shaping - next step?

[55NSup]

Hi, been here posting before but had to get new user name.

Now I have managed to make a blank for a 16-5 allround ocean board. Its made out of building eps in a lot of pieces, because that is all I could get.
Cut using hotwire and templates I had a friend make on his cnc router.
Board was designed in 3D shape. So im pretty shure I have the center of buoyancy and submerged volume right for my weight. Im highly influenced by SIC and Fanatic boards, but never seen one in real life.

Question: should I shape bottom or deck first? My understanding is I should do bottom, then deck, then rails on bottom transition, then rails on deck transition. Ive shaped windsurf boards but a 100 years ago  and using real preshaped blanks.

Thanks for any help. Ive looked at a ton of videos and read most every post here on shaping.

Tom W

[55NSup]

Btw, I'm going to:
Reinforce deck with either divinicell 10mm H80 or abachi veneer I have
Reinforce finboxes with H80
Set it up with center and ventral fin + twinfin set up I got from Larry. Still need to the twin fins from him tho.
Laminate in full carbon + glass.

If I vbag it I'm going to have to build a rocker template to put in bag so it won't distort. Blank is flimsy without stringer.

[supsurf-tw]

Yes,
Bottom, deck, rails in that order. My preference is to shape the bottom portion of the rails after the bottom and then the deck. Never totally finish one part to the finish stages until the whole board is roughed out.

[TallDude]

Being stringerless, I would support the blank more while shaping it. I wouldn't jump on it with a planer, unless you shape that way. Your garage looks clean. Keep it low speed on the shaping, and your garage may stay kind-of clean. Is it 1#?  Looks like fun...

[55NSup]

Thanks, I'm On the right track. Yes will have to support it.
1st SUP, went all in to do an unlimited board after thinking, reading a lot about 14 ft. But figured difference between making 14 and 16-5 was minimal.

I will use planer to get big parts off, but move to sanding blocks way before pros do. Really soft compared to the Clark blanks I shaped before.

Going slow, but will post more as I go.

[55NSup]

A Little progress. Cleaned up all sides, tapered rails, starting on bottom shape and nose. Planning On single to double concave, but may lose my courage and do a flat bottom.
Blank is so flexy that you cant see correct  rocker, its flattened out a bit on stands.

[55NSup]

Pic

[Biggreen]

Wow 55N, that's looking pretty slick! Nicely done!

[55NSup]

A little more progress

[supuk]

nice and clean lines 

[55NSup]

Pretty much done with bottom and starting on deck. Think I will keep bottom without concave. None of the pro shapers doing this on 16ft boards. 

Deck is very low profile.

Sent from my C6903 using Tapatalk 2

[TallDude]

Concave bottoms are for boards that plane and turn on waves. Most unlimited race boards do neither (with the exception of a downwind board). The concave would aid the tracking, but there is a potential for creating suction too. Hobie has a wide straight single channel on the bottom of their race boards. It's almost like a catamaran, go figure? Personally, I think it slows them down.
As far as the deck, I've been trying get reduce the surface shape and area that is exposed to the wind. The typical vertical bow on race boards is fine for shorter boards where you need to keep the volume in the nose. It can be brutal though on an unlimited with a strong side wind. Take a look at the nose on my new unlimited. I shaped the nose down to a point. I love the way it just needles through the swell and chop. I don't feel like I'm making corrective strokes, trying to push the nose back against the wind. I also made it sit lower in the water by thinning it out. Another friend of mine who shapes his own race boards (and is super fast) did the same thing to the nose of his new 14'. He feels the new nose design is the right direction. I notice the new Naish race boards are the same.
Now you mentioned SIC as an influence, but I don't see the extreme nose rocker of an SIC in your photos?

Here is a photo of mine in the water. You can see in the photo what I'm talking about.
 

[55NSup]

Hi,
the nose rocker is low,  but blank is so flexible, its not right on pic.
I designed it in 3D shape with the low volume deck, just for the reason of reducing windage, but it looks extreme.
Ive never even seen an unlimited board IRL. And only about 5-6 different 14 footers IRL. And most of those I saw at the Swedish finals in distance race this weekend!  there were about 5 kinds of boards there between the 10-12 guys competing.