Recently I have been thinking of having some fun experimenting and trying to shape my own board. I am 15, 5’8, around 120 pounds and have been surfing around 5 years. What would be some good dimensions for a high performance short board that would have good speed and that I would be able to pull some radical tricks like aerials on? Not sure if this matters but I live in Florida and there is an obvious lack of quality waves.
This is almost too much to answer with raw numbers. Here are some things to think about. what boards have you ridden? What were the dimensions of those boards? pay very close atention to the rocker. Rocker and Plan bottom contour Is the most significant elements of Board design.
If you want to step outside the normal short board and get on something that will be great for getting air Try going wider over all. It should be shorter then what you now ride, low entry rocker with some release behind the fins. It might be a good idea to set it up as a five fin. That way you can play with a lot of fin combinations. I would also go with a blunt nose. A wider board with a fuller outline should get you more time in the air. Should give you a touch more resistance against Gravity. Get one of the board design computer programs and play with lots of different number and then post some of your concepts here. Pester all your surfing friend to allow you to take all the numbers off their boards. Do the same in all the surf shops untill they kick you out. Florida also has a ton of excellent shapers. You might find one in your area that will share some of Their Knowledge. Offer something in exchange like wash their car or truck. Buy them lunch, a pizza or clean the shop.
I learned the most about board design and embarked upon the path to better surfboards through knowledge in 1 simple step. I tried a new shaper and he requested that I bring in a board I was riding at the time. He then blew my mind by spending a long long time with it on his racks using calipers and straight edges measuring not only the big standard dimensions but also noting all sorts of little things like rail contour and tucked edges, fin position, and bottom contours, in excruciating detail, filling an entire 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper. Then he sat me down and started grilling me: What do I wish this board did better? What do I love? Hate? How would the new board be an improvement with the things I want being better and the things I don’t like going away?
He put all this together and used his experience, instinct, judgement, to interpret my verbal descriptions of board behavior in the context of the written description he had made. He then shaped me a fantastic board. It was just what I asked form - more this, less of that - truly a VARIATION or REFINEMENT of the example board. This is a super cool (and addictive process). I never do new boards any other way now. I have never changed shapers, and he continues to do this, now with the last board he shaped relative to the next one. Now I know the answers you seek, relative to myself.
I tell you this story because I think that this path, whatever variation on it you end up taking, is really the only way to truly discover what really works for you. At your size and age a lot of off the rack boards will work, but it is a really special feeling to ride a new board and have it not just be new, but actually an improvement in desired areas. If I were in your shoes, I’d take the board you ride now and measure the hell out of it, try to discover every detail you can, then I’d reseacrh here what people say about “which dimensions and design details do what” and try to solve it for yourself. Then I’d go see the local shaper and tell him your plans (specific written design and old board reference) and request his opinions and guidance. Offer him something in return (he probably won’t take it but its good form). You may end up making some pocket money sweeping his shop thus becoming the envy of your buddies and building a personal relationship with a mentoring shaper that will serve you well as you need new boards whether he or you shape them.