First time shaping kneeboard

James612 · Post by **James612** » Sun Aug 12, 2007 12:29 am

Hi all,
I'm in the process of shaping a kneeboard for my brother. Ive never shaped or ridden a kneelo before and dont really have much of an idea regarding their specific design features eg. fin placement, bottom contours, distribution of thickness (foil) etc. I have already cut out my shape from the blank, it is 5'9" x 23.5" x 2.75" (or should it be 2.5"?), rounded pin tail. Nose is 9.5" and Tail is 8.25" with the widepoint in the centre. The rider is 6'0" and weighs 82kg. The board will be ridden in peaky beach break conditions in a fairly carvey style. Not being a master shaper I want to keep the design pretty simple. I was thinking of a slight roll in the nose going into a flat but dont know where to go from there. Do I put a v in the Tail? Does it start between the fins and fade into a flat? What is a good fin placement for a quad setup on this board? Do the small fins go in the front or rear ( I have read and heard different answers for this)? The fin sizes I want to use are FCS GX fins for the large and GL for the small ones. How does that sound? should the thickness be evenly distributed from the centre or is there a bias towards either front or back? Im sorry for the million questions and understand that I am asking for a crash course in board design, but I'm in the dark here!. If you can answer any of these queations it will be much appreciated.
Thanks everyone

James

barry · Post by **barry** » Sun Aug 12, 2007 10:03 am

I'm no shaper but if you are measuring in from the nose,tail a ft for your dimensions they seem way too narrow (for me atleast)
my boards average around a 16" nose and tail width
check out the board photos and notice the nice curve and flow of most kneeboard shapes
Good Luck with your adventure

Beeline2.0 · Post by **Beeline2.0** » Sun Aug 12, 2007 10:32 am

James612 · Post by **James612** » Sun Aug 12, 2007 1:18 pm

Sorry Guys,
Iwas thinking of my template measurements when I wrote the nose and tail widths down, just double them. I have read ALL the archives, here, and at swaylocks and surfermag design forums. Im not asking for a step by step guide to shaping (I have shaped and glassed many boards), just some basic ideas and a few specifics in regards to kneeboards that I have not been able to get from just looking at other peoples boards. This project is a spur of the moment thing and I have limited time to complete it so once again if anyone is able to help with any of the questions it would be highly appreciated. No essays or instruction manuals required.

Regards

James

red · Post by **red** » Sun Aug 12, 2007 4:57 pm

Keep the rails in the tail thinner than you would for a standup board. This seems to be one of the biggest mistakes standup shapers make. Kneeboarders just can't deal with 1/2" boxed rails in the tail - we can't get enough weight back there. If tail rails are too thick/boxy then the tail tends to jump out of the water at the worst times. Go old school if you're in doubt.

Use your standard small-wave rocker. It'll be close enough, but you might throw in 1/8-1/4" more tail kick in the last 3-4".

I don't have anything else

James612 · Post by **James612** » Sun Aug 12, 2007 5:14 pm

Your a Champ Red, thanks alot. This is exactly the sort of stuff I need. Would you have any idea as to where the Vee would begin and end?

toofast3 · Post by **toofast3** » Sun Aug 12, 2007 5:44 pm

James... if you are talking "V" in the tail, here`s a idea. A guy that shaped 2 of my boards started my "V" about 12" up form the tail. He told me by doing that, it would help me going rail to rail. I believe that has helped me. My "V"s range from 1/8 to 1/4. Starting from the stringer towards the rails. At the same time, sloping towards the tail

albert · Post by **albert** » Sun Aug 12, 2007 5:46 pm

The only thing I would add is that the fins used are a bit off the general perception of normal. I dont ride quads, but I am pretty sure the norm is to use something fairly large (g7000 or GRs) as one set and then Gxs as the other set.

Other than that it looks like you are on the right track.

Good Luck

James612 · Post by **James612** » Sun Aug 12, 2007 7:03 pm

Thanks guys for the responses. All very good stuff, keep it coming!

red · Post by **red** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 4:58 pm

Would you have any idea as to where the Vee would begin and end?

Same relative to the fins as a standup board.
Just the fin placement is likely to be different for the kneeboard.

James612 · Post by **James612** » Mon Aug 13, 2007 6:03 pm

All the replys have been very helpful, thanks alot. Im at the stage of blending the rails into the top of the board, all seems to be going pretty well at the moment. I'll probably need some guidance with fin placement when I get to that stage. Until then feel free to give any ideas, advice or thoughts on board design and construction, its all welcome (and needed!).

Thanks again

James

James612 · Post by **James612** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 3:24 pm

Hello again.
Thanks to everyone who replied, ALL the info was very useful, it really gave me the guidelines I needed to shape this thing! So now that the board has been shaped, laminated and fins made, Ineed to know where to put them. The board is a 5'9" rounded pin tail with hard rails almost up to the midpoint, fading into fairly soft 60/40 rails the rest of the way up. Nose and tail are 18", wide point is 23" and is centered and the thickness is 2 3/4". The front fins are the same size as fcs g7000's and the rear, GL's. They will be glassed in. Once again I dont need the exact measurements (although, fell free to give them!), just guidelines, thoughts and preferences on how far up from the tail, how far from the rail etc. What I do need to be precise is the toe angle of both fins (do front and back both point towards the nose, or does the rear fin follow the angle of the front?) and the cant (I have heard the angle is greater than that of stand up boards). Thanks in advance for any help. Cheers

James

red · Post by **red** » Fri Aug 17, 2007 8:45 pm

sounds good so far mate
can't help with fin placement on quads, I'm afraid
I'm pretty sure there's guidelines around the site somewhere

jimithesaint · Post by **jimithesaint** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 6:10 am

I found this a while back while searching throught he site.
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Yes I have felt the "fin boost" feeling. I make my own boards, (quads and tri fins) and design my own fins. I'm always tinkering with fin placement. This is what I have now.

The board that I find to be the most versitile is my 5'10" quad. The foreward fins are at 16" from the tail, 1.5" from the rail and have a toe angle of 3/8" over a fin base of 4.5". They are 4 3/4" tall. The rear fins are 9.5" from the tail, 2" from the rail and have a toe angle of 3/16" over a fin base of 4.5". They are 4" tall. So the tall fins are in front and the small fins are in the rear. The toe angles are slightly different and the fin sets are fairly close together that is what I think gives the board it's extra squirt. On the boards with the rear fins closer to the center of the board I don't notice this effect as much. This is just my experience with tinkering with kneeboards over the years. Hope it helps. T Hall.
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Good luck post some pics and let us know how it rides
Jim N

James612 · Post by **James612** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 5:54 pm

Thanks Man, awesome stuff. I have found similar info but nothing this precise, exactly what I was after. Im still sifting through a couple of forums for cant angle on both fins. Most of the info is vague or contradictory (so far anyway), does anyone know the angle?

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