Hello, i’m an italian 26 noob, i’m a skater since i was 12, and tried the first surfboard when i was 15 for a couple of days, than for years it remained just in my dreams, this year i finally took the decision to start surfin’, so i borrowed a friend’s board (6.11" 19" thick 2") but now it’s the time for My board.
After a lot of lurking here and reading the archive, i’ve started planning my own first board, just copying some shapes and dimensions, i’ve come out with this 6’11" tri-fins , i know that for a beginner it’s a bit too small, but the sea is far from my home so i gotta put the board in my car and nothing longer than that can fit inside the car… after this board i’ll take a try with a malibu for summer waves (very low) and find a way to put the board on the roof of the car.
I’ve done it a bit thick and also wide to gain a bit of volume, the mediterrean sea, during winter is a bit bigger than during the rest of the year, the last time i went out it was 5 to 7 foot, and it was way too high for me, so if you kindly take a look to the first sketch and tell me what do you guys think about it?
Oh sorry for the dimensions… i’m not used to feet, inches etc… etc… i’m 5’8" tall and 132 Lbs
hi mate. i can tell you that you’ve found the right site for info on your project.
here in NZ we use the metric system too, so ft and inches is not natural, but in the surf industry almost everywhere it is the norm. I have learned to shape over the years in imperial and now i cant imagine using mm for boards!!!
I guess it will be a long learning curve ahead of you, but that is half the fun. i wish you good luck. your dimensions would suit a beginner well ( of your general size) in fact we used to do an “evo” model similar to yours from our factory-aimed at big boy riders or smallish learners.
remember that you can surf just about anything that floats,( its just a sliding scale of how “well” it actually goes) so dont be scared
It looks pretty good to me…you might want to lengthen the flat portion of the rocker (bottom curve) you have in the middle of the board. That will give you a little accelerator under your front foot and more efficient planing for catching waves and surfing weak waves. If you do, however, you will probably have to lower the tail rocker to keep the curve smooth. Tail rocker of 1.75" to 2.0" would work. Go with a flat bottom, no concaves or v’s to complicate things.
Newbie, some suggestions from the grouchy guy… I’ve taken out a lot of first-time surfers of all ages. Hell I was a surfing instructor for three summers back when.
I really and sincerely believe that you’re gonna hit the wall, hard, trying to start on a board that small.
For instance just yesterday I took out a first-timer that I used to work with, yesterday, in glassy 1-3 foot waves. He’s about 5’6" (167 cm) and maybe 170 lbs (80 kg). He is a fit bicyclist and does not lack strength, but has range of motion issues like all adult newbies. He rode a new 9’0" x 22" x 3" (275 cm x 56 x 7.6 cm) board that I made for him and could barely stay on it. He paddled less than 50 meters and was so tired he could hardly move.
You’ll croak if you start on a short board, that is, less than say 260 cm, and less than 56 cm wide. THERE’S A REASON LONGBOARDS SELL SO WELL. ('scuse me shouting). They paddle well. They float well. They catch waves well. They can be ridden well and you don’t have to have a big mac attack to perform well.
It’s easy to strap a board, any board, any size on the roof of almost anything except a moped, all you need is some rope and the basic knot tying skills they teach in the Boy Scouts (Pathfinders? what are they in Europe?)
Thank you dudes for yor suggestments, i’ll try to anlarge a bit the board to get more volume, and i’ll update the trhread as soon as i will begin construction, i’m still looking for the materials, it’s not easy to find styrene or poliurethane foam in such big dimensions here.
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It’s easy to strap a board, any board, any size on the roof of almost anything except a moped, all you need is some rope and the basic knot tying skills they teach in the Boy Scouts (Pathfinders? what are they in Europe?)
Eheheh Leev we got some rigid rules for car loading here you need the correct… uhm don’t know how it’s called, the bars that gets screwed on the roof of the car, anyway it’s not so expensive you’re right, but the main factor that led me to dimension the board like this is that i usually ride a smaller board without too much problem while paddling or cachingwaves, (keeping them is an other topic) i’ve some problems only with Duckdive but i guess it’s a lack of practice…in any case thank you all for your help.
you need the correct… uhm don’t know how it’s called, the bars that gets screwed on the roof of the car, anyway it’s not so expensive you’re right, but the main factor that led me to dimension the board like this is that i usually ride a smaller board without too much problem while paddling or cachingwaves, (keeping them is an other topic) i’ve some problems only with Duckdive but i guess it’s a lack of practice…in any case thank you all for your help.