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Longboards, shortboards, and custom wooden fin shaping

Mack Surfboards can help you get just about any kind of custom balsa surfboard that you want. We have several years of shaping experience, he has shaped thousands of surfboards, and he really enjoys creating a functional balsa work of art that rides as well as it looks. One staff member is has been a master carpenter for many years, which comes in very handy when creating a balsa surfboard from scratch.

Surfboard Technical Information

Glassing Choices

Fiberglass is sold by the yard, and the weight of the cloth refers to the amount of resin required to saturate a yard of the cloth. Thus 6-ounce cloth requires 6 ounces of resin to wet out one yard.

4-ounce cloth requires 4 ounces of resin to saturate one yard of cloth, etc. 6-ounce and 4-ounce are the most common weights of cloth used in the industry. Some vintage style boards use heavier weights and are available on request. Please don’t hesitate to ask for specifics.

“S”-cloth is manufactured in a more expensive process, and that is reflected in the cost. It is claimed to be 30% stronger than “E”-cloth. If it is not easily available locally, it will have to be ordered, so there may be a time delay in completing the board.

The glassing process involves saturating the cloth with resin and squeegeeing it onto the blank. The two step process starts with the bottom and finishes with the top. The strength of the glass job is usually determined by the weight of the cloth and the weight of the foam under it.

The standard comp light is 2 4-ounce layers on top and a 4-ounce layer on the bottom. The next up in strength is 6 and 4 on top, and a 4-ounce layer on the bottom. If more strength is desired, then use 6 and 4 on top, and 6-ounce glass on the bottom.

A very strong board would be green foam and a 6/6 top with a 6-ounce bottom. Mack Surfboards usually recommends this glass job for people who are “ding prone” and break a lot of boards, and where board weight is a secondary concern. Do note that a lighter board is easier to maneuver, and is generally better for quick direction changes and snaps. Like the rest of the industry, Mack Surfboards cannot guarantee any surfboard against breakage, but common sense and care will avoid most major problems.

Surfboard Technical Information

Surfboard Terminology

Shapes, as defined by the outline(plan shape):
1) LONGBOARD – The choices are Progressive or Traditional. The newest designs are influenced by the shortboard, and are made for manuverability. Traditional designs are the classic shapes from the original longboard era.

2) FUN SHAPE – Basic all-around board, usually in the 7′-8′ range.

3) EGG – Named for both rail shape and outline, this is usually a mid-size board.

4) CONTEMPORARY SHORT BOARD – This is what the top pros are riding.

5) MINI-GUN – The smallest of guns made for larger, hollow, and more powerful surf.

6) SEMI-GUN – Mid-size gun for large surf in the 6′-10′ range.

7) GUN – Big wave board.

RHINO CHASER – Biggest surf you can paddle into, this is a full-on gun.

9) FISH – Generally has two large fins, and maybe one small fin. Also a wide tail and semi-parallel outline.

10) HYBRID – Modern concept combining features of short and longboards, in a mid-size length.

11) COPY – An attempt to recreate an existing board. This can be very difficult, but computer milling can help.

12) RETRO – Using designs and materials from the original longboard era.

Shapes, as defined by the rail design:
1) FULL – Removing the least amount of foam necessary to achieve the desired foil.

2) LOW – Apex of the rail plan shape, located at or near the bottom of the board.

3) SOFT – Gentle curve with no acute or abrupt edges.

4) HARD – Acute or sharp bottom edge.

5) PINCHED – Removing as much foam as possible, while still maintaining a functional rail shape.

6) KNIFE – Angled downward to a sharp edge.

7) EGG – Rail shaped like an egg, i.e., unbroken curve.

50/50 – Apex of plan shape, located at center of rail. Often used in retro boards.

9) 60/40 – Rail turned down 60%, and up 40%. Also popular in retro-style boards.

10) BOXED – Full rail with a squarish feel.

11) TUCKED UNDER – Bottom edge of rail, pulled inside the plan shape.

Shapes, as defined by the deck, which is the portion of the board you stand on:
1) CROWN – The amount of convex curve you stand on, as defined from rail to rail.

2) FLAT – Lack of curve from rail to rail.

3) SLIGHT CROWN – Gentle convex curve from rail to rail.

4) HEAVY CROWN – Pronounced convex curve from rail to rail.

Shapes, as defined by the bottom of the board, which is opposite the side you stand on:
1) FLAT – Zero curve, as defined from rail to rail.

2) BELLIED – Convex curve from rail to rail.

3) VEE – Two flat planes canted away from the center line(stringer).

4) CONCAVE – Curved recess from rail to rail, or stringer to rail, or any concave surface.

5) DOUBLE CONCAVE – Concaves usually on both sides of the stringer.

6) CONCAVE VEE – Two concaves canted away from flat at the center line.

Shapes, as defined by the curve from the nose to the tail:
1) FLAT ROCKER – Minimal curve from nose to tail.

2) NOSE ROCKER – Rocker in forward third of board.

3) ENTRY ROCKER – Rocker at forward point, where board planes when taking off.

4) TAIL ROCKER – Rocker in last third of board.

5) BOTTOM CURVE – Overall curve from nose to tail, on bottom of the board.

Shapes, as defined by the foil, which is the thickness “flow”, or variations in thickness along the length of the board:
1) DECK ROCKER – Curve of deck from tip to tail.

2) BOTTOM ROCKER – Same as bottom curve.

3) THICKNESS – Thickest point on board.

4) THICKNESS AT RAIL(CROWN) – Thickness of rail relative to center.

5) THICKNESS AT CENTER – Thickness measured at centerline.

6) MEAT(FOAM DISTRIBUTION) – Refers to location of bulk of foam in board.

7) TAPER – Fast: rapid change from thick to thin; Slow: slow change from thick to thin.

Computer Shapes
1) DESCRIPTION – Milled by computer-controlled milling device.

2) BENEFITS – Accurate replication of basic shape. Fast.

Surfboard Technical Information

Blank Selection

Blank weights are an issue of blank strength vs. weight, whereby heavier foam equals better resistance to dents on the deck. Some of the choices for foam blanks include Ultralight, superlight, superblue, supergreen, classic, etc. Deck dents are common to ultra light, super light, and super blue, their lighter weight makes them a performance choice. The weights are competition light, light, medium, and heavy. Mack Surfboards uses Blue unless otherwise specified by the surfer.

Prices for custom blanks are available on a quote basis from Clark Foam. Doing things like using custom stringers and glue colors define a custom blank. Ordering custom blanks adds a minimum delay of one week, and can take as long as 4 weeks, depending on the schedule of Clark Foam. Generally the summer months are the busiest times in the shaping industry, so waits may be longer then. Please take this into consideration when ordering your board.

The fastest way to get a board is to use a stock blank. Stock blanks are available in ultra, super blue, super green, and in stringers 1/8″ to 1/4″. Basswood stringers are standard. Other stringer woods are available on a custom basis, at a slight added expense. Things like spruce, cedar, redwood, and balsa are some alternative custom choices, but if something really special is necessary, please inquire.

Adam D’Esposito

People Who Surf is a section in the Collectors Edition of Surfer Magazine, 2001. The heading on page 266 reads: “ADAM ESPOSITO, 22; Below is an article and picture of Adam inside a 20-foot wave.”

By the way folks, after five years of trying to make a name for himself, it got spelled incorrectly! It is Adam D’Esposito – they left off the capital “D” and the apostrophe. In the Italian heritage, that could almost place you in a different race. That “D” and apostrophe being left out is huge. Add the fact that Adam’s coat of arms goes directly back to the King of Spain, circa 1750′s, and you begin to see the implications. Good champion bloodlines “going for it” in a totally new arena. It is just great to the whole family and it’s history. Go Adam, kick ass and thank God every day.

SPONSORS WANTED Name recognition, modeling, corporate endorsements, etc. One year contracts preferred – salary based. Adam could be a marketing hit; clean living(no drugs or alcohol); extremely bright; good looking, personable; possible chick magnet – which he is very cool with – handles it better than the Hollywood celebs. Main goal is to do PROFITABLE business while having fun. -”Big Sal”

Surfboard Technical Information

Learning how a surfboard is built will enable you to get the board you want!

As you know, surfboards come in all shapes and sizes, and some boards perform better for certain styles of surfing than others. The shaper/surfer connection ideally involves a process of refinement that starts with an all-purpose or easy to ride, forgiving board, and progresses with the abilities and desires of the rider.

Communication between the rider and shaper regarding performance is crucial to the objective of getting the customer what they want and need. Knowing the basic terminology with regard to the characteristics of shapes, foils, rockers, and surfaces greatly enhances this process. Here are some terms shapers use, and their general or approximate definitions. Please bear in mind that everyone has a different interpretation of these terms, and Mack Surfboards does not claim to be the Funk & Wagnalls of surfing.

The selection of surfboard design is based on the surfers input. Factors to consider include the type of surfing to be done, and the size and type of waves to be surfed. The board parameters involved include the flotation requirements, overall width and thickness, and the width measurements at one foot down from the nose, and one foot up from the tail.

Other considerations include minimum and maximum length limitations, as well as the overall width and thickness. In addition, there are deck and bottom contours, rocker considerations, and rail types to decide on. Along with these parameters, the surfer must also select the blank material and the type of glass job.

SURFER MAGAZINE INTERVIEW, Collectors Edition 2001: In order to appreciate the life of nascent big-wave charger and feral entrepreneur Adam “Biff” D’Esposito, it’s necessary to also have a chat with his father, Big Sal. “My dad,” says Adam, “is such a character that sometimes I can’t even believe he’s my dad. He’s straight out of Goodfellas, but without the crime.” Big Sal will point out that as a youth in Asbury Park, N.J., he was once an alter boy with Danny Devito.

The father’s northeastern sensibilities contributed to the later successes of the son, so it seemed to make sense just to let the two talk. Sal spoke from his adopted home in Carlsbad, Calif., Biff from a campground on the road to Teahupoo, where he’s been living as a feral for several months.

BIG SAL: We move to Carlsbad when Adam was 12. He first starts on a Boogie Board, but a week later, he comes into the house, and says, “That’s it, Dad, I’m a surfer.”

BIFF: I started surfing every day, just getting so psyched. Do you remember the cover shot of Luke Egan on the red board at Pipe where he’s angling in? That mag also had the Tom Carroll snap at Pipe–that was what inspired me from the beginning. I thought that it would be so amazing to one day be at that level.

BIG SAL: He was a pretty smart kid–graduated at 15. The principal says, “Look, he scores in the 99th percentile on his tests. Let him do what he wants.” He finished this super hard equivalency test, got his diploma and went to Puerto Escondido by himself.

BIFF: On that trip, Davey Miller, Strider and Carlos Cabrerro, those guys were getting huge barrels and blowing my mind. The next year, I wanted to train to surf the Pipeline. So I brainstormed some business ventures and went back to Puerto the next summer with some stuff to sell–leashes and wax mostly–and I started a board supply out of my hotel room. I was a mobile surf shop. After Mexico, I went back to California and saved two grand with a valet job. I moved to the North Shore, bought a car and then got another junker–a full North Shore special–for $500. My friends were like, “Biff, you’ve got the two cars, let me rent one.” Eventually I even got a nicer one that I guaranteed could make it to Town and back. I thought, cool, I can rent cars, pay rent and surf.

BIG SAL: So I went to Hawaii and Adam’s bought three old cars that he rents out. Picks me up in an ’87 Town Car–it’s nicer than the car I’ve got back home. And I gotta tell ya, he’s grown up to be exactly the kind of a kid a dad would hope to have. Everybody loved him. He coulda been the mayor of the North Shore. At Foodland we ran into Strider. When Adam was about 16, he had told me, “Dad, there’s this kid named Strider. He gets paid to go all over the world and get his photo taken in tubes. That’s what I want to do.” So now Strider’s kind of taken him under his wing. I said, “Wow, Adam, that was like Babe Ruth coming out of the grave and telling me I’m on his team!”

BIFF: I saved money from the cars and from cleaning carpets in Hawaii. Now I’ve been living off that in a tent near Teahupoo. Recently I saw a sign on the wall at the snack shop and it said, “SURFERS TRADE BOARDS FOR BLACK PEARLS.” The guy’s from California and owns his own pearl farm and is also a surfer. So, I’ve been selling black pearls from Tahiti to my dad who turns around and resells them.

BIG SAL: Laird Hamilton watched Adam surfing that reef in Tahiti and when he told him he was from Jersey, Laird said, “See, that’s proof that big-wave riders are born not made.”

BIFF: Best compliment I ever got. My buddy Jarius Cannon was out freesurfing on some 8-to 10-foot days leading up to the day that Laird caught his epic wave. Laird actually offered me the chance to tow in on that day, but I’d never towed and didn’t think I was ready for it, but I definitely want to get into it. I actually got to witness his wave from a boat. It was the heaviest experience of my life–the one time I was ever truly afraid for another person riding a wave. It was just beyond… beyond.

BIG SAL: I pulled Strider aside and said, “You gotta help my kid. Everybody’s got a contract and he’s got whogots.” Adam, of course, is like, “Dad, don’t say anything. I’ve got to pay my dues. If they want me, they’ll contact me.” So that’s why he’s been living like Jack London in exotic places.

BIFF: Living like I have, you also learn a lot about survival–that you can actually live off the land on coconuts, fruit and fish. Live off the land and water, without money. It’s amazing.

BIG SAL: I tell Adam God moves in mysterious ways. If I had the money to send you to these places, I’d have given it to you. But then you wouldn’t have learned as many things as you have about surfing and surviving. So that’s the way it’s supposed to be.

BIFF: Dad said do what you do for the love. It’s not about the money or the fame. If you’re doing something you really love, and it’s a positive thing, it’s well worth it. That’s what will drive me for the rest of my life. — Chris Dixon