This is my first post. I’m an occasional lurker who decided I want more engaging conversation and advice on surfboards (your collective knowledge on surfboard design is great by the way).
Anyways, I know at this point you guys are probably over all the questions about mini simmons, so I’ll get to the point.
I’m about to order a 5’0" x 21" x 2.5" arctail quad ‘modernized’ mini simmons, and I want to use it to glide around hh+ reefbreaks and pointbreaks. I’m lucky enough to be in the shaping bay when it’s being created, by a shaper whose made maybe 20 ‘purist’ mini sims.
My question is: what you think i should change about the rails vs the more ‘purist’ mini simmons for better performance in waves taller than my head.
Should I add more downrail? If so how far should the downrail extend up the board? Pinch them out a little more? Whatever fancy rail things i may not know about?
I’d love any ideas on this, or any help in the basics of the design. (full disclosure: 5’8" 135 lbs, ‘advanced’ ability)
Hey bro, that board sounds epic.
Everything depends on:
- how you like to surf and;
- the type of waves that you will be surfing
I would say stay away from pinched rails unless you are surfing hollow, fast, and steep waves.
Pinched rails on a Mini (I did one here) are slow and doggish unless the waves are of the variety I mentioned.
I like super down rails on the progressive Minis, let’s say 80/20 rails, more or less.
Fins back I go sharp and hard (just like a shortboard)–which is what I shape and ride mainly (see an example of a 5’3" here).
If you want to get fancy, throw a study on what Tom Wegener is doing with the chinned rails, I haven’t tried it but I like the idea.
Hope that helps bro, please post the pics when you get it—I love Minis.
D.
For me, and the board I shaped, I tried to achieve lots of turnability in my board. I snowboarded for years and I wanted something with a simlar feel, so here’s what I did with mine:
First: While shaping I gave the board a double-concave with a pronounced “Vee” on the stinger line. The vee continues nearly the entire length of the board, becoming more gradual up around the waist-to-chest area when paddling. Next to the concaves, I gave the edge where the fins go a slight feather similar to what you would see in an Alaia (not too much though) - the idea behind this is, being that the stinger line is about 2-3cm higher than the rails, the board “jumps” more from edge-to-edge, while the flat feathered points next to the concave stop it from jumping too far and digging in too much on the wave face
Second: when hot-coating, I gave the board a super-sharp rail all the way up to about the chest area where it tapers off to more of a 50/50 rail. When I say it’s sharp, I mean its SUPER sharp (but not to the point of dangerously sharp), almost the way you would bevel a snowboard rail… I dulled it out a bit behind the fins to allow for better release (not too much though) and also made sure to taper off the edge on the tailblock where it meets the concaves. The idea behind this is, with the sharper rails going further up the length of the board, you get more turn on edge without having to “pivot” as much. It makes quick maneuvering a cinch which is great for me, because I surf a very shallow reef break and often find myself having to negotiate exposed coral heads mid-wave. I used to bang up my old board this way all the time, but this new one has no problem making quick adjustments to navigate the “death-slalom” I usually encounter at my local breaks.
Hope this is helpful… a lot of it depends on your riding style though. As I said, I was a snowboarder for years so I’m used to hard edges with lots of hold - mine may be a great setup for you or it could be a disaster… the good news is, you can always dull out the rails yourself if they’re too sharp!
Also I should mention that my rails are not pinched at all until the point where they taper off - the back side rails are SUPER progressive down towards the water. As you can see, they’re almost blocky down to the water line (keep in mind this photo is post-hotcoat and pre-sanding, this is just to give you an idea of the shape of the rails)
Also, don’t mind the bubbly glass-job… it’s my first one
You guys are funny....hard rails out the tail, 80/20, double concave, quad etc...
Just admit it...just make a modern short board with more volume.
Technology is good...embrace it. Feel the science and design of decades under your feet.
I think the appeal behind the Mini Simms/Hybrid thing is to get the fun of a simmons without it being just your typical “modern short board” - Like I said a lot of it depends on your riding style. For me, the appeal of doing a “Mini Simmons outline” on a “modern shortboard” was to have the extra volume up front you get with that shape. I can take off and surf waves at places like Rainbows where typically only a longboard will succeed (try surfing THAT wave on a “modern shortboard” - the wave just peels off, not a lot of steepness to it at all). Hell, I’ve even gotten a few cheater-fives on my board thanks to the nose volume.
To each their own, but I like the idea of combining two great board designs into something that meets sorta halfway. Nothing wrong with playing Dr. Frankenboard once in a while 
Hey… I’m with ya there. All of my boards don’t really fit into a category, except I always try to make them as modern as possible.’
Surfgestapo - I’m goin w what Tyler did, I think, slopey down rails w a roundy bottom edge? I think tucked
Harder in tail flowing to more rolled out in entry? From his vid it looks like it flies!
On his vid, he shows quite a lot of his shaping - which I thought was enjoyable. He describes his pkg quite well, and I came away feeling like I got more clues to my – Sims thing. He even thins out the tail a bit.