| How to Build Your First Surfboard by Stephen Pirsch |
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HALL OF FAME Mark Sadler |
MISCONCEPTIONS, QUESTIONS, CONFUSIONS, OPINIONS It seems there has never been a sport more image driven, or immersed
in confusion than surfing. This section will attempt to provide
clarity to surfboard design subjects, submerged in controversy. THE CASE OF THE MISSING FLOATATION Contrary to popular belief, (all other things being equal) lighter
materials will not usually add enough floatation to justify a smaller
surfboard. It is misleading to think of the floatation of
a surfboard with no one on it. A surfboard that is 10% lighter
will float 10% better, but this is only when no one is on the board.
The 10% increase is reduced to less than 1% when anyone over 100
lbs. is put on the surfboard. Example: Although many have stated otherwise, two surfboards of the same size and weight will float exactly the same, no matter what they are made of. This can be proved by weighing the water displaced (Archimedes' principle – Law of Buoyancy). Numerous people claim that a board made with a lighter core material (usually 2 lb./cu.ft. polystyrene foam) will always float better (board dimensions being equal) than a polyurethane blank (about 3 lb./cu.ft.). This is only true if the shell material (usually fiberglass cloth and resin) is about the same weight. If the shell is heavier, (which should be the case, in a well made polystyrene board) the total board weight could be more. Building with lighter materials does not usually justify using a smaller board (all other things being equal). Increasing buoyancy in a meaningful, practical way is simple;
lose body weight, or use a bigger board. Advertisers know
no one wants to hear this. FLEX ENERGY TRANSFER Followers of flex energy transfer state "some boards flex in a hard turn and release this stored energy coming out of a turn, thereby increasing speed." Most of the arguements about flex are based on personal feeling and are completely subjective (cannot be proved or disproved). Nevertheless, this is a highly charged subject with believers devoting pages of text defending their view. The importance of flex is convenient for the custom builder, as he can claim to create more or less flex as the customer wishes. The actual amount of flex in inches is never stated, but measurements indicate it is very unlikely to be more than 1" - especally considering the board length is mostly supported in water. It seems likely that the responsiveness which is attributed to flexibility should actually be mostly attributed to lightness. It is easy to see how this can be confused as they are the result of the same thing: light cloth and/or light foam. Everyone appreciates responsiveness, but a custom surfboard that is constructed so lightly as to have notceable flex also has negative characteristics - it will be relatively weak and prone to dinging, denting, delaminating, and breaking. Recommendation: Ignor the flexibility debate and make a relatively stiff, durable surfboard (minimum 1-6oz. "E".top and bot.w/ 6oz. deck patch) If you insist on a lighter board, please read the GLASSING, EPOXY and TIPS chapters, or look into boards constructed using "S" cloth, divinycell, vacumn bagging, or injection molding. A board with the same lightness as a weak, flexible board can be created which is stiff and durable, but it may cost a little more. Using the forementioned construction methods, your board can be light and reasonably strong, but the flexibility debate will never end. Although many will continue to extole the virtues of flex energy
transfer, and it could be argued that a durable board with usable
flex can be made, the evidence suggests that boards claimed to be
flexible are also weak and disposable. QUESTIONABLE DESIGN TRENDS The surfboard building industry is a tough, low profit business. The big companies try to come up with new innovations to boost sales. A few of these innovations are; channels, concaves, V bottoms, chine rails, parabolic stringers, and tunnel fins, etc. .Maybe the innovations above do what the advertisers claim, maybe
they do not. Are we missing the bigger picture? Concentrate
on finding the length, width, and thickness which is best suited
to your weight and waves, then fine tune the rocker and fin set
up. After that, experiment with every new idea you fancy. DISPOSABLE BOARDS It is now accepted that surfboards are going to ding, dent, delaminate,
and break. If a new tennis racket, bicycle, or kayak breaks
in normal usage, it will very likely be returned - not so for
surfboards. Almost every surfer loves the responsive feel
of a light board, but now it has gone too far. Although
custom builders are simply supplying what customers want, it is more
than coincidence that it also gives them more business.
We should demand durable surfboards from custom builders.
This can be done by simply asking for heavier cloth or denser
foam, and accepting that there is merit to a slightly heavier board.
If a surfboard does not have enough surface area (is too small) to flatten out (plane) in the fast part of a wave, it will drag water, and never perform as it was designed to. On a small, slow wave a bigger board is usually a faster board. As the size and steepness of the wave increases the surface area of the board needed to reach full plane is reduced. As a general rule, chest high waves are needed to get a thruster to plane properly. Although we have all heard that certain boards are faster than others, if a longboard and a thruster achieve full planning speed in the same part of the same wave, (without any maneuvering) they will usually appear to be traveling at the same speed - this can be seen on many films. Although a short board may be seen in a film, passing or accellerating towards a long board this is usually after the short board has accellerated out of a hard turn or steep drop - he quickly decellerates as he aproaches the flater part of the wave. Yes...speed can be increased through maneuvering in the steep part of the wave. This increased speed can be demonstrated by skateboarders who use a weighting and un-weighting motion on the sides of empty swimming pool walls. They can glide for as long as they have energy this way, without ever putting a foot down. Many thruster riders are well aware of this same weighting and un-weighting, although many longboarders are skeptical. If we could achieve the speed that a water skier does (or a tow boarder), flotation would become insignificant, and the needed surface area would be similar to a slalom ski (due to hydroplaning). Tow boards are now aproaching the look of slalom skiis, and surely someone will design a board for paddling into large waves that has a raised ski like platform on the bottom rear (for hydroplanning at high speed) - this has already been done on sail boards. One reason a small board sometimes feels fast is because it will only ride in the fast part of the wave. A bigger board will catch a wave before it gets steep, and build up speed more gradually, (as the wave gets steeper) thereby feeling slower. Most of the design features which are associated with a fast board are actually for control at high speed (narrow outline, more rocker, etc.). These features may actually slow the board down (this is often not apparent because there may be so much wave energy, only a very small part of the board is contacting the water). Speed is almost totally dictated by the wave. Although many
surfers will swear one board is much faster than another, in the
size waves most frequently ridden by recreational surfers, there
is very little straight line speed differences in surfboards at
full plane. It will be more advantageous to design for maneuverability
than speed. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THRUSTERS AND LONGBOARDS? Thrusters are great for a very fit, lightweight surfer who surfs mostly chest high plus, hollow surf. Consider that thrusters do not have enough planning surface and flotation for the average surfer, in average wave conditions, to be able to effectively utilize the design. Longboards are great for a surfer who moves around a lot on his
board and surfs relatively small, glassy surf. Consider that
a surfer needs to step forward at least two full steps after standing
or turning to achieve full plane on a longboard. Few surfers
do this. Most longboards are noseriders, and are very flat.
The lack of curvature, causes the nose to go under water when planing
in moderately choppy surfing conditions or when dropping down a
steep wave. SMALL WAVE DESIGN My friends and I have been experimenting with a very unusual shape that is suited to slow, small, choppy waves. The following design turns easily at low speeds, creating very little drag in the turn. This shape catches waves like a long - longboard, but is 2' - 3' shorter, and turns easily twice as fast. The design is 7' - 8' long, and 3" - 4" thick,
(depends on surfers weight) with about 2/3 of the total thickness
available 1' from the nose and tail. It is 14" - 16"
wide at the outside tips of the rounded fish tail. The tail
1' from the end is 20&3/4" - 21&1/2". The
nose 1' from the end is 20" - 20&3/4". The center
width is 25" - 26" with the widest point 4 - 5" towards
the tail from the center. The nose rocker is 5".
The tail rocker is 1&1/2". The twin fins are molded
7" cutaways (actual dimension - 7&1/2") cut down to
6&1/2". The fin box is a 7&1/2" Fins Unlimited
type (with this box the fins can be adjusted to a maximum of 13&1/2"
- from the tail end of the board to the trailing fin edge).
The board turns much looser with the fins all the way towards the
nose. The bottom and top are very flat rail to rail.
The rails are almost perfectly round everywhere (much better for
choppy conditions). I also have two experimental boards: 7'6"
x 28", and 7' x 30", with nose and tail measurements similar
to the above mentioned boards. These experimental boards turn
easier than the boards with dimensions in the first part of this
paragraph, but are slightly slower in the flat part of the wave.
These may be the widest surfboards ever made. The blue boards
shown in the photos, throughout the book, are small wave designs. A 8' x 25.5" x 3.5" design with the measurements below
will float a 170 lb. surfer with the entire top the board out of
the water. A 8' x 26" x 4" design design with the measurements below
will float a 220 lb surfer with the entire top of the board out
of the water. As a child, I remember thinking a board with a narrow tail would turn easier (as many ads suggest). At slow speeds just the opposite occurs. A narrow tail will sink at slow speeds, dragging water. A wide tail will plane on top of the water. These boards are designed to be turned by mostly twisting your body, instead of mostly leaning. This will create rotation (swivel) with the board relatively flat on the water, with very little drag. This design has been ridden since 2000, in many conditions, including
double overhead, but that is not remotely what it is made for.
It is best suited to gentle, knee to chest high, choppy waves.
PROS My friends and I believe that the vast majority of surfboards made today are nowhere close to the optimum design for the average surfer. Much of this is due to the (passive) influence of pro surfers on surfboard design, and the desire of surfers to have a pro surfer replica board. This is unfortunate. Pro surfers are generally smaller than average, surf mostly hollow waves, and surf mostly for points (almost totally maneuver oriented). Maybe something made specifically for a surfers weight, waves, and style would be more suitable than a pro replica board? Could it be that something other than a thruster or a nose rider would be a better choice? What design might be a better choice for the small, choppy waves so common world wide? What design might be a better choice for less than hollow chest high plus waves? We believe a design with the surface area and flotation of a longboard which is compressed into a shorter, wider, thicker shape is better suited to the average surfer. This design allows for easy paddling, yet can be more easily turned and planed from one position on the board. Contrary to popular belief, there is no one optimum board. The optimum design will be different for each person and each type of wave. Allow a suggestion however; a generally wider, thicker shape. Although the small wave design is not optimum for fast, powerful surf, the average surfer may derive some benefit from a modification of the design. With an open, out of the box mind, the average surfer will find a compromise of the measurements from the SMALL WAVE DESIGN section useful. A surfer used to a 9' longboard could transition to an 8'6" x 25.5" x 3.25" small wave design for a 170 lb. rider. If this is too extreme to accept, consider using the measurements from a favorite longboard shape, changing the length to 8' 6" and the thickness to 3.25" for a 160 lb. rider). For each 15 lbs. of body weight change, add or subtract 1/4" in total board thickness (through most of the entire board - not just the middle). A thruster could be designed 1/4" thicker and/or 1&1/2" wider. Note: the small wave design measurements (same length and thickness) support a heavier surfer (use 20 lbs. per 1/4" change) because the board (especially the tail) is much wider. Please refer to the DESIGN chapter for more information on how to adjust measurements. A surfer can make, or have something made, which is more suitable than what is pre-made in a shop. This is especially true for surfers over 160 lbs. Depending on pro's to help guide you to good equipment is not a good idea in surfing. You could ride Armstrongs' bike. You could hit a tennis ball with Federers' racket. You could hit a baseball with Bonds' bat. However, many surfers would not catch one wave with Slaters' surfboard. Surfboard design is a fascinating subject. If you have any design ideas, would like to discuss design, or need some help, email steve@surfersteve.com |