I´m about to shape my first mingun and you would to me a great favor, if you chared your thoughts on my design.
What is this board for:
It is for me, intermediate landlocked surfer, 6”4 and 200lbs, 39years young. 25 handshaped boards till now.
Not a good surfer, but I´d say well trained waterman (37 years in the water, freediver,youth lifeguard, stress and rescue diver and so on).
I´ve been comfortable paddling around in deep water waves in the 2xoh region (2oh faces) and enjoyed getting tossed around. Let´s say I´m good at taking the beating. ;-)
As long as the waves are rather “fat” and not overly steep/bowly, I´m usually fine.
But I haven´t got a proper board for the conditions and I´d like to change that.
Next spring I´ll do a trip to France and maybe I´m lucky and waves like Parlementia are running in a proper size but without being to gigantic.
I want to use this board for reefbreakes like Parlementia, but also for Cornish winter waves. As well as winter waves / beachbreakes in France (from Quiberon to Seignosse) and Portugal (Algarve). Sizes from oh – 2oh most likely.
I like to trim and carve bigger arcs, I don´t throw the tail around or do fancy moves.
Getting up, carving one big bottom turn, trim a bit and pull outover the shoulder is enough for me.
I other boards are singlefins, fishes, bonzer eggs, mini logs. All ranging from 5.10-7.2 ft length, rather wide outlines (mostly 21 – 22 inches). I like flat rocker numbers.
General shape:
I drawed this classic semigun outline and hotwired the blank.
7.6 x 20.5/8, widepoint 2.5 inches forward. Thickness will be 3.1/8 – 3.1/4 for paddle power.
The rocker is taken from the US Blanks 78 EA, but scaled down to 5.3/8 nose and 2.1/4 tail.
Finsetup: Single + Sidefins / Widowmaker
Why that dimensions:
I can handle 7.6 in my car. And maybe the feeling is not that far off my 7-7.2 singlefins and bonzerr egg.
I want to ride it often to get used to the board, that means it should start to go in hh / oh.
I don´t need that much rocker, all my other boards are low rockered. I like to get in early.
20.5/8 may sound wide. But with my size and weight I like a little extra width and the waves are not overly steep.
Does this sound reasonable ?
Bottom contours:
I´ve searched the archive for bottom contours and looked up what is done on semiguns from Pyzel (Padillac), Lost (Retro Gun), Rusty, Stretch and so on.
I understand why all kinds of Vee get used on gunny boards and why most stepups are usually more like single to double. (power of the wave, speed of travel, lift, manoeuvrability at speed and so on)
I´m not sure if I should go into full gun bottom contours on that "inbetween" size 7"6.
I got my 6.6-7.0 with single to double for typical headhigh or sucky waves.
I think all the waves that will be ridden with that board will have enough power that I don´t need the lift from concaves/double concaves.
So I think it´s time to try something that sits deeper in the water and handles more speed than all the other boards I have.
There are all kind of Variations of belly/panel Vee/ flat nose with V / reverse V / flat / slight single through the middle and V / spiral Vee / slight double through the tail on those kind of boards in the 7ft -8ft region.
Right now my plan would be to keep it simple and use a slight full length Vee (lets say ¼). Or maybe only reverse Vee (I´m very front footed and often drive boards from the middle).
Maybe add very slight double concaves into the vee through the fins for when I use it in on smaller beachbreak surf ? Any suggestions / opinions ?
Attached images:
- 1. Parlementia from the weekend, that is the maximum size I think I could handle. (maybe that Parlementia picture is already to big for a 7.6 board ?)
- 2. Cornish reef break, taken from this video: https://vimeo.com/96135428.
The waves in this video are the size I like. For the 1-2 biggest ones I´d need a good day, the other 80% is just about the size and power I love. I have a 7.2 bonzer egg that I use in those swells.
- 3. my outline
- 4. rocker 78EA, but scaled down to 5.3/8 nose and 2.1/4 tail, I want to get in early, cover some ground, have good glide. I don´t mind the turns to be drawn out arcs.
- 5. hotwired blank. 2lbs EPS, 4mm Plywood stringer, glassing shedule deck 5+5 and 5oz patch, bottom 4+4. I don´t mind some weight in that board. I want my boards to last a long time.
Thank you for any input or feedback.
Michael
