surf/paddleboard

General Discussion
1

is anyone shaping paddle/surfboards like the Joe Quigg made for Dale Hope and featured in TSJ a while back, or the Dave Parmenter model seen at

http://www.swaylocks.com/resources/detail_page.cgi?ID=304

How would i go about getting a board like this? are there any used ones for sale?

Are 12 ft blanks availible?

i currently have a 11’ surftech but want something that paddles better, idealy i’d be able to kneepaddle it, railroad some open water swells and catch some L O N G rides.

Does such an animal exist?

Thanks!!

bob

2

http://www.swaylocks.com/resources/detail_page.cgi?ID=342

3

Mike Eaton, Dave Parmenter and a couple of other guys could probably help you. I think the big green Parmenter has been sold to make room for a new one of similar dimensions. Have you tried the 12’ Munoz Surftech? How about an old windsurfer hull - maybe a used one really cheap?

Here are a couple of blanks that might fit the bill if you want to try it yourself or can find a shaper…

http://www.clarkfoam.com/123.shtm

http://www.clarkfoam.com/128.shtm

4

I made a 12’6" as a multi purpose surf, paddle, tandem, fish etc board out of the Clark 12’8" blank that John provided the link to above.

I mostly use it on the shoals at the local inlet, love to go for a ‘Nantucket sleigh ride’ with it ie; catch and ride, standing up, swells that peak on the sandbar but don’t neccessarily break.

Oh yeah, watch your width if you want to knee paddle it. If its too wide you can only really paddle prone.

Clark offer a flatter paddleboard rocker for this blank, the natural is like a banana (I did a custom rocker somewhere between the two).

5

check out joe bark paddle/surfboards.he made some sweet ones for the Malloy brothers.able to make long recon paddles and can surf 'em as well.

6

mike eaton has a paddleboard web site, you might find a used on there. He makes very nice paddleboards/hybrids too, a friend of mine got one not long ago. Where are you located?

Yes, you can get 12 foot blanks from Clark, they make a 12’3" and a 12’8" last I recall.

Funny, just a few hours ago I was dreaming of making a Joe Quigg-inspired balsa paddleboard… don’t know if I have the chops for it or not… but it would be some project!

7

My inspiration for my 12’er was the Quigg shaped board for Dale Hope, as seen in an older Surfer’s Journal…

That, and Tom Morey’s Ultra Glide from the '70’s

The blank I used was a Custom Clark 12’3” Supergreen w/Basswood Stringers…

I had Clark remove some width in the center before glue up…

Shaping was a JOB…Lots of long and steady strokes…

The shaped dimensions are: 12’ x 20” x N-13” x T-12” x 3.75

Glassing: 4oz.S-Cloth…Deck x 3 - Bottom x 2…Glossed & Polished…

My 12’er is similar to what Dave Parmenter makes…

We met last year and talked boards…

He likes to put a chine rail on his… I soften my lower edge a bit…

On those smooth days, noting compares to my 12’er…

So fun…!!!..

It’s amazing how it rides…

Early entry and find your line…

The board is sensitive to being surfed “off the stringer”…i.e.: you fall off…

But once centered, the sweet spot is the only place to be…

It took me a while to get comfortable on her, but after a few surfs just find the sweet spots and she does it all…!!!..

I’ll bring it to Big Sur…

8

Yup, I used that same blank for my tandem board. Very wide to start with, a lot of work to finish…can catch a ripple, paddles like a dream. Not much fun getting it to the beach, though…

9

Boards over twelve feet ride better if they are heavy, and wood rides best of all for big boards, but it takes a bit more grunt to paddle them and a lot more grunt to carry them. If you want your board to ride well, glass it very heavily.

One thing that I have noticed about foam surf/paddleboards and 12’+ surfboards is that they are very thick, which drastically reduces the control the surfer has over the board. A paddleboard requires a thick, narrow board, whereas a twelve foot plus surfboard benefits enormously from a low centre of gravity and a bit more width. That is why I design my big boards with widths in the 24" to 27" range, and keep the centre of gravity low with a parallel profile and thicknesses of around 2 1/2". The reality is that a big board is going to paddle well anyway, so if you have any real interest in surfing performance keep her thin to avoid the ‘stringer sensitive’ characteristic which Paul Jensen has with his surf/paddleboard.

Also the more you pull that tail in, the more efficient your board will be as a paddler, and it will turn better in a surfing situation due to the increased planshape curve. The idea that you need tail area for turning does not apply to big boards, the reverse is the case.

Roy