Tandem board

I’ve been requested to make a tandem. Couldn’t find anything archived on rails, rocker, thickness, width, laminate schedule, fins, etc. pertaining specifically to a tandem. Any input as to how I should approach this? I was thinking an EPS core with a 1/2" thick stringer. Beyond that…??? (Combined weight of the couple is 300 lbs. He is maybe 6’ and she 5’4")

check your PM

I recently made a 11’4", 25 wide and 4.5" thick. I weigh 220 and my tandem partners each weigh 100, my two daughters. I went with the smaller blank as I did not know how much tandem surfing I would do and figure I would also like a board to double as paddle board. Works OK for both, would work great at San O, but as I am currently living on the Florida Gulf coast the choppy conditions aren’t so great for my board as it has very little nose rocker. I plan to make another board and after seeing a few tandems built by a master (Steve Bahne of Infinity and champion tandem surfer) I know what I would do differently. First I’d choose his blank with the suggested nose flip (last blank in the clark catalog). More rounded rails say 50/50’s, becoming harder towards the tail. Rolled bottom with v towards the tail. 12’ and 26" wide by at least 5.5" thick. My board is glass double 6’s all the way around and very strong and heavy. I think the EPS would be the way to go but I would definitely build off the Bahne Blank.

Daved

Can you post a picture of the board I am interested in what it looks like is it pretty much a widened version of a longboard?

Hey Daved, good info. Thanks. Did you create your own temp or use Steve’s?

here’s a tandem board I made a while ago,

http://www.swaylocks.com/resources/detail_page.cgi?ID=371

If I was going to do another one, I would go with a bit more

nose rocker (no fun pearling one of these babies!), a little less width

(26 wide too hard to carry), and a little more v in the tail than I

used. Mine is “only” 4.25 thick but it floats us fine, combined weight

of 300 lbs. I used a big single fin on it…

I used what I had, a couple of regular 9’ longboard templates and pieced it together. I have pictures but they are not digital so I will have to scan them so I can post.

Quote:

If I was going to do another one, I would go with a bit more nose rocker…

Do you have rocker specs?

Paul Jensen posted this a few weeks ago. His 12’ Surf/paddleboard in the archives has really nice lines. Its too narrow to be a good tandem, but you’ve already figured out how to fix that…

From Paul J.'s 12 footer:

---- Rocker - Thickness

Nose

0 - 5.625 - -----

12 - 3.125 - 1.75

24 - 1.625 - 2.75

36 - 0.625 - 3.5

48 - 0.125 - 3.625

60 - 0.006 - 3.75

72 - 0.00 - 3.75

60 - 0.006 - 3.625

48 - 0.50 - 3.375

36 - 0.625 - 3.125

24 - 1.25 - 2.625

12 - 2.00 - 1.875

0 - 3.50 - ------

Tail

I don’t have the rocker specs but I’ll try to measure the board this weekend and post them if that would help.

Yes, that would be great. Thank you! I printed out those listed above but will compile a file of as much info as possible.

How did that Tandem come out…Sorry to dig up the old thread but I actually used the search mechanism…Amazing huh. LOL

I always wanted to have one and my personal quiver is really where I want it right now (basicially) so I thought I would ask.

Any pics?

Here is one I made last year. I sold it before Black Monday thinking I can alway make another 12’ PU. Now I am going to start my 12’3" EPS/Epoxy 12’3".

12’3" x 18" x 26" x 15" x 4.24"

D






Wow Uncle… Das NICE! I like check out your EPS one when its done!

that IS nice , how much would it weigh , I wonder ?

cheers !

ben

Too much. It was a cruiser, very stable and caught everything. The junk part about this board was getting to the beach. Very heavy!

D