Shaping a new board and have only made about 4 other boards. Thinking of 6' x 19.5" x 2 3/8" shortboard and was wondering anyones thoughts on a hard rail all the way through into the nose except possibly the last 12-18". Bottom contour flat all the way thru. Maybe slight v by the fins. Comments?
Clinton, North Carolina! Another cackalacky boy. Nice to see you. Where do you surf? I’m always between Wrightsville/Masonboro and Kitty Hawk and Hatteras.
I’ve only made three boards myself, but I think what you’ll get with those hard down rails and no concave is a big sacrifice in maneuverability and a gain in planing speed, which might not be what you want with a 6’ thruster. Is it three fins? What about the rocker? It seems to me that it’ll be rideable, just pretty different from your standard shortboard in terms of really digging the rail in when turning.
Right?
Surf topsail island. I basically make a board ride it (I am not a good surfer) then have my son and his friends ride it (good surfers) and have them give me feedback on how it goes. Rocker 4.5" nose and 2.25" tail. Planning on 3 fins. Would it be better for a flat entry and a min concave the rest of the way with these type of rails?
Hi Micheal, I used to ride a 510 board very much like the one you are describing with hard rails shaped by Tom Brockman. It also had a flat bottom and slight V out the tail. Was a thruster. The difference I noticed most in the rails was that it would holds well in barrels and you could ride it up a little closer to the nose. Lots of fun! Post pics when you’re done.
IMHO, Hard rails from nose to tail is not going to be very forgiving in changing conditions. If you surf mackin tubes all the time then hard edges will probably work pretty nicely.
Perhaps you should explore a tucked under edge with the edge softening a bit in the nose.
I don’t have the link but I know there is a linked page somewhere here that discusses all the variety of rails and the reasons for them. A search might yield the info you need.
Have read some of the threads previously but do not remember this precisely. Taking 1/8 to a 1/4 inch off the bottom edge say from the mid point of the board forward, also making the rail thinner than standard, and a flat bottom. How do you think this would ride? I have only made replicas of a few shortboards (poorly) but am interested in making something different to see how it works.
It’s a bit hard for me to explain, a picture would make it clear. If you understand how to cut rail bands, then this is just a small band cut from the bottom, the bottom edge of this band becomes the tucked under edge, while the top edge is later blended to become the bottom of the apex of the rail. All the rail bands have some taper and blending to them and they should be symetrical on both sides.
Try to find Bill BarnField’s treatise on Rail Bands and read a bunch of times. Once that sinks in, your perspective on shaping will change for the better. It’s a bit deep and I found it hard to digest at first, but I think that it is the best insite that I have seen so far. I just did a search and could not find it. Perhaps you’ll have better success.
HTH…
I have read that link in the past and it was difficult to digest. It took a few days to figure out what he meant and I am still not there. Is there any rule for how thin rails can be before you have overdone it?
If by “hard” you mean the edge that normally is limited to the area about the fins, there is at least one shaper who regularly (always) runs that edge the full length of the board- Greg Griffin. It’s part of his secret sauce. If you don’t know of him do a search. He posts here as “Sunset Point.” Try also at surfermag.com. He’s acult figure there.
The hard edge releases water quicker than a rounded edge. It’ll get you going fast, faster.
Actually ordered a board from Greg Griffin about 2 weeks ago. Now I am goofing around just having fun. Good pictures on the above thread. Was not thinking of making the rails as thin as some of those pictures though. Everyone here, including local shapers as well surf shop saleman all say that flat bottom with hard rail all the way would be a terrible board. The reason I ordered a board from him is because of the threads I have read on this site and intellectually it sounds like a fine design. I have not seen that type of board in any of the shops I have been in and am very interested to try it as well as trying to expand my son and his friends horizens.