Irish Surf News » surfboard shaping

Surfing Big Waves in Ireland

jd — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:59:15 +0000

Custom shaped to order, these treble-stringer, dual leash plug, 7’6″ big-wave guns are testament to the pioneering ethos over at Surf Merchant Ireland. Recently a couple of team riders were eyeing up some of Ireland’s gnarlier reef wave set-ups. We had a look at the surfing demands of these chasmic Irish hell-waves, and had a yarn with our lead shaper, Dean Geraghty. Immediately on our wavelength, Dean refined and put into production our vision;
Classic gun dimensions with a streamlined, narrow, pin-tail profile, together with extra glassing on hi-stress areas, 2 leash plugs (in case one rips out on a catapult wipe-out!) and a pinstripe of 3 wooden stringer panels for impact-resilience, and stiffness driving through the face of monster swell-lines.

Shapers in the Surf Media

jd — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 09:59:23 +0000

With the demise of The Surfers Path (in my opinion, it’s written by too many preachy, Eco-warriors), in steps Drift. A classy outfit if you ask me, their “progressive editorial and adaptive, collaborative content” is, as they say themselves, “divergent and disruptive, but grounded in tradition and with a smart and inspired worldview…Drift is your connection to this elusive counter-culture”. High-falutin’ stuff, but bring it back home – They recently ran an interview with Max Brosi of Cedar Surfboards, a local, underground, organic Shaper, who we at Surf Merchant have the utmost respect for. Worldview maybe, but Drift knows that it starts at the grassroots. Surf Merchant salutes you.

While we are out there high-fiving Shapers other than our own Dean Geraghty (who is a standout master-crafter & leader in surfboard design and technology innovation), Maurice Cole recently gave a very telling interview to the boys over at Down the Line. Have a listen on iTunes. Thanks to Zach for the nod on this.

Guide to Surfboard Tails

jd — Fri, 08 May 2009 17:03:57 +0000

A critical aspect to surfboard design is the dynamic of the tail. In essence, the more surface area and volume in the tail, the more launch the surfer will experience. Think of it in terms of buoyancy. If there’s a lot of foam down at the tail of the board, it will stay afloat more. The surfboard will then surf in a loose, responsive fashion, as it only makes small incisions into the water on the turns, and quickly releases as it return to equilibrium. Contrast that with a tail that is thin and narrow, for instance a swallow or pin tail. Now there is less board under the surfer’s back foot, so the tail sinks deeper into the water as pressure is applied to it on the turns. This acts like a rudder on a sailboat, steering the board, and holding it firmly in position. To the surfer up above, this equates to a more stable riding experience as the board interacts with the water and draws out the manoeuvre. The Surfing Handbook documents the various types of tail shapes to choose from well. Worth thinking about the next time you’re looking at a new surfboard…