short longboard: the ugly stepsister

General Discussion
1

The idea had been clanking around in my noggin for a long time.  Its nothing new or original: a short longboard.  In this case, 6' 6" x 21" x 3".  It was originally designed to be 22 or 23 inches wide, but once I started cutting the template, I went with 21 because the others just didn't look right to me. 

At 6-6 its not really a longboard, but I wanted it to have obvious design elements of a longboard, and hopefully, to ride similar, i.e. (not really a "noserider" per se but) a glide and trim board  (maybe a cheater 5 now and then).

I wanted to incorporate some of the elements of my favorite longboard, and add a few things I haven't tried yet.

The planshape was originally drawn as a quad, going the other way, and I was looking at it thinking I could reverse it for a single-fin mini-longboard shape.  Then I saw the Brom Stepchild, and I'm like Yep, this could definitely work as a short longboard.  

I still want to build the one going the other way, so I would have two boards with identical planshapes, but going opposite directions - hence the term Stepsister.  Cinderella had two ugly stepsisters, and she wore the glass slipper.  I can't surf the glass slippers at my age, but I might make out OK with the ugly stepsisters.  With the funny-looking stepdeck, I'm thinking of calling this one the deck blister stepsister.   =)

I finished a hws stepdeck awhile back, and was unhappy with the way it rode.  It was 6-6 also, but 23" wide, and the stepdeck and rocker were more extreme.  It was ok to paddle, but riding, it felt way too floaty/corky, and very awkward to ride.  So I toned this one down a bit.  I still went with a stepdeck for increasing volume, but not so extreme as my hws, and only 21" wide this time.  I'm also giving it a deck concave, which gets more pronounced toward the back, after reading Harris' and others' comments in that thread.

I want to put a Thrailkill double single-fin, I have no clue as to the explanation for them, other than that they look really cool to me.  And I like trying new stuff, and the boards I've seen them on have gotten good reviews.

I cut it out of an old Eco-tech longboard blank, so I had boatloads of foam to play with.  (I've got one more after this to use up, then I give myself permission to buy a modern blank)  I started by cutting about 3' off the blank.  When I started cutting the outline, the blank fell completely apart at the stringer, so I had to glue and clamp it.  It seems fine now. 

2

I had some idea of the shape I wanted before I started shaping, but not an exact mental picture.  So I just make it up as I go along.  I might not know what I'm doing, but when its finished at least I'll know what I've done lol.

I work my way to the final shape slowly, kinda sneaking up on it - not like the more talented shapers here who know what they're doing, and work quickly.

This is my third all-foam board (the rest were wood).

3

When I first start, I always have a bit of anxiety over whether I will ruin the blank, or end up with a complete dog (I have two solid dogs to my name so far), but as the blank progresses I also start feeling kinda disappointed that the shaping part is coming to completion.  

The wide point is exact middle.

Its just kinda roughed out, the shape needs more work, have to thin the nose and tail, true everything and clean it up, rail bands and shape rails, scoop out the deck a little more, etc.

4

Personal attack from Roy???

You’ve made the big time now Huck!

I like the color on this one

5

looking interesting Huck! Hope to see it out here one of these days!

 

6

Thank you!  Getting a bit of color on the blank before glassing. 

BTW, I'm getting some free press on this board lately - Roy has posted a picture of my board and started a thread on another forum, with his comments ridiculing the shape as "the silliest thing I have seen in quite some time", and referring to the shaper (me) as a "hairdresser"!  http://www.grainsurf.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=5180&p=42787#p42787

7

Interesting project. I’d try a single box fin a starfin on that board.

Never mind Roy’s comments, from what I’ve seen in differnt forums, the guy has a weird personnality.  Amazing how someone can stand so much outside of the box with interesting concepts and theories and be at the same time so narrow minded and intolerant with respect to the few others who also think outside the box…

 

 

8

hi huck

i like your style, just going with your instincts

good luck on the project

wouter

p.s. Roy must do this bc you are a moderator now!

9

Huck: I popped over to the link you posted & had to join to read that post. I also read other forum topics started by Roy Stuart. Holy fuck that guy is a prick. Mike Paler is dead right to never let him on here ever again. Roy was banned before I joined Sways and so this was my first taste of his baiting people into dogfights. I’m exhausted just reading a couple of threads. Those kind of people just need to be ignored. That said, I’m looking forward to a ride report on your ugly stepsister, it looks like it will be a fun one.

10

im really liking the colors on this one

keep it up

11

That’s an ugly step-sister.  I don’t know what Roy said because its been taken off.  But if you start by saying its an “ugly stepsister”  you offend countless women throughout the ages who are ugly step-sisters.  Perhaps, just ugly, but an “A” for effort; and an “O” for a well thought out project which, is certainly straining to get outside the box.  Bravo!

Perhaps, the title of the thread offended Royella.  Or maybe a bit too difficult to pass through his hermorroyds. 

12

I am new to Sways and have no formal training…so I get all my information from forums.  I have surfed for years but never shaped until now.  Once I hopped up on my Christenson Ocean Racer all of my misconceptions of strange looking boards was blown out the window.  So never let someone say you can’t do that…it could be next big thing.

 

On a side note…I like those shaping racks with the double slot for different angles…never seen that either!

13

Thank you marbleman!

I used tissue on the rails and deck emblem artwork on my previous board with success, so I wanted to take it one step further with this one, and seal / tint the entire blank using colored tissue and polycrylic sealer. 

The stuff (art tissue) is just really fragile and difficult to work with - to get a good bond you have to paint the foam with the sealer first, and the second the tissue hits the moist foam, it wants to cling in that exact position, crinkles horribly and tears with the slightest movement when you are trying to adjust it.

Further, the sheets of tissue are too small to cover a board without seams, and any seams are just going to be really obvious.  So to use it, you just have to accept and live with the imperfections and limitations.  Despite which, I really like the look of the tissue.

The design is progressing, I am working on some artwork on the bottom.  I'll probably add tissue pin lines on the bottom, and resin pin lines on the deck, to clean things up. 

I sanded lightly to get out some of the larger of the inevitable wrinkles, and ended up going through to white foam in places.  So I'm cutting little tiny patches of colored tissue, and covering those.  I had one bad area which looked worse when I tried to patch it, so I painted over, matching the color as best I could, and I'll cover it with the board name on rice paper when I glass.

Roy didn't like the design, called it "silly", and said it was like "running in high heels" - I swear sometimes that guy talks like a limp-wristed hairdresser lol!  I don't put too much stock in what he says, as with all my boards, they're considered magic until proven otherwise.  =)

14

Huck the HairDresser....I like that.......with all that tissue around do you ever feel the need to stuff your Bra?

Free Roy ... 

He's my third cousin twice removed due to divorce.....

Ray Stewart...aka Stingray......Roy lives!

 

15

I've completed the artwork - a green gecko done with colored tissue, and then outlined with a sharpie marker.  Next up - the tissue pin lines.

16

Quite nice.     The ‘‘shadow’’ is an excellent touch.    Artistic, is the term that comes to mind.

17

Awesome board Huck.

Roy is a kook

18

thanks!  Finally got some glass on it today, seems I'm always dinging or scuffing or otherwise damaging the board until I get some glass on it.  Used up the last of a roll of 6 oz. I bought from McDing a long time ago.  I put some 2 oz. under the 6 on the tail patch, and I guess I should add some more glass on the deck, I'll have to rummage around and see what I have.

Epoxy resin (resin research), I lam with a foam roller, not a squeegee, it works for me.  The pin lines are tissue, cut and applied freehand, so they're intentionally kinda squiggly.  On the deck, I'll do a more standard white resin pinline.

Shaping-wise, I'm pretty happy with the board, although I can see some areas I could have improved a bit.  I'm still learning, but enjoying the educational process as I go.

The step deck just kinda morphs into a built-in stomp-pad in the tail, I thought that was gonna be a booger to glass, but it turned out the glass wrapped around all the edges pretty easy, with minimal fuss.  I should go out and check - now that I said that, it probably popped up bubbles all over the place LOL.

I free lapped the rails, because I didn't want to put any masking tape on the tissue.

The tail has bit of panel V out the back, and what I call a "tortilla tail", which is soft rails all the way around the tail, like a folded tortilla.  The nose has chine rails, and a little bit of a concave, not much, more like a "flat spot".  The rails are pinched like my favorite longboard, I don't like boxy rails. 

I didn't want to do too much with the bottom, its just supposed to be a trim and glide board after all, although I have never ridden anything like it, so I'm just trying to visualize how it will ride.  I haven't measured the rocker, but its pretty relaxed, probably like 3.5" in the nose, maybe 1.5" in the tail.

19

Huck, that is very cool! I’ve painted a couple of “stained glass” looking boards that looked slightly similar. The tissue is genius.That makes a lot of sense with a lot of our lams being made of a similar material. Sanding that step tail looks like fun! “F” Roy! Does anybody really take that guy serious? I know that won’t stop you from doing what you do! Keep it up>

Barry

20

thank you Barry, and especially thanks for the "stained glass" reference - you just opened up a world of design possibilities, with that one comment!  I have been struggling with how to deal with the limitations of the medium, and bang, you nailed it with that reference.  That's how it can be done. 

Gets my gears turning, too, now I'm thinking of mosaic tile murals as well.  Both are mediums where there is no "blending" of colors, and no large areas filled with one continuous color.