I know I have been asking alot of questions, but I guess that is what this site is for. So here goes another based off the idea of making a 9’6" 2-2 1/2" nose and 4" of tail rocker.
Is it ok to use a over sized blank like the 10’7"H w/+7/8" tail http://www.clarkfoam.com/107h.shtm when making a 9’6" board? Or will the entry lines be messed up because I would want to keep all the tail rocker and remove about a foot off the nose?
Y E S.
with Clark Foam, the integrity of the foam lessens as you dig deeper toward center. ideally, you should get a blank just large enough to fit your finished board, and the rocker should match your intended deck rocker (so that you can minimize the amount of foam removed from the deck). if you’re looking for a 9’6" traditional board, you’d be best off to choose your blank from the 9’9", the 9’9"W, or the 9’10"H. i’m making my 9’6" traditional cruiser/noserider from a 9’9"W, +1/2N last 18", +3/4"T last 21", Classic foam, custom stringer.
Thrailkill, could you go a little deep into which ? you answer yes is to. Hopefully it is yes, I can use the larger blank without worry of messing up entry lines. Please read on and give more input you should have plenty with the amount of time you’ve been shaping.
Sol, Hi once again local. As always thanks for the advise. As you know I started out looking at the 9’9"ish blanks, but as I look at them more I think the rocker is too constant for what I’m looking for or too much nose rocker. With the http://www.clarkfoam.com/107h.shtm it appears as if the center of this blank is about 3’ long with only 1/4" of rocker on each side of center and not even 3/4" of rocker over what appears to be almost 5’ of the board. Leaving the rocker to the tips. The only concern is moving the flatest section forward again, but I think the area is large enough to not have to worry about this.
I’m also looking at this blank http://www.clarkfoam.com/103.shtm but need to know the midsection #'s
As my idea of design confirmed by few {would like to hear from others} is to make a very fast paddling, catch wave early longboard. I really don’t care about snappy turns, hot dogging, or big wave riding on this board as I’m looking for just the opposite of what I have now. Which is a very nice 9’6" Robert August Wingnut II. I think the WII comes alive on a bit larger peakier wave {think Spanish House @ 4’+}. Which I don’t get to enjoy every often.
C’mon swaylocker’s I’m waiting for info. I’m on this site 2+ hrs a day reading. I want to read your post on this topic.
Thanks in advance,
I started out looking at the 9’9"ish blanks, but as I look at them more I think the rocker is too constant for what I’m looking for or too much nose rocker.
you can order any custom rocker that you want. a 9’9"W already has a relatively flat rocker, but to get the specs your looking for, all you’ve gotta do is tell 'em to go -1.5"N last 18" (this will give you an almost flat nose, very gradual increase to 2.5" nose rocker, quite the perfect plank), +0.5"T last X"(X = however long you want the tail rocker to increase).
when the blank comes out of the mold, the foam is very flexible. they cut the stringers to match your custom rocker measurements, cut the blank, and glue it according to your rocker curve. the possibilities are endless.
however, so long as you don’t dig too deep into the deck, you could cut down a larger blank. way back when (before the advent of the fish blank), shapers would make a 5’6"-6’0" fish out of a 10’0"+ longboard blank because it was the only way to get the thickness and width they needed.
H’mmmmm Ok I didn’t know that you could take rocker away from what the mold is designed for. My worry at that point would be changeing the flow into the flat section. Where if I went with something designed to the rocker I was looking at the flow wouldn’t be at question, maybe.
Skimmer,
Per your request, a few observations. (1) It’s easier to cut foam away than put it back. So, oversize blank is OK. I do that on a regular basis. (2) The rocker plan you describe is what I called a “Kicktail” in 1960. It is a very valid design, and works well. (3) Clark blanks DO lose density as you cut deeper into them. Soooo take as little as possible off the deck, and do the heavier shaping on the bottom. (4) Don’t worry about the entry contour, that’s what you as a shaper control and create. On the topic of bottom contour, a flat bottom at the nose is more effective than a concave, in my opinion. Hope that is helpful.
Thank you Bill. Yeah the Kicktail is what I’m after for sure. As this will be my first board I’m making {yes, Sol i’ve decided to do it myself} I’m not wanting to get to crazy and messing with flow too much. The idea of making the rails Egg from nose-mid board to a down rail into hard edge in the tail sounds to be a challenge the first time around, but video’s have helped me think I can pull it off.
Hell maybe I shape one and say,"shit that was alot easier than I expected.
Thanks again,
Flaskimmer, Oversized blanks are being used more and more lately, from my observations. The main reason is to get a shape with lots of thickness. As was stated before, you can order any rocker you want in order to customize the board.
I recently saw a new board by John Kies that was 10’-0", and 4" thick. In order to get the thickness, the board was shaped from a Clark 11’-3". And everything works. I got a chance to surf it, and it surfs amazing. It’s a pointy nosed, wide-tailed (16") swallowtail. There is definitely one of those in my future. Doug