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[baidarka]

I recently scavenged a DETOUR sign from a roadside ditch and would like to try a traditional 'guitar pick' shape instead of my previous parallel rail or wide point foreward boards.

My lack of wave sliding skill has necessitated the use of skegs on all prior projects. This time around I would like to try some runners in place of the fins. My questions are: Do I orient the runners perpendicular to the base and nose, or parallel to the rails? Any special considerations concerning the shape and size of the runners? Thanks.

[Poobah]

Sounds like a great project. I had some similar thoughts myself a while back when reading about Rabbit Kekai. He was quoted:

"Like you see, everybody, what they’re doing now is just making a copy of all of the versions of what we had before. They are calling them twin fins and all that, we used to have it in our days, just like what you call channels now, but with two ridges on either side, just like catamarans. That’s what we called a twin fin in our days with no fins – on a belly type of board, with grooved, channel bottoms. And it holds! You can stall them, you can do turns, just like you do on a twin fin."


Unfortunately no pictures in the interview. He seemed to be tallking about narrow boards with parallel rails. If you put runners on a guitar pick template, then I suppose the runners should still be more or less parallel to the centerline of the board. How far in toward the center might depend on whether or not you want to retain some flex at the rear corners. My guess....a board made from a detour sign should be good at cut backs.

[baidarka]

Hello Poobah,

Thanks for the feedback and interesting quote. I might as well use parallel rails since the sign is already a functional/usable rectangular shape. With my busy schedule these days, less time cutting is better. Also, I just picked up a 4'x5' sheet of nice 5mm ply in another local ditch. This one will get the guitar pick treatment. I plan on starting BIG...42" at the base. I'll whittle it down if need be. Now, if I can just find a dilapidated YIELD sign to fashion a handboard from...