I'm going to finish a board from a blank I made last summer. It's a 7-2 copy of a Naish Raptor.
I'll use it in mushy wind waves and perhaps I'll take it to someplace on holiday and surf small up to head high waves.
My plan is to make it a quad, using future boxes because I have the one-pass installation kit and am familiar with the installation.
I'm trying to save some money and use some fins I have on hand, a pair of twin keels, these K2 Or these Aipa below. I'll add some rear fins I'll have to buy.
Question : is this workable? What rears should I buy, any large quad rears ok? I'll use this kind of fun placement : close to rail, tightly clustered. Sound ok?
Is it at all possible to just use twins alone?
And lastly, I'm considering making the nose more like the board below, instead of the square Raptor. Any thoughts on this??
Sounds like a great board.... I use a Raptor (small) in up to head high. Goes well but playing around with fin sizes.... I have found it turns far better with small rears.... I use slightly bigger fronts to get a bit more drive, but i don't notice much difference to smaller front fins. I do however when changing the rears tho...small is good IMO.
LOve to see some photos during the build project.
id try it with the first ones, could be good. then get some rears, remember rear future boxes are generally shallower. make sure you get correct boxes and fins.
for me i recon 80/20 foils are great. i have some rear quads with flat inside, ie no foil inside and felt terrible. always put me off quad, then tried 80/20 and "lightbulb" heaps better. for me anyhow.
Hi, my advice:
- twin fins work, but you need to put them either in a standard twin position (between the quads), or at the rear like a Simmons. Simmons will have a greater latency in turns but will handle better at speed and for backside surfing.
- in any case, add a central box in the rear to add a trailer (if the quad/win setup is a bit squirelly) or use a 5-fin configuration, which adds a bit of drags but smooths out the handling
- be careful of the quad setup with the fin clustered together and close to the rail: it is hard to make them work properly, the board can end up twitchy. A McKee setup is simpler to do right (rear quads more centered towards the stringer) , like my boards below
- keel are extra fun in slow waves, as you can push on them for leverage, but become cumbersome in fast waves, where you should switch to standard fins like the Aipa to free the board.
- wide square noses paddle slowly and catch water in turns. The nose in your pic is great, or a compromise like the one I like best: 2nd from right.
The 2 on the left work well, too, but the diamond nose adds a noticeable stability on takeoff, without needing to be nursed in turns: I hate when I see people on wide square nose having to always stall their turns so that the nose do not catch...
Yes, get us more pics along the building of your board, dont rush go step by step and think about before each one 
Select to expand quotecolas said...
Hi, my advice:
- twin fins work, but you need to put them either in a standard twin position (between the quads), or at the rear like a Simmons. Simmons will have a greater latency in turns but will handle better at speed and for backside surfing.
- in any case, add a central box in the rear to add a trailer (if the quad/win setup is a bit squirelly) or use a 5-fin configuration, which adds a bit of drags but smooths out the handling
- be careful of the quad setup with the fin clustered together and close to the rail: it is hard to make them work properly, the board can end up twitchy. A McKee setup is simpler to do right (rear quads more centered towards the stringer) , like my boards below
- keel are extra fun in slow waves, as you can push on them for leverage, but become cumbersome in fast waves, where you should switch to standard fins like the Aipa to free the board.
- wide square noses paddle slowly and catch water in turns. The nose in your pic is great, or a compromise like the one I like best: 2nd from right.
The 2 on the left work well, too, but the diamond nose adds a noticeable stability on takeoff, without needing to be nursed in turns: I hate when I see people on wide square nose having to always stall their turns so that the nose do not catch...
Hi I'm just wondering why gong paint their boards brown?
The shapes look fantastic but the colour is a bit like floating turd
Select to expand quotewindsurftom said..
Hi I'm just wondering why gong paint their boards brown?
Actually, the paint is plain red (RAL3020). Gong decided from the start that this red was going to symbolize the brand. So the boards are painted red, then sanded to get the brushed carbon look. If you look at the finboxes of the board to the left, you can see the unsanded color. It is difficult to believe until you have painted red and sanded it yourself, after a ding repair.
Actually, the final look is quite pleasant, a kind of redwood look. Plus, each board is unique as the sanding patterns are different on each. This "color change" effect seems more striking with red than with other colors, don't know why.
Select to expand quoteyt04 said..
Keep the photos coming of your build Tom.
Gonna be slow, work, work travels, family, kitesurf and sup surf still going on....
Select to expand quoteKami said..
Yes, get us more pics along the building of your board, dont rush go step by step and think about before each one
thanks for your care and advice, Im fairly competent at building, made these below, It's the design and fins that are unknowns for me.
I like those Gong colors, thought it was trying to be wood look, but not wood. It's an early trend actually -" post -natural" color and Materials and manufacturing with this theme popping up in art-fashion-design. (do this kind of research at my work).
Tho I prefer more pure finishes.
Select to expand quotecolas said...windsurftom said..
Hi I'm just wondering why gong paint their boards brown?
Actually, the paint is plain red (RAL3020). Gong decided from the start that this red was going to symbolize the brand. So the boards are painted red, then sanded to get the brushed carbon look. If you look at the finboxes of the board to the left, you can see the unsanded color. It is difficult to believe until you have painted red and sanded it yourself, after a ding repair.
Actually, the final look is quite pleasant, a kind of redwood look. Plus, each board is unique as the sanding patterns are different on each. This "color change" effect seems more striking with red than with other colors, don't know why.
I guess it's like they say "beauty is in the eyes of the beholder" ....my eyes aren't seeing it... but it's all good...to each his own
Select to expand quoterghdc said..
I guess it's like they say "beauty is in the eyes of the beholder"
Or it could be an acquired taste. Or things can not give the same impression in photos than in reality...
For instance, I do not find the cork boards attractive, but all the people that have seen them with their eyes say they are gorgeous...
TomW059: your previous boards look really sweet! How do the tunnels on the hull of the orange feel on the wave?
Colas, those are kiteboards, my main sport. Concaves make board "float" on plane and carry speed, and eat chop. Super snappy turning I think in part due to find cluster. Works good. I'm just a hobby guy, like to make stuff, use it. Don't really know what I'm doing so I copy and tweek. Hope no one gets pissed I'm ripping off ideas.
Added concave in middle. So it has convex nose, concave middle and dual concave tail. Making step on deck to thin rail. Then do the rails.. What kinda tail should it have?
Be tricky to get the 5th box onto that center spine. Have put in some higher density blocks for each box, leash plugs, handle.
Select to expand quoteTomW059 said..Kami said..
Yes, get us more pics along the building of your board, dont rush go step by step and think about before each one
thanks for your care and advice, Im fairly competent at building, made these below, It's the design and fins that are unknowns for me.
Tom you made a good shaping job 
My idea to complete a surfboard whole shape is to design the board correlated with fin types and positions and then shape planning areas around those positions
About fins choice, I may choose for you the K2 and trailers. Main front fins would be more in a twin fin positions , trailers not too far back as a thruster position but more inside and forth. Other wise you won't fly that board on the front rail but a dragging on the tail tendency...
Last thing, but it's hard to see on a picture, I would lift the last end of the tail to make water coming out flush instead of channelized it in the end of doubles concaves. IMO double concaves are good around front fin, useless or water resistant on tail end.
Kami,
I'm not understanding your suggestion to "lift last end of the tail ". Do you mean to reduce spine in middle in tail area?
Hello Tom, I mean to get down both Rail line and Apex and slightly reduce spine to get flat water exit at tail end to make the water flow release along rail instead of keeping along the rail. But you have to get some foam on tail deck to lift up rail and Apex .
As seen below on colored picture yellow areas or concave ones are located around the front fin locations giving more bite to the rail aside of the front fin but flush at tail end around the rear fin.
The goal of shaping that way is to make the board flying and carving on rail , the board settled on its main fin which are the front ones.
Look on slice 1 : it is flat or straight between bottom stringer point and rail ( in red)
Look on slice 2: it's concave between bottom stringer and rail (in red)
Thanks I understand now. No or little concave right at tail. Less concave at front fins. I have way more concave. Was looking at the L41 board.
I think I can reduce spine in center flattening the tail area.
Personally, I love huge mono concaves in the center/aft for wide tailed boards:
- it raises the center rocker(*), so that the boards initiates turns faster, great for these wide tails that are reluctant to be put on the rail
- Sunova shaper argues that a concave helps putting the board on the rail (water is deflected more downawards on the exit through the outside rail)
- it stiffens a bit the turn (less rocker) when on the rail so you can push on it in turns without nursing them
- it gives more control in gnarly conditions
The drawback is less speed, and it is more geared to open face curves than tight turns in the pocket (not the domain of wide tailed boards anyways)
I had two 6'10" Simmons SUP shaped in the same way, but one with a traditional concave bottom on the rear, the other flat. The difference was significant.
Ironically, I ended up keeping the flat one, as the concave one had more wave range, but with a large quiver, I'd rather have more specific boards tahn more polyvalent ones. But with a small quiver, I would have kept the concave one.
The "Tomo" on my above pics has a mono concave on the full length of the board
(*) Actually, you can make the center rocker bigger of flatter, depending on where you dig the concave
That cork deck looks fantastic, Colas!
TomW059 - shape looks clean. Can't wait to see fin placement and construction!
Kirk
L41
Hi again,
Kirk, thanks. And appreciate you sharing your board designs and knowledge with an amateur. I'm pretty much trying to copy your board...I love them. If I lived closer and had decent waves I'd buy one for sure.
Any tips on laminate schedule is welcome. Foam is super soft. It's about 1 lb / ft3. Will seal it with epoxy glass balloons mix.
My plan is to use two 15mm wide Cf tow strips each side from between fins following fin toe-in. ( is this needed?)
Bottom lamination 7oz + 7oz.
Deck: alt1: 7 oz 3/4 patch +7+7.( not sure this will be strong enough)
Or : 7 oz+ 1,5mm Abachi veneer +7
Installing handle, leash and fins. First had to put in HD foam.
Not so exciting photos...
Fins itselves and cant /toe look very good, Tom
How far the trailing edge of the front fin is from the tail 
Have to measure it. But it's not right proportion in the photo. It looks longer in photo. Photo is distorted.
