Big Guy Shortboard
Our Hyperlink model: A great alternative for heavier surfers looking for easy paddling and lots of maneuverability.
If you are looking for a big guy shortboard then give this article a read.
Just finished building this Hyperlink model for a client name Justin. This one is a 6'7" X 20.5" X 2.75" with about 41L of volume.
I pre-routed and set the center box so it would have the carbon strip reinforcement over the box itself. I did a matching resin tint on both sides and I'm stoked on how clean the razor line came out.
This model is what most people would refer to as a good "Big Guy Shortboard" , the outline of the board stays nice and full with a curvy rail line in the nose a tail but straighter rails in the center. I originally created this board by fusing together the front half of the Magic Fish and the back half of the Heater models.
This board carries a pretty thick foil running the majority of the board to help keep lots of volume. Generally I build this board with a rounded pin but we do them with squash and baby swallow tails as well.
Who should ride a big guy shortboard?
This model is best for the 200LB and above club that area looking for what people call the "Big guy short board"
If you are looking for an easy paddling and easy wave catching surfboard that still has turning and shred'ablity then this is a good design option for you.
Because this board carries lots of volume, it catches the smaller waves really easily and can generate speed, but overall still holds and surfs well when the waves get bigger. Its not a typical "groveller" or small wave board, but for the surfer that wants lots of paddle power and to maximize each sessions waves, this board is worth a look for sure!
We build the Hyperlink model in EPS or standard poly and this is one of those boards that works good as a quad or thruster because of the volume of the board.
If you have questions hit me up!
Standard production time is 3 - 4 weeks and shipping is available.
As you an see in the photo above the over all outline of this board stays relatively straight through the mid section for easy speed generation. This is a key design element for a big guy short board style shape. Often times surfboards can be much to curvy in the middle rail line which can create a sluggish or bogging feeling when trying to generate speed. Heavier surfers, or surfers that just want to catch more waves and have an easier time generating speed are going to have a harder time on boards that have more rocker and more bend or curve in the mid section of the board. On this model we keep the mid section nice and flat under the front foot and begin the rocker increase more drastically about 1 foot in front of the mid section. This allows for a nice large sweet spot and the board will plane much easier in average or weaker surf conditions.
I recommend this board as a 5 fin set up. When shopping for your typical big guy short board, most surfers will have this as their main board that they will surf in waves from waist high to overhead, so having the multiple fin configuration is a good idea. Heavier surfers can benefit from the added boost of a quad fin setup in smaller waves, adding to drive and forgiveness the overall feel of the board when the surf is less than good.
But when the surf turns on and you can really drive and jam your turns, its a great option to be able to transition back to the thruster set up and feel the drive and hold of that middle fin.
In the above and below photos you'll see how the nose rocker flips on this board. Often times when larger heavier surfers ask a shaper to build them a "big guy shortboard" the shaper may just take a larger shortboard blank and build the surfer a board that, with all due respect, looks and feels like what the surfer needs, but when the board is put to the test, it just doesn't feel like a good all arounder style surfboard.
These rocker shot show, somewhat, how the flip in the rocker starts later in the transition area from the center to the nose. This goes back to my prior paragraph where I talked about keeping the stringer rocker much flatter under the front foot and up into about 12" past the center point of the board, then letting the rocker fall off aggressively to the tip.
Above you can see the entry concave. Its pretty typical for most shortboards (these days) to have a single concave entry point. Back in the 80's there was lots of belly and vee bottom entry points on boards but as surfboard progressed the single concave entry seems to be the most versatile of all surfboard bottoms. To me, its crucial on a big guy shortboard to have a single concave entry that starts shallow and runs deeper along the stringer through the fins area of the board. Most bigger surfers all tell me the same thing. They want a big guy short board but they want it to have lots of squirt and drive and be able to hold on rail because of the amount of weight they put into their turns. The single concave bottom with a slight inset double in the fins works really well for this type of board and surfing style.
The overall deep single concave will allow the board to channel water along the stringer with minimal resistance to create tons of drive and speed which is the main thing a bigger surfers needs to be able to create, right at take off. The problem with running a deep single on a larger bit guy short board is that the board can begin to feel "tracky" or too "locked on" to the wave or rail line of the board. I like to add the inset double concave starting about the back 1/3 area of the board and running in between the fins. This allows for just enough break under the back area of the board so the larger heavier surfer can have the best of both worlds. A big guy style short board that drives and creates speed easily but feels like a smaller more rippable board in everyday waves.
Overall you can get a good idea of this boards foil and low rockers from the above photo. I really recommend the round tail on this board for the simple reason that most bigger surfers are going to be putting some serious weight into their turns. The round tail has really good hold and bite. It allows the board to lock on and create drive right out of the gates when dropping in and give the surfer the ability to do longer more driving arching style turns.
If you are looking for a big guy short board I'd love to have you into the factory and sit down to discuss your needs and wants. Or I'm available via skype or phone.
I build all my boards on shaped3d so we can take the time to refine the foil and rails, bottoms, rockers etc to meet your exact needs and make sure you are getting the board you want before we even send the blank to the cutter!
Please reach out at 949-381-17534 or use our contact for on the HyperLink page here big guy shortboard