What is the best way to shape Vee into the bottom tail area? surform, Planer? How exactly do you cut it in? One pass off the rails area up to and blending into a specific point, maybe a foot from the tail? I searched the archieve but couldn’t find anything? Thanks guys Andy
First understand what Vee is. The bottom of a surfboard is an elipse. V pannels are tilted elipses. The intersections of these elipses form curved ridges, from the front of the fins forward to the rails. While turning, the “down” Vee pannel forms a plane for curving water. While trimming, the bottom pannel forms a pannel for water to pass straight from nose to tail. The intersecting ridges would interrupt this flow, so you must round off the ridges. Instead of Vee, think “belly”, a compromise between turning and trimming. I mark lines on the rails of my rough cut blank. The lines curve from the bottom, about 2 ft in front of the fin, all the way to the stern. The lines’ depths max out at about 1/4 inch above the bottom adjacent to the front edge of the center fin. How do I remove foam down to that line? Any way that I can, but mostly with large cushioned sanding blocks.
Noodle gives an excellent explanation of a V bottom here, as usual. I just got a copy of the Damascus Productions- Master Shaper Series. In it, Jim Phillips shapes a classic longboard with V-bottom. His approach and the way he handles his tools to put this bottom contour in is nothing short of a fine art. If you want an excellent visual instruction on how the classic V-bottom is shaped in a surfboard blank get a copy of this program. There is now a VHS format available for $59.95 Tom S.>>> First understand what Vee is. The bottom of a surfboard is an elipse. V > pannels are tilted elipses. The intersections of these elipses form curved > ridges, from the front of the fins forward to the rails. While turning, > the “down” Vee pannel forms a plane for curving water. While > trimming, the bottom pannel forms a pannel for water to pass straight from > nose to tail. The intersecting ridges would interrupt this flow, so you > must round off the ridges. Instead of Vee, think “belly”, a > compromise between turning and trimming.>>> I mark lines on the rails of my rough cut blank. The lines curve from the > bottom, about 2 ft in front of the fin, all the way to the stern. The > lines’ depths max out at about 1/4 inch above the bottom adjacent to the > front edge of the center fin. How do I remove foam down to that line? Any > way that I can, but mostly with large cushioned sanding blocks. http://www.damascusproductions.com
First understand what Vee is. The bottom of a surfboard is an elipse. V > pannels are tilted elipses. The intersections of these elipses form curved > ridges, from the front of the fins forward to the rails. While turning, > the “down” Vee pannel forms a plane for curving water. While > trimming, the bottom pannel forms a pannel for water to pass straight from > nose to tail. The intersecting ridges would interrupt this flow, so you > must round off the ridges. Instead of Vee, think “belly”, a > compromise between turning and trimming.>>> I mark lines on the rails of my rough cut blank. The lines curve from the > bottom, about 2 ft in front of the fin, all the way to the stern. The > lines’ depths max out at about 1/4 inch above the bottom adjacent to the > front edge of the center fin. How do I remove foam down to that line? Any > way that I can, but mostly with large cushioned sanding blocks. I shape in vee by first of all measuring the length of the vee. I usually shape the vee in the last third of the board. So on a 9’0" the vee would be 36". I lay down a pencil widthwise to show how far the vee will extend. Using my planer, I take a cut starting from the mark, going toward the tail. This cut is about the width of the planer blade. The cut should start from nothing, to the depth of the vee when you reach the tail. Then I take another cut next to that outer one about half the depth. It ends up looking like a terrace I guess. Repeat on the other side. After using the planer, I use a surform to cut down the corners of the cuts. Keep surforming till the cuts are blended to flat. It took me a while to learn this, maybe there is an easier way. I try to have the vee peak where my middle or single fin would be placed. From there toward the tail it starts to flatten out a bit.
I shape in vee by first of all measuring the length of the vee. I usually > shape the vee in the last third of the board. So on a 9’0" the vee > would be 36". I lay down a pencil widthwise to show how far the vee > will extend. Using my planer, I take a cut starting from the mark, going > toward the tail. This cut is about the width of the planer blade. The cut > should start from nothing, to the depth of the vee when you reach the > tail. Then I take another cut next to that outer one about half the depth. > It ends up looking like a terrace I guess. Repeat on the other side. After > using the planer, I use a surform to cut down the corners of the cuts. > Keep surforming till the cuts are blended to flat. It took me a while to > learn this, maybe there is an easier way. I try to have the vee peak where > my middle or single fin would be placed. From there toward the tail it > starts to flatten out a bit. The way “foamdust” makes his vee is about the same way I do. I saw Gurney of Hotline Surfboard and Jesse at WRV do it about the same as well.
The way “foamdust” makes his vee is about the same way I do. I > saw Gurney of Hotline Surfboard and Jesse at WRV do it about the same as > well. Here is my take on V, it is a result of doing something else to the rail line that doesn’t exist at the stringer. When putting in the bottom, you want drive and manuverablity. Drive comes from the center of the board and turning from the rail. When the added curve is shaped into the rail line, you wind up with V. So, depending on how and from what place you stand on your board, defines the placement of those 2 different curves. After initial rockering of the bottom, the next step for me is to look along the rail line and find the spot that it breaks away from what I THINK sahould be appropriate for THIS board. I pick up from there and create a pleasing line from there. With enough time, you start to see the sweet curve that will sweep you into a turn and then jet you down the line.