Nose Modification "rocker" Thread.... making a sj a better surf ski.....

Location
Fl
A stock SJ hull is very crude for surfing, I think surf hulls are going to get way better in the next few years with everyone tweeking them out. I can't wait for a hollow head high day , want to try and get a tube ride with this hull, nose rocker is nice but the tail rocker is what makes it ride in the pocket so nice and turn like a mofo , yes it does take some stability away but I don't want to ride a tank .
 

joe b

depth tester
Location
northfield, nj
For the people cutting nose rocker and reshaping.How is this going to help your wave riding ? Are you hoping to tighten up your turns and get the ski to fit better on the wave? like for cut backs?

I think this will help to shorten turns too. I'm bringing up the bond line a little and think it will let the nose drop with less effort and be quicker on turn-in.

I am interested in advancements on how the ski turns on the steepest part of the wave.Tail rocker would be something I would like to experiment with.

I messed around a little with rounding the back. The nose will ride higher so you'll be riding with most your weight on your front foot. Also coming out of hard turns with your boat layed over and your riding on that part of the hull it gets twichy. That's what it did for me...
 
Thank you. You have not cut up your ski yet,right? It all seems so cut and dry for you.Add rocker and you won't pearl.How about how the ski holds on the face of the wave off throttle? How does it cut back on the steepest part of the wave? Pearling is something you do when you are caught off gaurd or have your weight or body position in the wrong place over the ski as you are along for the ride instead of controlling what's happening.Everyone experiences this as it part of the learning curve of riding in the surf.It is school of hard knocks.I am interested in advancements on how the ski turns on the steepest part of the wave.Tail rocker would be something I would like to experiment with.I have found that some throttle,using the bars and standing at the back of the tray is enough to keep me from pearling when i have the nose of the facing the way I am dropping in.There's always sideways and or backwards.

I never said it was all cut and dry, but we are looking for answers and that's all you can really do... I am not overly concerned about pearling because I usually drop in sideways, I am looking for quicker turning ability, mods that will help you track better on the face. If I thought I had all the answers I wouldn't have started this thread...
 

T Curtis

RRP/ RICKTER DEALER
Nick, chop 3"off the back. Its amazing how it works. It turns so much more positive on a wave its crazy. A friend in Austrailia is running this and swears by it, this guy rips at surf riding. His name is Mark Tearle , you may be able to find images of him riding it. Ive watched it bottom turn on big waves and was impressed. Quick, cheap and easy! good luck!
 

WAB

salty nuts
Location
coastal GA
You can try my -3 hull before you chop yours if ya want. I love it.
It's easier to take 3inches off the SN hull since it has the 6 bolts for the rideplate, not just the 4 corners like on the RN. :fing02: You may have to add another set of rideplate inserts on a RN hull of you go that short.
 

SJBrit

Extraordinary Alien
Location
Bradenton, FL
I left the rideplate full length when I shortened my RN and then D-cut it. It seemed like that would be the easiest way, but after messing with the corners when fiberglassing it probably would have been easier just to move the rideplate inserts and find a used SN rideplate.
 

kraqus

Site Supporter
Nick, chop 3"off the back. Its amazing how it works. It turns so much more positive on a wave its crazy. A friend in Austrailia is running this and swears by it, this guy rips at surf riding. His name is Mark Tearle , you may be able to find images of him riding it. Ive watched it bottom turn on big waves and was impressed. Quick, cheap and easy! good luck!


The guy is a Mad Man......sick riding!







Benny
 
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Big Kahuna

Administrator
Location
Tuscaloosa, AL
Mark is a hell of a rider with a style of his own. He is one of the few riders that can rock a GP 800/1200, Blaster or a SJ in the surf........ Going equally as big!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

227

Its all about the surf!
Location
Oceanside, CA
Lot of good ideas being passed around here. I have been searching for a trashed RN hull to try experimenting on with a few ideas of my own. For a surf boat I really like the nose rocker idea, but I am subscribing more to the Superfreak style rocker (post #100) which still has the bond lip around the front. When the Rickter was first released I talked to the guys at the Rickter camp at world finals and specifically asked them why they had removed the bond line around the front. They told me that when doing FLATWATER backies and coming in slightly inverted, by losing the front bond line area they eliminated the drag which worked against the nose coming back up and helped the ski recover more easily. The same effect is opposite in the surf. The height easily achievable when throwing Backies off a wave makes losing the front bond line unnecessary while keeping the bond line in the front will hold the nose up even better to help prevent pearling. My goal is to alter the hull to resemble a “Fish” style surfboard which is very wide in the front and more narrow in the rear and add the nose rocker also.
 
I've thought about this for a while as well, but its a big step to try it by cutting up a good hull.

I though bust my nose badly recently and just crudely glassed a flat patch on ready for the comp next day - it now looks like a square nose.
I still haven't gotten around to repairing, but riding recently, I have noticed a difference. There was one partricular wave I dropped down which was too steep and I know it should have been game over, but I rode it out. I've noticed again that the nose doesn't catch when going downhill. There are no other noticable side effects when rolling or flipping etc.

There was no issue from spray from not having a lip, but then the tip of the nose rides high out of the water when riding anyway. I did though find not having a bond rail to hold on the nose difficult when trying to launch the ski through shorebreak and assumably it might by awkward if swimming and holding the ski in the impact zone.

I have filled the nose now with foam and will cut it up next week. I want to raise the nose up, just like that stretched picture. I'm not going to bother trying to fabricate a bond rail as it'll only break! I'll try and mould in a handle, or some form of a strap.

I shortened my previous hull by 2", mainly for flat water use and regretted it. The back end sinks so much that when making a wake, I had to go a couple of yards further before my 180 turn to get back on the plane. This is probably though cos I'm a big fat bastard!!
I used an extended ride plate to counter act, defeating the object to an extent.
Yes, it spun quicker, and yes it flipped real easy, but I haven't done it to my my new hull. The stock hull flips easy enough anyway. This was the Hull Eddie B used at IFWA France last year.
 
Location
Fl
Shortening the back of the hull seems to make it turn slashy like a twin fin with a wide tail vs a thruster thats a bit more gunned out, for the small waves of Florida I think it's a great thing to do if the foot holds are moved forward, my last hull was -2" it rode a little nose high which was nice in the surf but it didn't carve as smooth as the full length hull, Maybe not the best mod for the lazy or heavier rider as you have to stay on it more.

Jetmaniac did a lawn dart nose mod to his stock SJ and had no bond line, it was better on the wave but would shoot tons of spray in you face when railing turns , the nose would go under quicker but also pull out of the danger zone easier.
 
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