Foam...resin...glass...fin...fins...

Had B over last night for some final tweaking of his board, he is super stoked to have finally 'shaped' his own...wait till he is wrist deep in lam resin thats kicking faster than he would like and I will ask him again how much fun it is making your own surfboard.
Then I will ask him again when he finishes the third hour of sanding the hot coat...
If it was easy, every body would do it.
Hoping to get the shaping done on the WB Flyer today so maybe we can glass them both by the weekend. The board is my first quad set up, a design I don't believe in but I ain't the one riding it...
My special, two days only lightweight copy will be glassed then too, nothing special, in fact, I want to ride it a week and then park it, use it two days and then burn the fucker on the beach.
I will explain more later when the plan comes together...or I fall flat on my face...

There are three threads at sways right now about length and mini fish and Simmons influenced boards...
One interesting comment...

"Riding a board intended for weak surf that is several inches shorter than your good wave board makes little sense" (op's statement)

"Actually this sentence above makes no sense to me, if you could see the waves I get here except for the low pressures of winter and 10-20 typhoons (avg) a year you would begin thinking about fish n mini simmons if you like to surf anyway. It is difficult enough getting six feet+ of rail majestically up down n back around a 12-24 inch wave that curls for about three to four seconds."

I don't understand what the guy is saying...if you are trying to get waves that are 1' to 2' and have face for 4 seconds and in that 4 seconds you want to go "up down n back around', one might think that an early entry into the wave would help set you up for that 4 seconds of face. A little board will not give you that.
There is a comment about how smaller, tighter curved boards fit better in small waves, that I can get my feeble mind around. But you still have to get that flowing entry or start to pump the board as soon as your feet hit the deck.

Discussing board length or design on the innernets is always interesting...discussions at sways are for the most part civil...


Joe Roper (or some one impersonating him) chimed in on Sissy's post about his new 4'11"...after reading my comment on the board and its suitability in Oregon.
Not wanting to trash sissie blog, let me pick this posters comment apart...
I mentioned Larry Mabile doesn't surf in Oregon-I stated this because I feel its important that a shaper know the conditions the board he is custom shaping will be used in. A bit backhanded I know, I mean who comes to Oregon to surf?
Here is the comment...(italics are his words)


"Larmo does surf Oregon just not in person"
Yeah, and I do Salma all day, everyday just not in person.

"and to say a board lacking specific details like hull, flat tail rocker, S deck, etcetera means it is not a Simmons influenced design but something else entirely seems silly."
Um, if it doesn't have any of those things then its getting pretty far fetched to say its even related to a mini Simmons influenced surfboard.
Oh, Simmons built surfboards, the White Pony is a surfboard, I get it.
I chalk this up to marketing. I am well aware of the need to sell more surfboards, every board is the next big thing, trust me, you need this new board design if you want to rip.
I use this line all the time.
Doesn't work for me.


"Influences affect aspects but don't rule design necessarily, Retro said himself that many Simmons "influenced I presume" hulls have moved on to a different fin base."

I did the half moon fins on three of my mini's and the Paipo, they work ok till it gets steep and/or HH, then they tend to skip and lose drive. After talking to Palandrani at length and seeing what Ace, Ryan (P38) and others were doing, I left the half moon behind and went with another template and material. The difference is apparent in hold and drive, apples to better apples. What rules design is progression.
The four I have shaped using the new template fins are faster and exhibit more hold in steep waves. Kane Garden produced some of the best retro fishes out there, not one has half moons.


Later, a classic troll post...


"You are typing but not saying anything,
Become more educated, rant less."

And you are reading but not comprehending my friend.
My comment was no rant, you want a rant, you should see my political blog.
I admit I hate this kind of comment. Just a classic case of teh stoopid.


"This board is not low volume."

A 4'11" is low volume, period. At that length, it can't be anything else.
Its little.

"I am not too old...my board is shorter than I am" Sickdog.

Thats from the sways thread.
Now, about 9 months ago, I started going shorter on my personal boards and I will admit that it crossed my mind many times that I was only going shorter to prove I still had it. I was out one day with a guy I surf with a lot. He paddled over and told me "I didn't know you rode shortboards".
Actually, I hadn't bothered with anything shorter than 7'10" for 10 years.
Older surfers tend to go longer to make up for the skills we lose to age and responsibilities.
I know I did.
I have always had a longboard in the quiver from day one but they were never my go to unless it was small.
I am back to that approach now, the right board for the conditions in front of me.


Well, I am going to let it go, I wasn't meaning to pass any sort of judgment on sissies new board, good for him I think and I am sorry if any one misconstrued my comments
on it design and length.
Information sharing is good though, regardless of the pissy people.
Now, I have to go educate myself though it may be too late...lol.

Oh, one more thing...
Surfboards are addicting...I get the whole quiver thing even if it doesn't fit in with my ideals of less is more.


See ya.

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