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My latest board does what I have been looking for: surfs hollow waves, duckdives well and is fast.

It's made by Chris Garrett of Phantom. He had wanted to turn it into a spoon but when I saw the tail (I had shown him some photos of Michael Drury's dished out decks), I decided to leave the foam that was left there (it's too thin to take FCS plugs and the single fin box is visible from the deck - just). It's 4'5 3/4" x 21 x 1 7/8". Lighter glass job than usual - 2 layers of 6 oz", though the tail has an extra layer.
The photo below was taken before the fin box had been put in. It has wings at the tail.
What I also like, is that I can ride it both finned and finless. Both go great.
The fin is based on this one but an inch or so shorter (about 6.25").

The board has some interesting qualities - foam is obviously forward which aids wave catching. In photos, I also see that I often hold the nose area (perhaps a result of riding a handled board for a while).

Bob

bitchin board bob! i think youll find that the board will act very spoony with the rear rails thick like it is. ive tried a bunch of spoons for prone surfing and found that because you are laying down on the board the flex (if there is any) should be farther forward (as your board has) to act the same as a spoon, since you wont/dont have your knees to push down on as you pull up with your hands as with a true spoon. cudos!

Do you have any pics of you riding, if your holding the nose can you turn from that position or do you have to move back to turn? Any do you find to ride it in different positions depending on finned or finless?

Tim,

Thanks. I can't really take a lot of the credit. I asked for a board that was a big diversion from my previous boards - rounded pin, with a scooped deck. After discussion, watching some footage of me surfing the previous board, the idea was a compromise of sorts. Stick with the basic Goddard inspired shape, but narrow the tail. My contribution was to retain foam. A single fin was the only fin that would fit. The winged tail was entirely the shaper's idea. The three layers of glass on the bottom was in anticipation of a spoon. We had talked about a flex tail a few times.

I can't say I can feel flex. The board has more foam than a spoon though less than most other boards. I recalled Greenough's critique of the spoon in less than optimal waves, so didn't want to go completely down that road. There was also the question of wave catching ability. Is it the case, a spoon ridden prone, has to be usually ridden further forward?

keith,

The only photos are the attempt 3 video. Later this week I hope to get to ride the board in long lefts and get some better footage. So far, the only real difference, is the better hold in fuller waves with the finned board. I don't tend to move around a lot when riding. After Soulglider's comments I'll give more attention to my overall position which must be further forward, because, if I was riding the board you surfed with a handle, I'd virtually be over the handle.

Aloha Bob,
Looks like a heap o' fun.
Please show some more pictures of the bottom. A tail end view down the stringer without the fin would be nice.

Nice iteration LG's work! First board that I've seen on this site that I'd actually like to ride. Are the rails tucked? 50/50? 60/40? Why a single-fin not a multi-fin and what determined the location of the fin? Bottom contours? How wide is the tailblock?

That is a fine looking board! I'd be very curious how it would ride with small keels (either traditional 2 or more a "speed dialer" quad type set up) instead of as a single fin.

Ok,

Here goes in no particular order:

The rail about mid-way or so:
The rail near the tail:
The view tail to nose, deck -up
The view tail to nose, bottom up.



The tail is 19" wide, 12" from the tail and 15" wide, 1" from the tail.

Originally I wanted twin-fins, but the board thickness didn't allow FCS plugs. Chris was going to do small glass-ons, but this is a travel board. I've ridden a f fin bonzer, two fins is probably enough for me. The single fin box location was the shaper's decision and also probably a matter of finding enough foam for it to fit. He is keen to explore finless possibilities, hence the wings, and so am I.

If I've left something out - ask on.

That is beautiful with a whole lot going on in the shape! To me, looks like perfect thickness and rail thickness as well; I tend to like thin.

Geoffrey,

Thanks. I was initially wanting to try a pair of twins, but am happy with the single. I did wonder how twins would interact with the wings - might go well or work against each other. Like many of our boards - its a bit of an experiment.

Bob

I like the rail thickness as well; I see it can be difficult to interpret pictures at a first glance on unconventional shapes. Nice board

Bob, I don't see wings?

bgreen wrote:I did wonder how twins would interact with the wings - might go well or work against each other. Like many of our boards - its a bit of an experiment.

Bob

Yes, I think fin placement w/ twins could be a very finicky deal vs the wings. If done just right the wings could act as canards or similar. Maybe...

The FCS Fusion plug sets 5/8"/16mm deep. My glasser likes an additional 1/4" of foam between the bottom of the plug and the deck, so I add another 1/8" to that and shoot for 1" thickness minimum where I'm planning to install fins. These are the kind of things that have to be considered during the design phase, and carefully monitored while shaping. I like the "wing" rail for a finless board. All of my doodling of finless shapes have wings to one extent or another. I don't think it would interfere to have rail fins with wings, as long as the fin is not set too close to the rail. In my mind, such an application would be similar to a quad-fin set up. I would guestimate that you have 25L-26L of volume. How much does your new board weigh? How does the ride differ finned vs. finless?

Never rode it in big, powerful waves so do not know about ultimate strength, but I have installed old school FU long box in board that was thin enough that the tail end of the box was through on the deck and needed to be ground down and glassed over. Worked find as hard as I worked it anyway.

The AKU shaper drawing listed volume as 21.9 litres - that's the basic shape without foam removal.It's pretty thin in the tail. I'd never ridden a single fin bellyboard so was happy to give one a go. Could it ride better with more fins - maybe, maybe not.

It tuberides well finless - it really gets some hold, but maintains speed. The big difference is in fuller waves and probably getting around whitewater. Hopefully I get to test it out on a couple of trips coming up.

It doesn't weigh a real lot. I can't weigh it at present as it is now wrapped in a board bag with my handled board, ready for a trip to Indonesia. Both boards came in under 14kgs on a set of dodgy bathroom scales the other day.

its so different to what I ride I would love to have a go to see how it feels. Will it slide out if you want it too?

krusher74 wrote:its so different to what I ride I would love to have a go to see how it feels. Will it slide out if you want it too?

I'm not exactly sure what you mean about by sliding the tail out, but finless, I can weight forward and it will pull through the wave face. It certainly handles a tube, probably better than any other board I've had.

I hope to have some photos of the trip, of the board in action.

Here is the new board being ridden finless. I rode it finned on the bigger, less hollow days.
A sequence at a fun right. The observant will notice a dive-fin. I lost 3 fins on the trip and the strap of another broke. A dive fin as well as an odd fin that was found where I was staying, kept me in the water.

bgreen wrote:

krusher74 wrote:its so different to what I ride I would love to have a go to see how it feels. Will it slide out if you want it too?

I'm not exactly sure what you mean about by sliding the tail out, but finless, I can weight forward and it will pull through the wave face. It certainly handles a tube, probably better than any other board I've had.

I hope to have some photos of the trip, of the board in action.

I meant break the rail traction free and slide the board, say if you were in a bottom turn and turn up the face, to start a 360 you would push at the rail till its water traction broke, you would then be sliding on the flat bottom of the board.