allright, this will be my first post on this fine board, first of all i must say that this messageboard has so much good info its addicting and it has inspired me to think up some shapes im just about ready to put into making, thank you for all of your input as i have taken notice of the amount of work, craftmanship, and research it takes into balancing all the elements that make up a surfboard>>>>>>for my first board i was thinking about making a short egg/shrunken longboard shape out of a becker 7’3 supergreen blank (the thick flat one) with widepoint forward, very low entry rocker with accelerated rocker through the last 1/3 of the board, flat bottom with slight vee in front of the fin(s), 50/50 forward rails, leading gradually into a hard edge tuck going from where the tail rocker begins leading off the tail, dimesions: 6’4-7’0 length, 17-18 nose, 20-21.5 wide (front of center),13.5-15 tail,and 2 5/8 to 2 7/8 thick (thin version if i do the 6’4 and thicker version if i do the 7’0) i am thinking of a round or squash tail (depending upon fin set up), either 2x6 ounce deck, 1x6 ounce bottom or volan (if i can find a shop in central fl. to do volan), my question about fins>>>>>>>> if i wanted to do a tri fin setup for a more maneuverable approach from surfing it off the tail how much drive will i lose when i want to trim midpoint on the board( remember very low rocker)?>>>>if i wanted to do a single box how will it ride off the tail being so wide for its length and how will it ride in not so perfect beach, not point, surf?>>>>and if i wanted to do a tri fin set up, what will adding a c-5 fin set up do to the same trimming/drive question i had about the tri fin set up in the first place?>>>>(i will be riding this board in small mushy florida surf as well as 3-5 foot solid lined up surf) as i already ride standard short boards and longboards>>>>one more question, how much paddling speed am i loosing doing the 6’4 rather than the 7’0?>>>>> once again thank you for any input as i have too many damm questions
I recently made a board similar to what you are describing. 7’0" x 17" x 22" x 15" FCS thruster out of the 7’3" blank. I kept the rails fairly bulky with a flat deck, 50/50 up front gradually turning to a hard edge out thru the tail. I kept the bottom flat throughout. The thing flys and basically surfs like a shortboard for me (6’0" x 220lb). I designed it for small mushy N.J. waves as an alternative to using a longboard but found that it also worked in bigger, hollow waves to a fair extent though at a certain size I switch over to a regular big guy shortboard also 7’0". I’m not sure how much you weigh, but I find for myself that it would be fun to go a little shorter than 7’0", anywhere down to the 6’4" that you mentioned would probably work great, depending what you want out of it of course. I personally favour the thruster set up, but again, personal preference comes into play. A C5 or supercharged version sounds interesting and I did see a Rusty version of such a board in a local store at 6’10" that I really liked the look of. As far as a single fin goes, I think it would be great on the clean, lined up days but would not have the get up and go of the thruster in the mushy beach breaks that the east coast delivers, plus mine still trims out pretty good anyway (thanks to the low rocker). You will certainly lose some paddling speed as you go shorter but as the board is so flat and wide it should get you onto anything that you would want to ride it in, plus you have other boards to ride when the conditions warrant it. Good luck with it. Paul Boardman
I agree with Paul in that you should consider the shorter end of your spectrum–i’ve made plenty of similar boards out of this blank, and if you keep the rails fairly bulky and the deck flat, a 6’4", with it’s low rocker and overall volume, will float like a 7’4". I like a single fins on a round tail with a flat-to-v-bottom on everything from clean point surf to sketchy beachbreak, and find that as long as I have a few fins to choose from, the board will work just fine. For the beach break, I usually choose a longer, rakier fin with less volume overall for hold if it’s steep. I don’t have that much experience with the c5 setup, but this is usually the point where Halcyon steps in with fin advice and encourages you to go the full monty, fin-wise. Where is Halcyon, anyway?
thanks for your input guys, if i go with the 6’4" how thick should it be? im thinking 2 5/8 with more volume in the rail? could i go even thinnner for that flat shape with 50/50 rail style? i am 5’8 tall 145-150, how short could i go being my weight but still holding that mini longboard/eggy feel? and what did you guys glass it with, i like the thought of a thin board glassed heavy for more durability/ momentum to get that glide outta something you’re not supposed to>
…Try the archives,lots of good info there.Herb
I shaped something similar earlier this year, archive #525. As a single fin it slid around a bit so I added a set of FCS plugs to ride as a 2+1 set up. Now its one of my favorite boards. Up front I have a pair of Merricks and a 7" Takayama in the middle. I dont have the answers to your questions, but sometimes the buzz about shaping and designing your own boards is answering the questions yourself (don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to discourage you from asking questions). For your first shape, I’d recommend you keep things simple, a simple flat to vee bottom, low tucked under rails are the basic components for a good riding board. Good luck…
Yes! I immediately thought of Foamdust and his egg when I read the first post by InspiredByTheSway. I’d seen FD in the water this summer on a few early morning seshs riding his egg and absolutely surfing it very well. I never thought I’d be interested in shaping an egg but after seeing FD’s and him riding it, I was like someday soon I’m goin to shape one of those for myself. Haven’t done it yet but I will eventually. This is what swaylocks is all about, drawing inspiration from each other’s creations and ideas and sharing each other’s creations and knowledge. I lurked Swaylocks for about a year gathering knowledge, info and ideas. No doubt about it Swaylocks has made me more in tune when I’m shaping. Nothing better than mowing foam to get better at shaping but when you have Swaylocks to draw from you are definitely ahead of the game. I raise my glass to Mike Paler and a big mahalo to FD for the turn on to the site and all the great and not so great craftsmen that post here. Aloha 808 shapes
for your fin question, put a box and two sidebites. that way you could use it either as a normal singlefin egg, or pop one of those small (4.5") center box fins in with a set of g-3’s or something, riding it as a thruster setup. i built one this summer, a 6’7, and it’s been a blast here in va. beach. you can just cruise it as a single, or put the thruster in and whip it off the top. easy cheater 5’s and it likes the barrel. oh yeah, watch out about putting too much concave throughout, it’ll paddle like a dog. --dave
Don’t be afraid to keep it close to 3" thick, especially since it’s your first board. I ride eggs in the 2 3/4 to 3" thick range, and I’m 5’9" 150. They cruise better and keep a longboard feel. I glass with 6x4 on the deck and 6 on the bottom. This is just a habit, as I’ve heard that the weight difference between 6x4 on the deck and 6x6 is negligible, yet the strength is much increased. Again, check in the archives. Post pics when you’re done!
Little egg shaped boards are great for the east coast. I made a 6’8’ 17x20 5/8x15 egg out of one of Greg Loehr’s 7’ eps blanks. I cut the length from the front to decrease the nose rocker. I like this board almost as much as my dog.