I just re-read his original post and I think it says the concave deepens from 1/16 to 1/8 behind the apex too, and with rather a lot of tail rocker, I believe would tend to cause a pretty significant suction in the deepening concave.
Get it going, and rail to rail it might feel good. You might visit http://www.griffinsurfboards.com though, look at his rockers, and his bottoms are flat–read the reviews.
EDIT: I just read grasshopper’s post and I agree with a lot of it, but how does it paddle…?
Just my uneducated observation, but the side photo makes it look like a lotta rocker, and the planshape seems narrow in the tail. But photos can make a board look like something it isn’t - a board upside down on racks looks like it has more rocker than the same board right side up on the same racks.
Stop!
ALERT!!!
PUT AWAY SKILSAW!
DO NOT ALTER BOARD>
going forward
as the design /construction tech
test pilot you are mandated by
the galactic confkaburation
to ride this board with devotion ,
abandon and a mind open
to posibilities beyond
any preconceptions
advice or anal ass is
a right brain is nothing to waste
the left brain will never solve the Mystery
the body in motion in liquid space
holds all the answers
Surf it! SURF IT -------s u r f I T.
and then surf it some more
when it is old and a spongy deck and has a ding from some goon who dropped in on you that thursday two years ago
in playa hermosa del bonitas in spanish east africa and the deck ding oozing jungle mud from melanisa
you will know the ins and outs of this mystery form…
until then your assign ment is clear.
prove this design worthy of your time and effort.
or giv/sell it to some kid who will
quick before the kid goes astray and starts robbing banks to support the horse habit
he wont take up if he just starts surfing…
The picture says…
the board is better than 90%
of all the boards made between 1937 and 1954
and we all know those guys were stoke every time they got a wave.
…ambrose…
if you just wanna make another board …
swell make one
it will be better than this one
but watch out the 5
maybe the seventh or
eighth board will be a real lemon.
Ambrose is 100% right!
Don’t over analize.
Ride her in real surf and you may like her?
I rode some horrible looking guns on the North Shore during the 70’s.
One I remebered was shape by Rick Rassumson (Spelled wrong I’m sure?)
It was a 7’0 single fin with chunky rails.
When PIPE was firing that board was allways in the sweet spot!
It had uneven rails and the outline was a little off from one side to another.
No Concaves or any fancy bottom. Glasson Single Fin.
Ugly as can be.
I miss that board!
My frame of mind was Chargeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Mental State of Mind can make a differences.
I say ride her some more and be happy in your session with her!
Relationships take work!
If you’re talking about the biggest day of the swell, I rode a fully rockered, chippy, 6’8 rounded pin that day and had similar problems. I was telling the story to all my buds… every wave was the same: getting hung up in the lip on take-off, late drop, awkward bottom turn, pull in, hope for the best. I think the reason for this was that the waves, generated by a strong storm barely offshore, was producing a lot of powerful groundswell, which was moving very fast - referring to the actual speed of the wave approaching the shoreline. That morning it was particularly difficult to catch waves on low volume, narrow tailed boards. By me, it was head and a half, easy, on set.
That afternoon, however, it wasn’t quite as big - just overhead - but still pumping in really fast, so I took out a 6’4 battail quad and just took it apart. The difference, I reason, was volume, particularly in the tail. When the wave speed it that great, I need more foam to get that push on take-off a little sooner. Foam helps me paddle a bit easier, too, getting me up to match the wave speed a little faster.
So I wouldn’t get discouraged. My gut says the board will work fine, but in different conditions. Maybe a windswell the same size will be more suitable for that board.
thanks to everyone who offered their help and words of encouragement. i may have jumped the gun trashing the board after the first go out, but your replies have given me lots of food for thought (janklow - thanks for locating that link to the article, its a good read and alot to take in)
i’m gonna take her out for a few more surfs to get to know her better. will let you know how our ‘relationship’ works out.
thanks again to all
brasco
Consider reducing the size of your forward fins. Based on the photo, the forward fins appear to be twice the size, that are actually needed. Good luck in getting the board dailed in. The outline is quite pleasing to the eye. I hope you are successful.
hi bill,
thanks for checking in again. when you say the fins appear to be twice the size that are needed, do you have any recommendations for fin size? the fins i used are the standard issue probox thruster set (h-4.75 d-4.5 al merrick template).
brasco
Donnie,
No, I don’t have a particular recommendation. Just try a pair of significantly smaller fins, and surf it. Idealy, surf the board with both setups, during the same session. That way you get to compare under the same conditions.
bill
ive got a set of fcs g-5’s that will fit the boxes. i will follow your advice and give them a try too on my next outing.
brasco
I agree wid you here bro. Last swell in Ocean grove, NJ,… and previous fast moving over head NJ ground swells,… I am getting hung up in the take off on a 6’ 8" bullet!!! Welcome to mini Pueto Escondito. To fast for the furious!!! Some of the heavy ist box drops I have ever taken in my life, here in NJ, over the past two years of real swell.
It’s not the fins mate.
Fins don’t make a hairline’s worth of difference to your paddling speed. What makes a difference – other than a lame rocker – is overall volume and where you’ve put it.
Your wide point’s too far back for a good 6’8" in any case. Make another board with the wide point a half inch fwd of center and vary every other aspect of the board’s foil, rocker etc around that.
Bingo, a board with some volume under your chest and some forward trim aspects.
Better still: make it a 6’5". Pretty hefty leap from 6’0" to 6’8".
Sorry I got in so late, as everyone has already stated the problem.
Just like to add… very narrow tail block, and round tail even, for EastCoast swell speeds.
Very little volume 2’ up, as it’s much thinner than chest area, so tail doesn’t pick up.
WidePoint back is usually good for early wave catching and shortradius turns. But you need wide tailblock or the curve is so extreme the board JUST does short radius turns.
Would be fine at Laniakea, Chuns, Rocky, with a sub 150 lbs surfer.
Yo Brasco,
I know you have at least 10,000 opinions about what’s wrong with the board. So here are a few more:
This board is narrow , quite gunny in the tail and has extreme tail rocker. That along with the fact that the wide point is 3" behind center make for a board that will never win any paddling races and won’t be easy to get into waves regardless of the fins you put on it.
You want to give the board as little fin resistance as possible to get her going. Rail fins give drag and the bigger they are the more of it they produce, particularly if they are flat sided. You want to be able to get some drive out of her so the place to go IMHO is to put 4.0" or 4.125" rail fins that are flexible and have a smallish tip on them so they’ll release nicely and put a big trailer on her like a “Sunny” or “Occy” type template. The rocker and wide point aft will facilitate turning and rail transition. Surf the board more front footed and see how it goes. No matter what it’s gonna be a huge challenge to get her going in anything under head high conditions with a good amount of juice. Who knows she may turn out to be a cool pocket rocket as the rocker pattern will facilitate trimming in the shack.
Mahalo, Rich
Rocker displacement.
If someone hasn’t already said this.
Herb