Ok ,I’m not done with my fish yet but I want to plan my next board for my Quiver and I’m thinking semi-gun .
I did some reading in the archives and I so don’t get one thing. To me when it gets BIG the one thing I want most of all is good paddle! I want to get out before the current takes me into the pier . I want to get out in-between sets before I get beat to sh-t. And I want to get into the wave as early as possible.
So here’s what I don’t get. Guns tend to have
Mucho Rocker. That = Slows the board , pushes water hard to paddle correct?
Thin rails and narrow board . That = less foam less float less paddle correct.
Thin narrow tail. I get the trade off but still=less paddle and harder to get into the wave correct?
keep the thickness all the way trough but go thin in the tail to allow penetration. Narrow for speed . This all depends on your personal dimensions so if you like it 20’ wide go 20. If you like 18& 1/4 so be it. Keep the thckness in the stringer to and roll the deck and go a rail you like. keep the edges hard in the tail and soft in the nose so it wont grab. double concave or flat to vee up to you.
I’m one of the last guys you want to talk to about big waves. Anything over 7 foot California and I’m not interested. Here’s a little story for you guys…
I met Surf4fins and MarkSSD through Swaylocks. We went on a road trip together last fall. Four days of surfing north of LA. First day was C street in Ventura. Tim on a 7 or 8 foot gunish homemade board ,Ray on a 6’5" disc and Mark on a log. Shoulder high waves. Tim dominated. I had a great time and got lots of waves but Surf4fins out surfed the disc and the log. The whole trip was like that. When we got up to central Cal there was some real juice. I was hung over and my 6’8" was too small. I saw Tim get tubed more that once. Looking at his boards on the beach the finish was rough the rails needed to be refined. The boards looked home made but Something is magic about Surf4fins’ boards. The guy was unstoppable. Tims boards are EPS/epoxy and they are light. Tim gave me some EPS foam and let me use his rocker template. The closest I can tell from the Clark catalog is Rusty but I think the rocker might be Brewer. My homemade 7’10" gunish board works great. I even had it out in 7 foot waves and I domiated (HA HA). This board has crazy rocker but it works. I can’t explain it. Not for small waves. This road trip, Tim’s boards and the board I made afterward have me convinced that ROCKER is everything…Well almost every thing…Soul is important too!!!
from my limited understanding, guns require control for the conditions.
narrow tail, helps hold but a shaper can put some foam into it.
Thin rails, already answered, for control . . .
Rocker . . . you don’t want to pearl . . .
Good rocker helps because it helps you control the board . . . you’re not looking into speed generation, but more speed control. Since there is serious juice . . .
Guns have length to get you floatation to paddle into the waves . . .
Just like to add, soft rails - like really soft rails - from 2/3 up from tail if not further back but keep um thin off a nicely rolled deck for volume. You need a full continuous rocker but it is possible to have to much rocker. As always check out other boards that are known to work.
Thanks guy’s . I understand why these things are so . But I still think paddle in a gun should be like # 1 priority. I also understand that shaping boards is basically a series of trade offs . I know if I just want paddle I could shape a 12ft long board problem solved . What I’m trying to say is I wish to keep all elements as close to the paddle side of my gun while keeping it a gun or close to a gun . Where does that envelope open and close? I’ll look up that LeeDD and check out his posts. You guys still Rock!!!
If you get a chance go to Rusty .com and check out the Desert Island series . I had them make me a 8’2 c-5 about four years back .Best money I’ve spent. I haven’t maxed it out yet. I’ve have used it on the biggest So Cal day’s we’ve had over the past four years. And a few Mexico trips . Paddles awesome . Gets in early. Tears it up! Cool thing about it - I take it out every once in a while on the small days and It rides like a sooped up fun board. Just a design you might want to look at. Good luck
Beach break Guns are a different beast.Thicker & wider tails.At my home break the paddle is 95% of the battle.Longboard guns,merrick M13,and Rusty Desert Island are nice,
Or just go thick.An Jeff Alexander SK8 deck.I made a 8’6"gun with a 4.5"thick step deck.And I can duckdive it,all my friends think it surfs so easy it’s cheating.Need to get it back from a friend hmm.
I have a 9-2 gun that is almost 3.5" thick, 23" wide. I can still paddle it quite well even though it has lots of nose rocker. You need that nose rocker on those big drops. I sometimes amaze myself when I make that killer late drop and don’t dig the nose. I’m 6’ and 205 lbs., and in my 40’s. All that foam really helps, and people really scramble when they see me and that huge board dropping in.
I read something on Stretch’s site recently that I thought was interesting - they are using relaxed nose rocker and countering it with generous tail rocker on their guns and Mav guns:
Check out this link to info on a Bing Islander model. I was interested in shaping something along these lines. mini gun esc, wider template lower rocker etc. Is this the type of design you want in hollow beack break, or really heavy big waves absolutely not. Something that paddles like a champ, catches waves early, and is a good alternative for bigger surf at the musher slower spots. I think so. Something for an intermediate surfer to use when he goes from performance based surfing to more of a survival based surfing.
What do other think of the merits of such a shape for these types of conditions. For those in So cal I am thinking perfect for maxing out MIddles / church.
Thanks guy’s . I understand why these things are so . But I still think paddle in a gun should be like # 1 priority.
I’m definitely not the big wave king, but I have learned that to be successful out in the big stuff you need to relax. In big conditions there are usually channels with strong currents. Knowledge of the currents will get you out of harms way much faster than vigorous paddling. The point in time when paddling speed comes into play is when you are taking off on the wave. That’s when I usually wish I had an outboard engine attached to my board.
