first custom shaped board

[RonG]

So I've taken the plunge and have enlisted a local shaper to produce my first custom-made board.

It will basically be an almost-copy of a board I've been riding for a while now, but is only with me on loan and will have to go back to its rightful owner (and shaper) in 8 weeks. It's essentially an 8'6 single-fin egg; fat and floaty but able to handle a much wider range of surf than the 9' longboard I've been riding since I started surfing a year ago. I believe the 8'6 came from among the last blanks produced by Clark back in the day.

The blank for my new board should be in by end of week (will be PU/polyester), the shaping to start soon after that. Since it's my first custom board, I'm wondering what questions I should be asking that I'm not necessarily thinking of.

- The glassing - what would make the most sense for a board this size? 6/4 on top, 6 on the bottom? V Cloth?

- I had said I wanted to set the new board up with side bites. I am impressed with how well the board I'm riding now turns and can hang on to a relatively steep wave, so am I foolish to change this in the new board?

- Any other basic questions a relative novice might not think to ask?

TIA.

[kitesurfer]

So I've taken the plunge and have enlisted a local shaper to produce my first custom-made board.
It will basically be an almost-copy of a board I've been riding for a while now, but is only with me on loan and will have to go back to its rightful owner (and shaper) in 8 weeks. It's essentially an 8'6 single-fin egg; fat and floaty but able to handle a much wider range of surf than the 9' longboard I've been riding since I started surfing a year ago. I believe the 8'6 came from among the last blanks produced by Clark back in the day.
The blank for my new board should be in by end of week (will be PU/polyester), the shaping to start soon after that. Since it's my first custom board, I'm wondering what questions I should be asking that I'm not necessarily thinking of.
- The glassing - what would make the most sense for a board this size? 6/4 on top, 6 on the bottom? V Cloth?

I still have a clark foam blank waiting for me to shape it!
Having fin boxes fitted for the addition of side biters will not effect how the board performs when used as a single fin. It is agood idea that will give you more option with the board.
Glassing wise unless you are heavy and have a habit of damaging the deck with your knees what you have suggested is fine. Cloth types don't worry too much your shaper will know. How is he going about the copy? Does he have the board in question or just dimensions. Is he shaping from scratch or using a pre shaped blank. How many boards has he shaped and was he recomended?
Oh and well done for supporting your local shaper!

KS

[RonG]

I still have a clark foam blank waiting for me to shape it!
Having fin boxes fitted for the addition of side biters will not effect how the board performs when used as a single fin. It is agood idea that will give you more option with the board.
Glassing wise unless you are heavy and have a habit of damaging the deck with your knees what you have suggested is fine. Cloth types don't worry too much your shaper will know. How is he going about the copy? Does he have the board in question or just dimensions. Is he shaping from scratch or using a pre shaped blank. How many boards has he shaped and was he recomended?
Oh and well done for supporting your local shaper!

KS

I'm not a heavy guy, 155 lbs. I have been known to make some "solid body contact" with my board but not so much lately. I like to think that first longboard bore the brunt of my kook stage. Nothing through to the foam but it sure has its share of pressure dings (as does my head ).

The shaper came highly recommended and is locally well-known. He's done quite a few boards over the years, and recently entered into an arrangement with one of the local surf shops to offer a custom board service.

I don't want to make the board weigh a ton but I do want it to be solid and tough. He's getting a pre-shaped longboard blank and starting from there. The board it's based on started pretty much the same way. I met with him last week and brought the board we're using as the template, and he took quite a few measurements. The nice thing is the shaping is going to happen at a shop about 10 blocks from where I live so I can go over there and watch, and bring the template board if he wants to check anything.

I'm happy to support a local shaper, and a local business in general. I'm also happy that I've gotten far enough in my surfing to be able to tell someone what I want with reasonable confidence and have them build it for me

Thanks for the input, I'll post some pics when it's all done.

[garbarrage]

See if you can get some pics of the process, should you venture that way. Would love to have had a few of my first custom being made but the shaper lived a couple hundred miles away.

[RonG]

See if you can get some pics of the process, should you venture that way. Would love to have had a few of my first custom being made but the shaper lived a couple hundred miles away.

The shop is supposed to give me a call when he's going to start working so I can come over and watch. I'll definitely being taking some pics along the way

[esonscar]

Hey awesome commitment - good on ya . . . just make sure the shaper puts sharp rails on the back end.

[RonG]

Well I'm not happy with the shop that did the glassing (messed up the pigment in a number of places on the deck), but the guy who shaped it did a bang-up job. It performs better than I could have hoped.
8'6 x 23 x 3 1/8, FCS Fusion sidebites and an 8" bamboo center.

[dtc]

Looks good - now you can only blame yourself for any failures, not the board!

Let us know how it surfs - was the original board (that was copied) similar dimensions?

[RonG]

Looks good - now you can only blame yourself for any failures, not the board!

Let us know how it surfs - was the original board (that was copied) similar dimensions?

Yes, almost the same basic dimensions. Some slight differences in the new board shape, slightly more tapered tail, a hair less entry rocker, rails harden further from the tail than on the original board. The biggest obvious difference is the fin set up - the original was a 9" single fin, the new one has the sidebites and I chose an 8" rake for the center. So far so good!

I got some incredible rides (for me) on the new board today. Not the same, but close enough to feel immediately at home

[jaffa1949]

Looks good look forward to progress now, doesn't your first custom with your own input feel great and a

[surf patrol]

The board looks really nice. Did you get to watch any of the shaping / glassing while it was being done?

[RonG]

The board looks really nice. Did you get to watch any of the shaping / glassing while it was being done?

Did not get to watch. They said they'd call me when he was going to work on my board, but didn't.

My main complaint though is about the people they outsourced the glassing to. They kept the board for 4 weeks, kept delaying, and in the end they missed about 10 spots on the deck with the red pigment (whoever did the work needs an eye exam) and then went ahead and coated over it to make those spots nice and permanent. No excuse for that kind of shoddy workmanship and poor business sense.

The shaper can't do the glassing locally because the shop can't get a permit for it (residential neighborhood), so I think they need to find a different vendor to outsource it to, and quickly.

[surf patrol]

That's a real shame about the pigment, and not getting the call to go have a look. I hope that won't detract from the stoke of your new board.

[RonG]

That's a real shame about the pigment, and not getting the call to go have a look. I hope that won't detract from the stoke of your new board.

Eh, it did take some of the stoke out of receiving it, but wax does cover a whole host of sins

And I'm plenty stoked about riding it

[garbarrage]

Wouldn't use him again if you're not happy mate... there's plenty of good shapers out there, and you want one who'll give you the service you're paying for. I'm not too fussy about the finish of a board personally, because I know it will get scratched dinged etc anyway. As long as it performs well you are on to a winner.

[RonG]

As long as it performs well you are on to a winner.

After spending quite a few hours surfing this board now, I am convinced I am on to a winner. I was concerned that no matter what it looked like, it wouldn't measure up to the board it was based on, but it is all that and more. I think it's going to help me improve my surfing quite a bit

[esonscar]

Dude - I'm chuffed the board is working well for you - Go explore both your and its' capabilities!
[NOTE: On a longboard the waves need only be a foot and glassy to have fun on!]

[RonG]

Dude - I'm chuffed the board is working well for you - Go explore both your and its' capabilities!
[NOTE: On a longboard the waves need only be a foot and glassy to have fun on!]

Loving the performance of this board. I've ridden it now in surf ranging from knee-high to slightly OH and everything in between, and it's improving me as a surfer all around.