WP aft+flipped blank+piggish 8'4 design. Thoughts?

General Discussion
1

Alright guys, bear with me. This might get a little out-of-the-box: 

I was able to pick up a LB second from foam ez a little while back. Its a 9’4B (http://www.usblanks.com/catalog/?tid=5&id=38), and it has a sizable divot on the underside of one rail midway beteen the midpoint and the nose of the board. Not that huge a deal, it should be able to shape out any number of ways, BUT it got me kind of thinking about a few things plan shape-wise and how to fit an outline in given the tolerances of the blank and it’s defect… Also, I should add that I’ve currently been shaping a piggish shape for my friend for the last week, plus riding longer and longer boards lately, so the whole idea of trim and glide is really sort of locked into my whole deal surfing and shaping-wise right now.

Anyways, after reading through countless threads on sways about all manners of noseriders, pigs, low rockered trim machines, flipped blanks, midlengths, eggs, so on and so forth, I fiddled with AKU to come up with the picture below. Its a rough idea, but I matched it up with USB’s blank diagram to get a good idea of what the template looks like on the 9’4B flipped. Yes, the nose is on the right, and the tail on the left. Im toying with flipping it because… why not? I should bypass the divot I mentioned earlier, and this brings my nose rocker down -way down-  to what I HOPE would be ultra trim levels. Atleast thats the idea, but I haven’t read too much about ultra low rockers on anything less than 9’0s, so I might as well be grasping at straws. 

I’m just putting it out there to the greater Sways audience for any feedback, postive or negative. By centering it on the blank, it LOOKS like the dead middle of the baord will still be at the rocker apex, but the curve out the tail might be too excessive given the short (relatively, @ 8’4) length, no? I’de plan on keeping the volume center > forward of center, with a gradual taper to the tail. I would think the board would end up being ~2 7/8’’ thick, width no more than 22.5 so I miss the divot.

At first glance, given the blank and the planshape, NR should come in no less than 2.75, and TR at 3.5-.75. Board would be surfed in the usual LB stuff… soft beachies in south LA/North OC, breaks like San O maybe… I’de figure finning it with a smaller D or pivot fin. Or a flex. 

 

 

Thoughts? Good? Bad? Foolish experiment or diamond in the rough? Im all ears. 

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I’m keen to try a piggy board as well. Some of the more experienced posters have mentioned that “flipped” rockered blanks aren’t necessarily just flipped around so the nose is the tail. The nose rocker is flatter, and the tail is kicked, but it doesn’t always mean the board has been spun around. But Im not an experienced shaper and if it looks good, maybe try it. Please post up pics too

3

GDaddy makes some awesome WP aft boards like this.  Maybe he’ll post up some pics.  I have a 7-0 that I ride the hell out of.  I can cheater five and walk it, but I can stomp on the tail and turn it too.  This is a good idea you have

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Right on BeerO, I’m aware that when people talk about flipped blanks, most are actually talking about custom reversed rocker, which switches up the rocker curves but keeps the foam distribution of the “original”. I’ve also read on threads that people have literally flipped their blanks and gotten passable results. This being a second, I’m stuck working with what I have. At first glance, it looks like it SHOULD all work out, don’t ya think?

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Thanks, Fall, I might pm him and get him to comment. Would rather keep this in the open for all to see than locked up in pm’s. The general idea seems to be inline with some loosely related philosophies design-wise, but I’m still totally in the dark about ULTRA low nose rockers- and this coming from a guy who likes his rockers low…

Edit- anyone else see a problem with the NR, TR and entry/exit curves as depicted? I know it might be a niche kind of ride, but I’m not thinking of building it to adhere to convention. That said, I DONT want to shape it just to go against basic/proven fundamentals. 

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No.  It is very similar, in many ways, to an outstanding modified pig that I rode at Windansea for three years.   I still have the template.    And I made the board with the blank ‘‘flipped’’ around.    Same as yours.    Go for it!

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Thanks for chiming in Bill. I plan to incorporate everything we talked about for the board I just shaped for my friend and shift it over to this design, just with more foiled rails. Stoked. Hopefully this time I wont get preoccupied and forget to take pics along the way. 

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Sounds like you should do It mate!, and yep, take pics

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Yep. Kind of already decided that beforehand, but with everyone so positive, it has sealed the deal. I may bump up the nose width a touch. Right now its just at 16’‘. Might go up to 16 3/4’‘. I doubt it would make much difference, though. Tail is almost 17’'. Since the blank is really close tolerance, this should shape out real quick!

10

Re-split the blank , and glue it up with a new stringer to the deckline you want…if you lose width in the process , make the new stringer wide enough to get yer width…or use a wedge stringer to push the hip out.

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Thanks Kayu. I think im just going to stick with flipping the blank around for now. Re stringering is a bit more work than I wanted to do on this experiment. Not to mention a bit outside my wheelhouse. I DO like that idea of that wedge stringer though. A project for next time, maybe. 

12

Why don't you just use the 8'4H blank...make it the way it's supposed to be, Use the rocker the way it's supposed to be.  I will perform well in all surf, not just a one trick pony?

13

Hey Resinhead douche,

Why don't you just let the this guy make the board the way he wants. I mean let the dude make what ever shape out of whatever board he wants.  Who cares if he wasting foam, or I mean hes paying for a blank and wasting half of it. WED (WhatEverDude). The spirit of Swaylocks is the underground spirit.  You know it know it all guys like you that are giving this a place a bad rep.

Resinbutt

14

Using a more appropriate blank and rocker would certainly would be the conventional choice, but as I commented earlier: I’m not too interested in following convention. Fundamentals for sure, but if I can skirt some of the more accepted notions of design, then I find that a rewarding path. 

Even if it performs just one trick very well, I’ll be more than pleased. And who knows, maybe it will be a surprising ride? I’ve followed the unconventional advice of a few posters on this site with great results, so I’m not too worried about trying to make this like all the other 8’ boards out there. 

15

right on Hamrock!!

Don't let resinhead punk stear you away from the prize!  Keep your eye on the prize BOYEEEEE!!

 

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There is no rule or law that dictates that you must template the nose of  your board on the nose of the blank.    Before there were ‘‘Gun Blanks’’ knowledgable shapers would glue up rockers and template the blank in reverse.     It certainly defied ‘‘convention’’ but was the path to success.

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Or even better, why do you feel compelled to troll on THIS thread, resinbutt? 

For reference: http://www.swaylocks.com/forums/just-glued-up-some-foam-give-me-some-feed-back-shape

 

20

Finally got some time to start on this experiment. I tweaked the planshape a bit, as seen in the aku file here (ignore most everything except the outline, I only use aku to finagle with the planshape). Got rid of the pin, narrowed it to 22’'. Already cut the outline, so my path is pretty much set, unless I want to go narrower since drawing it on the blank it picked up an 1/8 of width all around from how i lined up the template on the stringer. Cautiously stoked. As of now, all I’m envisioning is endless bottom turns-to-trim. Who knows though. Ill try to keep taking pics along the way.