Hi Guys,
Just looking for someone to review the new shape I created below.
I'm new to shaping and looking for a short fast board to ride in smalish waves, easy to catch waves and just fun to ride
I'm about 150lbs 5'10" tall.
Board is 5'8" tall, 20.5" wide, 2 7/8" thick, nose:17" tail: 17"
Widest and thickest portion is center.
Thinking about quad fins.
Please take a look and let me know where improvements can be made, I'm sure there are lots.
Thanks
Josh
yeah, you could reduce it a little, it is gunna make it drivier and you can always loosen it up with some fin adjustments.....but I dont think it is extreme what you have there and it would turn a little tighter as is...but thats up to you and how you wanna surf it.....
looks fun, I am doin one similar atm but I am keeping planshape straighter especially thru tail for maximum speed and drive, no tail rocker and deep single concaves and cut off square for max planing area, your one looks fun and should have decent amount of manouverability...I'd go quad for sure....dunno why some do diamond tails on such short boards, I think they suit boards that need the rail length shortened, not tiny little slabs, but thats just me...each to their own hey.....keen to see it come to life.......
Thanks pridmore.
Any other advice out there on how I can improve the design.
I am also getting ready to do something similar. I’m 5’10" and 180 lbs and I’d say at your weight (150 lbs) you could definitely afford to go thinner if you want more sensitivity. 2 7/8" might be kind of “boaty” for you. Tough to sink rails. I planned to do mine at 2 1/2" in EPS (Marko 1.9) so you certainly could go thinner than that.
Jamie I'm not overly experienced, just moving down from a long board do you still think I should go thinner.
There is no harm in staying at 2 7/8", just at your weight, it might be difficult to sink the rails and change direction quickly and efficiently. Coming off a longboard this may not be a big deal, because you are used to muscling a board around. But if you want the board to be quicker, lighter, more “skatey”, then I would go thinner. Down to 2 3/8" and you’ll still catch waves easily with that low rocker and wide plan-shape.
or just roll the rails to a lower and more responsive rail , that way you have the volume for easy paddling and wave catching and not a worry sinking the finer rail, plus shorter boards can be over powered, especially if coming down from a mal, dont make it to small or overly responsive unless you have tried a similar shape, which is probably a good idea before settling on dims....interchangeable fins will be good idea too, then you can tighten or loosen the board up if needed, reckon you'll like it with slightly bigger fins if you are used to turning a mal.....but this way you have plenty of fin options.....
I do what pridmore suggests, i keep 3'' in my decks, and just bring the rail volume down. If you're looking for a fun board that catches lots of waves, then you can do it no worries. My preference is for keels, but that's just me. You can always try to set up 2 sets of fin boxes so you can use keels in the rear boxes, and then use both the front and rear boxes for a quad.
My "pacman", very similar to your dims. Mines 3'' thick, though, but im 175 ( ok 180 ), and 5'9''. 17nose and tail, and 21 wide. Flat deck for foam galore!!
Almost finished sanding.
Nice outline! Are you creating a planing hull of some sort?
I think there is a bit too much curve in the tail rocker…i think
this will make the board slower, even though there is plenty of
volume, it’ll be “difficult” to catch waves. I’ve built one board with a similar tail rocker for them small days, its 6’3 x 20 x 2 3/4, and it is slow, feels sluggish just at that point when it starts to plain (plane?). I look at its outline and kick myself for putting that much curve in the tail cos i love the outline…
I think you could just keep the rocker at 2" or so (rough estimation from the diagram) but flatten out the curve, this will make all the difference.
Hopefully someone else will chime in on this point…
Thanks everyone, keep the suggestions coming.
Retrothis: tail rock is currently about 1.5" (is that to low?)
Beefman: thanks for the picture, I think I'm going to try and keep the board full thickness and just turndown the rails - should provide a mix of float and turn.
im personaly not a fan of anyboards under 6 foot. not enough rail in the water and they dont catch waves that well. ok if small and uncrowded. but a greedy bugger like me wants to have every set and on the money
my quiver exists of about 75% boards under 6'0" and I am as greedy as they come mate, plenty of volume and I get alot of waves..each to their own.. depends on waves too, iI surf alot of beachies, not very often its too much over head high, alot of fun small waves.....
hi pridmore. the difference is between jibber and carvers. i pick my days and dont generally paddle out unless offshore, head high or over. or if smaller, really perfect offshore and peeling. i would rather hit the mountain or do something else. jibbers are happy in most snow conditions and even low vis. carvers need space and perfect condtions so they can go fast and G turns. different buzz. someguys are happy riding rails and 2 foot transitions all day up the mountain. i like bluebird days and fast groomers
i surf reefs and rivermouths . they get crowded( with semi pro level surfers) and often overhead . i like boards to be versitile i think a 6 1 fish can do everything a 5 6 one does but 5 6 seriously limiting in crowds, reefs and tight lineups… i can ride tiny boards as well but wave count goes down and im not interested in sharp turning so much as high line trim speed and barrels. and carving turns. all require waves with some go. i think really skilled surfers can ride shorterboards but i cant see the point when the waves are epic. nothing more frustrating then late freefall drops when you could be angling under the lip and getting slotted. a longer board makes all the diference and you can still hit the lip as hard as you like
I made something similar and it works just fine. Mine may have a slightly narrower tail.
The board has about 3 inches of nose rocker and 3 inches of tail rocker and it’s about 5-10 x 20 1/2. Maybe only 5-8 x 20 and it’s about 2 1/2 inches thick. No stringer PU blank.
I get up on the nose and push down hard when I paddle to get into the waves that aren’t quite breaking yet. Otherwise, if your in the right spot, should have no problem catching waves.
Hey randomgo
Nah, 1.5 is not too low. That a good solid number.....very underappreciated in my opinion :). But what i was saying is that you can keep that rocker at 1.5, but slightly flatten out the curve so that the transition is smoother. The guys above are also correct, your tail rocker is not extreme, but I think it might be difficult to catch smaller gutless waves and stay ahead of the curl.
But if youre set with the rocker you already have, you might as well try it and see.
retrothis: so you're saying I should pull the tail and nose rocker towards the center a little more and reduce the flat center? What are the benefits of this (real question I'm new?)
Will my current tail rocker (1.5") make it easier to catch waves (small waves) as it will sink into the wave and push me forward or hinder it? My basic understanding of tail rocker is a larger rocker is required for steeper waves allowing the rider to lean back and pull the nose out of the water? Is that correct? If so, this being a small wave board would it not be better to have a lower trail rocker for increased speed.
thanks again.
i seriously dont look to much at tail rocker wrt speed tunning. i look at front entry ,volume dis and rail volume/shape. fish can have tail rocker imo. tho purist would disagree
