hey guys, well I think I have read just about everything on this site about rocker!
I have just started my first board, a hollow wooden, 9’6", 18"N, 23" Mid/Wide Point, 14 1/2"T, 6" T-block. slight concave in first 18", slight rolled v in last 36", 10" single D fin (retro!) 50/50 rails verrry slightly pinced last 24".
I am still confused as to what rocker to put on it, I basically want a fun cruiser that maybe one day I can walk up!
from all that I have read I have come up with a 3 1/2"N, 4"T (slight late flip), I’m guessing that the 0 point is dead centre of the board? But what to do in between, would I be correct in saying that while you don’t want a board that resembles a double-kicked skateboard!.. you also want to avoid a banana!? maybe something in between? should there be a flat spot just forward of the tail and also just forward of the midpoint?
If anyone can help me out with some advice/opinions It would be greatly appreciated because I am at the stage of making the stringer now and am stuck untill I am happy that I have the right rocker!!!
thanking you all in advance, eagerly anticipating your thoughts!
suggest go to a site with the Clark Foam catalog (sorry don’t have the URL handy). They have dozens of blanks with natural rocker (what the shaper of the plug originally made); you can dial in additional if you see fit. Suggest use the 10-1Y rocker.
agree with honolulu…i’ll add tho that rocker confusion now is sure to cause problems down the road…nothing will screw up a board’s feel faster than bad rocker…if your gonna dedicate yourself to building it, you should really aim at getting it right…i spend more time analyzing rocker than anything else…
the descriptions will get you near the ball park…but there are plenty of other places where you can learn about longie design…rich harbour surfboards maybe? keep it simple and smooth and youll end up with something you really want to ride long term…have fun
hey guys, well after much reading and research I’m going to make my stringer for my hollow wooden this weekend, this is just a quick bump in case anyone else has any more thoughts coz i’m still not too sure bout this!
here is what i’m thinking for the rocker
3 1/2 inches at nose with a gradual curve towards the 0 point in the centre, then a lesser curve towards the tail untill flipping up slightly 1ft from tail to end with 4 inches at tail, from what I have read this will be pretty good at catching waves and turning (cruising) but also have the ability to run the nose a little bit, does this sound anywhere near feasable???
I’m really concerned about this because I realise that rocker measurements can make or break a board, if ANYONE has any suggestions or thoughts/comments I would really appreciate it, I just need to hear that it sounds ok from people who have done this before!
Hey Robbo, I am in Sydney and have the same interest in longboards.
Our design theory sounds similar. I have been drawing rockers for a board like this for a while. Maybe I can email you a file for the rocker. See attachment.
I would be interested in seeing this thing come together in the flesh.
I am also on the same boat as you guys. I recently ordered a 10’5" blank from Surfblanks Brookvale Sydney. It has the Yater rocker. 4 1/2"nose and 3 5/8" tail. I will take a photo tomorrow and post it. This board is going to be an old school cruiser 50/50 rails cutlaps etc. platty.
I made a 10 footer from the Yater 10-5 from Surfblanks. 10 x 19 1/2 x 23 3/4 x16 1/2 x 3 5/8 - a monster I know.
Wide point in the middle - 7 inch tail block.
The board turned out nice, paddled well and turned even better. I added curve to the underside of the tail - for noseriding effect.
I have been drawing rockers since trying to get something better for noseriding - but some would say a board this big will noserider somewhere on the wave - and they would be true.
Here are some photos of the 10’5". When I got the blank home and sat it on the floor it looked like it had more nose and tail lift than the specs said. I measured them and they are 5 7/8" nose and 5 1/8" tail. A bit more than Surfblanks rocker charts say. I’ll mark out the planshape toward the tail. I would prefer more tail rocker than nose.platty.
Hi Robbo. I had a look for the photos but the only ones I could find were of the jig. Any of the construction process?
Most people who are into old school noseriders agree that a bit of kick in the tail will help produce a good noserider. Have you read any of Tom Wegeners articles on “Suction V Drag”? Worth the read.
I’m planning to stick with the supplied rocker. My other two logs have a similar rocker and I’m happy with the way they go. They have a flat section just foward of the middle. The area where you would stand while trimming. You can see it in the photos. The nose is to the left in both photos.platty.
Hey Robbo. This is my 9’6" sitting on the beginnings of a balsa blank. I had a 10’ version of this rocker cut out on a CNC machine. It is sitting im my shed. Where in Sydney ar you? I can take the measurements for you, but I will not be able to do it untif this weekend.platty.
I was also caught by the extra rocker in that blank but I had waited for 6 weeks for it (custom stringer) so i dealt with it. I really dont understand their rocker measurements - maybe relates to a smaller board that fits into that rocker (stupid!).
hey LB, mate that board looks sweet, i’m sure it rides as well as it looks. what the rocker end up being? measured from the centre as zero point. when I get a bit more done on mine i’ll pm you if you wanna come and have a geez.
hmmm… I’m starting to think that I might be a bit low in the rocker department, maybe I should go for 3 3/4 - 4 in the nose and more like 4 1/2 in the tail, does your board go wel in small-med surf? turn, cruise and noseride well?
Because of the extreme size of my board it paddles well regardless. But i dont like how much rocker it has for really small waves like knee high. I think we deal with different waves to the malibus of this world so maybe a little more rocker is needed.
But I am pretty keen to make a new one with somewhere around 3 1/2" nose and 4 tail (maybe slightly more). I know I will nose dive a bit more but it should paddle even better to get into them even earlier!
Hey Robbo. This board is a better cruiser than noserider. It trims really well. It is very easy to turn. But you need to turn it in a traditional manner. It will not respond to modern style surfing at all. I think it would be a better noserider if the nose was narrower and the wide point was behind centre. It has a 19" nose and the wide point is dead centre 23". It works well in anything up to about four foot. It becomes a bit unpredictable in bigger surf. platty.
Hey Logboy. I had a look at the Classic Longboard Profiles thread. We are traveling a similar road as far as log design goes. I’m a firm beliver that, what is at the back of the board, not the front, is what makes a good noserider. Wide point behind centre and a narrow nose plus hips. I guess you would call it a Pig board. I built a balsa earlier this year. 10’ x 23" x17.5" nose x 17" tail. Wide point 12" behind centre extending for another 12" with a 4" pod. It weighs in at 25kg. Very easy to turn. It sat me on my bum the first few times I tried to noseride it. It picked up so much speed it caught me by suprise. That rocker thing is strange. Mine was also a custom order. It was ready within a week. I’m using the orange foam.platty.
