Funboards

I think the funshapes are an excellent choice for surfing in Wales, as they are quicker to paddle than a shortboard, making waves easier to catch, but are less bulky than a Mal. They are fairly forgiving, making them a good beginners choice, and are stable making them quite easy to stand up on. As soon as I have a gap in orders, I will definitely be making one of these boards for myself, as there are often times in small waves, where I could do with having more buoyancy and length to catch the small waves more easily.

The start:

This shows the planshape cut on the board.

The dimensions are 7`3" x 22" by 2 1/2" thick. It will have just less than 1/8th of an inch concave in the bottom contour. I wasn't too sure about shaping a concave into the board, however a Longboarder (who has one many competitions) in Cornwall let me ride his 7`9" Mini Mal with heaps of concave in the nose and it really produced lift so the board planed early.

The finished shape:

The finished board-

With the same fin system as my other boards-

Here are some photographs of Josh who bought the above funboard, ripping after only two weeks of surfing. His surfing has progressed so quickly and he is now standing on every ride. The board has plenty of buoyancy and is fast to paddle so he gets lots of rides and has a stable platform on which to stand. Here he is at Treyarnon Bay in Cornwall:

And another unbroken ride:

With a board like this, learning to surf can be quick and exciting.

Also I made another funboard type board, except narrowed and thinned down slightly so it can be used in slightly bigger waves. The customer lives in Newcastle where the prevailing wind is offshore. If the wind is against you, you need to be able to paddle hard to catch the wave hence a fast board is needed. The board I made isn't really designed for beginners but due to the medium/large volume it seems o.k. It is 7`5" in length, quite narrow and was designed purely for speed:

It has a flat bottom contour, and has natural rocker.

I also found out it was quite good in small waves while testing it at Mwnt (our local beach).

It has single large fin to reduce drag, and a wide tail with very little tail rocker to help reduce drag, and therefore increase speed. "This board is extremly quick to paddle and is a joy to ride" was the quote from the customer.

Dimentions: 7`5" x 21 1/2" by 2 3/4"

Price - £240 (6`11" - 7`8").