i’m thinking about my next board and want something shorter(than my 6-8" - 7’2" pintails i normally ride) but still keep as much paddling ability as i can. what i’m thinking about is 6’4"-6’6" thruster but going thicker, 2 5/8th - 2 3/4". my question is about pushing the wide point forward. i keep picturing a more retro style outline, like rusty’s way back machine or doc’s modern single fin outlines, but as a thruster with modern soft to hard rails, maybe flat to a sublte dbl concave thru the fins. i want something for a more fig 8 carving style surfing but i don’t want a true fish or egg. anyone shape or ride anything like this currently? let’s hear some opinions.
Sounds like you have something close to an 80’s style thruster in mind. Thicker boards (2 5/8-2 3/4) with wide points a bit ahead of center, yet not as forward as the 70’s single fins. Rockers were not as drastic as in the early 90’s–rails thick and boxy. Super user-friendly boards. If you’re going thicker with this board, I would think about a basic flat to panel v (or just a bit concaved v) bottom that would maximize turnability, maybe put a bump ahead of the side fins to loosen the tail a bit. I think Merrick shapes a modern version of an 80’s shortboard… Good Luck!
thats pretty much on the mark. merrick’s mongrel is kinda like what i have in mind. i’ll probably taper the rails a bit to avoid that corky “mind of it’s own” feeling i’ve got on the boxy railed boards i’ve done. maybe thats where the vee comes in…