Mid Length Thoughts

General Discussion
21

Hey all back again. Still enjoying my 8 footer but time to step it up into the 9 ft range!

To answer the questions above I was aiming to have a board that would handle almost anything from 1ft to as big as you want. I have surfed mid length boards with the wide-point back and know they excel when it’s small, but I don’t think they’d perform as well once the waves pick up. Huck summed it up nicely above.

I know I’m out of the midlength range and into longboard/glider territory with this one, but am going to step up to a 9’3" x 22 5/8" x 3 1/8" for the next one. I’ve added some slight belly from the nose which blends into a spiral vee in the rear third. Do the dims and addition of the belly look reasonable for a board like this?

I am considering going with a 2+1 setup for this one, just to give some extra control when it gets big, but will probably run it as a single most of the time. Is it worth adding the boxes or just leaving it as a single?

The last question I had is regarding the blank and glassing. The previous 8 ft board had a 1/4 inch cedar stringer with 6x6 oz deck and 6 oz bottom. It feels pretty heavy underarm, but great in the water. I’m thinking of going to a 3/8" three ply stringer and 6x6 oz deck, with an 8 oz bottom, mainly for the extra strength. Does that blank and layup seem ok for this type of board?

I’ve added a pic of the design so you can see rocker and width etc. I’m very keen to hear people’s thoughts as I’m getting out of my comfort zone with this one and haven’t seen many similar boards around (maybe for good reason… :/)

Cheers!

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22

I’d say you’re definitely on target. Stick with your gut feelings… you’ve got it going on with the shapes you are posting. You are making good use of the computer programming and pro glassing. I’ve often promoted the 2+1 fin layouts. With a small quiver of fins you can ride a lot of different waves. On a bigger bigger board like that a center box at about 5 1/2" from the tail and side bites about 15" up might be a good place to start. With some longboard side bites, standard thruster sidebites, an 8" center and a 4 1/2"-6" center you’ll have a decent world traveler that will handle anything within reason.

23

Thank you very much for the comment John. You’ve pushed me over the edge for the 2+1 setup and thanks for the tips regarding fin placements.

I do feel like a bit of a fraud posting here, considering how I “make” the boards, but I really appreciate all the help that everyone has given me. I’m still happy that the designs are my own, and that I also do have a little hands on time finishing the cut blanks. However it is about time for me to fully shape a board by hand. Maybe start with a shorter one next time, sub 7 ft?

I’ll make sure to post a pic of the finished product.

Cheers :slight_smile:

24

GDaddy add a quad set and that board will be fine in steep waves.

25

GDaddy add a quad set and that board will be fine in steep waves.