nice fish mate - looks great. Sorry to hear about your neck. Hope it’s on the mend. I cut my “slices” with a jigsaw at first but found it didn’t cut in a very perpendicular manner if you know what I mean. So I switched to a handsaw and made sure I cut just outside my marked line to be safe. I made up a template and marked all the outlines onto my foam sheet - “nesting” them so as to waste as little material as possible. I’m sure I’ve read here on Swaylocks that epoxy is fine to glue xps together with. I don’t think you would have too much trouble cutting through a thin film of epoxy as you shape - certainly not for all the “big” work. Rails may be the only problem, but I can’t imagine it would be any worse than working the glue lines I had. Hope it all goes well.
Thanks for the kind words . Those “keel” fins were sent to me by John Rodgers of the Edge Fin System Co. He was great to work with . The Edge Fin System is adjustable for toe in . I really like that idea. Especally on some of the larger fun shapes and longboards i feel it would be great to have it adjustable . because it seems to me that toe can slow down the board some times . But it also improves the performance some times . So it is or would be nice to be able to pick your fin angle .I only have the system on this Fish for now but will be uing it on any board I make . (Which won’t be many) Sometimes I wish i could have just a little more hold or “Bite” on larger or steeper waves without the toe in drag . All my present boards have toe in side bites so I mostly ride them single fin.
The Rodgers Brothers are great to work with Clyde is in Hawaii and John is in Florida ( I Think) they have told me they would make any template I want and the fin Plug/Box is simple to install . If I can do it anyone can . Their website is www.edgefins.kauaistyle.com Check it out . I wish more board builders would use them … Scared of it or they just keep selling the same old stuff so why change ? I belive … Greg Loher uses them on his personal boards . I think that alone says a lot…
This should have been another Topic and not put in here with this one Sorry ..
Thanks for all the info on how to build the XPS board I will keep you posted when I do it . just hope it comes out somewhere near as nice as yours .... Mahalo to all , Don J.
I thought I better let you know that “the pig” has had its first outing today. A place called Cathedral Rock (on the West Coast down past Torquay). It is a fantastic wave (very similar to Winkipop) - very long, very fast and pretty hollow. It was a decent size (just overhead) and I wasn’t sure how such a small board would handle it but thought I would give it go anyway - it’s a good omen to “break” a new board in on quality waves. I rode it with the McCoy single fin as per the photos and was absolutely rapt with the way it performed. It was easy to paddle and I couldn’t believe how fast and loose it was. The soft bottom and rails just dragged it down the line and “sucked” it to wave face through the critical sections yet it was still beautifully loose when I stepped back on to tail to surf it from there. With it being so short it felt like I had almost nothing under my feet (I’m used to surfing boards more around the 7’ length). I never knew the “Stubbie” style boards surfed like this but I am a convert now. Anyone who hasn’t tried a single fin “Stubbie” should give one a try - it really suited me anyway. I guess the great waves were a big help too, but I just so happy with the way it performed. To all you other newbies who are halfway through their first boards, all I can say is keep going guys, it is certainly worth the effort - you won’t believe the feeling you get when you are surfing something that you made yourself. Thanks again to all the generous souls at here at Swaylocks - without you guys this never would have happened.
Cheers
Rohan
P.S. My wife took some photos so if there is any decent ones that don’t make me look like a complete kook I will post them.
"…With it being so short it felt like I had almost nothing under my feet (I’m used to surfing boards more around the 7’ length). I never knew the “Stubbie” style boards surfed like this but I am a convert now. Anyone who hasn’t tried a single fin “Stubbie” should give one a try - it really suited me anyway.
…P.S. My wife took some photos so if there is any decent ones that don’t make me look like a complete kook I will post them."
yep , stubbies are GREAT fun [what till you ride an under 6’ one !!]
I see a few stubbies here …not so many fish fans here!
I hope the photos come out well, I’d be really keen to see them .
How wide and thick would I have to go to get a “Stubbie” length down under 6’ for someone like me - I’m not sure it would be possible ? (I am 6’3" tall and weigh 100kg).
The photos may take a while - my wife always shoots slide film and it’s a bit expensive to to process mid-roll. So I will have to wait until the roll is finished. This is of course assuming any of the shots aren’t too much of an embarrassment for me.
Wonthaggi area certainly gets its share of waves. We sometimes surf a couple of reefs down that way when the swell is too big for Phillip Island and the wind is NE.
yep, 6’3-6’4 might be “stubbie”[ish] for you, then .
That said , my mate Daz , who’s 95kgs [but only 5’10] rode my 5’7 x 20" x 2 1/2" stub . (And, he even rode my 5’8 x 18 3/4 x 2 1/2" thruster I made a few years ago. He rode them WELL , too, I may add !) He IS a really good paddler , though .
His board of choice normally is a 6’2 [max] x 18 3/4" x 2 1/4 " thruster . When it’s well overhead , he breaks out the 6’3 x 19" x 2 1/4" thruster.
I guess if you’re used to 7’ers , a 6’4 will feel small / right sized for you , eh ?
It WOULD be interesting for you to try a 6’ -6’2 x 20" [to 21" ?] x 2 1/2" stubbie , though , if you ever felt like experimenting . Maybe you could add a coupla side plugs for more drive , if you felt projection was lacking. Although I find if you make the board fairly flat [bottom AND rocker] , a stubbie is PLENTY fast ! I like a widish square tail on mine …
ben
[this is Daz]
and , the orange board on the right is the stubbie that Daz rode…
Thanks for the suggestions Ben. I do have a bit of a hankering for Cheynes “Buddha” style board at the moment though - I just can’t stop looking at that photo of it - damn !
Only took me six months, but I finally got the slide film processed and scanned from the boards first outing (Cathedral Rock). Since then I have surfed it in conditions ranging from waist high to overhead beachbreaks (Woolamai and Gunnamatta) to well overhead reef breaks (Bells and Winki). It has been used with one of Geoff McCoys Gullwing fins, one of Cheynes Starfins and just last weekend with a homemade “Widowmaker” set up (7" centre and 3.5" sides) in overhead beachbreaks at Portsea. Observations for the different fin setups are as follows:
McCoy Gullwing: Super fast and “drivey”. Feels great in hollow, fast, down the line waves. Likes the “pocket” a lot.
Cheyne’s Starfin: Loose, but will hold a high line in waves like nothing else I’ve ever ridden. Fantastic speed generating cutbacks.
Widowmaker: Feels like something about halfway between a thruster and a wide tailed single. Feels a bit like a thruster that you don’t have to “pump” up to speed. More surfs with this setup is needed for a thorough assessment.
Overall I could not be happier with how it’s turned out (despite its imperfections). It has also just been through a very hot summer and no signs of delamination yet (still got my fingers crossed). Despite the fact I have a few other boards I still find myself making excuses to take this “Frankenstein” out nearly every time.
I bet people ask you "where did you get your board from " , too, don’t they ?!
cheers mate !
ben
…now you just need to sort out how to post your pictures bigger and lighter , so we can SEE them ! hehe [if you want , email them to me large size , and I’ll do it] .
