I'm going to attempt to build a hollow wood surfboard 9'6" lightning bolt gun, so I'm collecting information, photos, etc.
What I have so far is the length 9' 6", width 21", wide point forward, pintail single fin with v, flat rocker (6" front 3" back). I've been told that the tail rocker and v began about 18" from the back.
Some questions I have are, does 3" thick sound right, or were they thicker? How about rails? Really, any pics or drawings of rocker on a board like this would be very helpful.
Thanks for any help. This is not a true replica, being as its gonna be built as a hws, but I want to get the shape right. In my mind I'm picturing something like this pic from Balsa's show thread:
I hope some of the masters pipe in.
This is the 9'6 pintail I have,
more tail rocker than your numbers though. nose is around 5.25 and tail 4.5 something, the centerline is @ 1.5
96rocker.png
Hello Huck, I am not a shaper but I recently ordered a similar board and have been doing some research on the design. Mine will be something around 10'2", we ordered a usblanks 10'6" A Green density with a thick stringer. I guess you will need something like a 9'9" A.
Wow, that is a real gun you are going to shape, where will you be riding it?
From what I have researched, wide point should be around 6" - 8" up. Nose width between 10" and 11", tail around there too, maybe a bit narrower than the nose. The width you sugested is about right. I decided to keep as much width and thickness from the blank as possible for paddling but thickness should be under chest, tail should be foiled thin and pintail should be "spiky". Deck will be flat to just at the rail where it will go to a down rail with much sharpness on the aft section. Beak nose to keep some foam up there. Bottom, some suggest v to flat to panel v to flat behind the fin, after closely examining a similar Country Surfboards gun we have in the shop, we decided to go with a flat at the tip to basically a slight v throughout most of the bottom, increasing in front of the fin an then flat behind the fin. I have read that this is the bottom Bill Barnfield used on these types of boards.
As for rocker, your numbers sound right. In my case we will go about 3" tail and just flow with the blank's rocker without tweeaking it too much so the entry rocker will be greater than 6" in my board. From what I have researched, gun rocker should be continuous and flowing with no flat spots, breaks or kicks that can catch when you are going fast and trying to survive. It is suposed to be a simple and functional board.
Glassing, we will probably go double 10 oz top and bottom, gloss finish and bright orange color so I can find it when I lose it.
What I am still trying to find out is what fin to use and how far up should it be placed. I guess a board like this doesn't need a fin that is too deep because of the tail spike and the outline/rails in the tail.
Again, I am not a shaper just a surfboard design nerd who likes to read a lot and listen to what experts have to say. Swaylocks is very cool because you can get the experienced shapers and designers to give you some great advice and you get to read some very interesting stories along the way. Maybe Bill Barnfield or Thrailkill can help.
Huck
ya that is a sweet board that Balsa posted,,, google images will give you more pics
all this information posted seems to be accurate
but remember ,,there were lots of variations in these boards in the 70's,, tail widths, rails etc,,etc,,
but down rails were the norm,,, hard at the tail end
where the board is surfed is a major factor for all things shaped,,,
Island boards are surfed in powerfull waves as compared to California Mainland waves
if they don't comment here, it'd be a good idea to PM Bill Thrailkill, Bill Barnfield, and Deadshaper...
really looking forward to this build thread and finished product! i'm sure with your skills and that shape, it's going to be a knockout!
Thanks dlock, Tony, and Ken for the help, and thanks Chris for the vote of confidence! I'm a little intimidated by the project, but determined.
So 3" thick sounds right to me, since the deck is pretty flat through the center then that should be plenty of volume appropriate to the shape. Since mine is for Calif. waves, it'll have bit wider tail than the Hawaii gun that Balsa posted.
Hi Chrisp:
The rockers are mathmatically calculated and base on the Nose and Tail being even and capturing the correct curve.
Thickness are in consideration of the length.
Surfding
California Hybrid Gun.jpg
HUCK Gun.jpg
I would defer to BB as he was there makng them.............DS
ha ha, oops... for some reason i thought you were too? i don't know why i thought that
If anybody has pics of a Calif. lightning bolt gun, would be greatly appreciated! Esp. showing rails, rocker, deck, fin, bottom, etc.
At this point I'm planning on a relatively flat deck through the middle, rails more down than neutral, single fin with slight v out the tail, rocker pretty much as sketched.
Im sure the "customer" will like the board when its done.
I cant keep a straight face too much longer,,,
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