Shaping challange, the tiny waves board.
What kind of a board would surf the smallest possible waves? What would work in weak knee high windchop or less than knee high dying swell?
What would turn a flat spell into some cross-stepping practise?
any ol’ 9’6" log about 3" thick is good enough for me, but i only weigh 140 lbs.
Biarritz,
Make a 11’ or 11’6 super tanker, real thick and you wont even need waves. Even if you 6’5 and 300 lbs you could catch about anything above ankle high. I’m gonna make one for Florida summer doldrums…
retodd
Specifically - measure as high as you can reach your hand on a wall and make the board 2.5’ longer than that. At that length, 3.25" thick would work for just about anyone, unless your dimensions are really strange like 5’6", 250#. Belly under the front half, flat through the back half. 50/50 rails until the last 16", and then ease them on down. 4.5" tail rocker (late rocker, not a continuous curve from the center), 3" nose rocker (continuous). Wide point at 4" behind center and small square tail so it will turn. Make it as wide as you can carry under your arm. Nose 19" if you want to noseride, but anything over 17" is fine. Tail around 16" and curving in to 7" or so across the tail block. 18-20 lb. Single fin box, as far back as you can fit it in the foam.
Width is a key part of the equation here. A Velzy “Pig” type outline is the first thing that occurs to me or a comfortable size to knee paddles and enough tail rocker to turn easily.
The exact specks depend on how big you are.
Good Surfin’, Rich
Thanks people,
Now a bizarre question: if a board has full rails, it can’t be over 22" wide to fit under my arm. I’ve carried some traditional logs to the beach on my head and it literally gives me a headache.
In the other hand, if I made a 9’6" or a 10’ shouldn’t it rather be 23" to 24" wide to have a properly curved outline.
(Now comes the bizarre part)
If so, has anyoune put permanent carry handles to a board?
Hang the board close to the tail and leave the nose in the sand… A noserider, polished, pigmented, without leash plug, but with a carry handle it’s more that what i can imagine.
Also, try to carry the longboard with the bottom or deck over a shoulder while the arm surrounds the rail… like in the old videos.
You could just make some little two-wheeled thing that attaches to the back of your board somehow. My friend did this with his 10-foot hobie and he just wheels it to the beach that way. It’s VERY easy.
I made a 10’2" board for the crap waves here in Galveston Tx. I’m 220lbs and 5’8" Works great. I actually ride that board more then I do my shortboard now!
Quote:
I made a 10’2" board for the crap waves here in Galveston Tx. I’m 220lbs and 5’8" Works great. I actually ride that board more then I do my shortboard now!
10’2" sounds good
17.75 Nose
23.25 Wide
15.25 Tail
A low entry rocker but with a sudden slight kick, big flat section to a rolled V with medium tail rocker.
I personally like a pintail in this shape with a little bit oh hip on it to catch the small stuff real easy and earlier entry.
Cheers
-Tony
For carrying, you can always pinch the rails down from the top side, doming the deck. If you bring your basic center-of-the-board rail thickness (before the around-rail curve begins) down from 2.75 to like 2" it makes a huge difference in getting your arm around it and holding it in your hand. And if you take foam off the top only, your bottom contours will stay where you want them.
You can also carry it horizontal by putting a rail on your hip and holding the board flat out to the side. That works for bigger boards. Or, if you use a leash, make a loop in the loose end and slip it over the nose to make a sling.
one consideration when surfing windchop is board length, here on the Great Lakes we get lots of windchop but with such a short fetch the waves are so close togather the nose of a 10’ board might rise up on the wave in front of you during a bottom turn.
If you doubt that the Great Lakes can have surfable waves check out this link to a new video.
view the trailer & enjoy
bob
don’t necessarily need handles-figure out where your hand will be when carrying the board, then dig out an area on the deck, just past the rails, glass it and you will have a notch for your hand to fit in …
Benny,
I followed your instructions and scetched a rocker, foil and outline. It,s 10’, 16,5" tail, 18" nose. The grid is in centimetres (sorry). Whaddaya think?
Looks like a very legitimate small-wave noserider-type shape. Nice job! Post photos when you shape it 
If anything, you could subtract 1/2" from the tail rocker. Depends on the shape of the waves you’ll be riding. Small but clean, lined-up walls: flatten it out a hair; small & mushy beachbreak: leave it as drawn.