Well ,we have finally started!. Here are some pics. Note the shape near the tail, it kind os goes in then out :(, hope it doesnt cause too many problems in the water. Its nearly ready to do the rails. Hit me with any feedback, im open to criticism!!!
More pics!
Hey Mark,
Looking good so far, you could put up a blue tarp on one wall so you can see your outline better.
If that was my blank I’d be blending in those abrupt curves near the tail, maybe it’s just me but they don’t seem to flow well into each other.
What’s that blue box in the tools piccie…?
And how come your shed is sooooo empty…?
Ahh, the first board. I remember picking up my first blank at Mitch’s in Solana Beach.It took me days to shape and weeks to glass and sand…I guess I shouldn’t have shaped a channel bottom for my first board.
If I could make a suggestion…download the free software from aps3000.com, design a shape you like, and print out a full-size outline. When you overlay the pattern, you can see the hips and bumps you didn’t intend. Your shape is on the right track, but need some refinement. Next time, draw out the outline and ponder it for a day or so before cutting and compare it to boards you like. Shaping is a subtractive process…it’s damn difficult to put back what has been taken away.
Be sure to feel everything you do. Run your hands along the rail line, deck and bottom surfaces as you work. Your hands will pick up warbles and bumps that are invisible…until you glass it. I found it helpful when I was just learning to have a board I liked within reaching distance, so I could try to mimic its rails and foil.
Hope this helps.
Hicksy, im a bit worried about blending the tail, as its only 13 inches at the tail, i dont want it too narrow. Probably should;ve done a rounded square tail or something for a 1st board, d’oh!. The blue box is a welder, we made the stands ourselves.
Blueroom, when i trasferred the outline onto the blank, i used a pre cut rubber template. It looked good drawn on, but i guess as we sanded down the rail edges, we may have been a bit heavy handed !!. Will check out the site. How will i print out a full size outline?
Hi Mark
Fun isn’t it,
Its looking good.
I’m just a novice too but, my idea of how to even out your template would be to find the wide point, mark this with a small line on the stringer and then mark a dot 1-3" from the tail, . Make a new template for this portion of the board with an even curve, from the dot to the wide point, staying inside your orgiginal outline, you’ll loss some length but any loss of width will be relative and can be taken from the widest point, if after the new out line is marked out you need to bring the wide point back.
Good luck, have fun and enjoy it as a learning experience.
Chipfish would want to know the dimensions, what fin set up your going to do and to see some more pichtures.
Beerfan, I wasn’t trying to harsh on you, just trying to help you improve upon a good thing.
I think Woody has the right idea. Re-template the tail and make the board a bit shorter. When you cut your outline, stay far away from the line and sand up to it. Be sure to leave the pencil line, otherwise you don’t have a reference for your outline and don’t scrub in one spot with the sanding block…long strokes make for smooth curves.
When you download the aps3000 software, the print menu will tell you how to print the outline.