Rocker Help

General Discussion
1

I am shaping a “funboard” for young guy…about 16, 5-6ish and 115lbs soaing wet. He is not an advanced surfer, but wants a manueverable board with good float. He’s from Santa Barbara, but goes to New Jersey every summer and wants a board for the summertime Jersey slop. I was thinking a 7’ or 7-2 funboard would be best…and maybe 21" wide. I don’t want to make a big clunky thing that he can’t advance on so I’d like to keep it as narrow and light as possible. I’ve never shaped a funboard and need some help on rocker dimensions for nose and tail. What is standard rocker for the type of board in the pic below. Also, would you reccommend 2+1 fins or a thruster setup? I came across this pic and want to use it as a guide for the outline (I’m guessing that’s about 7’2"). Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

2

I’d go natural rocker… about 5.5 in the nose and about 2.25 in the tail. Something like the Clark 7’4R would be good.

I’d go thruster setup if he’s already up and riding waves and wants this board to transition into a typical shortboard.

Keep it thin for a 115lb-er.

3

I don’t know New Jersey but I do know slop… 5.5 nose rocker sounds A LOT to me for those conditions. I’d go with something like that:

Just my 2 (Euro)cents…

4

I’m liking that outline by balsa, very natural. I would maybe round the tail and maybe do a 2 + 1 just to open up the option for a single fin set up. As far as rocker, i would think the type of wave he would be riding would become a factor. Since he is not as advanced, maybe he won’t be surfing the hollow beach breaky stuff, but thats a good conversation for a shaper and his client to have.

5

OK with you, Bizgravy, especially about the 2 + 1 which is the most versatile setting there is (single, single + 2, or thruster).

Congrats go to PierreB for the natural curve: HE designed this very handy software, “Surfdesigner”.

And, yes, I, too, would have rounded the tail (rounded pintail, actually) but Fishguts seemed to like the rounded square, so…

6

Yep…I like that outline, Balsa. I’ll have to talk to him about the tail shape. I know he borrowed a 7’4" Surfboards Hawaii “Glass Slipper” with a pulled in rounded pin last summer (and liked it), but I thought the wider surface area of a squash would be better for getting through the flat spots on the mushy waves. Any thoughts on Concaves? Thanks guys for your help!

7

I know New Jersey and its slop, I have a Matt Kechele pug performer which has a relatively flat rocker similar to what Balsa suggested. 7’2" with a swallow tail. It planes like a longboard but its still maneuverable perfect for summertime in Jersey.

8

4 inch rocker in the nose is more than enough for the east coast, 5 inchs may look cool but it pushes to much water for weak waves. I would also start him with a wider than normal tail. It will help him with wave catching for mush waves and it will help with the weak section between outside and inside breaks.

I am a firm believer in single fins for everyone expect the pros. But I know from my own business “only cool guys surf tri-fins man” Half the surf population on the East coast should be on fun boards but the Need to look cool holding their board to the beach is ALWAYS MORE IMPORTANT.