Hi
I'm starting to shape my first longboard. I'm just contemplating what the thickness should be for a modern longboard. I'm probably going to go 3" thick at the center (23" wide) but I'm not sure what would be a good thickness at the nose and tail. The length is going to be 9'10", rocker at the nose is 3.5" and at the tail is 3". I've seached the archives but have come up with nothing that I can use. Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Thanks
Max
i would go with around 2 1/2 inches thick for the nose and tail
but it all depends on what shape your going for and what you want it to do
A good way to approach it is to have some perimenters to work within. I always skin my blank both sides before I template it. I get it down to within a fraction of my desired thickness, level and block sand, then template. During this process I check with calipers to determine thickness and overall flow . On a longboard I like to leave my thickness in the portion of the blank that would be the area where the chest thru the knees are when paddling. This would be about the center third of the blank. In your case three inches from the knees thru the chest area. My referance for the tail is based on fin box placement. Let's say the placement on a 9'10 would be six inches from the tail for the back of the fin box. A fin box needs at least one inch of thickness minimum. Preferably 1 1/8 --- 1 1/2". These are the minimums you would need for a 10 1/2 inch box. In other words; anything thinner than one inch has to be in the last six inches of the blank. You can work the rest of it out by eye and blend your foil so that it ties everything together. You can do anything you want with the nose as long as you can blend it so that it is pleasing to the eye.
Thanks those are a few things that I’ll keep in mind when I’m shaping. That is an interesting point about keeping the thickness in the portion of the blank between my knees and chest, I had never really thought of that.
Seems like you've got the idea. The best longboards(best meaning most rideable and paddleability) that I have shaped over the years were based on the above mentioned formula. It allows me to thin out the tail and nose . Gives the appearance of a thinner board over all. A lighter board with less swing weight. Better rider, paddles better than most boards and turns on a dime. Glad to be of help.