Hey howzit Swalockonians? Shit I’m feeling so nervous right now about posting up my first HWS for critique, I guess it’s a lot easier just to absorb the info on the threads than to post your board. Maybe I need a few drinks first? No, that didn’t help with my driving test all those years ago and it’ll probably just make me seem even more of a prick now…
So I’ve shaped and glassed a few foam boards but that was over ten years ago and in a different world. Recently looked at my life and decided that on an island of 5,000 with about 6 surfers and only me at it fulltime that hey for sure a shaper is what we need. Made some alaias, enjoyed myself immensely as I’m a bit of a carpenter anyway and had excellent feedback. The cost of transport doubles the cost of a blank for me, so thought I’d try a hws. This is it, it’s based loosely on some pictures I have of Blake’s hollow paddle boards with skeletons that look a bit like cartoon fish bones (to me anyway).
I hope the pictures explain the processes I went through even if they don’t show the tears and blood (masking tape and ethanol makes it all better again).
It’s a 5’6 progressive fish for myself to replace a 5’8. I’d have glassed it by now but too many storms, the boat with my resin on is so delayed I wonder if it’ll ever show this side of Summer and perhaps I’m ‘meant to’ get some feedback on it first and avoid that obvious error that I can’t see before it becomes permanent in glass. My old 5’8 was good for the reasons that fish are but it also stalled too easily on snaps, like I’d go to unload and kill that lip and it would just do some lame spray-free slap or else not make it round and hey I will honestly say that it’s so much easier to blame the boards than look at how I surf. Also found when it was steeper the board didn’t hold too good in the pocket and I spent the best part of the wave putting everything into keeping that rail in the face (and atht’s not how I enjoy to surf). I’ve used the 5’8 (for maybe 7 years now) on solid offshore days to get down the face and it’s worked great for it, It’s hooky enough but I’m also aware how much more I’d be able to surf the way I love to with a narrower, more pointy board but then they don’t really work on gale force offshores, not for me anyway. The volume that I need to get me on the wave can then become a problem when it’s strong offshores. So it’s with looking to overcome these issues that I made the nose and tail solid and therefore heavier. I had the theory (based on too much time thinking I’m sure) that in foam the heaviest part of the board would be (moreorless) the point where the most foam was. I thought with a hws you are more flexible to shift that heaviest point. So theory one; A heavier nose would generate momentum to get down a face and so you know that problem of boards not working so good on offshore days would be overcome? With the tail I figured that on turns it would set up momentum again that would carry me through more so I could really hit it with all I’ve got (and not stall). Well it’s all theories but I felt keen to really experiment with how gravity is having an effect and how to alter the effects it has on us. It’s all I feel too vast for my feeble logical, rational mind (any of you ever get that?) but I can kind of know from what I experience as I ride so I built this. And also the durability, flex and strength of solid chunks of wood is a boon.
Anyway enough pointless waffle; the dimensions are: 5’6 x 19 3/4 x 2 1/2, 14" at nose and 18" at tail. There’s a lot of tail rocker because it’s going to be a lot heavier than I’m used to and well it’s hard to explain but I really believe in tail rocker and flip but while I kind of accept the presence of nose rocker, I don’t really care much for it and I don’t get nose flip. The nose is narrower than I’d normally have on a fish, the tail’s round because I find it adds a grace to my surfing that I don’t get with other tails, I think it’s the way turns flow together. The stubby little horns that you might notice are an attempt at wings, I have no idea why other than it allows me a wide enough outline with a narrow enough tail that looked and felt right, I’m sure wings do other things but I am unenlightened about what that might be. Sorry if I sound a tad head strong in this, I find it hard to put my surfing into words (woodwork and shaping ditto) and I ask your understanding if I’m not coming across quite right, first board post = nerves.
So… anything you can tell me to assist me improve it b4 I glass, will be gratefully received, props to the guy who posted ‘rant’ it helped me post this rather than just absorbing. Oh and when I wet sanded the wood, it left slight residue, any ideas how to remove that easily? Next time I would wipe it clean straight away but then I think in terms of adhesion, I probably wouldn’t have polished out the wood, had I not got bored waiting for resin to arrive. Obrigado amigos… I’m working on a 6’9 gun now (half wood/half foam) and looking at rocker for it if anyone would care to share some dims with me? Eh? Eh?
sorry no fotos lemme try one now
https://swaylocks7stage.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/board1.JPG
Okay that worked let’s see if I can do the rest, so this evening’ll be uploading fotos and NOT playing with boards
https://swaylocks7stage.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/board3.JPG
https://swaylocks7stage.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/board4.JPG
wonderful looking board, all of it;
however, those wings could be a performance problem, nothing probably that
a jig saw couldnt fix/adjust/smooth post-finish stage. They appear very ‘catchy’.
Thanks Otis, they don’t quite flow do they? (bit like my ears actually) What would you suggest? Maybe sand them down so they bend in more or just lop them off and leave a hip? (talking about board not ears)
Wow! Much admiration for taking on this kind of project especially out in the boonies! I’ve never made a HWS before but I’ve ridden a few and it’s a unique ride. I really don’t have much to suggest in terms of changes that would make any real difference now you’ve gone down the path so far. Glass it up good and tight and paddle out!
The solid tail and nose are not really going to get you into waves any easier (or harder) than if the whole board was hollow but weighed the same, get it? Acceleration, catching the wave, and pushing through wind are momentum and inertia things and you have to look at the whole weight of you and the board not where the weight is located. The distribution of weight IS going to affect the balance or trim. If the nose and tail portions are roughly the same weight then you might not notice it.
What you will notice is the solid wood in the nose affecting the swing weight. It will be harder to whip the board around in quick direction changes. depending on how you surf, that might be bad or you might like the stability it affords on a really short board.
The only other thing I see is a buoyancy deal. The solid wood won’t be a buoyant as the hollow part so you might not get as much float out of the board as you might have thought.
It looks like there are some lumps and bumps in the bottom (not the concaves). Maybe just the photos. If you can’t make the bottom as smooth as possible you might feel feel the board bog-and-go. In weak or smaller surf you might not notice it. In more critical surf they will magnify themselves.
As long as you look at your effort as a learning experience, you win no matter how it works! I’m really envious of your stoke. Let us know how it surfs.
dont know, its a functional and artiste’ problem.
Thanks LeeV. I see what you mean about swing weight, like a rope with a weight at an end, it would, I’d guess, sustain itself through an arc but be slow to change direction. How that affects my surfing will be interesting, both in the positive and in the negative. In terms of style, I love to hack mindlessly at the wave (perhaps ‘style’ is a bit much for this) though having said that I tend to adapt to whatever is under my feet and each different thing I ride gives me something different and as long as it’s not a hernia that’s okay.
I’m not a scientist but when you move the mid point up on a board, stomp on the nose, press down on the nose before you pop, sit further forward when paddling in, or shift your weight forward when the wave’s fattening out, I think you’re shifting your centre of balance forward and while the weight remains the same, you do seem to be able to generate a bit more momentum to get or stay on the wave. To my own warped sense of reason I can see a heavier nose has the potential to shift my pivot point in the same way but as you point out I’ll be surfing a heavier board than normal so while it will be easier to get on it, I won’t really know what difference a heavier nose has contributed to that, oops! I will try to explain to the wife that I MUST make another totally hollow one to be sure of what is and isn’t going on. (yeah right, that’ll go down well.)
I think that bottom of the baord shot shot was when it had just been glued up and yep it looked pretty messy, the concaves aren’t in it either, just paler woods looking like they should be more than decorative. But what you say is making me think that some of the problems I have on my thrusters when it gets up may be where my older, trusty boards are nicely golfballed on the bottom, one has so many serious reef scratches on it, I swear it looks channelled. Thanks again for the feedback, it’s making me think
I have the most respect for the hollow wooden crowd. I’ve always been too chicken to bite one off.
Maybe its just me seeing things backwards but if you lop off the horns it would surf pretty good tail first. Kinda retro 70’s single fin looking. Maybe put a box in either end if there is enough room.
But I am certainly no expert.
I’ll shut up and let the real shapers post.
T