Surfing Waves

It’s a custom Arakawa Solitude. 9’0 x 23-5/8 x 3-1/2, 85L (I weigh about 85 kg). 2+1 setup with a 9-1/2 Islander fin from Island Fin Designs. This will replace my 9’0 Mega Magic for smaller or lazy days in Waikiki. It’s my own paint design (Eric’s images don’t show the pinstripes or logo) but obviously influenced by some other classic longboards.

This board was so much fun to design with him. I had a better idea of what I wanted than last time, and he seemed to really get into this one. He even said, "I feel like I’m designing a board for myself!". The whole time he was making little adjustments to the rails, tail, etc and didn’t stop until he was happy. He’s a joy to work with. "It’s extremely versatile and you’ll be able to walk all over this thing," he said. I’m so stoked! Again!!

Sorry for the stupid intro, I must have been high on surfboard resin.

My previous board (Avis) from Arakawa is 8’6 x 23.25 x 3.25, 67.5 liters. The new one is only 6" longer but 85 liters: 9’0 x 23.63 x 3.5. It’s also supposedly a bit flatter. One thing that was particularly interesting is that the Avis is designed for a thruster setup, whereas Eric suggested a 2+1 with a 9.5’ center fin. He said the depth was important, and it had to do with the rocker.I think it’s because the new board (Solitude) is meant to be waked on, and when moving toward the nose the tail can lift. The Avis is meant to be ridden on rail, so despite having more rocker it doesn’t need the deep fins. But I’m not really sure, I’ll chat with him when I pick it up.

The 9.5" center fin will come from Eric (Island Fin Designs). I needed side bites and decided to get a 7" 2+1 package, because I’m stubborn I guess, and because it was a way to avoid nylon / glass flex without spending $60+ on fiberglass side bites.

The other key difference is the nose and tail width. The wider nose will help for longer paddles (my favorite break is a longer paddle out) and the wide square tail will lift better on smaller or blown-out waves. So despite only 6" difference in length, the two boards should be quite different.

Last night I found out my "custom" paint scheme is pretty much a copy of Wingnut’s Endless Summer board, haha.

HaoleKook wrote:Last night I found out my "custom" paint scheme is pretty much a copy of Wingnut’s Endless Summer board

Are the custom paint scheme lines on your board BLACK ?

Looks good; I’d like a board like that!

waikikikichan wrote:

HaoleKook wrote:Last night I found out my "custom" paint scheme is pretty much a copy of Wingnut’s Endless Summer board

Are the custom paint scheme lines on your board BLACK ?

Yes, they are. The wide stripes are 2.5 inches wide. I did have a chat with Eric about the black. His thought was that as long as it's not in the sun too long when I'm off the board it should be OK. I'll get a sock for any time it has to sit outside, but that obviously does nothing for when I'm using it.

Do you have opinions otherwise? I'm definitely open to suggestions.

Maybe I should do this instead:

Maybe it’s worth mentioning: the paint will be applied to the foam, with the standard “sanded finish” resin over it. I had asked about a blue and he said it wouldn’t look great, but I think that was mostly in reference to the pin lines not looking crisp.

I like the blue pic above but maybe it wont look as good under a sanded finish or as the board ages.

The blue is growing on me. Josh Murray does Arakawa's glass work, and I found this pic on his instagram page. The light blue looks sick! So I sent Eric a note to see how he feels about switching. I think I'll be stoked either way

I went with black - it came out great!

It’s exactly what I asked for - a solid all-around daily driver for smaller waves. I’m already improving with it. Somehow it gives the sense of time: there’s time to adjust once the wave lifts the board, then I don’t feel rushed to pop up by the middle of the wave face. It might be that the board is really responsive and I’m picking up on things faster. It doesn’t seem like it wants to spend all day on the rails, or all day holding lines while I move around, but is happy letting me try whatever I want.

It’s a 9’0 with an 18"+ wide tail so it needs lots of fin area. I tried just the 9.5" center fin and it was really loose (and I have surfed single fin recently). It was better with the sides, and now I see why Eric set me up with them. I want to try a bigger single pivot fin at some point, and I also want to try pseudo-thruster. I get the feeling the board will also respond well to fin changes, which will be a lot of fun.

I’m stoked!

Are you sure it's 18 inches ? Try measuring from rail to rail 12 inches up from the end of the tail.

I’s closer to 17". Still one of the wider tail dimensions I’ve seen, but she’s proportionate and wears it well.

So I realized it's got a really flat bottom, I think that explains what I've been feeling. It's kind of loose, skatey, not super grippy - not in an excessive or bad way. Yesterday I was on a wave that was starting to close out, saw another section and was surprised at how easy it was to get out and over to it. It's got enough grip and stability to do the earliest bottom turns I've done so far, but also loose enough to maneuver pretty quickly.

I still get the feeling it wants either a big single fin or a pseudo-thruster (or maybe even twin!?). It feels like the 2+1 is kind of stuck in between. But I'm going try moving the center fin around first to see what that feels like. I have a pivot fin to try, then a small single with a pair of thruster sides.

Flat bottom is good for speed at lower speeds once you get going you only need the tail section flat for speed. But flat boards need more careful positioning when paddling as a little to back and you will start pushing more water. The wide tail makes for speed at higher speeds or on the drop. When you are paddling for a wave the wave pushes the tail more because of the way the shape of the wave is changing and then on the drop if you are pressing down the tail it is a wider contact with the wave so derives more power from it. I am not sure about the fin issue but maybe you could try placing your back foot a little more back and see if that solves your problem not that you mention a problem. I have not been a fin person. There are differences in all the configurations of fins but because boards work differently with different fin configurations I have stuck to one configuration. Now I use quads only but I used thrusters and a large single fin with side bites for a while before switching to quads. When I was surfing a long board I thought I was really learning to use it because it seemed like my surfing went up a notch. I was making hard turns easily, cutbacks and off the lips and floaters but I started feeling a snapping or thumping on the board while I did various maneuvers. I found out that the screw that held the fin in place fell out and the fin was sliding and toggling back and forth. I bought a new screw and placed the fin forward or back ward and I noticed no difference so I guess I really was improving LOL I guess I needed more time in the water to learn about fins but was only surfing an hour a week at most. I tend to learn how to use whatever configuration I have and prefer that to changing things because I am pretty sure that part of my ability to surf safely is related to instinctive surfing based on how whatever configuration I was using the most in prior time in the water works. Anyway sounds like you have a good board.

Hopefully I’m using the right terminology: by "flat bottom" I meant the nose concave and tail vee are very shallow. The board does have continuous rocker - also probably tame but definitely noticeable.

The only issues are me. I tried the single fin in the middle of the box and it was really loose (pivot-y).
Then I tried the side bites and it felt "good loose" - easy to surf, easy to turn, but not inspiring to start walking around.
Then I shifted the center fin about an inch, almost to the back of the box, and it really felt locked in, not stuck but requiring deliberate step back over the tail to turn, but providing confidence to take some steps.

Out of curiosity I tried large thruster sides and a 7" center fin. Once going, the board totally ripped across the wave, but it was difficult to get to drop over the wave, and was really loose on the drop so hard for me to pop up quick. I think this combo could work for someone, just not for me right now.

What I haven’t tried is just the single fin at the back of the box. I will try that down the road.

Lesson #1 learned: when a shaper makes you a board and says a specific fin setup works well in it, surf it that way.
Lesson #2: if the fins in a new board work, don’t start changing them until you (I) think you really understand the board.

So, I have Eric’s recommended setup back in it. I can move the center fin around to loosen up or lock in the tail, and it never feels too loose or too stiff. I thought the Islander fin looked odd with its wide base and thinned out tip, but now I appreciate how well it holds and yet how easy it turns.

This delam is on my Chris Slick noserider. Notice where the delam area only occurs ?

Haolekook I have a 7'6" board that is flatter than my 9'6" longboard. the longboard has a marked tail rocker which makes it easier to turn. The 7'6" board was made for small mushy days but is awesome and super fast on steep fast breaking waves up to 10 to 12 foot faces then it starts to plane out. It rises out of the water after the drop and will turn sharply with the slightest change in the distribution of weight. Consequently on waves that size I don't turn it until I feel it drop back down into the water. It has slight concaves in the nose and a slight v in the tail but the only way to appreciate it is to put a straight edge across the bottom from one side to the other as just looking at it seems like it's straight. I am not sure of the terminology either but lengthwise is the dimension I use to determine flatness. The longboard is flat in the middle section but it has more tail rocker than any of my other boards. But that 7'6" board is particularly difficult to paddle and it takes me a few sessions to get the positioning on the board down. The longboard paddles well but my 7' board with a continuous rocker is the most forgiving as to position on the board so very easy to paddle. The longer the board then the less the positioning matters though once you get moving but if you're in the wrong place a little you will push water till you get moving. So if you're out of position on a longboard once you get the board moving forward enough it starts planing and the board quits pushing water but it's a little more effort to get moving than if you are in the right place.

Waikikichan , Wow that is a huge delam. I haven't seen that since I was surfing every day back in the 70's. I used to mix resin and inject it into the delam with a huge syringe and needle (from my dad who was a veterinarian) to glue it back down. These days I would cut away all the delaminated glass and replace it

I read about black paint and delams (though wish it didn’t happen to yours.) I knew there was some risk but the shaper and glasser didn’t seem concerned. I think they said something about dying foam versus painting over glass or something. I mostly surf early or late and store the board covered so hopefully it will be ok for awhile.

OMS this board sounds a lot like you’re 7’6. I had it out yesterday on a bigger day and the thing freaking RIPS! It is sensitive to position when paddling, probably because of my weight, but I put a mark where I need to be and it’s been good. Also I took the side bites off again and it paddles much better.

Yesterday I surfed a single 9” classic fin. I loved the speed and response but it was a little too loose, so I have a 10.5” to try next. But it felt like the board completely came alive so the stoke is still strong!

Loose is good….pilots call it negative stability…too much isn’t good but I’d try surfing that loose feeling a few times before changing up….once you start to figure out the looseness the board comes alive underfoot.

Thanks Geezer, I was kind of thinking that. I put the sides away but kept the 9” out. I wiped out a bit yesterday but the board felt really light, fast, and free. It kind of surprised me actually.

Maybe I’ll use both fins - if it’s crowded I can use the 10.5 to make the most of less waves, if it’s quiet I can play with the 9.

The 10.5 looks pretty good on my board though, haha

HaoleKook wrote: if it’s crowded I can use the 10.5 to make the most of less waves, if it’s quiet I can play with the 9.

Could you explain your theory on that. The larger fin will make it easier to go around the kooks in the way ?