Need Help with Custom Surfboard Design – Any Tips?

General Discussion
1

Hello, :wave:

I am reaching out for some advice and insights on custom surfboard design. I have been surfing for a few years now and have always been intrigued by the idea of shaping my own board to perfectly match my style and the conditions I typically surf in. I’ve experimented with some basic modifications to existing boards, but now I’m looking to take the plunge into custom shaping.

I check this: https://forum.swaylocks.com/t/need-help-on-surfboard-designsalesforce-admin But I have not found any solution. Could anyone guide me about this? I’m curious about how to go about choosing the right dimensions, materials, and rocker for a board that suits my skill level and the waves I ride most often. I’ve read some forum posts here, and there’s such a wealth of knowledge. Any tips on the process? What are the key factors to consider when designing a custom board? Also, what kind of tools and equipment would I need if I were to start shaping at home?

Thanks in advance!

Respected community member!

2

That’s a very broad subject. What is your style, what kind of waves do you surf, what kind of board are you riding now, & what is your experience working with foam & fiberglass / resin??

3

hello, good source for outlines is blendingcurves.com

other way to do it is template a board you like.

now apart from designing an outline i would focus more on rail type, bottom concave and fin placement and angle.

plan for extra thickness then the one you really aim for ( overshaping tends to happen, at least to me)

watch the videos from this link, its a 100% diy project with lots of usefull and helpfull info, being my favourite for beginners the way to mark the rails ( very, very important)

Now there are 1000 ways to skin a cat.

For starters and less expensive / balanced in terms of work i would say the best way to do it is the following:

buy a PU blank close in rocker profile, lenght and width that you wish, leave in lenght minimum 2 inches extra and in widht 1 inch to each side extra.

now, for the first board just plane the foam of the blank following the natural rocker of the blank.

draw the outline on the blank

cut the excess foam

finish with sandblock to a good looking profile, finish

mark rails, shape them, mark fins, shape concave.

minimum tools/materials required for the shaping fase.

0- a surfboard blank
1-a soft and a hard pad
2-various grits of sandpaper 80grit mesh net and up to 200grit
3-build a pair of caliper scissors to measure thickness of the blank
4- a shaper square, or rulers and a triangle in inches.
5- a saw ( fine tooth better)
6 - an electrical planner with adjustable depth
7- a small handplanner 2/3 inch) and a butterfly planer to bring down stringer.
8-a drill with a round bitsaw for leash plugs and fcs round plugs ( for other systems will need a router and the template) or just go glass on fins and leash loop ( search the forum on this subjects)

next laminating the board.

lay the cloth. botttom first

cut the cloth leaving 3 fingers lap hanging on the rails ( do relief cuts on the nose and tail)
very usefull videos of jc and greg loher with the subscription of swayloocks

spred the resin with the squeege and fold the lap under to the deck. (wet all cloth ) watch out for percentage of catalist when mixing (varies with room temperature) max 3%

sand the edge of the lap, and then repeat the lamination on the deck.

next is the hot coats and sanding.

fins ( watch some videos on how to do it)
can be done before or after laminatiom

minimum tools materials needed :

1-a squegge.
2- fiberglass cloth.
3 - 5 kgs Pe resin with uv protection. ( will only use 2 thirds of it, but a lot goes to waste.
4- some catalist
5- gloss resin or liquid parafin
6- 5/7 inches brush
5-scissors
6- a sander ( can be done by hand but takes time)

cheers and good waves