Hello,
While researching my next build I stumbled upon this Mandala stubbie thing with a bottom contour I can’t make sense of. “Hull entry, single to spiral vee” is what the description says. What does that look like and what do I expect from a hull entry ride wise? Maybe someone can shed some light on this for me. I know spiral vee has been discussed here recently so I am reading up on this as I write, but the hull entry…
cheers, Sebastian
Hull entry is probably one of the oldest entry shapes around, just means a bit of belly on the nose, usually with pinched 50-50 rails. I find them easy in at takeoff and forgiving both on takeoff and redirecting in the wave face. Of course that’s when all the design elements work together. Hull entry with v in the tail is pretty standard fare on a lot of retro and “hipster” type boards, nothing unusual there. I’m sure that particular bottom shape has been refined for that board by the shaper.
Maybe someone who has specific knowledge of that shape can shed some light for you, otherwise if you’re trying to replicate a board based on a verbal description you have to accept there will be differences. I suggest you just go with what makes sense to you, give it your best shot, and don’t worry too much about what the website blurb said.
I’m not familiar with this specific shape. What confounds me is the part where it goes from “single to spiral vee.”
Does he mean single concave to spiral vee? Or perhaps he means a normal panel vee transitioning to a dual concave vee?
In any event Manuel is a fine technical shaper and his boards are glassed at Moonlight so the board is likely high quality if you’re thinking of buying one.
I rode a lot of boards with that description. Lots of control, not very fast, quite forgiving, especially up front.
If you push boards hard you might be a little bored.
Other people’s mileage may differ.
Thank you all. I would not dare to replicate something like that on my second board. there is just too much other stuff that has to get better and easier. I just came across that board and it looked nice but I couldn’t make sense of the bottom…
When I get to California the next time I will check so many boards out, you guys wouldn’t belive how bad the choices I have here in Germany are. Besides millions of Lost, Channel Island, Pukas and Hayden Shapes there is not much available…
I’ve seen his boards, and I think he uses a concave under your front foot going to panel vee. I think he came up under Rich Pavel who was using that bottom with his Speeddialer and other fish variants. Mandala added the hull entry and pinched 60-40 rails element to it, as I don’t think Pavel was doing those.
I’m not keen on the combo of hull+concaves on the really short lengths because I think they’re too busy (leastwise, for my skill level). There’s so much going on that even if you can get each component working there’s just no room for error with the transitions.
As Red Boards said, I think wide boards with belly and convex are more about being smooth and putting on some flow than about being quick and technical. I think wide shapes already have enough surface area to not really need more lift from concaves. That’s where a little convex can work to smooth out the twitchiness that wide boards can generate when they are going faster.
If you want to try a short/wide shape with a hully entry you might consider skipping the single concave up front and just do a flat bottom going to a light vee - maybe put some concaves in the panel vees. Flat bottoms are easily fast enough for the conditions you’d ride a <6ft stubby in and you won’t have any problem with the transitions. They’re easier for us garage guys to shape (well), too.
I second Gdaddy.
(Gentle) hull entry to flat to very light vee to flat gives a board that, in my experience, is as fast or faster than the complicated bottom you describe, handles chop and bump better and responds well if the rails and tail are not too chunky. Build it strong because there are no curves to strengthen it - I snapped all mine with this bottom.
If you put “up” rails in the first 6" and blend back you can get away with no hull up front. “Up” rails are upside down “down” rails, so really soft under with some edge on the top deck side.
All depends on rocker, though. Good rocker first, then fancy (or not) bottoms.
Good advice. I’ve had a couple boards just like that, got harassed a bit by the fashion police for my “70’s rails”, but those boards worked great. I think I’m due for another board with that particular combo!