since so many shapers here show off their awesome work and share their experience on building what’s good, what do you all think are the worst boards and designs? seems like everything has been done before and i think experimentation is the coolest part about surfing, but i bet new guys could learn a lot from the “worst” out there, whether it’s construction, shape, materials etc.
thoughts?
What good could possibly come from this thread?
See Steve83’s recent post, and anything by Roy Stewart
really? learning from mistakes and failures provides the best experiences, wouldn’t you say? knowing why a potentially “great” idea didn’t work seems like a reasonable request.
I had a 9’6 Surftech Robert August “What I Ride”. I’d rate that as the worst board purchase I’ve ever made. Board chattered and rode like crap. Perhaps the same shape would be good in poly but the tufflite verion was terrible.
Uhhh:
Yeah but what I think is a shit board, you might love, and vice versa. How do you define personal preference??. Not trying to be smart, but how do you define the “best” surfboard design?. I surf mostly knee to a little overhead beachies, so what I love to surf isn’t gunna work for someone living in Hawaii etc.
They claim that these REALLY shread, but I’m skeptical:
is that Gmac’s rocket board?
I’ve got one. My #3 board was a HWS for my wife who wants to, (but doesn’t) surf. I made it about 8’3" (most I could get out of 8’ redwood bender boards from home depot plus nose and tail blocks). I wanted to make the ultimate beginner’s board: my goals: super stable, catches waves/paddles easily, doesn’t pearl, capable of moderate turns once she gets to that point, easy on her eyes.
I started by piecing together design elements like frankenstein. Super wide tail for stability, generous nose rocker for pearling, low volume rails (especially through the tail) for good release/paddleability, trimmed down the nose a bit hoping it would help her turn the thing, matching mahogany/poplar nose/tail/Dfin, s cloth to keep weight down. it was to be a masterpiece, a labor of love and a thing of beauty… (with 2 boards under my belt this all seemed perfectly reasonable to me at the time)
HOWEVER… from a surfing perspective, the result was an almost unmitigated disaster. The most difficult board I have ever surfed. It paddled easy enough and actually caught waves fairly well, but the complete imbalance between the enormous tail and the pulled in/high rocker nose produced zero float/lift up front so it was VERY eager to pearl. Turning the thing was pretty much out of the question. The rails were so boxey, it wasn’t even very stable, even with the giant tail and a d fin. also, my glass job was so terrible that the deck started delaming/leaking within a few surfs.
I know people can surf a door, this board was pretty much useless. At least I learned that a shape is more than just a bunch of elements. Fortunately, she never really got around to surfing it too much, and just loves the fact that I spent so many hours building a not horrible looking wall hanger for her.
fair enough. i probably should have titled the thread differently
Not the worst board, but the worst thing I’ve seen surfing related are those motors mounted to the bottom of boards eliminating the need to paddle.
Meyerhoffer Surfboards are as shit as shit can get!
For me its a hpsb.
misery incarnate.
good thing is I can walk into any surfshop and totally ignore all of them.
FWIW, I think the thread’s a good idea … sharing the ‘not so good’ is great for learning. Be great if some of the more experienced crew on here chime in …
Good post dude … your conclusion " … a shape is more than just a bunch of elements." is ringing in my head. Good point. No sense in having a series of ‘elements’ of they do not work together in the overall design.
At least you ended up in the good books with the missus … and have your own handmade wall hanging board. Cool.
Years ago, I had a board made … shortboard, 6’5" thurster, with vee through the tail and some farily deep concaves inside the ‘panel’ of the vee … was a slow, dog, crap surfboard … until it got big and hollow.
In general beach break conditions it just could not get up and go … once the waves had some grunt, and shape, it was a really fun board.
From memory the rocker was the same as my other boards at the time, only the bottom contours were different. Although that was pre shaping machines, so who knows, there could have been a few other variations.
uuuuh too bad mate.
I am also in a similar project, a EVO/SIMMONS hybrid for my girlfriend who also wants to surf. last year i took her to the beach one day with small waves and she was so enthusiastic.
6’6’’ x 20.70’’ x 2,60’’ i hope this will not be a disaster
cheers
Funny, I did very nearly the same thing. (Not wood, though.) Nice wide tail, increased rocker to “prevent pearling,” narrower throught the nose for her narrower frame, etc. It is probably the most symetrical board I’ve ever shaped. Worst board ever!
C
Fundamentality right. Board had great rocker, fin placement, rail design. But proportionally just a bit too big.
we made this one for the Jolly Green Giant, and he never came by the shop. We eneded up selling it off the rack as a used board to these 2 unspecting guys for $200.00.
The board never did a bottom turn well, I'm not sure but i think we made it a bit too big, and too wide of a tail.
