I’ve got a question that may seem silly to some but thought I would ask it anyway.
When measuring wide point placement, I’ve heard people say “WP @ 3” up from center"
My question how is that measured? isn’t the wide point more than a single point on the curve ? If the widest point of the board actually runs for 2-3 inches how can you say a specific point ? Is it the beginning or end or middle?
I’m not sure I articulated my question well or even if it is that important overall. I’m laying out a template and wanted to get it right.
You said it right, “the single point on the curve”. Unless your board is a rectangle with two parallel sides, the wide point is indeed the single spot where it is the widest part of the curving out rails. Most old-school boards had WP behind center (Velzy’s pig model and most all others with similar variations of that theme). Modern designs are most often at or in front of center.
it all depends on the plan shape. retro 70’s boards have more shoulders, late 80’s boards have more hips. It all depends on the shape where the wide point is. That’s why it is called the wide point. But the difference in width might only be a 1/16 or 1/8 over the run of 1’. The wide point is usually only a few inches off of center. So if your trying to figure out a wide point on a board that already has rails on it…good luck. Best to transfer it to paper, then do your new ideas on that, then transfer it to a peice of Masonite. Oh yeah i like the wide point about 3-6 inches behind center, I’ve got a cool speed egg shape that’s 2" in front.
Jay I think your point of the small (1/16 - 1/8) difference over a distance is where my difficulty is. I drew the line a little thick on my template. Probably not a real issue, the shape looks good and I am not a pro anyway LOL
This is a board a friend asked me to make for him since he doesn’t really have the cash for new one from a shop or name shaper- gives me practice, while he gets a board for material cost.
Happy Fourth of July to all the American Swaylockians ! Hope you get some waves to ride
Tricky measuring the exact wide point of an existing board.
When shaping I used to mark out the dimensions, and at the wide point draw a line parallel to the stringer. I’d mark the chosen wide point and then mark the same width a couple of inches either side.
That way, when I laid out the planshape, I made sure the actual wide point curve was on the central mark where I wanted it to be. The line should drop away from the other two points. Pretty simple and pretty accurate.
And no, the wide point cannot be more than one point on the curve, otherwise you would have ‘wide points’ and possibly a very weird looking outline. A snowboard has two wide points, but it’s a totally different animal.
I’m no shaper but I’ve done lots of other types of work that require precision measurement. I think your problem is precision, or the tools you’re using, or something in that area. Any curve, and surfboards are all curves, has only one wide point from a given reference. In this case the reference is the stringer.
Make sure your straight edge has an edge that contacts the surface you’re measuring. For instance, a 2x4 has a radius on the corner, so trying to sight straight down on an already difficult spot to find is made more difficult.
If you’ve marked your line on cardboard with ink that bleeds you will have a blurry line edge making it difficult to find the wide point. If you’ve done the multiple pass line marking thing, you won’t know which line to trust. Make sure you’ve got a clear sharp line. No matter how fat your line is, make a smart decision on why you’ll measure the inside or outside of the line.
Also make sure your straight edge is parallel to the stringer when looking for the wide point. After you think you’ve got it double check the distance of the ends of your straight edge to the stringer to be sure it’s parallel.
If everything is in order and you still can’t find one precise point, mark the front and back boundry of where you think the line is contacting the straight edge. You should have it down to no more than an inch or so. The midpoint between those marks will be darn close to the wide point, if not exactly it.
The only other thing that might be giving trouble is that the board your measuring actually has an flat spot in the outline. Use something flexible like a yardstick on edge to follow the contour of the curve and carry it through the flat area.
Described as positive (+ve inches) or negative (–ve inches) relative to the Mid point"
mid point :
the point that bisects the length (L 1) of a board.
Length :
The distance measured with a tape measure (flexible) from the nose to tail along the bottom curve. (L1)
(Preferred)
The distance measured with a ruler (rigid) from the nose to tail in a straight line. (L2).
Note that Length #1 is always greater than Length #2.
A 6-ft (L#2) board with an extreme bottom curve will be ‘shorter’ than a 6-ft (L#2) board with a conservative bottom curve.
In modern Malibu Board contests, minimum board length is measured by method #2.
Method #1 appears to be the most commonly accepted.
Practical application …
Measure bottom length with flexible tape measure.
Write the length down and divide by 2 (two) to calculate mid- point.
Measure mid-point length, usually easier from the nose, and mark with paper adhesive tape on the stringer.
The wide point is best determined by using a long straight edge set against the rail - Check with a tape measure/ruler that it is parrallel to the stringer.
If wide point is indistinct over a 2-3 inch range, then select the middle.
Measure the wide point.
Mark the wide point on stringer with tape and measure between the two marks on the stringer.
You should now have a width of xx’’ @ +ve x’’ (towards nose), -ve x’’ (towards tail) or 0’’ (centre).
Two parallel lines, one’s the stringer, ones the max width line. Where the curve hits the max width line I make sure it’s on the centre mark. Not sure how others do it, but it’s a failsafe for me.
…Wildy, yes after i response you, i figurate out that …
…I put 2 dots in the stringer; one in the middle the other the widest point; then I trace two perpendicular lines and put the measurements… for me its easy to see the widest point in a point that tracing a line…