i am planning on shaping a slew of boards this summer and one of them needs to be a board for smaller mushier waves. I have a few boards, but none of them are good for a trestles like wave, they are all ment for a wave with juice and dont really supply power when turned. What elements would you guys put into a board?
REMINDER: THE ARENA PLATFORM, INC. has no obligation to monitor the Forums. However, THE ARENA PLATFORM, INC. reserves the right to review any materials submitted to or posted on the Forums, and remove, delete, redact or otherwise modify such materials, in its sole discretion and for any reason whatsoever, at any time and from time to time, without notice or further obligation to you. THE ARENA PLATFORM, INC. has no obligation to display or post any materials provided by you. THE ARENA PLATFORM, INC. reserves the right to disclose, at any time and from time to time, any information or materials that we deem necessary or appropriate to satisfy any applicable law, regulation, contract obligation, legal or dispute process or government request. Click on the following hyperlinks to further read the applicable Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
small wave mush killer
- Thread starter highline rider
- Start date
low entry rocker
wide tail
wide nose
boxy rails
lots of tail rocker in the last few inches
loose fin set with bigger sides than back
single-to-double concave bottom, maybe vee behind rear fin
squash tail
thats what works for me. your milage may vary.
wide tail
wide nose
boxy rails
lots of tail rocker in the last few inches
loose fin set with bigger sides than back
single-to-double concave bottom, maybe vee behind rear fin
squash tail
thats what works for me. your milage may vary.
i was thinking of a deep single concave, without any v in the tail.
thanks for your advice wyd, ill keep it in mind.
thanks for your advice wyd, ill keep it in mind.
this is my thinking. there are waves where you have the speed to turn just from trimming, and then theres the mushier waves where you need to pump in order to get speed. Right now all i have are twin fins and a mini-longboard and a small thruster thats only good for biggerwaves because its so small. i know your against the idea of a guy who has surfed less than 15 years having a quiver, but im all for it and shaping is fun and riding different boards is fun.
Nice list of board characteristics.
Wish more guys knew that instead of just ordering off the catalogs.
I'd like to add that a really short length, for the late drops on hollow tiny surf, and nose width depending on your likes and dislikes on amount of catch you can handle, and much harder, turned down rails for quick response from anywhere on the board.
Wish more guys knew that instead of just ordering off the catalogs.
I'd like to add that a really short length, for the late drops on hollow tiny surf, and nose width depending on your likes and dislikes on amount of catch you can handle, and much harder, turned down rails for quick response from anywhere on the board.
i am admitting defeat and going the route of everyone else. i am getting a thruster, it will even be white. i am hoping it will be my once a week board for smaller days, i still have my other board for the better days.
as for experimenting -- my surfing isnt great right now, and neither is my shaping. both are steadily improving and a good pace too. im still young and still have nothing better to blow money on and still have endless amounts of time to spend too. it might slow down my improvement in my surfing, but its alot more fun to me and like you said, I have plenty of time.
as for experimenting -- my surfing isnt great right now, and neither is my shaping. both are steadily improving and a good pace too. im still young and still have nothing better to blow money on and still have endless amounts of time to spend too. it might slow down my improvement in my surfing, but its alot more fun to me and like you said, I have plenty of time.
One thing to remember is that a small wave board needs to be really really really really loose. On those tiny waves you need to be able to get yourself to the top of the pocket and back without overprojecting and without blowing speed. You have to work the pocket for speed, the shoulders gonna do nothing for you.
Thats what the tail rocker, vee, and big side fins are for. I had one board with a single concave nose to tail and it was good in barrels, but for small surf it was the biggest dog I've ever laid hands on. I sold it, and found the guy who bought it and he said it was the biggest dog he'd ever ridden. So careful with that one.
Thats what the tail rocker, vee, and big side fins are for. I had one board with a single concave nose to tail and it was good in barrels, but for small surf it was the biggest dog I've ever laid hands on. I sold it, and found the guy who bought it and he said it was the biggest dog he'd ever ridden. So careful with that one.
the most important change - the most consistent change, made for smaller waves, is a wider tail. Just look at shortboards made for different places. Tail widths change dramatically. Measure the tail width 1 foot forward from the tail on your thruster. If it is not good in small waves, add at least 1 inch to the width. for waves waist high and smaller, 15 inch tails rule for me at 150 lbs.
What the wide tail does is give you lift at lower speeds. And that is the single most important factor in smaller waves - getting adequate lift. A good thruster fin setup will help too. Or, a fish setup. Or, an egg. All wide-tailed designs.
What the wide tail does is give you lift at lower speeds. And that is the single most important factor in smaller waves - getting adequate lift. A good thruster fin setup will help too. Or, a fish setup. Or, an egg. All wide-tailed designs.
I do not know if you would be able to shape such a board. But I believe that a Steve Lis style fish with a quad fin setup is the most absolutely insane small wave board possible. Kane Garden makes a perfect version of this type of board - it is scary fast (although it does have some of the fish limitations such as being a bit skatey and not too keen on vertical carving). You can check the website.
I have a really fast 6'2" (19.5 wide, slight swallow) bonzer, but I have to admit that my friend's Kane Garden quad fish (as described) is way faster in crap waves. It boggles my mind that 99.9% of the surfing population has no clue as to the performance capabilities of these boards.
Good luck.
I have a really fast 6'2" (19.5 wide, slight swallow) bonzer, but I have to admit that my friend's Kane Garden quad fish (as described) is way faster in crap waves. It boggles my mind that 99.9% of the surfing population has no clue as to the performance capabilities of these boards.
Good luck.
<img src="/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
what boggles my mind is that you have to list the board's name and model, possibly without knowing it's design characteristics, and also claiming they are the "fastest" boards for small surf.
Don't you know that it's the actual design that makes them fast or slow, that it's NOT the name, but the actual rocker specs, outline, thickness flow, and bottom curves that make a board perform.
I'd BET that almost anyone can make a board everybit as fast as your "named" boards, or even faster, but it's the balance of design characteristics that make them work well, as a total package.
Heck, you can take any of your boards, flatten the rocker in the tail, and it would go "faster". Or harden the rails, or thicken the tail, or straighten the outline! <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
what boggles my mind is that you have to list the board's name and model, possibly without knowing it's design characteristics, and also claiming they are the "fastest" boards for small surf.
Don't you know that it's the actual design that makes them fast or slow, that it's NOT the name, but the actual rocker specs, outline, thickness flow, and bottom curves that make a board perform.
I'd BET that almost anyone can make a board everybit as fast as your "named" boards, or even faster, but it's the balance of design characteristics that make them work well, as a total package.
Heck, you can take any of your boards, flatten the rocker in the tail, and it would go "faster". Or harden the rails, or thicken the tail, or straighten the outline! <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
run, i was joking about defeat. i am really just admitting i was wrong and realizing i really do need a thruster, its a good tool and id be at a loss without one.
ok, heres what i got so far -
nose - wide-ish
width - wide (for planing)
tail - wide and thick squash (for wave catching and planing again)
rails - hard edge the whole way through
fins - three futures boxes in thruster configuration, with another two behind and inside the outer two to try a quad. looking on swaylocks, a quad would be loose like pickles said, and a thruster would be versatile, so il try both.
bottom - single to double
i dont know if you guys have read it yet, but theres a cool discussion at swayloks involving width and small wave boards. bert burger has a 6'4" x 23" with a 3/4" deep single concave running through it. that seems really wide to me, and maybe 21" width with a 15" tail for me would be better at 155#s?
nose - wide-ish
width - wide (for planing)
tail - wide and thick squash (for wave catching and planing again)
rails - hard edge the whole way through
fins - three futures boxes in thruster configuration, with another two behind and inside the outer two to try a quad. looking on swaylocks, a quad would be loose like pickles said, and a thruster would be versatile, so il try both.
bottom - single to double
i dont know if you guys have read it yet, but theres a cool discussion at swayloks involving width and small wave boards. bert burger has a 6'4" x 23" with a 3/4" deep single concave running through it. that seems really wide to me, and maybe 21" width with a 15" tail for me would be better at 155#s?
Think Bert'sa big guy, and might be EastCoast.
Width...use your experience. I'm 152lbs., and generally like 23" for waves under chest high, and slow, of course.
For OB in SF, Fall, I could easily ride 18.25 in the same size waves.
As for edge....noses wider than tail might be better with low egg to WP. Noses narrower than tail can easily be hard edge for quicker response and earlier planing/wave catching.
Width...use your experience. I'm 152lbs., and generally like 23" for waves under chest high, and slow, of course.
For OB in SF, Fall, I could easily ride 18.25 in the same size waves.
As for edge....noses wider than tail might be better with low egg to WP. Noses narrower than tail can easily be hard edge for quicker response and earlier planing/wave catching.
LeeD - I lack the knowledge to describe the nuances of the board I am hailing (thus the easy reference to a particular shaper's version). I can tell you that it is 21.5ish wide w/ much of width up in the nose, a bonzer-like bottom concave flows into the quad fin set up, there is barely any rocker save for a touch in the nose, and there is a pronounced swallow tail.
If you could shape such a board (obviously for less than what I can get off the rack or custom order, which is the same price) I would buy it tomorrow . . . the boards are that good in rolly waves.
Show me a board that is faster in mediocre waves and I will give you $100 (no kidding and on top of my immediately purchasing the board) - it would be worth it to me to discover something better to ride. No joke on the $100 - e-mail at lariojaesbueno@yahoo.com if you can produce a superior board for me to ride in gutless waves.
I have ridden a wide enough variety of boards to know magic when I see it, but I am always looking for something better. Please respond.
If you could shape such a board (obviously for less than what I can get off the rack or custom order, which is the same price) I would buy it tomorrow . . . the boards are that good in rolly waves.
Show me a board that is faster in mediocre waves and I will give you $100 (no kidding and on top of my immediately purchasing the board) - it would be worth it to me to discover something better to ride. No joke on the $100 - e-mail at lariojaesbueno@yahoo.com if you can produce a superior board for me to ride in gutless waves.
I have ridden a wide enough variety of boards to know magic when I see it, but I am always looking for something better. Please respond.
Just got out of the water and still buzzing from my session on this thing. It was fat high tide and playground peaks, surfed every wave to the beach. Sooooooo dang fun! <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/monkey.gif" alt="" />
I'm glad someone gets it, especially the second half! <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/socrazy.gif" alt="" />
Really, most people who meet me actually like me! <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />
There is NO magic.
Flatten the rocker....thicken the tail....harden the edges...move the WP back some more....widen the tail....use more hydrodynamic fins....ANY of which, when applied to yours or anyone's board, will make it faster in small, gutless waves.
This is surfboard design, not rocket science.
As stated before....anyone can make a faster board than your two mentioned, it's the BALANCE of turning, ease of banking, paddling, wavecatching, float, big sweetspot, overall quickness, and general good response that is hard to duplicate, match, or even come close.
Flatten the rocker....thicken the tail....harden the edges...move the WP back some more....widen the tail....use more hydrodynamic fins....ANY of which, when applied to yours or anyone's board, will make it faster in small, gutless waves.
This is surfboard design, not rocket science.
As stated before....anyone can make a faster board than your two mentioned, it's the BALANCE of turning, ease of banking, paddling, wavecatching, float, big sweetspot, overall quickness, and general good response that is hard to duplicate, match, or even come close.
...surfboard design is a lot more complicated than rocket science <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />