#backyard builds

Aiming for a more user-friendly Displacement Hull adjusted for local conditions. Semi-pinched rails, s-deck. round bottom to flat behind the fin, flat rocker but a bit more tail rocker compared to a traditional hull.  Glassed with epoxy resin, 6oz volan and 4oz warp glass with an extra patch under the standing area. Bottom lam is 6oz volan with two extra layers around the fin box.

You could call it an Alaia, but I think that term is better used for more original and classic shapes - so, let’s call it a finless or friction-free board... Well, this one’s a test and I can already say there’s a lot I would’ve done differently. First of all, it’s made from two paulownia planks sold at a regular hardware store. It’s glued up from smaller pieces, and because I wasn’t sure that the glue could handle water, I decided to add a lot of dowels for strength. The board is pretty heavy, so for future boards I would definitely replace the solid wood core with some sort of foam or cork. That being said, I really like the shape which is far more compact and wide compared to classic alaia shapes and the swallowtail was added to ease using the foot as a rudder when paddling (for direction). No glass added, just regular varnish - I decided to use varnish instead of oil to protect the glue in the planks as well. For future projects, I’ll definitely glue up my own blanks! The board has no rocker and there’s a single concave running all the way from nose to tail. The rails are pulled up from under the board and the edges are rounded for more bite in the wave face. Can’t wait to get it wet!

A little weird singlefin experiment build for flat weak waves. Shaped and glassed by myself a couple of years back and finished off with box, hot coat and sanding by my brother, Simon Rosendal. It features a flat rocker all the way, holds plenty of volume and semi full rails. The outline is tweaked to feature parallel rails through the center to assist drive, speed and compensate for the short overall length. It breaks into some pretty pronounced hips for better turning abilities. Glassed with 2x4oz s-glass on the deck and 1x4oz s-glass at the bottom with an extra layer under the fin area. Subtle white resin tint splash on both top and bottom.

The first board I’ve made - aiming for a classic log. Glassed in red tinted polyester (first and last time I’ve used polyester resin). I think the lamination was something like 2 x 8oz on top and 1 x 8oz on the bottom (extra layer around the fin box of course) but I’m not sure as I got the glass from some old, unmarked rolls. The result was a way too heavy ride with rails that most of all looked like over-dimensioned shortboard rails and a nose concave that did more damage than good - no forward trim at all! Plenty of room for improvements and at the same time sparking a curiosity for surfboard designs!

My version of a tri-plane hull. Flat bottom in the tip (doesn’t push the water) going into a true hull bottom in the front of the board. The hull blends into a tri-plane bottom and ends of in double concave with a bit of vee between the fins. Flat rocker all the way with a bit of kick in the tail, s-deck for the perfect distribution of volume and medium thin rails. Glassed with 2x4oz s-glass on the deck and 1x4oz s-glass at the bottom with an extra layer under the fins. Subtle white resin tint all over.

Backyard builds by Simon Rosendal & Mathias Rosendal.

A modern interpretation of a classic singlefin pig shape. Reversed rocker (super tail kick), slight nose concave, belly bottom all the way out the back. 60/40 rail the the front (lower rail giving more hold on the nose), 50/50 pinched rails through-out the center (high speed and nice trim), 40/60 rails in the tail (higher rail making it even easier to turn the board and also giving extra support when nose riding). Pretty refined in terms of volume, making the board much more lively than a traditional log. Glassed with 2x6oz on the deck and 6oz (plus 4oz support around the fin) on the bottom. Deep black resin tint in the lamination and blue tint in the final hot coat.

Hull entry, single to double concave with Vee out the back. Medium thin rails and a bit of s-deck keeping the volume right where you want it to be! Flat rocker but due to the bottom contours the rail has much more rocker, giving it a playful feel once you put it on rail. Clear epoxy resin and pencil drawing.