Anatomy of a bodysurfing handplane
Nov
21
Written by:
Monday, November 21, 2011 8:19 AM
Bodysurfing handplanes seem to be springing up all over the world at the moment in various shapes and sizes. I’m loving the resurgence in a past time I have enjoyed my entire life. I started to wonder about the different design options and shapes and decided to document my thoughts.
Most importantly, it’s personal preference with many of the options below. In the wine industry, they call it cellar palate … in that what you drink most, you tend to prefer.
Happy bodysurfing!
Size and Shape
Handplanes seem to vary in size from something that barely covers an outstretched palm, to the two-handed marine plywood sleds. The most common size seems to be between 30 – 42cm’s long (12” – 17”), and 18cm – 25cm wide (7” – 10”). Thickness varies depending on material, hull and the shapers style.
Handplanes tend to fall into some distinct overall shape patterns:
- Rocket shape – pointed nose, extending back to where the base is almost the widest point
- Turtle / Manta shape – blunt wide nose, tapering off to a narrower base
- Surfboard shape – well, kinda like a surfboard (where the shape is fairly consistent throughout the length of the handplane with a distinct pointy front, and narrow base)
Tail
In my opinion (ie. I’m preparing to be shouted down on this one), I believe the tail should be more about splash minimisation rather than turning speed. This is not a surfboard! Most copy about surfboard tails talk about fast turning. I think the role of a tail shape on a handplane should be about minimising the rooster tail that ends up directly in your face.
Other than the practical, most tail shapes are about making a handplane look cool! Tail shapes I’ve seen are:
- Flat, or Squash Tail
- Swallow Tail
- Round Tail
- Square Tail
- Pintail
Hull
The hull design is very important with handplane design. Every handplane I’ve used has a slightly different hull design, however, there are common patterns.
Rocker
Every handplane I’ve seen has some pretty decent rocker in the nose. A handplane can be twitchy on a wave and it’s a lot easier than a surfboard to dig the nose in and there is little change of a recovery from this action. Nose rocker helps prevent this from happening as well as assisting those big wave drops.
Concave v Flat
Most handplanes tend to have a concave hull to compensate for a lack of fins. This helps you ‘grip’ the wave with the side rail. I’ve also noticed a few flat (or flatter) hulls on some handplanes. Some shapers have commented that the flatter the mid-point of the board, the faster the hull. I’ve recently purchased a handboard with a flat bottom and small fins to help grip the wave so I’m looking forward to testing this theory out.
Channel
Channels are another way of compensating for a concave hull and no fins. I’ve only seen photos of channel hulls and never had the opportunity to ride one. Comments from anyone who has?
Fins
Fins are gaining popularity. I’ve noticed a few commercial models sporting small fins (ground down FCS plug fins). There are quite a few comments from the riders that swear by the fins for gripping a wave and giving you good directional control.
Stop On v Hold v Hybrid
How you attach a handplane to the bodysurfer is another major difference. There are two main camps – the strap-on, and the handhold.
Strap on
The strap on is usually a Velcro styled and band that runs across the top of the handplane that can be adjusted for the size of the hand. Some models build up an area to accommodate for the bodysurfers wrist.
There are some compelling advantages here:
- You don’t have to cut a hole in your handplane,
- the handplane can be a minimal thickness,
- there is no splash or drag associated with a hole in the handplane (which can result in a faster cleaner rider – especially in small surf conditions)
- the handplane is faster/easier/cheaper to build as you don’t have to muck around with a hole!
- Strap on models usually don’t worry about a wrist leash
Some downsides are:
- More pressure on the wrist
- Harder to swim with
Hand hold
The hand hold camp is either a moon shaped hole cut into the handplane that is used to grip the board, or a built up handle at an angle. Most handplanes that go down this path try to design for a slight angle that is more natural to both swim and bodysurf. Most designers also try and recess the finger area into the bottom of the handplane so as to reduce the drag of the fingers poking out the bottom.
The major advantages of the hand hold version seem to be:
- More natural to swim and bodysurf
- Gives you a little more control on a wave
Some downsides are:
- Harder/longer to make
- Some designs result in more splash/drag
- Usually a larger board size
Material
From plastic food trays, through to custom epoxy moulds, handplanes have been made out of any material that ‘sort of’ floats! The most common materials are:
Plastic
Usually commercial manufactured models are made from injection moulded plastic. These are lightweight, reliable bodysurfing products.
Wood
The most popular wood for making handplanes seems to be Paulownia. It’s lightweight, strong, has a small amount of flex and doesn’t soak up salt water. Once a board has been shaped, it can be oiled with linseed and ridden! There’s nothing stopping you adjusting the board, re-oiling and going again.
There are some beautiful handcrafted wooden handplanes available for sale around the world. I’ve included some links below to some of my favourites.
Traditional Surfboard Techniques – Foam, Fibreglass & Epoxy
Foam and fibreglass handplanes are made using the same techniques that are used to make standard surfboards. More and more shapers are recycling their broken boards and spare material to make some awesome handplanes!
These are pretty labour intensive, but result in a pretty spectacular handplane. Lightweight, strong, and often art pieces.
Camera Mount
The GoPro system is the undisputed champion of bodysurf films. Most folk tend to mount an FCS plug on the front of their handplane that can be forward or rear facing.
Another method used is the camera mounted helmet. I’ve used some old rugby headgear with a GoPro camera velcro’ed to the front with a great result!