hey everyone. i luckily just found this website so im sure i will be reading ALOT of what you guyz have to say. Anyway, i live in huntington beach, ca (just moved back from Oahu) and decided with a friend of mine that i wanted to start shapin our own boards. We have turned my garage into a shaping room and will be looking to shape the first board within a week. but i am confused on rocker and some of the minor(technical) things of shaping. I was hoping i could steal(sorry) some specs off some boards on this website, mostly rocker and nose/tail size. But i havent found much info on what works (maybe i just didnt read far enough). Anyway, i was hoping some of you guyz could give me recommendations on what shapes and dimensions work (remember rocker). Dont get me wrong im an avid surfer, i just feel like im diving into a whole new world of the sport. Also, if theres anyone in southern california who wouldnt mind having an extra eye watching when they shaped or just to talk in person about shaping i would love to do either/both. from what i have read, this community seems to be pretty close knit and friendly so im hoping you guyz will be as much help as im pretty sure imma need. Thanks Tyler
John Carper’s videos on glassin and shaping are excellent sources of information. Also, you could take the measurements from your current board and adjust them accordingly. For instance, you might want a little wider nose and narrower tail. A surfboard is a compilation of measurements. That is why you should never get rid of a “favorite board” without taking its measurements first. I sure wish I had some diagrams of past boards but I didn’t know much about board design until I got the Carper videos. Anyway, good luck and have fun.
Make a shaping appointment with a respected pro shaper, go in and watch him shape a board for you. That will put you miles ahead. OK it will cost you a few bucks but that is money well invested. If your buying blanks from one of the blank companies, just get a blank that is close to what you want to make. Don’t get far away from the blank when shaping. The blanks are probably truer than you could do until you’ve done a few. Today shaping isn’t as hard as in the past, just keep it simple.