Trying my hand at shaping: What shape should I start with?

Epoxy is more sensitive to cold and humidity than Polyester. Suncure is a good idea if you want to go PE and you're not sure about your skills... it will give you a bit more time to get it right. Epoxy is very user friendly in that way as well, and you can keep your materials warm in the house, then bring them out into your shed just before you're ready to glass. A space heater or two will get the air temp up in the glassing area, but won't warm the materials.

So decide what you want to do... EPS/Epoxy or PU/PE... (I vote for the former)... and get your space, tools, and rack ready. Greenlight's got everything, and just moved to a bigger space in Manasquan, right on 71.

As for your dims... I think your nose rocker is a bit on the low side. I see you like those numbers, but I'd consider going to 4" or more. If you want to take it out in some bigger surf, stay on the low side of your width range, and know that for a guy your weight, your thickness is going to give you extra foam... more than enough. You'll either end up with full rails, or a crowned deck, which is fine if that's what you're shooting for.

 

Agree with LB Crew...I know there are those who dont mind riding flat rockered boards in solid sized waves, but for a mid 6 to 7 foot length board, 3-3.5" inches of nose rocker is really flat. The best 6'6" egg i ever had had 5" of nose rocker and would drop smoothly into OH waves. Ive tried riding eggs with 3-4" of nose rocker in steep hollow waves and the forward rails really have a tendancy to hang up at the bottom of the wave, and even turning in the pocket. I'd go with more than 4" of NR for that board, unless you plan to just surf it in mushy waves.

 

Go to Swaylocks.com and you'll find a world on info and people happy to answer questions. I shaped with a peice of gritty sanding belt cut and tacked to a 12" section of 2x4 and a surform hand plane. Both tools worked fairly well. Make sure you keep your nose rocker low ( flatter ) which you would want anyway in a fish. I had a tendency to start sanding away on the bottom of the nose making a big flip so I ended up pushing a wall of water ahead when paddling making it difficult to catch waves.
Based on your riding history and size I would go with a larger than usual fish, say 6'2" or a full funshape at 6'6". Either would give you easy paddling, plenty of glide on flat sections and more maneuverability than your longboard.

 

here's a walk-through with dims..

http://www.surfersteve.com/introduction.htm

 

Good luck brah...... Post some pics.

 

nice, i finished shaping my first a week ago.

 

not a great picture. it's 5'6 21'' 2 3/4. not glassed or painted yet just shaped.

 

what is the best pencil to sign/ draw on styrofoam blank?

 

Any dark drawing pencil from an art store, the softness of the lead will determine how easy it is.

 

Get a 8b or 9b if you can find them. Pretty sure Greenlight has them.

But I've found it pretty tough to write on polystyrene foam in general. Now I sharpen the pencil and write really small right on the stringer.

 

Wow... looks real nice, especially for your first attempt

 

The shaping session was a lot of fun! I love working with surfers on collaboration projects, it makes a lot more fun from a shaper's perspective! Should have kielsun's board sanded and finished this week and will post up some final pics of it. dcSurfer that is a sweet little Mini-Simmonsesque board!

 

Awesome!

~Brian
www.greenlightsurfsupply.com
Shape Your Surfing Experience