sent to another, so 'screw' may be a bit to strong.
Mind you, its not like I've got a formula or something thats going to tell you where to put your contours or how to grade your rockers. Thats still the designer's call based on whatever information he can gather.
Ok, so I start out just a little back on the board. I do this because the board has no rocker so it flexes near the back popping the nose up just a wee bit. Then as I come to the face of the wave I slide my back foot (regular stance) to the very tail of the board and slam down pressing on to the rail. This shoots the nose up catching the face of the wave and wiping me around. After all that I shuffle up to the middle and squat for about 4 seconds and its all over. Its a lot of work but its so much faster than a skimboard ever could be unless yanked in by a grinch. For the entry angle I tried to get as parallel as possible but that was to slow to reach the wave, and being at a ninety degree is murder. So i guess it kinda in between. I wouldn’t say 45 but around there. the waves don’t break at an anlge to the beach they are just straight on.
I tried to hang five but just ate a ton of sand lol.
Thanks... I love it... amazing how much fun a 4 sec ride can be... which probably isn't all that far from the norm for an average skimboard entry, anyway.
I would love to see an experiment where somebody takes an unshaped block of foam, glass it, surf it, go home, refine it, glass it, surf it, refine it, etc. Of course it’d be expensive and time consuming but think of the end result.
Derek did alot and probably still is doing lots of experimenting with this stuff, he had 20 or so very similar boards given to his son and he chopped, changed and experimented with them , hard to think of a better way to learn about a specific design ....Burch has done the square block thing, he was ripping on it, and surfing it as good as a board that was made specifically for it but some surfers have that much ability and wave sense, that they can make any board work well......I have shaped a block of foam and ridden it finless, then done several variations since, each one rying different stuff and all have been fun and have learnt alot, but the finless thing is so different to standard boards, you almost have to forget all the stuff you knew before, in and outta the water.....I shaped another one yesterday, it just may be the most 'different' looking board I have ever done....maybe...... cant wait to try this one.....
Looks pretty cool Pridemore, The rails remind me of what some people have been doing with their Alaias , whats your thinking there? Double concave out through the tail?
the first board I really rode finless had a fairly deep double thru the fin area and it seemed to have a touch more hold than the flat ones I rode, as well as adding some lift too, I could place some weight over the concaved area and almost stall the board and it would get a better hold and slip less, then when the slipping would decrease or the waves section was less critical, take the weight off and it will take off again, with the lift benefits again working to assist in a fast plane....I have also added the bevelled rail with lots of edge, mostly inspired by bodyboards who have been doing finless surfing for ever, so the tail has the rails of a bodyboard, and the nose is of a surfboard, plus at this length and always doing spins, I dont think you want hard catching edges up in the nose ( and from experience soft ones are much more forgiving when spinning every which way ) but I also wanted to have some very straight rails thru the middle, similar to the alaia and also the bodyboard, really just a blending of borrowed ideas to create something FUNctional...tons of volume, 5'10" x19" x 2 7/8" with flat deck, volume carried right into the tail, and when you want to sit on top of the water and catch anything and everything with ease, and sensitivity and refinements arent needed, the more foam the better, especially when its a board I surf instead of a mal or high volume fish type board for small and weak waves....have plans for more in the near future but really keen to try this one out , then I am doing a traveller to share the finless ( and almost finless ) stoke with others who are keen but dont wanna outlay big bucks.....
thats me, the very mere mortal just having a go and tons of fun along the way....I need to surf it more and get better but its just refreshing as all hell and its almost like being able to learn to surf again.....thanks...
thanks, I feel a bit of a hero posting this stuff on a few forums but I have been talking about the finless ( or almost finless ) and just wanted to show it as some proof really, plus I think Steve Shearer made me look like I can almost surf haha....
a few have contacted me saying the volume doesnt work on the clip, please click on the little bunch of lines towards bottom right corner to increase volume, hope this works ???
i was really excited when i saw parabolic rails in Alaias as i had often wondered why snowboards and surfboards have quite radically different outlines but often perform in very similar conditions (thinking powder snow… rails sinking in lots there). Has anyone seen a surfboard/alaia with “magne-traction”.
I have been considering cutting down my Alaia for a while. maybe i’ll guinea pig.
Can anyone point me in the direction of Alaia repair hints? Mine split along the grain, 2/3rds of its length.