Alright, I was able to finish out my new board last week and surfed it a couple times this weekend. I'm still working on dialing the board in completely, but I'm really pleased with how the board is performing thus far.
In the second part of the Custom Board Guide, we're going to discuss dimensions, fin setups and glassing options. There is a lot of info and opinions on these topics and it will vary greatly depending on the shaper you are working with and who is glassing your board. One thing to keep in mind is that both the fins and the glassing can each play major roles in how a board performs, so it's important to talk to your shaper about these aspects.
Dimensions: The dimensions of a surfboard are extremely important to provide the right balance of volume and performance and this will vary greatly from rider to rider. Common surfboard dimensions are length, wide point, and thickness of the board. There are other dimensions that shapers will measure, but these three are most important for the customer. As a general rule, the bigger you are, the more volume you need to maximize your performance and fun. I'm a pretty big guy and the dimensions of my board are 6'10" long x 21 1/4" wide x 3" thick. I arrived at these dimensions based on some of the other boards I ride and how I wanted the board to perform in the waves I am hoping to surf this board with. As I stated before, the dimensions of a board will vary greatly based on experience level, style of board you order, and even fitness level to some degree. Once again... talk to your shaper!
Fin Options: As you're probably aware, fins setups vary greatly from board to board. You have consider how you want your board to perform, what conditions you'll be surfing the board, and what type of board you're getting made. Some fin setups don't work for all boards. Think how weird a single fin setup would work for a wide tailed retro fish... For my board, I wanted a wide variety of fin options to play and experiment with, so I decided to go with a 2+1 setup, which means I have a center fin box and two side Future boxes. I set the boxes in such a way that would accommodate a set of thruster fins, but could swap in a single fin, or a medium sized center fin with two small side fins depending on how I wanted the board to surf. So far, I've only surfed it as a thruster, but look forward to seeing how the board will ride differently with different fins.
Glassing Options: Fiberglass formulas are simple... heavier glass=heavier, stronger board. Lighter glass=lighter, weaker board. Of course there is a difference when you're working with epoxy versus polyester resins, but the formula still holds true. Lighter boards are nice for performance, but typically don't last as long. The fiberglass cloth that we typically work with comes in two weights, either 4 oz. or 6 oz. What that means that if you cut a square foot of fiberglass off the roll, it would either weigh 4 or 6 ounces. A typical surfboard has one layer of cloth on the bottom and two layers on the deck. Most people who order boards from me like to find a balance of durability and performance, which usually translates into some combination of 4 and 6 oz. cloth. Personally, I like my boards to be bulletproof (all 6 oz.). I don't really care how much they weigh, and find the extra weight can sometimes help cut through the chop on less than perfect days. We can always do custom color work, as you can see from the bright red color of this board! I love to mess with crazy resin patterns, so if you can dream it up, we can usually make it happen!
If you're new to the custom board process, I hope these last couple posts have cleared up some confusion. The most important thing I can say is to talk to your shaper about these board features and other aspects of board design. Most shapers are happy to work through a board with you, and I'm more than willing to sit down with anyone wanting to get the right board under their feet! Thanks for reading!
