How To Build A Spoon

surfhorn · Post by **surfhorn** » Sat May 21, 2005 6:55 am

MOW - Fortunately, all these threads are captured on this site; a nice start at preservation of the facts. I have started a file for the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum- re: kneeboarding in this area.

Dr. S - I've done a ton of rub -out work..and other board work. Its a great feeling to get the finish just right - without burning through! Sometimes that big ol Milwalkee grinder/polisher just grabs the rail just right and ..WHANG........throws the board off the rack and crunches a rail. How do you expalin to a customer that you had to do a ding repair on their new board that has never been in the water?!

Or how about when you see a shaper walk out of his shaping bay, a trail of foam dust following him like an ethereal cloud........as he goes in to shoot gloss on ten boards (without blowing off the dust or changing clothes). Talk about pit city.

I have a hard time ordering a board with just a sanding coat with a sealant. I just love that nice shiney gloss coat on my boards. So pretty.

Man O' War · Post by **Man O' War** » Sat May 21, 2005 10:57 am

A HEADS UP to all potential velo-type spoon riders:

Remember, you're not going to be riding up on your knees, weighting and unweighting, pumping, etc. That thing is glued to the surface and doesn't respond that way. Think bobsled. Lean forward and maybe rock it a little side to side as it gets up momentum, but don't rise up and start pumping. It's a little slower to get up to speed but has great inertia once it does. Like Jon said once, it takes a patient rider.

When you actually rise up on your knees to pump or leverage a spoon, something terrible happens. And the greater the pressure you're under when you do it, the worse the Terrible is. Your board may fold right at the knees, or at least be tempted to. Just imagine putting a glass spoon up on saw horses and then standing on it in the middle. Except for the liquid underneath, it's not much different in the water when you "stand up" on your knees. Your weight has to be EVENLY DISTRIBUTED between your knees and ankles.

Your knees should be placed far enough forward that when you're in trim you can sit straight up on your haunches and don't have to lean forward or back.

When you turn, you don't want your leverage to come from raising your center of gravity over your knees. You want it to come from the Rail, which you will pull over as you remain back on your haunches.

With multiple fins and foam, the approach is different, and rightly so. Here the star is the board and it's a prima dona. You decide where you want to go but you have to wait as she decides to agree. Lean forward or backward as necessary, but stay down. Resist the temptation to rise. Work it like a sled in a track.

A word to the wise...

Jon Manss · Post by **Jon Manss** » Sat May 21, 2005 3:59 pm

I watched and took pics of your bro and he did just about everything you said not to, at first. Then he settled down and let the board ride. I'm getting nervous about this test ride. Of course I get nervous about anything new. Just ask Barry.

flexspoon · Post by **flexspoon** » Sat May 21, 2005 4:59 pm

Spoon knows best - tosses its yoke

Velo type flexspoon built by Man O' War with "torsion bar" added to deck to limit longitudinal flex.
After 3 waves the board rejected this limitation, threw off the bar and was free to flex!
Listen to your board. The bar now lies at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

Man O' War · Post by **Man O' War** » Sat May 21, 2005 6:09 pm

Scott told me tonight that he's already sanded the area down. A little Rustoleum, and the Bar will be forever blotted from the memory of man.

ScottMac · Post by **ScottMac** » Sat May 21, 2005 6:21 pm

Man O' War · Post by **Man O' War** » Sat May 21, 2005 8:16 pm

Scott -- What more glorious cause to sacrifice them for!

Scott · Post by **Scott** » Sat May 21, 2005 9:25 pm

Er...everthing present and accounted for. Actually the bar didn't even seem to interfere at all whether I was paddling or riding. It was like it wasn't even there. And then, suddenly, it wasn't!

DrStrange · Post by **DrStrange** » Wed Jun 01, 2005 7:13 am

From flexspoon website: How to build---GG endnotes

11 - The fins are 10 inches deep, moveable, about 3 inch base x 3/4 inches thick...

I also have graph coordinates from Paul Gross for Stage IV GG fin with I think 5 inch base. I would think these both must be for edge board? A LOT more base for a Velo style spoon?

Man O' War · Post by **Man O' War** » Wed Jun 01, 2005 8:25 am

Dr -- I can see all those extra years of schooling for your doctorate have paid off, because you picked up on a miniscule error there. It should read "6 in.", not 3 in.

Wasn't that you that also caught another little error in the template measurements way back when?

I'll go back and edit in the change.

Stop reading these things, will you.

DrStrange · Post by **DrStrange** » Wed Jun 01, 2005 10:04 am

JUst printed a pic from swaylocks posted years ago by p gross called Velo fin. Scaled it up to 10 inch depth and it has 8 inch base! Was this an early version that GG decided was overfined? MY poor memory tells me this was approx what i measured on Velo in his shop in maybe 69 or 70

DrStrange · Post by **DrStrange** » Wed Jun 01, 2005 2:24 pm

And another question of the arcane sort:

Is there a difference worth noting in flex/strength of MEKP catalysed resin vs suncure??? Chem majors?

schwammenmaschine · Post by **schwammenmaschine** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 12:48 pm

if i was making a board for myself and a freind(i want him to freak out people at a surf team practice) and i want the board to work in a wider variety of condtions than the Velo what modifictions should i use to adapt the board to less powerful east coast surf that is less than Ideal/

DrStrange · Post by **DrStrange** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 3:16 pm

Go to http://www.flexspoon.com and in the forums under construction I think the "fin" thread there is a bit about a "Mellow Velo" for just that purpose. Basically same outline, but less rocker and lower hull...

Flexman · Post by **Flexman** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 8:30 pm