Kite Specific Surfboard Build Thread / Info

[SmallWaveSteve]

I'm shaping a kite specific surfboard right now, just getting the project going, and am trying to figure out what the best rail shape is going to be. I'm figuring harder rails through most of the board would help with upwind performance.

Here's the design I've made for the board. Fairly flat rocker to keep it fast, very light double concave (almost flat), Probox quad fins (again for upwind). The board is going to be fairly thin (~2 inches) to allow the rails to be buried as well.

(If you want to see the build follow the link in my sig)

[SmallWaveSteve]

No help from you guys eh?
Spent the afternoon shaping the board (5 hours with 60 grit since my block plane isn't sharp enough to cut the foam, went from 2.75" thick down to 1.5")
Went with soft rails, hopefully they suck in to the water/the water wraps around.

[KUS]

No help from you guys eh?
Spent the afternoon shaping the board (5 hours with 60 grit since my block plane isn't sharp enough to cut the foam, went from 2.75" thick down to 1.5")
Went with soft rails, hopefully they suck in to the water/the water wraps around

well, don't recall you asking for any...

Great that you are recycling some otherwise landfill waste. There are a few shapers experimenting, Kayakdoc for one, a few others. Might wanna look at some of their work

[SmallWaveSteve]

I guess I should have put a question mark in my first post :p

What rail shapes do the typical kite-specific surfboards have? From what I can find they run softer rails further back?

The other thing I was wondering about is fin placement for quads. Same setup as a surfboard or further forward?

[thankgodiatepastafobreaky]

your board design looks great. I have been on a few boards and now am in love with this size and shape. It has a very low rocker like yours. And a wide profile and wide tail. and it is only 5'4" but turns like a 5'8" board. in other words it is not twitchy and it turns smoothly enough to do a nice gybe arc with kite downloop no problem. I wish OR would make a board like this! hint hint.

http://f-onespain.blogspot.ca/2011/11/f-one-fish.html

[thankgodiatepastafobreaky]

Here it is in action! I shot this in mexico but no jumping since the camera mount was my hand!

http://vimeo.com/41756196

[SmallWaveSteve]

Thats actually one of the boards I was looking at when I was trying to figure out the shape. I didnt want to deal with shaping or glassing the wings on it though, so I went with a smoother outline.

With the size of this board I'm planning on setting it up with footstraps (its short enough that you wont be moving your feet around too much on it). As such it will be getting a relatively heavy glassing schedule though (2x 4oz on the bottom, 2x 4oz on the top in addition to 2x 2.5oz deck patches on a bias)

[thankgodiatepastafobreaky]

but because the board is so small you have to get the footstrap placement just right. if you are able to ride it strapless first then you can find out perfect placement... and it might be an idea to just ride it strapless all the time since as soon as you put straps on it you will jump it, and then you might break it.

[SmallWaveSteve]

I've been going back and forth on that one (arguments for both sides)

For footstraps:
i) I have a few sets of inserts en route, so I could double up and have approx a 5inch range of fore aft adjustment (and I can approximate where the back foot belongs so really it would just be figuring out the front foot goes, which will be more or less a shoulder width forward of the rear).
ii) I suck, and would rather do less board retrieval for now :p
iii) The layup schedule I'm intending to do I think will be adequate to take a good beating, I may go heavier still, not sure yet
iv) I have a skim style wakesurf board and a kiteskate for strapless riding already

Against footstraps:
i) Less faceplanting (but more bellyflops?)
ii) Potential board breakage
iii) Figuring out strap placement

[thankgodiatepastafobreaky]

well once you go dedicated strapless you never go back. you improve very quickly when you don't give yourself a choice.
definitely put many layers of glass anyway.

[SmallWaveSteve]

tgiapfb => you've convinced me. I've decided this one I'm just going to glass up and ride strapless (and can use it for wakesurfing too!)
I'm thinking I may build another strapped one in a different fashion (vacuum bagged composite sandwich/epoxy with mahogany or balsa in between the layers of glass), or just use the inserts and straps i have to make a race style board (i have a couple huge windsurf fins I could use on one).
If the weather is good the board will be glassed and finned this weekend (if its not windy)

[thankgodiatepastafobreaky]

This is good inspiration!

http://www.losethestraps.com/

[SmallWaveSteve]

Its almost done! Just a little sanding, some polishing, and the deckpads put on, and she'll be good to go!

The resin is still wet in these pics, its in the process of levelling/smoothing/curing



Did a ricepaper graphic inlay just to experiment, looks like it'll turn out well!

[SmallWaveSteve]

Just a little finish sanding left!

Final weight is a touch shy of 9lbs, that is deck pad, and fins included. That is with 18oz of deck glass, and 14oz on the bottom (yeah I glassed it heavy) as a reference my 135 OR Zen is ~8.5lbs

[SmallWaveSteve]

All Done! 14oz bottom, and 18oz top for glass, she should be sturdy! (Knock on wood).
The board in the pics for comparison is a 148x43