Surfboard Design Lesson #1
The winds still be messing things up out there. However, this morning looked pretty doable from a surf standpoint. OB looked decent, nothing epic or great but if you needed to get wet you could. The winds really died out late last night.
Local Winds: 0-5 kts out of the SW
Swell: 5.6 ft @ 8 sec.
Outer Bouy Winds: about 10 kts from NNW
So, I have always been confused/interested/intrigued/curious about surfboard design and the evolution of surfboards. Many of you know more then others about this kind of stuff. So, let's do a little lesson on surfboard design and some of the popular "retro" shapes we always here about. If you got some dusty old pics of that Twinzer you rode back in '89, throw it up here so we can check it out..... Likewise, for those "in-the-know", now is your time to shine. Here goes..............
Surfboard Descriptions:
Fish - A surfboard design invented by Steve Lis of San Diego, California, which features a wide nose and broad swallow-type tail design, with a twin-fin setup; in recent years, refers to almost any short, stubby, wide surfboard.
In 1966, Steve Lis was a teenage surfer from San Diego who'd been making kneeboards in his Point Loma High School woodshop class. He later graduated to skinning broken longboards for shorter foam blanks, deciding that what he needed to surf his favorite wave at Sunset Cliffs was a pintail. Lis solved the problem of a kneeboard's twin fins extending over the rails on a traditional pin by taking design elements from one of the early split tails, the radical "Superboard," designed by "Bear" Mirandon, that sported twin pins and a deep "V." In essence, what Lis created was a double pintail with a fin on either rail. The board was flat and fast and was capable of drawing dynamic new lines, especially compared to the more restrictive longboards still in the line-up. Under the knees of Lis, himself a fantastic wave rider, the Fish represented a quantum leap toward taking this new generation of surfers where they wanted to go.
EXAMPLE:
Bonzer - Forerunner of today's popular single-to-double concave bottom shape. .
Twinzer - Four-fin surfboard design created by Will Jobson of California in 1990; adds control to the instability of the twinfin design.
A twinzer has 4 fins, with two fins toed in on each side. Generally speaking, a twinzer is much looser than a thruster. The twinzer set up has a lot less drag than the thruster set up, and this becomes especially evident in bottom turns. When you first switch to a twinzer from a thruster, the bottom turn happens so fast it screws up your timing. You're out of your bottom turn before you've figured out what you're gonna do next. They are not too common, but some people swear by them. Wil Jobson is probably the best known twinzer shaper in Santa Cruz currently working under the Pearson Arrow label.
Egg - Fast, loose and fun. As always, the egg is one of surfing's most versatile designs. Easy to ride for all levels of surfing skills. Great in beach break. Best in small to med waves. Wider nose and volume throughout. The egg does it all: nose rides, paddles fast, catches waves easy, quick and loose off of the tail.
digging the educational material Kais. also check the latest Surfer's Journal for article on the Campbell(bonzer) brothers
Posted by: oldman at May 12, 2004 10:13 AMbravo! I love this stuff...can I have one of each???
Posted by: jdz at May 12, 2004 10:17 AMNice write-up!
Posted by: SFKneelo at May 12, 2004 10:20 AMFor fish fans, you may be interested in what
the kneelos are riding. Check out www.ksusa.org, under the photo gallery, boards section. Sort by
view, descending.
Some of these would make freak-a-zoid stand-up
boards.
dig that crazy party scene at east county man
Posted by: snake at May 12, 2004 10:21 AMDefinitely drew a bit of inspiration for today's post from a broad flip-thru of my new Surfer's Journal.
Speaking of which, does it get much better when you come home on Friday to a 40th Anniv. of Surfing and Surfer's Journal? Then followed up by a new Surfer Mag. issue the following week?
Lots of homework........
Posted by: Kaiser at May 12, 2004 10:55 AMi surfed in a large body of salt water this morning and it was nice. actually, surprisingly nice- shoulder high with the occasional little beachy barrel. just what was needed.
i want an egg. looks perfect for spring/summer OB. anyone have ideas on length for an OB egg?
Posted by: luke at May 12, 2004 11:06 AM
Posted by: 3to5setsof7 at May 12, 2004 11:09 AMLazer Zap: In the 80's Cheyne Horan pioneered a tear-drop shaped boxy railed wide point behind center single fin as an alternative to thrusters. I had one for a few months and rode a variety of custom fins acheiving the best results with a winged keel fin. The board was fast down the line and the keel really lifted the tail at speed. The board turned flat and pivoty as oppossed to on rail. With thick boxy rails it would stay pretty flat on the wave. No gouging rail cutty's. It was quite nuetral when turning, meaning you wouldn't feel the drive out of a carve. But the board would turn very quickly and smoothly all over the wave. In hollow surf the board had it's moments of glory. One of the best sessions I had on it was an OH A Frame October day at OB. Surfing through kelp was not advisiable. After a few months and my freinds telling me they had seen me surf better I ordered a standard issue 6.4" squash tail thruster. I do wish I still had the Zap just for fun tho.
Posted by: at May 12, 2004 11:14 AMthat photo is more cruel for creating unfulfilled desire than all the pictures of half-naked girls combined. all those beautiful single-fin, pin tails lined up and i just want one.
Posted by: steamwand at May 12, 2004 11:23 AMThanks for the info, Kaiser! I've been ignorant about boards but curious to learn.
OB: sunny/hazy, chunky, knee-head and some 6ers [ particularly peaky ] and doable.Mixture of mush, closeouts, steep drops, or crossed up rips depending where you are. Onshores started up in the past 1/2 hour so hurry up if you have to get wet. There was a group of peeps smashed together in the same area - a head here and there now making the best of things elsewhere - but trust me, there are other kinda doable areas. I was some ways off the pack and was either living through some "EEP!!" moments, watching drops to my left or right, chasing shoulders, [ damn inconsistent channels! ] enjoying a true blue OB body slam, backing out of drops at the last second because they were hollering my health insurance ID number, missing the best little surfy waves [ for me] on the paddle out - aagh why do the best ones always happen then! - or getting genuinely assaulted by closeouts. Oh, and caught a wave, too! Maybe I had all that space to myself because my severe kookage made it look so bad. But yeah...conditions are nothing to crow about, but they are, or WERE surfable, and there are sloppier choppier and empty shoulders and finicky waves if you look. For whatever reason it's especially hard to see what's going on from the road but paddling around obviously noticed and got abused by nuggets here and there.Currently conditions appear to have shrunk a bit, it also seems like a super changeable day so maybe I shouldn't have typed so much. ; ) Good luck chasing those waves,
Posted by: s.s.sharkbait at May 12, 2004 11:27 AM
Posted by: klueless at May 12, 2004 11:39 AMlooks better than a bunch of lightening bolt pin tails? aye or nay?
Girl that can surf a shortboard or a quiver full of single fins?
Gotta go with the girl....
Posted by: Kaiser at May 12, 2004 11:52 AMmaybe it's 'cause i am a girl that shortboards that i choose the sweet retro board. i can have myself anytime i want. oops, did i actually print that.
Posted by: steamwand at May 12, 2004 12:04 PMcould be a poser...she's not actually riding the short board...still gotta go with the girl
Posted by: oldman at May 12, 2004 12:06 PMNice board glossary, Kaiser---that is waaay helpful! (Now I know I definitely need a fisheggbonzer.)
Sharkbait, isn't that what surfing is supposed to be like---or have I been doing something wrong?
Posted by: Klooless Kook at May 12, 2004 12:11 PMsteamwand...lol
Posted by: jdz at May 12, 2004 12:17 PMOkay steamwand but I get dibs on that orange hued hunka 6 from the left. ;)
Klooless - yes, we are on to something!
Posted by: s.s. sharkbait at May 12, 2004 12:23 PMoh no, that is exactly the one i had my eye on. we'll have to fight for'm. or maybe we can share?
Posted by: steamwand at May 12, 2004 12:30 PMKaiser and co--on a roll, loving the posts.
steamwand, you just made me snort :)
I have a Dave Johnson (SB) twinzer shaped in '87. 6'3", wide and thick with double wings and a channel down each rail, hard edge way far up towards the nose. sweet 80's aquamarine with flourescent yellow band down the middle. Picked it up randomly for $70 at some used sporting goods shop in good condition. Love this board. real finicky, doesn't like much size, doesn't like anything overhead and mushy, but on a semi-glassy day with just a bit of steepness on the takeoff it is magic. super stable, but turns without thinking about it (actually it is best to just feel your way with it rather than try to make it do stuff). Think I like it better backside. I think it is a great addition to a quiver, very playful. Makes me smile (on the right days) and that's what it's all about, no?
Posted by: ben at May 12, 2004 12:32 PMHas anyone heard anything about Salomon's (yes, the French ski company) foray into board design? They are susposedly working with Al Merrick (I think) and some other top shapers to design a variable flex blank using some of their I-beam ski construction technology. Word has it that Slater was killing it on a prototype during the early rounds of the Hossegor contest last fall. From what I understand, Salomon claims that they will only be selling custom tailored blanks to shapers to avoid coming off as an arrogant ski company try to make money in a different industry.
Interesting concept? Any comments.
Posted by: skurfer at May 12, 2004 12:33 PMI believe I've read that the Salomons are maybe too light, too skitish. but that could be a reaction to new equipment, prior to adjustments. certainly interesting. they are hollow, no?
Posted by: ben at May 12, 2004 12:37 PMthere is a weird flash website that gives absolutely zero info on the boards...
www.salomonscore.com
Posted by: skurfer at May 12, 2004 12:43 PMSalomon is making their S-core blanks. They are doing a bunch of interesting testing. But, I fear they will be WAY off on the price point. Let's face it - a polyurethane blank for a shortboard is $45. And the advantages of S-core??
I really think Salomon is barking up the wrong tree - trying to make a better blank to change flex characteristics. You can do a lot with multiple stringers and changing the glassing schedule and/or type of resin. In any case, S-core blanks are not coming to a store near you yet.
That G&S fish doesn't look traditional to me. The rear on an old school fish has very nearly parallel rails.
e's board from Coffey has Bonzer-like concaves in it. I just never get the feeling a deep concave through the tail is as fast as a flat tail.
btw, I totally scored real crappy surf this morning. I don't really want to say where I went, or else the pimp might get on me.
Posted by: blakestah at May 12, 2004 12:43 PMblakestah, agreed, that's not a traditional fish at all. probably fun, but not the SD fish
Posted by: ben at May 12, 2004 12:45 PMTake the pictures for what they are worth y'all. Just didn't want to pimp Mandala again today. Had to mix it up.
CHOPES is on fools! Dial it up at www.billabong.com
Posted by: Kaiser at May 12, 2004 01:12 PMnice string going today! very enlightening and inspired me to do a little poking about on the net. found a pretty sic catalog of boards through the ages including images that are clickable to the full 411! check it out: http://www.surfresearch.com.au/00000000t.html
btw...anyone know the scoop on twin fins? specifically Mark Richards-inspired designs/duplicates? a fun addition to the quiver or too antiquated without drive?
Posted by: ck at May 12, 2004 01:14 PMMy working board has been a 7-8 Stewart Big Guy Tri (a.k.a. fat guys keep trying) but lately I've fallen in love with my 7-3 Bordello tri-fin fish. Geez, I catch a lot more waves on that sucker.
But I've noticed that I had to adapt my stle somewhat. The bottom turns are OK if you shift your weight back a bit further, but the cut-backs require me to keep the board flatter to avoid digging a rail. And getting down the line requires more pumping to keep up the speed.
Similar experiences or other tips to help out a senior citizen?
Posted by: Bruce at May 12, 2004 01:22 PMI picked up a fish a couple of months ago that is pretty similar to the G&S in the photo above-
Posted by: bill at May 12, 2004 01:35 PMdefinitely having to adapt my style - unconsciously, i was trying to ride it like a shortboard but it just doesn't work- bottom turn has been especially hard
and the twin fin makes it really wiggly- so mostly, i just try to generate speed - works well in waist to chest high range
so to anyone that looking into getting one- it's fun but you will have to modify your style a bit
I got my crusty old ass out there this mornin for my first DP in many many moons. I actually surfed a bit better than I was surfing this weekend. I must have gone over the falls 10 times on Friday, and didn't do much better Sat.
Kaiser again nice post.
displacement hull egg Greg Liddel Malibu
Photos by Karen Bojorquez Posted by: mexisurf at May 12, 2004 01:36 PMBruce, I'm right there with you, I've got a Rusty 7' fishy thing that I've have a year or so and its falling apart, I haven't been able to replace it because nothing works as good. A little soft on the turns but it can be snappy too on fast waves.
Posted by: Mexisurf at May 12, 2004 01:44 PMCK, great link! That is solid.
Mexi, those are some sweet pics. Makes me think about how that Egg is gonna ride soon!
Posted by: Kaiser at May 12, 2004 02:10 PManyone else having problems with the billabong streaming vid? not sure if its me or them...
Posted by: luke at May 12, 2004 02:43 PMLazor Zap
Posted by: 3to5setsof7 at May 12, 2004 02:56 PMA word on fish and two fin boards.
They ride differently!!! You can generate thrust on one, much as you do on a thruster (unless it is a really old fish with parallel keel fins). However, the amount of thrust generated increases as the fin is moved forward in the hull. Thruster fins are set further forward, so more drive. But that is not the real performance difference.
The real biggie is that you cannot take a massive bottom turn on a two fin board. It just doesn't hold well. However, they can turn across a steeper wave face, so just initiate the turn earlier, before you get to the bottom, and track a high line.
The addition of the center fin to the two fin (making a thruster), has a unique combination of hold and drive, which is why it has been the dominant fin configuration on shortboards for over 20 years.
Posted by: blakestah at May 12, 2004 02:58 PMRichards began shaping his own boards. He developed a short, winged swallow twin-fin design perfectly suited to his loose, angular style. At 6'0", his swooping turns earned him the nickname "The Wounded Gull." His patented bottom-turn/snapback combination was ages ahead of its time and set him apart from the single-fin sluggishness of the time.
Posted by: 3to5setsof7 at May 12, 2004 03:13 PMi'm jonesin'. might have to go surf the slop after work.
next time i go home i'm gonna bring up this old surfboard from the 70s in my parent's garage and give it a go. i'll post pics of it when i get it.
Posted by: bbr at May 12, 2004 03:22 PM
Posted by: big mig at May 12, 2004 03:41 PManother retro shot Wayne Lynch down under on an egg?
Blakestah,
Posted by: bill at May 12, 2004 04:09 PMappreciate the clarification the fish/thruster issue-
I've definitely noticed that as I get more accustomed to the fish, I tend to ride higher on the wave and not go for the deeper turns-
now if I can just find a nice, uncrowded point break to hone my skills- in Norcal, no problem, right?
This is a good design article...
Surfboard Anatomy Guide:
http://www.surfline.com/mag/features/anatomy/index.html
Posted by: mwsf at May 12, 2004 04:45 PMHow can I post my surfboard pics to this forum? copy+paste aint workin...
Posted by: jacob at May 12, 2004 04:55 PM-jake
anyone ever ride one of the McCoy nuggets?
Posted by: jdz at May 12, 2004 05:01 PMTo post a pic, use this HTML code:
{image src="INSERT THE URL HERE"} - replace the {} with >
Copy what I wrote, change the brackets and insert your URL in the quotes.
Posted by: Kaiser at May 12, 2004 05:50 PM
Posted by: at May 12, 2004 06:19 PM
Posted by: at May 12, 2004 06:24 PMthat picture of PP up top is sick...no mater all the people..nice post's got the next few days off so ill have to read em later inspiring though. fun at ob mid morning today..
Posted by: bagel at May 12, 2004 06:56 PM>image src="http://graphics7.nytimes.com/images/2004/05/11/science/11sedn.1.650.jpg">
Posted by: sedna at May 12, 2004 10:34 PMthis whole dadburned surfing thing will not stand
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