Here is Matt’s board finished w/ fins @ 9lbs. Black fins w/ smaller trailer. Epoxy glass job.
I’m in love. how does it ride?
Aloha
Bryan
that’s truly beautiful. Is it an 8 footer? 9 lbs almost seems too light for a gun…
I’m inspired, need to get more balsa…
I think the Gun pictured in the other post is 7’6"~7’8"
this board is in the 8’ area
Sorry, those aren’t guns at all.
The first one, I could ride as an everyday board…under 8’ can be ridden in almost any small wave.
The second is a funboard!
Guns …you need those to paddle into Mavericks, Wiamea, and Todos. Usually between 9’6" to 11’, around 19-21 wide, and full on BIG WAVE boards.
I’d give semi gun for the first board, but the second…sorry, funboard.
yeah thats what was confusing me, kept saying gun when they are not…any way they still look like cool boards…but am i seeing some kind of weird deck ? it looks like the rails are raised and the deck is recessed, im just wondering why you would do that?..speaking of balsa where could somebody get ahold of a chunk?
Sorry for any confusion. Obviously, the second board is not a gun; Only another balsa shaped at the same time. He’s calling the 7’6” a gun. 19” wide etc.
As Lee said (he’s the man) it’s more of a semi. Today I see a lot of shortbarders calling shorter semi’s guns.
Matts shapes out his deck to lose volume. .
LeeD - I disagree. A Gun doesnt need to be 9’6" or even close to that. A semi gun has worked for many people at many of those breaks you’ve stated. I just want you to know that a gun is a gun is a gun. My main big waver is only 8’6". If you can get enough speed to actually get on the wave, the smaller the board - the better.
Aloha
Bryan
ok, so maybe technically the first one is not a gun. Whether its a minigun, semigun, or whatever, it’s friggin’ beautiful in my opinion. Obviously a lot of work went into it. I’d like to see a picture of your latest balsa board.
Oh yeah, here’s mine. Gotta go now, back to sanding…
So what DO you call a board specifically made for max size paddle in waves, if a paltry 7’8"er is called a gun?
Riding a 8’6"er at Wiamea over Pinball sizing is pure suicide…you can’t realistically do it. Yes, Cheyn Horan did it, ONE wave, out of control.
Riding a 8’6"er at Mavs or Todos at over 18’ would get you about ONE wave in two hours, as the guys on bigger boards are always in better position to take off.
A 8’6"er is fine for max Sunset sizing, Haleiwa, Lannies, and most of California except for Mavs, Spanish Bay, or any of the other 4 big wave spots for winter Cal.
Some guys call a 6’6" x 18.5 board a “gun”.
So where do we draw the line?
Or is it personal fears and limitations? A guy who never plans to ride DOH surf might call his 6’6"er his “gun” board.
What about a guy who limits himself to head high surf?
Or someone who considers Wiamea a rideable, must be ridden wave?
All I know is that I consider anything to be a gun - no matter the size - if you can paddle it and keep your own in big surf. I grew up in hawaii - and used everything from my grandfathers 12’8" gun, to “semi guns”. The gun I have now is 8’6", and I’m confident I could hold my own in the bigger breaks with it.
Forget calling them guns, just surfboards.
Matt called today and thanked me for posting his boards. He gave me the correct specifications. Gary Fuller owner of Rhino Balsa gave him the prized light wood for the 7’ 11”. Rhino Balsa has rockered blanks as well.
The winged swallow scooped deck is 7’11’ @ 20” wide
The scooped deck single fin is 8’ 4” @ 21 ½ “