So I was on my to go surfing and a guy walked up and started asking questions about the odd-looking board I was riding. Naturally, it was homemade…and unbelievably, the guy asked me to shape a board for him. So, I surfed w/him for the day to get an idea of what I was getting into.
Here’s the deal: He’s a big guy (6’3", about 200lbs), young & in shape (about 20 or 21, I think), and a pretty advanced surfer. He was riding a 6’3" x 2 3/8 x 18 5/8 popout, which he said he didn’t like (too stiff) and was in the process of selling.
He wants a speed dialer type board, but has never owned a fish and has only owned typical thrusters. I’m not too sure of the exact dimensions I should go with for him. Initially I recommended 5’10" to 5’11" x 20.5" x 2.5", but I want to be sure before I start cutting foam.
What do you all think??? Thanks, gracias & mahalo in advance!!!
Just an opinion but adding two inches of width seems a bit extreme, unless he was all about the retro style of your fish. You should’ve let him get a couple waves on your board to see how he felt about it.
Maybe go with a somewhere-in-betweener 6’ x 19 3/4’’ x 2 1/2’’
All depends on what type of waves you are surfing. For a 200lb guy, I wouldn’t go anything below 20.5", if anything I would go a little over. Are you using epoxy or poly?
I agree. The guy said he wanted a speedialer type board not a wider shortboard. At 6’3" and that weight i wouldn’t go less then 2 inches shorter than he is. Maybe 6’1" x 20.5 + x 2.5…
…if the guy is comfortable with that thruster volume
there s no problem to do a fish
normally the fish design go well 6 to 8´´ down in length to the standard board
notice that the guy wants performance not a “cork”
you say that he s a good surfer so shape him a good performance fish (read small one)
for bigger guys who rides 6 6 s x 20 I do fish in the 5 10 x 22 range (8´´ down) and change some aspects of the shape (depends on what the rider wants) like rocker, rails, tail thickness, etc
I shoulda mentioned foiling it out. Speedialers are not usually corks. At least mine isn’t. Really pinched rails and thin through and at the tail. The hold in good surf this provides is a must for me. Good luck!
6’0" x 20 and 1/2 x 2 and 3/8ths. Pinched rails and really foiled out through the tail. Sensitive board that rides the barrel. Tails pulled to 8 and 1/2 from pin to pin.
Anything under 20" is NOT anything close to a “retro fish” design. Might as well get a modern template in a quad (Cole, stretch, etc…)
Interesting that some are suggesting going 8" shorter than thier ht or shortboard length. Most of the sites I see say 4-6" shorter (Lost, Merrick, etc…).
Why doesn’t he like his pop-out? Only because it is “too stiff”?? It is pretty long (by shortboard standards), it is more “corky” than a PU at that same length, plus if you make him a retro speed dialer, if you make it 6’, and glass it 6+6, and 6 bottom and gloss it, it will probably be pretty dang stiff as well (so if stiffness is the ONLY think he is looking at, be careful).
How does he surf? not everyone that rides a fish well, rides a thruster well and vs versa.
All depends on what type of waves you are surfing. For a 200lb guy, I wouldn’t go anything below 20.5", if anything I would go a little over. Are you using epoxy or poly?
6’3" x 2 3/8 x 18 5/8
If the guy was surfing with these dims, 5’10x20.5 is going to feel like a boat. Yes, he is a big boy and maybe he’ll like it, but he needs to know that’s what he’s getting.
What about the board was he most stoked about? What didn’t he like about his board?
More info is needed for you to really get this guy what he wants.
I wasn’t really picturing a wider shortboard. More like the shape of those carbon fish that Rasta rides, which were posted in a video on a thread here a while back. http://www.swaylocks.com/…string=rasta;#311269
That board is so weird to me. Super narrow nose, wide tail (no wings), twin fin. Concave deck, carbon fiber. Retro yet super modern.
First things first–I was riding a 6’2" round pin quad, so having him ride it wasn’t going to give him the speed dialer feeling.
Second–we were at Witch’s Rock. He claimed he got the popout because he could travel with it and easily sell it to a rental-place in CR (which he did after we surfed). As far as I could tell, he’s a really good surfer–tons of barrels front & backside, plenty of power, good turns, deep take-offs (he was better than me, even if I had a cooler homemade board).
Third–I’ve talked to him a bunch since then and he says he wants the classic speed dialer, but he is willing to give me a chance to shape one for him, since he liked my round-pin quad.
I’ve talked to him about a 6’0" x 16.5 N x 20.75 x 16.75T x 2.5 thick, foiled, high performance rails & tail. If he wants the speed dialer experience, I can’t see how we’re going below 20" wide. I live around the corner from Pavel’s shop and those boards look like they have the width.
Of course, I am still completely open to ideas. I’ve decided to shape one for myself first to make sure I’ve got it all down before I make one for him. Oh well, guess I need a new board anyway.
Keep the ideas coming, I’m completely open to hear suggestions.
By the way, is someone impersonating me here??? Who is “Truckie”? “Trucker” is my dog’s name and proudly my online name… Anyway, more speed dialer ideas are always appreciated, even if they are from some sort of doppelganger.
Sorry Trucker, not trying to hijack the thread or your name. Just a coincidence. My cat is named Truckie, he stowed away in my truck when he was a couple of weeks old and I was down at the beach. He’s a classic and doesn’t mind getting wet.
Doesn’t anyone have a speeddialer that they can measure and share?
Sorry for my ignorance on this one, but I thought “speed dialer” was a reference to a certain fin template used in a quad set up, the front fin with some rake and the rear fin “goat horn” style, kinda like the H2???
Sorry for my ignorance on this one, but I thought “speed dialer” was a reference to a certain fin template used in a quad set up, the front fin with some rake and the rear fin “goat horn” style, kinda like the H2???
Is it an entire board design…pictures anyone?
It is the board AND the fins that create the combo. The fins are called speedialers and work in a wide range of boards including shortboard styled quads. And for the record the H2’s are like them not the other way around. As a matter of fact the templates are almost exact (no more than a pencil line). Rich designed the fist speedialers in 1985 or '86. FCS was not even in existence.