I originally bought a used SUP for 200 bucks and rode it for a year and then kind of outgrew it. So I decided to re-shape it into a shape Id been thinking about for years.
I always like the tear drop shape with a skinny nose and wider tail. Inspired by the Nugget surfboard made by McCoy from Australia
http://mccoysurfboards.com/surfboard-models/nugget-infoI went a little more extreme thinning the nose out.
Starting board specs.
82 x 31.5 x 4.5. Between 120-130 liters I estimated.
Re-shaped board specs
78 x 28.5 x 4.5. Right at 105 Liters.
This was my first time attempting to shape a board. Ive done some repairs before on the deck pad, tail and the rails but never the entire thing.
First thing I did was download Shape 3D and start playing around with some shapes. Finally I came up with something I liked and would fit into the dimensions of my existing board.
After deciding on it I printed it out and went into the garage and starting marking up my board with a sharpie and a 4 level. Marked the center line, this board had a stringer so it was easy to find. Then marked out every 6 and put markings on where the new board would be.
Once I finished everything I got a 6 metal cutting blade on my jig saw and just followed the line. I took a little too much foam off in some spots but put it back on with some gorilla glue.
Then I took a thin cutoff disc and scored the fiberglass 8 back from my cut around the entire board. Then I peeled off the glass using a putty knife to not remove too much foam. From there I was free to re-shape my new rails.
Here it is roughed out
Here it is a little finer but still some spots that required filling.
Finally a first coat of fiberglass. It wasnt pretty and I need to sand and re-apply. I sanded through in a bunch of spots trying to get it smooth. Lesson learned spend more time getting the foam perfect and less time sanding glass! After 2-3 times of glassing/sanding cycle I started to really dig the shape.
Time to install the center fin box. 4.5 up from the tail
Onto the side fins. Rears 6 off the tail, fronts 14 off the tail and 1.5 off the rail. On the fronts I did 1/4 toe in with a 8 degree cant. Rear fins I did 1/8 toe in with 4 degree cant. I decided to do that from some recommended numbers from the forum. I marked a few of the recommended setups on the board and went with that looked best to me.
Then did 2 hot coats to get everything leveled out to where I was happy.
Finally did a 2 tone red/white paint job. Should have bought better masking tape had some bleed through. Finished it all off with 2 coats of clear coat on top
Last step was to install a BPS Deckpad from amazon paired with a Go Stevie kick pad on the tail and it was time to hit the water.
The first day the water was like a washing machine. Still able to stand up but not great for learning or building confidence. I was able to stand 3-5 minutes at a time and then ended up falling. Lots of moving water. Reducing the front width of the board takes some getting used to. I caught 3 waves, 2 were survival waves where I just tried to keep upright, but the final one gave me a nicer ride and I was able to do a few turns. I tried it with a thruster setup with the center fin all the way back and it felt stiff. Took a few nosedives but it was tough to say if it was the board or just the choppy conditions.
Second day I rode it with a quad setup. Much faster and looser more of what I was looking for. Waves cleaned up and I could get comfortable with my stance. Stood with a staggered stance with one foot up front and one back helped. I really have to put my foot way up front to drop in on a wave, further than I expected. I needed to put some grip up past the vent plug so I could force the nose down on steeper drops without slipping off. Once in the wave though the board is fast and maneuverable. Still a lot to learn, but I always love a challenge.
I will update as I get more rides in on it.
Hope you enjoyed the build process.
