Geeze, that’s a good looking board Melikefish! Looks like it’ll go!
Seems like it’s about time for a ride report. Have you had a shot at some good surf with it yet?
Have to say “the train wreck” doesn’t
Look all that bad!
Being an Olphart I like a little weight in my boards.
Had to laff at the GG, having just pealed some off ah, with my skin
where it got by the gloves, think I’ll try the razor next time!
Tell me about your fins
I like your set up.
Keep up the good work
I love your work bench! LOL
I have taken her out three times in the past several weeks. No real good surf. Tradewinds have been cranking, and no real south swell since I finished her.
Today I had some luck, because a north swell came in last night. It had a period around 15 seconds, and the buoy said 7 feet. The place I like to surf, no one else does:), and it needs something around this size to break nice. Much more and it is a mess, any less, and it is a long wait.
The boards surfs pretty good, goes down line and does its thing. Feels really soulful. The template, weight, and rocker are perfect, basically all the things I did exactly as you told me to Bill:)
It was really windy and choppy everytime I have taken it out and the board cut through the chop like butter, and the ride felt super smooth. For that smoothness, I took a hit on a paddling speed. I have to say, not once did the board bounce on the water. I think I might have put too much belly in her, or not enough volume.
The waves at the place I surfed today, are big bottom girls, for me, and take a lot of paddling to get into. I could get into them, but the board was not as easy to paddle as I would have thought for the size. For the next one, I think I might increase the volume in the last 1/3 of the board. I think I might also try to avoid using “assymetric spiraling vee” ( basically this means the amount of vee spirals out of control assymetrically ) .
In some regards, I am extremely excited about this board, because I am going to take measurements through out the board, make another one and tweak the new board a little. My goal is to put a little corvette in her. It is actually a really nice board, and I like the feel of the epoxy and 1.5# eps with 3/8 redwood stringer. Of course I want to wait until I get a nice swell minus tradewinds and chop, to give a better review of her. In addition, I need to up my surfing skills, since riding a big board is a little bit different strategy then what I am used to. In particular, a couple of times I forgot I was on a big board, tried to duck dive and got mowed down.
Once again, Mr. Thrailkill, thank you! Your advice in building this board has taken off plenty years in learning how to shape.
Mahalo nui loa,
Jason
Thanks Mattwho!
Yeah, GG is my nemesis. I wore two pairs of gloves in gluing up the stringer, and still managed to get my hands covered in it.
I used the quad placement by Robin Mair. I haven’t ridden it as a quad yet. The first try was as a single. The second two rides, I do something a little silly, and put smallish rear quad fins in with the single to give a tad more hold so the bottom doesn’t come out. Next time will go single only. Also single placement is 11" from tail to leading edge of the fin. That I haven’t moved since it seems right on. If anything I will move the fin a little further forward.
Feels good to work on the board while one of my boys is next to me banging away at something with their plastic hammer.
Alright, Alright, took her out a bunch more times, and I am starting to get a liking for big red.
The winds shut off yesterday, and I took her out yesterday and today, and caught some really nice overhead+ south shore waves. The water was a little bumpy, but I was able to get into some of the waves I intended her for. I also put a 9" flex fin in, which for some reason works really well.
The vee is working pretty good, and lets me go rail to rail real easy. There is some more north swell coming next week, so hopefully I can surf her again on something a little bigger.
Now that I am getting used to her lines, she gos:)
This is a fun experiment too, because surfing a completely diffferent design then I am used to, is forcing me to read the ocean in a different way.
YEEEEWWWW!!!