Surfboard Design
If you have questions or comments about board design you can make them here
14 Responses to “Surfboard Design”
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If you have questions or comments about board design you can make them here
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August 18th, 2008 at 6:05 am
hi there!
Love the website, very useful info! I’m very little only 5 foot and weigh about 50kg what kind of board should I be looking at getting?
August 18th, 2008 at 6:41 am
Hi Sarah,
One big question - are you just starting to surf? Any experience at all? Without knowing that I really can’t advise you at all.
Thanks for visiting
Murray
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:27 am
Hi Muzza,
I like what youve done with the site.
Im after a board thats really easy to paddle and bouyant enough to float my rig so that I dont feel like ive done a fuffer valve during
a big day at bells. Any suggestions?
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:45 pm
There could be two issues here Dazza. One might be fitness. Are you fit enough to be able to handle those big days at Bells? Either more exercise or a drive to Chickens Reef may be the answer? If you are determined to keep surfing Bells on those bigger days, there are a few ways to handle it as far as a new board is concerned.
Basically, you need to increase the planing area of your board. If you have more planing area, you will find it easier to catch waves and therefore won’t bust your fuffer valve. You can increase your planing area in two ways. More length or more width. I am assuming you are riding a short board thruster. If you want something that has a similar feel, we have a new 7′6″ board called the Wave Stealer. This is shaped like a short board and has all the performance, but that extra length and width sure does make a difference when it comes to catching a wave!
You could, if you wanted to stay on a short board, get a Fish, either Retro or Modern. The Retro Fish will feel way different to your current board and will be OK at Bells (Rincon) on a high tide, but it is not recommended for the bowl at low tide (over 4′) as holding your line on it is a bit harder. Mind you, Mark Richards did it OK on his little twinnies way back when, but I am guessing you might not be quite in MRs league?
Our Modern Fish (6′6″) model in stock soon, might be a good compromise for you. Wider than a normal short board, a litttle fuller in the nose, and wider in tail, this won’t feel as radical as the retro fish, but will give you that extra paddle power that you are looking for. That middle fin makes a big difference holding your line too.
At the end of the day, there is nothing like feeling a new board and trying one out. Let me know if you would like to demo one and I will either meet you at the beach or drop one in to you in Geelong. I will have demo boards in stock in about 4 weeks.
Muzza
September 4th, 2008 at 1:21 am
Hi muzz! Ive been surfing for about 2 years around torquay, ocean grove, anglesea and I can stand up with no problem, I’m starting to learn how 2 turn a bit more
September 4th, 2008 at 2:18 am
Hi Sarah,
I am going to assume that you have been surfing on some sort of learners board, maybe a minmal perhaps.
With you being as small as you are, I would suggest that it is time to start using a short board. Actually, our 6′6″ Modern Fish will be just the thing for you. Easier than a short board, but much quicker and more maneuverable than a minimal. Drop buy and pick one up to try sometime. Will have them in stock in about 4 weeks.
Muzza
October 24th, 2008 at 8:55 am
Muzz
I want to talk about my new B & W 6′2″ Fish. After you left, the left hand break improved and I got heaps of ride both left & right.
This board is so easy to paddle & catch waves. Loved that!!! Its fast and loose and I love that! The fins are pretty close together, Some Quads are further apart but this setup obviously elinimates any drag because there’s nothing in the centre to slow it down. The fins complement each other and disperse the water efficiently and quickly. Thus the rocket speed. You can catch almost anything! This a much faster board than a 2 fin with all the turns having an added boost. You have more security taking a high line, so pulling out of a closeout is easier, as is running high and getting speed. I did some big floaters.
The wider the swallow, the straighter the outline of the board will be, thus there will be more drive which is important when the waves are weak and you must generate your own speed.
Added ‘grip’ from the four fins means you can slam a bottom turn without fear of spinning out. Much more control in floaters, Drive off the top instead of a stall.
HOWEVER, I don’t know about the noise, on one of the wave faces, I hit a little bump on the 2nd re-entry and the because there is no lift in the nose, it just penetrated the wave face and stalled. I am a heavy back footed surfer, but I adjusted quickly & this board is loose & fast. However, often on my back hand I like to do a big bottom hand turn. I push hard with my back foot and usually expose a fin or 2 out of the water and get a massive arc to set up the next re entry. It seem to stall.
Do you think a couple of refinements could help?
SURFBOARD NOSE LIFT!!!!
Surfboard nose lift prevents the nose from pearling (digging in). The more nose lift the less chance there will be of pearling. More nose lift also keeps it clear of the water when performing radical manoeuvres. Thus preventing the surfer from “digging a rail”. Flatter nose lift is often seen in Long boards where nose riding is an important consideration. it prevents the surfboard from stalling as the flatter section planes better.
What do you think?
INCREASED TAIL ROCKER
Increased tail rocker can be found in boards shaped for optimal maneuverability. A tail that bends off of the water’s surface provides more lift and sensitivity in the tail for driving through radical turns.
Generally speaking, on your standard surfboard, less overall center rocker means the board will glide and paddle better and be more suitable for beginners. More rocker will accommodate intermediate and experienced surfers looking to use every area of the board in order to generate speed and turning power.
Down-turned rails are so popular because of the extra maneuverability they give a surfboard. They’re stable yet necessary for vertical, modern surfing.
FIN SET UP
I love fins that flex, give you quick release & acceleration. This is the fin setup for the back-foot surfer (me) as you have one whole extra fin on the back. Front foot surfers need smaller back or all smaller sized fins.
I love slamming or putting my weight into everything. Not because I need to, but because I can.
Just want your advice. I can’t wait to try out on some bigger waves & messy waves.
I really enjoyed the board but I think it needs a couple of refinements to make it even better. I think it needs a nose light and maybe increase tail rocker to prevent the nose from digging in. More nose lift also keeps it clear of the water when performing radical manoeuvres. More tail rocker for optimal maneuverability.
They were my thoughts after today’s session.
Is it possible to to design this board with performance enhancements in mind. If so I would order a custom made one.
October 24th, 2008 at 10:19 am
All the changes you suggested would basically make a new board which really wouldn’t be a Retro Fish. The Retro Fish has its good points and bad points, so a compromise board is the Modern Fish, which you can try as I have a demo board of that one too. The Modern Fish is 6′6″ so costs a little more though - just checked only $10.00! See here for the Modern Fish http://boardsandwetties.com.au/surfboards.html
I wouldn’t suggest the Retro Fish being the only board in your quiver. In bigger surf the middle fin of the Modern Fish will give you more stability and allow you to draw out longer lines when turning. You need to change your style a bit to successfully surf a Retro Fish. Shorter quicker turns to build up speed rather than big carving turns are required.
But as you say, the Retro Fish is a helluva lot of fun. Everyone should have one!
November 9th, 2008 at 10:15 am
Hi Muzza,
I have enjoyed surfing the 6″2 quad fin retro fish. It paddles very well and each time Ive taken it out Ive had plenty of waves. The feel of the board is very different from my regular short board. Its “skatey”. The wide and flat shape of the board allows you to generate speed quickly and the fin set up makes it feel loose. Cut backs are really easy on this board. I disagree with Nick in terms of the drive. Sorry Nick. I havent felt comfortable with top to bottom moves on this board because it doesnt drive as well off the bottom as a thruster. But this is a board for small to medium size waves and perfect for point breaks such as possos and rincon. I feel much more comfortabe paddling this board out into a line up of mals and that is what makes the retro fish a great addition to the quiver.
November 9th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
Surfed tiny waves at Bells this morning with Bruiser and had a ball! I was on the 6′2″ fish, Bruiser who is taller and heavier than me on the 6′10″ fish. Caught a stack of waves. The 6′2″ for me was the right board. Bruiser and I swapped and he definitely did much better in the 6′10″. I was just amazed that we were able to do so much on such a tiny wave on these boards. Way more fun than a minimal or mal.
I am definitely keeping a 6′2″ for myself. I previoiusly thought the 6″10″ was “my” board, but I felt some much more comfortable on the 6″2″ even though my feet were dragging in the water. I feel like I am surfing like a kid again on this board. When I was a kid I was riding Pat Morgan/Dennis Day/Strapper fish and they were awesome then, but these boards are way better. I think the quad fin setup gives them more drive.
December 19th, 2008 at 9:22 am
I read this interview wth Mark Richards today on http://www.surfingthemag.com. In it he says something that I have thought for a darned long time. To quote him,
“The problem with surfboard design in the last few years is that we’ve been influenced too much by what is happening on tour and a lot of fun recreational surfers have been stitched up with a board very similar to what the pros are riding. And between the average surfer and the pro surer there’s quite an ability difference [laughs], so they’ve just been riding a board that’s too thin, too narrow and too refined for the conditions they go surfing in. So I think they’ve have latched onto twins and retros because the boards have more volume. And they’re finding that in average beachbreak conditions the board floats them better, it paddles better, it planes over dead sections better, and they’re basically having more fun riding it. So I think it’s a really good time in surfboard design at the moment. If you want to walk down the beach with a 5′10″, 20-inch wide twin fin, that’s totally cool. Or if you want to walk down the beach with a 6′6″ Thruster that’s 18 inches wide, that’s cool as well. I think that’s good; I think that’s how surfing should be. Everyone’s a different size and shape; everyone surfs differently. So everybody should be on different types of boards.”
Well said Mark!
February 24th, 2009 at 11:55 am
Hi there, do you have any demo modern fish boards around at the moment?
February 24th, 2009 at 8:45 pm
Hi Matt,
I will have a modified retro fish available as a demo board hopefully later this week. Its being glassed at the moment.
The first batch of Retro fishes we did were 13 inches wide point to point at the tail. Very fast down the line but a bit hard to pull around in to a cutback. So we have drawn in the tail by 3 inches and changed the rails and the thickness profile on the next ones.
I think these boards will suit you much better than the Modern Fish I have on Ebay. One thing that would be handy to know Matt - how big are you?
June 2nd, 2009 at 11:52 am
Great post! Just wanted to let you know you have a new subscriber- me!