pavedwave distance skateboarding distance skateboarding, flatland pumping, cross-country adventuring, boardwalk cruising, and all things skateboarding and good times
I just cut and pasted this from the 'fish but it's all relevant here as well.
Alright, the deck is not quite done, but I'm ready to start talking about it. I've actually been working on coming up with a shape for this deck for the last month and a half. I simply couldn't draw anything I liked at all. I really like the design intent behind the Roe Mermaid shape but to me it looks like a mid 90s Ford Taurus. You know, kind of an uninspired jelly bean shape, not that I was coming up with anything better. It wasn't until I saw this entry in the Silverfish build off thread that I knew exactly what I wanted. Gnidnu has an amazing aesthetic going with his deck, so I took the basic shape and made it longer to meet my specific needs(with his blessing of course).
The construction is two plys of h-lam bamboo with carbon fiber top and bottom and a two piece stringer. There's about 1/4" of concave and just a little camber centered under the back foot. The two piece stringer was used to help control where the flex is located. The front stringer is padauk, a very stiff hardwood, and I used more flexible mahogany in the back. Standing on it while it rests on block it feels just right. Currently the last coat of epoxy is setting up and by tomorrow night it should be completely done except for grip. First pumps will be on Saturday.
Lucky for me, my second run of decals came in just in time to cover up the one little snag in the carbon and still get embedded in the epoxy.
_________________ I roll my own.
forty2longboards.blogspot.com
Last edited by SoloRider on Thu Aug 20, 2009 12:38 pm; edited 1 time in total
So what is the length? Forty? How long is the wheelbase? With that shape it looks like it could be drilled close to the ends to maximize it, if desired. It'd be nice to have that option.
So what is the length? Forty? How long is the wheelbase? With that shape it looks like it could be drilled close to the ends to maximize it, if desired. It'd be nice to have that option.
40" long, 9-3/8" max width, and I'm planning a wheelbase of 27, 28-2/4, 29-1/2, and 30-3/4 _________________ I roll my own.
forty2longboards.blogspot.com
I really like the design intent behind the Roe Mermaid shape but to me it looks like a mid 90s Ford Taurus. You know, kind of an uninspired jelly bean shape, not that I was coming up with anything better.
Inspiration is a fickle thing. I've heard the full range, more positive than not.
I sometimes start my drawings with straight angles, then add the curves. I don't see a lot of difference between the Mermaid and this other shape and dimensions, other than all the curves have been taken out and replaced with straight angles. In a way it's a cross between the Mermaid and the Galac, both shapes that I worked on (far more the Mermaid than the Galac.)
My bias is a focus on profile, camber and functional shaping and performance, not so much on visual woodwork elements. There are other things about layup, epoxy, CF and glass that are truly magic with regard to the actual flex and performance -- that's where I bow down to a guy like Gareth to knock it out and I just do the grunt work of testing and feedback from that point.
The Mermaid's raw shape was developed around miles of pumping and where strength and flex needed to be placed, the final shaping and refinements inspired by naturally occurring curves in nature, ranging from the movement of a dolphin to the outline of Jennifer Lopez's butt.
Maybe we'll catch you at the lake on your board some time soon.
Inspiration is a fickle thing. I've heard the full range, more positive than not.
I sometimes start my drawings with straight angles, then add the curves. I don't see a lot of difference between the Mermaid and this other shape and dimensions, other than all the curves have been taken out and replaced with straight angles. In a way it's a cross between the Mermaid and the Galac, both shapes that I worked on (far more the Mermaid than the Galac.)
You're absolutely correct, and my aesthetic tastes are certainly not for everyone. I spent a lot of time drawing shapes, all of them starting from the Mermaid and the Pulse really, but nothing was really working for me. I started my LDP deck nearly a full month after I wanted to, simply because I couldn't land on a shape. I know that's not the most important thing, but I'd be lying through my teeth if I said that it's not a big part of it for me. It was really the subtle nose that hooked me, after that I was more than ready to build.
Also, building has been an evolution for me, each deck teaches me something new. I've got a strong background in carpentry and boatbuilding and working with fabrics of various types in not foreign to me, however applying those skills to something as simple as a plank of wood(or grass) can be quite the challenge. This may not turn out to be a great pumper, it's my first after all(#20 overall), but I promise the next one will be better. _________________ I roll my own.
forty2longboards.blogspot.com
Wow, that looks great! (Although I figured it would )
I'm curious to feel the difference between this board & my Pulse.
Setting up your trucks right will be key, as well as deck flex.
The Mermaid's raw shape was developed around miles of pumping and where strength and flex needed to be placed, the final shaping and refinements inspired by naturally occurring curves in nature, ranging from the movement of a dolphin to the outline of Jennifer Lopez's butt.
Wow, I did not know that! I think I love my 'maid even more now.
So the first ride happened today. I think it went really well. Fred(Redline) and I made our way around Greenlake a couple times and met up with James(pavedwave) about 3/4 into the first lap. I still don't have my pumping skills down but by the end of the second lap I could accelerate a little once already moving but not really from low speed. It was pretty cool to watch James at work, he can really make a deck move. Also, he didn't seem to bear any hard feelings about me insulting the Mermaid, and if he did he disguised it well.
Anyway, back to the deck, I think it's just a touch on the stiff side but lengthening the wheelbase may be all it's going to take to really dial the deck. Bushing setup seems pretty good, but as I learn more I may find something better. Trucks are Bennett 5.0 on the front and Tracker RT-S on the back, the wheels are Pink BigZigs dyed scarlet(to match the front stringer).
_________________ I roll my own.
forty2longboards.blogspot.com
So the first ride happened today. I think it went really well. Fred(Redline) and I made our way around Greenlake a couple times and met up with James(pavedwave) about 3/4 into the first lap. I still don't have my pumping skills down but by the end of the second lap I could accelerate a little once already moving but not really from low speed. It was pretty cool to watch James at work, he can really make a deck move. Also, he didn't seem to bear any hard feelings about me insulting the Mermaid, and if he did he disguised it well.
It was good to meet you guys -- getting out and skating is far more satisfying and interesting than writing editorials, quite frankly!
The board felt good, I was focused as much on trying to figure out how well your trucks/risers/bushings were set up as much as the deck -- this is vital as you're learning to pump. Seems it is pretty much dialed, you'll just have to figure out whether you like more or less rebound in the front, that's completely a question of preference, you've got all the right gear there.
For the deck, lots of room on top to move about, and the hand-carved wood stringer work is really polished. It will be interesting to see how your experiments with a snappier flex evolves -- that's what makes or breaks an LDP for me and there have only been a few board makers that really have the recipe down. As I mentioned, a very slight touch of camber can add a lot of magic to this type of board.
Again, regarding the "jellybean Taurus" thing, given that the overall majority of Mermaid owners have posted up positive or glowing feedback about the aesthetics of the Mermaid, but more importantly, its performance and flex -- it's near impossible for me to get insulted. The gestalt of your board borrows visually obvious inspiration and roots from previous LDP board designs, in terms of width, wheelbase, waist, and length.
If I were to toss out a purely aesthetic retort, I'd say the Pumper is an "uninspired maple bar reminiscent of a boxy Honda Element." I mean seriously, those wood plies look edible!!
If I were to toss out a purely aesthetic retort, I'd say the Pumper is an "uninspired maple bar reminiscent of a boxy Honda Element."
Yeah, I deserved that.
Quick little report, I lengthened the wheelbase yesterday from 28.25" to 29.5" and headed back down to Greenlake for a couple more laps. It was not good. The construction shortcomings came glaring to the fore. I knew when I started that the broken stringer could be an issue but with enough overlap the problems could be negated, hence the flame. Well, the overlap is definitely not long enough because at the longer wheelbase I can feel the break in flex that I couldn't at the shorter setting. More when I step off to push(mongo) but it still bugs the hell out of me. As for pumping at the longer wheelbase it feels like I'm getting too far into the flex whereas I didn't feel I was getting far enough in at the shorter wheelbase. Of course I've only traveled ~12 miles pumping and all of that in the last two days, so I've still got a lot to figure out.
I'm thinking the deck would have been better with a single stringer of medium flex than with the soft/stiff combo I went with, but where's the fun in that. I'm going to continue to ride this deck and keep the wheels spinning in my head on how it can be better.
I've also got some bushing combos I'm putting together to see what works and what doesn't. My current front setup feels good at the start of a turn but seems to ramp up too quickly. I don't really know what to do in the back, I'm lifting a wheel on hard heel side pumps so I'm going to play with that a bit too. It seems to me that the back isn't near as important as the front so I'm not going to expend as much energy there until I feel like I've really got the front dialed.
At least I've got a little time to think about it now, I'm off the deck for the next few days, wife's orders. I've been working on a nice little case of tendinitis and after my 6.5 miles last night I was limping pretty good. Icing three times daily and some Naproxen, hopefully I'll be riding again later in the week.
_________________ I roll my own.
forty2longboards.blogspot.com
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