Hi, I’m new to board making and my mentor told me I should check out swaylocks and start getting info here too.
I’m in high school and am making a board for my senior project. I’m in Hawaii so surfing is big here and I love it. I want to someday be an established shaper, probably just for my own boards, like a hobby, but I want to build good boards the right way.
Anyway, here’s my question. what thickness should a 6’0" board be and btw it’s 19 3/4" wide. And how do I measure thickness, on the edge or middle?
Thickness is measured with calipers, on the stringer. Good foiling usually dictates that the widest point of the board should also be the thickest. But it’s hard to tell you what a “good” thickness for a 6’0" is… It just depends upon too many things: the outline and rocker of the board, the kind of waves it will ride, your own measurements and weight…
what kind of board are you making Pomai? high performance short board? retro fish? egg? like Balsa said there are a lot of variables but if you can let us know what you're going for, i'm sure you will get more specific answers... i have a HPSB quad that's 6'0" x 19" x 2 1/4". i like it. it goes pretty good. i'm 6'0" and 175 lbs.
I kinda wanted it to be around 2 3/8" thick. This board will be like dane reynolds dumpsterdiver. Strictly for a wave back home that gets knee high to overhead waves.
pomai for the Dumpster diver you are going to want to go shorter. Dane is a pretty big guy 6’0". 2 3/8" is about how thick I would make that board. Flatter rocker, wider tail. If you look at what the evolution of that board was, it was a a fishish type shape that got crossed with more highperformance designs. I have never held one so I can’t tell you bottom contours or rail thicknesses. Look at making the board around 5’8"x19 3/4"x 2 3/8". Designing boards is about compromises. Speed v Control being the main one. This board looks like it gets it speed from a wider outline and flatter rocker and it’s manueverability from it’s short length and curves.