RealSurf Surfers' Forum

got a snapped board that I used to pratice channels on. This is one thing that im determined to master, doesnt matter how long it takes for me to get right. Measured them out and then cut em in. I ended up facing them all the same way only because was just pratice. What I found is they are not perfectly straight. The lines arent crisp enough. Where the channels fade out was a bit tricky as well plus the last channel, didnt quit know how to do that, but good attempt for the first go. I found half a yorky board down at yaroomba, just the nose, so I will cut some channels into that as well, plus got a nose of a mini mal to cut some channels into. Next time I will cut them in the correct way and try to get a nice v in the channel near the stringer. Need to get a much better tool to use and only sanded them back using a foam off cut, not good enough as needed to sand to hard, so with this pay I need to get a surefoam blade, some sandpaper and glue, will glue the sandpaper to a offcut shaped to fit the channels. Hopefully will get a pic up tonight if dan can resize for me. I also broke away the end of two channells with sanding, got a idea of how to improve this. Anyone got some good stories on their first attempt at channels

thanks for the resize dan. Heres a photo of my first attempt. Failed of course but Ive taken some good things away from it. At least ive tried and will attempt again soon and hopefully keep going till it just comes to me.

Certaintly points out how nice joshs channel boards are.

Channels sure are tricky Diggs, but they look like you've made a fair fist of your 1st attempt. Good idea to practice on an old board before you go trying to put them into a freshly shaped board.

I use a cylindrical surform to cut them in. Then a regular surform to take the remaining mass out. Then a customised block made out of a foam offcut to tidy up. With the cylindrical surform you end up with a little curve in the base of the channel, rather than the real "clinker" style right angle corner in the base. Dunno if they're better this way, but they sure are easier to glass and sand.

Another little thing I would recommend with channels is to have a little less tail rocker than a normal shape, and a touch more thickness in the foil in the tail. Shape the rest of the board as normal, and leave putting in the channels until the end. Less chance of damaging them that way.

2nd attempt at channels

Better result, straighter, used better tools, even made 2 from off cuts, one with 100 grit another with 150 grit.

I need to get the center v more defined than what it is. Improvement in the channels coming out the tail as did not break of any ends, channels much straighter but need to sand better, you can see some marks I left with sureform. Not happy with that I tell ya

Had touble at the start of the channel and over sanded there, so got a idea of how to correct this next weekend on another attempt. The most difficult channel to cut in is the far outside one for some reason, they are the shortest maybe, but have had difficulty both times.

Tested purple colour for channels, not proper spray but just to get a idea for the colour and I like it.

I need to make better tools, what I learnt is that they werent what I was looking for, I know you cant blame the tools but rather the tool that is using em but got to get my thinking cap on and come up with something better for next weekend. I had trouble getting it perfect, there are tiny dips and you can see them in the photos, so should design a better sanding tool, thinkin of getting a short off cut of wood and putting a angle on it



Hope you like the pics, feel free to make any comments. Thanks to tiger and huei for the motivation to keep trying and the advice you have given me on channels. Though I have to admit, Huei is right. I should learn to shape first, I now have 3 unfinished projects hanging around and here I am wasting time mucking around with channels

Again, thanks dan, jee I hope you shape one yourself mate, once you get your hands on a blank you wont look back

Mate, I'm blown away by that second attempt!

That looks just as good as any other channels I've seen, when are you taking orders mate?

Watch the sharpness digger, water isn’t, you want glass to stick not air, glass doesn’t like conforming to corners.

Even the most subtle edges of chines and the like can be an issue to sand... you have been warned.

Cpt.Caveman wrote:Mate, I'm blown away by that second attempt!

That looks just as good as any other channels I've seen, when are you taking orders mate?

probably never, just for mates as I would take way to long, plus I have not completed one project yet, i get bored and move on to another to quickly, once I glass a finished product and test and know it works then will shape for other people. But thanks for the complements I really appreciate it, I plan to make a template of jimmi hendrecks head sprayed on a board and have hazy purple channels and a few other colours to make it sorta physcoldelic, ( excuse the spelling ) with purple graffiti under his head saying purple haze.

The beginning of the channels arent perfect yet, so got a bit to go caveman before I would carve em into a proper blank.

ric_vidal wrote:Watch the sharpness digger, water isn’t, you want glass to stick not air, glass doesn’t like conforming to corners.

Even the most subtle edges of chines and the like can be an issue to sand... you have been warned.

oh, okay. I have to admit that i have no idea how to glass these things so will take any advice that i can on it mate, will suss that out and talk to a mate on it

Faark mate, great job!!!.

cheers beerfan, daz has been kind enough to share with me some photos of his byrning spear channels and on studying them I think what ric was saying is starting to make sence to me, plus the placement of his outside fins and where the channels start are a eye opener and trying to wrap that inside my head to try to understand as well, might see if daz is willing to post some photos of his board here to show how Al Byrne has done it, radical difference to what I pumped out and makes sence on what ric was saying.

Here you go Digger

...'k?

Hey Daryl, havent heard from you in ages, been travelling and surfing ? Dont mean to hijack thread...
Nice AB, I rode them for a while as a grommy when Kong was riding them around my local area, still got a sweet 7'0" under the house somewhere, might dust it off and give it a go when we get some down the line hollow ones....think that was his same fin template 20 yrs ago too, still nice looking fins to me.....

Yeah good Mark, prob'ly hike up sometime over the next couple months

This was a throwout which Rich reckoned was way f%$#ed to fix with the damage from the rippedeee away rare finbox, what you can see is it's not as smooth as the Byrne, cheers Ric, Daz

i am further north then where I saw you last time now....see you like the clinkers....

pridmore wrote:i am further north then where I saw you last time now....see you like the clinkers....

Yeah never too far. Threw it out.

your a ledgend daz, see how the channels have the nice curve in em while mine are straight up and down, Im guessing thats what ricks talking about. Also photos give me a idea of depth of tail and how deep to make the clinkers. All I can say is go the clinkers. You can also see the fin positioning on the clinkers as I want to glass in the fins when I do one and not use fcs, will get that pratice making little eggs, I was a bit messy on my first glass in and will improve

I have also seen some do the fins on the edge of the clinker as well from my memory of the 80,s so I want to look into that as well