Ready for a coast trip test run to the Oaxaca point and beach break delights. Inspired by many great posters here on this forum. Epoxy super expensive here so plypos are birch ply 1/2 and 3/8 and end grain epoxy sealed then varnished:
1) 51X21 "Fungly" model (thanks to "SoulGlider") scaled up a bit for my 6-3 frame. 1/2" birch ply and makeshift yoga traction pad.
2) 48X18 Fungly of 3/8ths. Flexy. With handle. Deeper tail V. Slippery deck.
3) 6-6 X 18 alaia of 2 layers of 3/8ths with deep bottom concave. Meant for pure prone riding.
4) cedar chambered T-belly clone at 50X24. My first chambered and too heavy but maybe OK. We'll see. Vented.
5) same template but a inch wider and of 1/2" birch ply. With experimental handle and a bit of tail scoop.
Fun to build and design. And now to test. Peace from Oaxaca state mexico. Lat 17N and water temp about 85F.
Man, I've always wanted to build a wooden version of my T-Bellys. I considered the chambered approach, but didn't/don't have access to a band saw. I've collaborated several times with a local Intermediate school shop teacher who had his woodshop students building HWS mini-Simmons. I would use Aku to design the shape and then a seperate application to to convert the Aku BRD file to create templates for the ribs. His class must have built a dozen or so. I'd be really interested in hearing the details of your "T-Belly" clone build. -tp
Better say thanks for the heavy lifting design wise. That's why I kinda modeled my build on your T-belly. A old shipwright once told me "the hard way is the easy way" and true with a chambered board. I had access to inexpensive local cedar clear grain 100" boards at 2.75" X 1.25" so just used those. Came out to a 50 inch board and just went with the 2.75" thickness. But quickly learned in a hands on tactile way that a HUGE amount of wood is wasted from off cutting and chambering. Some parts were indeed easier, like the shaping of the huge block once cut out. Your flat deck and sloping side panels, down to the rails, went beautifully in that regard. But stressful chambering to make sure a short inattention didn't mean a compromised piece. Being my first my natural inclination was to leave extra material, despite many internet chamberers saying they should have shaved out more, and, sure enough, as I glued the chambered pieces back together, two at a time, and the weight crept up and up, I knew i'd made the same mistake. But to chamber properly requires dangerous cutting. In short, the hard way IS the easy way: the best method is a spar and rib skeleton strip planked model, which I would LOVE to try next. I'd stick with the basic template but maybe up to 52 inches. I'd think strip patterning for the deck, of various woods, to be immensely pleasing. Lastly, epoxy is pricey here in southern mexico so I used gorilla glue almost exclusively but epoxy is the way to go for a final sealing job, with a light bit of fabric maybe just on the bottom. That's the build basically. Seems worth it to sample the float and sound difference of a wood and foam T-belly. Thanks again for the design efforts.
