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Belly boards

Posted: Tue Nov 28, 2017 7:17 pm
by diggerdickson
Anyone ride one, I'm thinking of heading this way due to my injury and the need to stay connected to the ocean. Share ya thoughts and pics guys. I'm thinking a 4'3 and a 4'6 plus a Matt to round of a new quiver

Re: Belly boards

Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2017 4:56 pm
by Hatchnam
is puurri still lurking out there? he'd the be person to ask

Re: Belly boards

Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2017 8:00 pm
by Thud
Mark Rabbidge makes a belly board

Re: Belly boards

Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2017 9:00 pm
by godsavetheking
'bgreen' is Realsurf's paipo king

Re: Belly boards

Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2017 9:36 pm
by steve shearer
I have surfed Lennox Point with B Green on his belly boards.

Re: Belly boards

Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2017 6:39 pm
by Beanpole
Used to be a few at Kingscliff when I was first learning to surf. Some of the crew had homemade ones out of ply with cupboard handles on them. Always looked particularly lethal.

Re: Belly boards

Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2017 8:23 am
by bgreen
Hello Digger,

I've been riding bellyboards since 2004, initially due to back problems but in more recent years through preference.

Chris Garrett (aka Phantom) has made my last 6 and there is another on the way: For these boards see:
http://mypaipoboards.org/forum3/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=746

They are all 4'6 (0.77 of my height). You don't want to go too long proportionate to your body.

Rod's page http://mypaipoboards.org is a rich source of ideas.

For an Australian history and the variety of boards that have been ridden see (my e-mail is on the front page) :

http://home.brisnet.com.au/~bgreen/bgpage/

I've ridden a variety of other finned (including a 5 finned bonzer BB) to finless fibreglass or wood boards. A basic twin fin design is a good all-round board. As Steve noted his homebreak is a great spot to ride these type of boards (haven't seen you out on my last few surfs there but crowds seem to be down generally) as is just about anywhere else. Weak walls with low power aren't the ideal waves for the boards.

Cuttlefish had a few made by Mark Pridmore and you see the occasional one-off made by a shaper. There are some guys from the south coast who ride all manner of prone craft and would know Mark Rabbidge. Puuri's board is based on Barry Hutchin's boards - low volume boards - https://mypaipoboards.org/interviews/Ba ... 1130.shtml

There is a learning curve, but it has kept me in the water and having more fun than ever.

Happy to discuss ideas.

Bob

Re: Belly boards

Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 9:46 pm
by diggerdickson
Cheers mate. I’m 6ft in height and around 85kg. I’m now thinking 5 ft and 4’8. Just about got the bay ready to start shaping. Got some ideas around a 5 fin type bonzer and a flat bottom twinzer with small fins

Re: Belly boards

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2018 5:32 am
by rodndtube
Digger, the type of injury could be a factor on board length or the degree of flotation you desire. For kick paddling (swim fins), if you lay directly on the board and leg kick paddle then you want to be sure of enough knee clearance. Others, especially neutral buoyancy types (such as less than 1 inch wood boards), paddle for a wave with the board extended out in front of them and then pull themselves onto the board.

My rule of thumb is a board no taller than the bottom of my sternum (the line between your chest and stomach). I am 5'10" and ride a 50 inch board. My preference is for a board width between 19-3/4 to 20-1/2 inches. I generally use thickness volume for harder to catch wave breaks and thinner boards for easier to catch waves--both of these are generally late take-offs. Volume/float is generally 2-1/2 inches with volume from the stringer to the rail; thinner boards for me are around 1-7/8 inches dome thickness at the stringer tapering off towards the rail.

The 50" 5-fin bonzer I ride is a lovable board. I tailored the plan shape to point waves. It has a wider tail than my other boards. One thing I found was the board is looser using a small center fin of 4.5" and the small bonzer runners, fore and aft. The larger center fins and use of larger and small runners resulted in a board too stiff and unresponsive but even with this small fin arrangement (a small board afterall) the fins did their job. Here you can see my main boards
https://mypaipoboards.org/index.shtml#MY_PAIPO_BOARDS

The bonzer is the "S&S Diamond Bonzer RPM." Going to the page will show a series of fins used and a link to my sea trials with various fin sizes and types. Since obtaining a second pair of small bonzer runners I have stayed with that arrangement.
One view: /4SmRunnersTailView_w600.jpg
4SmRunnersTailView_w600[1].jpg

Re: Belly boards

Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2018 4:38 pm
by Thud
Got to say I've been enlightened. Thanks guys nice to see something uncommon on the threads

Re: Belly boards

Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2018 11:03 am
by diggerdickson
Just joined the forum, spending my time trying to find stuff on fibreglass rails and rockers. I’m thinking 2” on nose and 1 “ on tail ?

Re: Belly boards

Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2018 2:00 pm
by rodndtube
For me, yes, that is very close to what I am using on my Bonzer. The spec sheet is here:
https://mypaipoboards.org/Paipo-14Harle ... pecs.shtml

Of course, different strokes for different folks. It will largely depend upon your surfing style on the board, your surfing style in general and the kinds of waves you ride.

You'll get a wide range of opinions and advice on the paipo forums.

Re: Belly boards

Posted: Sat Jan 13, 2018 6:54 am
by bgreen
There is an argument for keeping it simple the first time around. Bonzer fin placement is something of an art. You may also find the bonzer needs a bit of power to get going.

Here is a link to my latest board (there are 4 board photos): https://www.instagram.com/p/BdeRNVgFdJx ... rettshapes

I've only ridden it finless so far. As Rod says, different strokes.

Re: Belly boards

Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2018 9:21 am
by Beerfan
Image

Could you modify this ? Just a thought, it's a sufblanks machine shape. $160 before shipping but probably only have to change outline and deepen concaves

Re: Belly boards

Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2018 2:32 pm
by diggerdickson
Been reading and researching. I just can’t resist making a few bonzers. 3 fin only though, 4 inch centre and small custom triangle side bites. I’m not sure if I will ever get in the water again as the fear of hurting my back again is very debilitating and I do live in real fear of lifting any heavy weights. Maybe once I make the bellys I might test em out. I’m in tassie on the west coast now, my local is trial harbour so the wave won’t be lacking for power, the main problem is waiting for calm enough conditions as it’s nuts in winter with size and water movement. Plus never seen people out there yet even when it’s good, so empty at all times basically unless you fluke it.

Re: Belly boards

Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2018 2:35 pm
by diggerdickson
I think midget red blanks for there density seem to be the go maybe.. I’m now turning my research to cant for the side bites and will be low rails but not sure yet on the length of the edge on rails to yet. I’ve got plenty of time to try to figure it out.

Re: Belly boards

Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2018 11:23 am
by diggerdickson
Trying to chase up some eps in tassie. Not a easy thing to do. You really can take for granted the ease of getting blanks and the cheaper cost of it on the mainland. Cost in tassie is nuts. It might be cheaper to fly a mate out with some blanks than get em here. Will keep searching

Re: Belly boards

Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2018 1:26 pm
by rodndtube
diggerdickson wrote:
Sun Jul 15, 2018 2:35 pm
I think midget red blanks for there density seem to be the go maybe.. I’m now turning my research to cant for the side bites and will be low rails but not sure yet on the length of the edge on rails to yet. I’ve got plenty of time to try to figure it out.
Digger, I ride my board forward rather than from the rear of the board. As such, I favor soft rails in the forward third of the board so I don't suffer rail digs on turns and releases. Turned down rails or sharp rails tend to do that... my rear two-thirds rails are turned down, my final third more so.

On canting the sidebites, it sounds like you are going with glass-on fins. If not, I would suggest evenly spaced FCS plugs you can experiment with fin position, forward and after. You can obtain canted FCS fin boxes to do initial fin experimentation before committing to more expensive canted bonzer fins. For experimentation one can use various forms of FCS single-plug fins (e.g., knubster style and more traditional fin shapes in a smaller form around 2" tall, in either single or twin plug versions). Unless you feel comfortable glassing, removing and reglassing bonzer runners. I find it much easier to experiment with FCS fin plugs which I did to nail down my Bonzer board fin selection and arrangement.