About to have a crack at making a longboard. Previously have only made wakesurfing boards and a few shortboards, but a few months ago bought a 9ft’er and have been loving it. My current board is approx 9 x 23 x 3, 50/50 rails all round, 3" tail lift and 4.5" nose lift, widest point around centre, glassed in single (mild rake) with slight concave under nose, and v in the back 3ft. I actually really like the board and can get to the nose on it for 5 and even 10 in short bursts (could be more rider skill why not longer), but looking to have a second board for when it is super glassy & under waist high (use shortboard for anything bigger).
The one attached is quite a bit different and based on the boards I have seen others riding recently. I’ve gone for low nose rocker and more tail kick, 50/50 rails in the middle going more almond shaped at both ends, slight V in the rear and concave in the nose. It is to be used in small clean waves at Noosa, and I usually ride close to the pocket. My main queries are:
how much concave; and
how much vee.
Looking at using a 10" rudder style fin.
I know everyone probably has a different view on what makes a good noserider, but hoping some may have made or own similar shapes. Please let me know if I’m way off the mark :)
Looks too straight through the middle. Outline needs a tad more curve. You can make it wider overall, or trim a bit off the nose and tail width to increase curve in the middle. Bottom is too flat through the middle, too. Add a tiny bit of belly through there, blended to the tail V. Keep that V as slight as possible.
I think it looks pretty good as-is but agree with the idea that the center should have more belly. You could probably ditch the concave and go with a flat nose area, fade to belly through the center and tail with a bit of tail rocker boost near the end. You say you usually ride close to the pocket… a bit of tail flip and some belly help with that. A big fin near the end of the tail helps might help with that too.
A big part of a decent nose rider is the rider himself. I’ve seen many who buy a ‘noserider’ and think it should allow them to perch on the tip any time they feel like it. Nothing could be further from the truth… it’s a game of cat and mouse getting up there and back in the right part of the wave. It takes practice to do it and years of practice to do it with style. It also helps to weight in at about 120-140 lbs.
PS… while you’re at it, take a look at some of the longboard blanks from the midpoint back. Although some blanks have the exact same rocker measured at the end of the tail, there can be quite a bit of difference at the 12" and 24" marks. A flatter section in that area can give you more of a square turn effect while the curvier rockers will fit the pocket better and arguably allow for easier nose riding characteristics.
For example check the 9’8"CB vs the 9’9"Y on the Millenium site… both are right at 3 1/2" at the tip but the 9’9"Y has a curvier rocker at 12" and 24". The description mentions that the CB was designed for machine cutting but the tail section is overall flatter than the Yater. The difference in the nose rockers is within 1/8" overall.
