I’ve shaped numerous thrusters and single fins but I’m going to be shaping my first longboard. I’ve got a 10’2" triple stringer blank lined up for the job. I’m looking to make it a good tanker & I really want to maximize its bouyancy. The Blanks width and thickness are pretty darn close to my final demensions. I’m going to go w/ 50/50 rails throughout or possible 60/40 rails but I need some advice on the rail bands.
Since the blank is so close should I even bother shaving rail bands into it since I’m going to be most likely puting 50/50 rails throughout or should I just shave off the outer layer and sand the rails to my designated rail type?
Maybe the answer is less complicated than I think… I’m just use to the rail band method since I’ve done thrusters and I thin out rails alot… but in this case I don’t really want thinner rails.
I’d suggest you split the difference - do them with a big block. Like a 2’ piece of hardwood with a 50 grit sanding belt split open and glued on. The long length will help you eliminate bumps & dips over all that board length and the weight of the hardwood and the rough grit will be enough to take foam off. You’ll still walk it a lot, but you’ll be able to see it coming off a lot easier than with a planer.
Why would you want 50/50’s if you like the volume you already have? I would suggest that you shape it with “A” rails and keep the deck as true to the blank as possible. This will give you the volume you already crave!
I am currently surfing two boards with single pass (“A”) type rails and am really pleased with both and they way they perform compared to 50/50’s. There is no drag and they work really well with a flat bottom and get into the wave really early. I catch waves at the most crowded breaks before the young turks on their 9’5" displacement hulls can drop in on this 50+ yr. old!
If you like to pump a board down the line to generate speed and the take off is not a problem, then just shape a 60/40. My 21 yr. old son rides on one of my 9’5" 60/40’s and he swears by it but I can keep up with him in a family paddle battle on my 10’ 2" A rail!
Let us know what you decide and attach some pics so we can watch the project develop.
Whatever tool you choose to use for shaping the rails, pay a lot of attention to where the side stringers meet the rails. That’s where you’re most likely to get flaws in your curves (unless using a planer) because of different hardness between wood and foam. If it were not a 3-stringers, using a sanding pad would more or less be OK. But given it is, I would highly recommend a planer… just my two cents.
You’ll have to help me out…I’m not familiar w/ the Term “A” rails.
Yes the volume is pretty darn close to what I want. It oddly enough worked out that way. The only thing is I’m going to thin out the nose just a smidge to finalize it around 2" as well as the tail Around 1 3/4 - 2". I was think of going 50/50 on the rails to stay truer to the older boards. I’m not looking for High-performance…Just a boyant sucker that will catch waves easy and I’ll be able to walk up to the top and hang some toes over.
I’m thinking the final demensions will be around 10’0 x 23’-24’ x 3 1/2" Nose: 18 3/4" Tail 15"
I’ve shaped numerous thrusters and single fins but I’m going to be shaping my first longboard. I’ve got a 10’2" triple stringer blank lined up for the job. I’m looking to make it a good tanker & I really want to maximize its bouyancy. The Blanks width and thickness are pretty darn close to my final demensions. I’m going to go w/ 50/50 rails throughout or possible 60/40 rails but I need some advice on the rail bands.
Since the blank is so close should I even bother shaving rail bands into it since I’m going to be most likely puting 50/50 rails throughout or should I just shave off the outer layer and sand the rails to my designated rail type?
Maybe the answer is less complicated than I think… I’m just use to the rail band method since I’ve done thrusters and I thin out rails alot… but in this case I don’t really want thinner rails.
I’d suggest you split the difference - do them with a big block. Like a 2’ piece of hardwood with a 50 grit sanding belt split open and glued on. The long length will help you eliminate bumps & dips over all that board length and the weight of the hardwood and the rough grit will be enough to take foam off. You’ll still walk it a lot, but you’ll be able to see it coming off a lot easier than with a planer.
Why would you want 50/50’s if you like the volume you already have? I would suggest that you shape it with “A” rails and keep the deck as true to the blank as possible. This will give you the volume you already crave!
I am currently surfing two boards with single pass (“A”) type rails and am really pleased with both and they way they perform compared to 50/50’s. There is no drag and they work really well with a flat bottom and get into the wave really early. I catch waves at the most crowded breaks before the young turks on their 9’5" displacement hulls can drop in on this 50+ yr. old!
If you like to pump a board down the line to generate speed and the take off is not a problem, then just shape a 60/40. My 21 yr. old son rides on one of my 9’5" 60/40’s and he swears by it but I can keep up with him in a family paddle battle on my 10’ 2" A rail!
Let us know what you decide and attach some pics so we can watch the project develop.
Whatever tool you choose to use for shaping the rails, pay a lot of attention to where the side stringers meet the rails. That’s where you’re most likely to get flaws in your curves (unless using a planer) because of different hardness between wood and foam. If it were not a 3-stringers, using a sanding pad would more or less be OK. But given it is, I would highly recommend a planer… just my two cents.
You’ll have to help me out…I’m not familiar w/ the Term “A” rails.
Yes the volume is pretty darn close to what I want. It oddly enough worked out that way. The only thing is I’m going to thin out the nose just a smidge to finalize it around 2" as well as the tail Around 1 3/4 - 2". I was think of going 50/50 on the rails to stay truer to the older boards. I’m not looking for High-performance…Just a boyant sucker that will catch waves easy and I’ll be able to walk up to the top and hang some toes over.
I’m thinking the final demensions will be around 10’0 x 23’-24’ x 3 1/2" Nose: 18 3/4" Tail 15"
“A” rails are shaped with a single band or panel cut into the blank giving the rail a profile sort of like the letter “A”. I always draw out my profile of the widest point of the board to draft out the angle I want for the panel and then do some layout lines before I make the planer cut. With 60/40’s or modern down rails I always cut three bands on the deck side. With both rails I do a 60 degree bottom cut with a “fred”.
If you decide to go with 50/50’s be sure to watch the outside stringers like mentioned by Balsa. It is really easy to screw up your screen passes because of the wood. I like to shape out the areas where the stringer meets the outline first and then match up the rest of the rail. Make sure you are cutting or sanding in the direction of the grain of the stringer or else you will have a major tear out accident! Good luck and post some pics. I just finished my last Clark… a 10’ 7" Y