2 questions on SUP I'm shaping

[raf]

I ride a Coreban Vibe a bunch, and thought I would stick with the 8' x 30" template so I don't go too far from the comfort zone.  I pulled in the nose, and the tail a bit, and added a ton of V to the fin area.  No concave in the nose, maybe even a little bit of "Hull" instead.  Here's what I'd like opinions on:

1)  Its still got quite a lot of volume, probably more than I want, so should I scoop out the deck area to make it less volume and more stable?

2)  Bevelled rails:  Like em or hate em?  I'm thinking of bevelling the rails from the tail and fading them out about half way up, thinking I'd make the rails more surfy on edge, and make the board narrower (faster?) going down the line.

Heres 2 lousy pics so you can judge

[raf]

Few more pics.  Got tints ordered and will glass this puppy next week

[Strand Leper]

That is super cool!

Interesting on the rails... I do the reverse (okay, I watch other people do the reverse for me at my request) ... bevel the upper third... and knife sharp the rear third...

Let is know how it works.

Tim

[raf]

Hmm, maybe I did it wrong...

I figure it makes the board a little narrower (faster) when its flat, and acts as a 2nd rail line with more rocker (tighter radius) on turns. 

Check out the deck concave too.  I'm about 1" closer to the water than on my Coreban Vibe

[OUTSIDEWAVE]

I  think the rails willwork well  kinda like a chined  hull on a high performance  kayak.   I am  having a board shaped  by dave daum  at kings  the board will have v all the way through and high volume too. I think you get the  best performance when you have less drag on the water  from the board sinking too much. I post some pics later

[gorgebob]

My guess with that angle on the rail that your board will stick to the wave like glue. Probably could run it as a twin. Very interesting.
Nice work and thanks for sharing on the the shaping game.

[raf]

Board is finally finished!!  I'm totally stoked with how it came out.

I wish I could surf well enough to properly analyze it.  Oh well, I surf well enough to have fun on it.

Specs are:

2x 6oz. cloth deck and bottom (4x 6 oz on rails)
weighs in at 18.7 lbs with deck pad and fins
Unique features:  Concave deck and chined rails. 

My thinking on the bottom shape was maximizing glide for a short wide board so getting into waves and making the drop is easier: heavy V (minimizing rocker along the spine) and low entry rocker for initial speed.  Once you catch the wave, you step back and engage the "2ndary rocker" or the knuckle of the chined rail.  Then when you make a big turn and get the board on rail, the outside edge of the rail acts as a 3rd rocker.  Ie, the more you turn, the greater the rocker! 

The concave deck was obvious once I realized I had too much volume.  It'll give a lot of extra stability for a small board, and you are 1" closer to the bottom of the board too, so that helps with control and feel.  All academic shit with no experience to back it up   Ima go surf now...

[SlatchJim]

Love the shape, tail, and colors.  I'd totally demo that...if I were 70 lbs. lighter.  I await a full first session description.

[raf]

Took it out in knee/waist high stuff.  best surfboard I've ever been on.  Turns like a dream.  It WANTS to weave up and down the line.  Also very easy getting into a wave, great speed. 

I've tried a quad config. on Corebans and on a Nectar 9-6.  Hated it.  Couldn't figure it out.  Felt like I had a rubber band pulling me backwards all the time.  But on this board I got it dialed in.  Loose and fast.  I placed the front fins at the apex of the rail curve (which is where they should be imo, not at some set distance from tail, because every board has a different outline/tail shape), and placed the trailing fins in the middle of the concaves to take maximum advantage of the increased flow through that area.  I now understand what is meant by front foot vs backfoot surfing.  Weight your front foot and its like stepping on the gas pedal.

So I'm guessing some of its "carviness" is due to the quad setup, and some is definitely due to the extreme V/double concave in the tail, but I think the chined rails also help.  It turns almost like a ski once you set the edge. 

2 small liabilities:
The concave deck means you have less volume in the middle than the rails, so the board actually loses bouyancy once you sink the rail.  This only matters while you are paddling, not surfing.  Initial stability is good, secondary stability is bad beyond a certain point.
Also, the low entry rocker, while giving you great wave catching ability, requires you to step back quickly to keep the nose up.  Thats not really a problem, but something to get used to.

All in all, I'm really happy with it, and will definitely make more of the same design.  I got lucky on this one.

[surf monkey]

Nice board

It's a killer glass job the colors are cool.

[gorgebob]

Great to see ideas put through to finish products. Nice work. There is nothing like riding your own board.

[jdmotes]

 Came out really nice, raf... Bring her on down here to N-Fla for a test-sesh. The water is still in the 60's  ...   I loved your comment about the "step-back on take-off". Anything below, around 8'6, requires that technique... Enjoy and more feedback;   Paddle on,  JD

[flatspell]

What weight is the foam?