# DIY swalowtail on my Volkl



## dreampow (Sep 26, 2011)

Last off season I did a DIY rocker on the tip of my old camber board and found it made riding pow significantly easier.
In fact I spent most of this season on that board, thanks to a bumper season for powder here in Japan.
We still have a 370cm base in Nagano and it will snow tomorrow. I may head up for 2 days riding:cheeky4:. 

A detailed account of the DIY rocker is in this thread.

http://www.snowboardingforum.com/boards/41447-make-your-own-all-mountain-hybrid.html

The next step is a swallowtail. Following ETMs instructions (he already did a sweet DIY swallowtail successfully)

His thread.

http://www.snowboardingforum.com/boards/44874-my-diy-swallow-tail-burton-supermodel.html

Here is ground 0, my Volkl with the proposed shape of the cut I will be doing.










It may take a while, but I will complete this over the summer so as to be ready to slay the powder in Hokkaido next winter.

I will post up pics at each stage of the process. Why not join in the fun and cut up one of your old boards too.


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## Sick-Pow (May 5, 2008)

the tips look a little pointy. maybe rounder?


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## dreampow (Sep 26, 2011)

yeah, I will round them out a little but thats the basic idea.


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## ETM (Aug 11, 2009)

Chop it!!!


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## dreampow (Sep 26, 2011)

This is my first rough cut.










I will sand it down a bit tomorrow to even it out and get to work on cutting the core back.

Hey ETM I was thinking of gouging out the core with a manual wood carving tool kit (I don't have a Dremmel).

What do you think?


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## ETM (Aug 11, 2009)

Looks good, your gonna love that thing.
Make sure you round off the cuts to avoid any stress points. Not sure on the method you suggested for cutting the core back but if it isnt working you will know pretty fast, its worth a shot I guess.


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## dreampow (Sep 26, 2011)

ETM said:


> Looks good, your gonna love that thing.
> Make sure you round off the cuts to avoid any stress points. Not sure on the method you suggested for cutting the core back but if it isnt working you will know pretty fast, its worth a shot I guess.


Yeah I will round out the top under the binding inserts, you think I need to round out any other points?

I might buy a dremmel but they are not popular here and the only one I found was like 11000 Yen, I think several times more than in Oz.

So far I have spent nothing on this project and I want to keep it as close to that as possible.

Its not the money more the idea of getting a new board for free.


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## ETM (Aug 11, 2009)

Just round out that point near the binding holes and it will be sweet.


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## timmytard (Mar 19, 2009)

I love it, I made a no-board but the nose dives in powder so I'm about to turn it into a swallow tail.

& I think I mide as well see if I can get some rocker into it as well too, didn't know you could do that.

So we'll see how my diy rockered no-board swallow tail will be shortly, can't ride any worse.

And I guess I will be substituting powder, for what your 7-11 Slurpee looks like when you've suck the life out of it, snow.

I just took some pics of the before but the size is too big & it won't let me post them.
So instead of figuring that out I made all the cuts instead.

I took a file folder, drew 2 lines, cut it out. It was way too big, 
so 2 more lines & I think we have a winner.

Remember cut first, measure later. I just plunged my circular saw right in there.
Out by 1 mm. Perfect.

So I'm gonna finish off with my hacksaw & take some more pics.
Can some give me a quick shrink your pics how too.

Pretty please & thank you.

TT


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## dreampow (Sep 26, 2011)

ETM is the master here I am but the student, he has some detailed pics on his thread.

So I finished cutting back the core and today I just started filling the hollow with urethane bond.

I plan to do this in three stages one for each straightish edge of the cut and one for the top of the cut (the round edge).

I have it all masking taped up and its a nice warm day.

Hey ETM did you wait for it to dry completely before adding the next layer or just for it to firm up?

Seems its will take weeks if I wait 2 days in between layers.

PS ETM I will get those DVDs ordered today, I have been away for a few days.


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## ETM (Aug 11, 2009)

dreampow said:


> ETM is the master here I am but the student, he has some detailed pics on his thread.
> 
> So I finished cutting back the core and today I just started filling the hollow with urethane bond.
> 
> ...


Once it has partially set you can pour more on top. Keep it out of the sun as it will cause bubbles to form. The urethane cures from moisture in the air so heat is no advantage. cheers about the dvds. Let me know when you need the coin.


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## dreampow (Sep 26, 2011)

I have a few small bubbles but its going pretty well, should have it all done within a few days then just sand it down.

I have so far used about 10 dollars:thumbsup::thumbsup: for this project and apart from a borrowed jigsaw have done all the work by hand.

Really easy and fun, would recommend this as a project for anyone with an old board they don't use much anymore.

@ETM I can get some of the DVDs second hand on Amazon here, they will be maybe 10-15 dollars less that way and knowing the Japanese in very good condition.

Just wanted to offer you the option before I buy them.


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## ETM (Aug 11, 2009)

Go for the cheapies!


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## dreampow (Sep 26, 2011)

They are on their way to me now, once I have them in the post and know the postage I will let you know the total in a PM.

They look pretty cool.


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## ETM (Aug 11, 2009)

watch a few before you send lol


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## dreampow (Sep 26, 2011)

sweet

always like watching some powder slashing and stoking up the fire for next season


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## dreampow (Sep 26, 2011)

Those DVDs are pretty good, lots and lots of powder, some good info on locations too.

Its all in Japanese with English subtitles.


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## dreampow (Sep 26, 2011)

*Finished product*

Finished up my swallow tail today,

may do another fine sanding job and touch up a few spots but basically its ready to ride.

This project took a few weeks, an hour here and there. I enjoyed every bit of it and at a total cost of 10 dollars I am very pleased with the results.

Cannot wait for Hokkaido next December.

here is a shot of the board before and a few after shots.










Thats my old Ride Highlife next to it (missing it a little).


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## ETM (Aug 11, 2009)

Sick!
Nice job, it really looks great. Now you have to prepare yourself to be looked at by every second person on the mountain lol. I cant wait to get your feedback on how it rides.


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## dreampow (Sep 26, 2011)

ETM said:


> Sick!
> Nice job, it really looks great. Now you have to prepare yourself to be looked at by every second person on the mountain lol. I cant wait to get your feedback on how it rides.


I am 6ft tall with blonde hair living in Japan. If I was bothered by people looking at me I'd be living elsewhere.

My other board is a proto ct and gets plenty of looks as NS has no presence here (next year they will start selling here).

I really like the way it looks now and can't wait to see how it rides, have never ridden a swallow tail so have no frame of reference. Judging by the looks it should have insane float due to the huge reduction in surface area on the tail.

Its also quite a bit lighter.

Anyway thanks for the help, wouldn't have turned out so nice without your help:thumbsup::thumbsup:.

Question is can I wait until December:dunno:.


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## ETM (Aug 11, 2009)

dreampow said:


> I am 6ft tall with blonde hair living in Japan. If I was bothered by people looking at me I'd be living elsewhere.


 Haha true.




dreampow said:


> I really like the way it looks now and can't wait to see how it rides, have never ridden a swallow tail so have no frame of reference. Judging by the looks it should have insane float due to the huge reduction in surface area on the tail.
> 
> Its also quite a bit lighter


You also gain incredible control in the deep stuff. 
I loved the swallowtail so much but it really made me see what my board was lacking in nose design, I cant wait to build my own boards using the proven tail design with the nose, setback stance and smooth rocker nose I want. I think about this shit 365 days a year lol.














dreampow said:


> Anyway thanks for the help, wouldn't have turned out so nice without your help:thumbsup::thumbsup:.
> 
> Question is can I wait until December:dunno:.


No probs man, and thanks for hooking me up with the car danchi vids! 
PS hopefully we can meet up somewhere next season and you can take one of my boards for a spin.


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## dreampow (Sep 26, 2011)

Definitely lets meet up,

Would love to try out one of your boards

How many will you make? 

Are you going to sell them?

Are you having them made to order with your design or actually making them?

Sounds like a blast:thumbsup::thumbsup:.

Do you have any snow yet?


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## ETM (Aug 11, 2009)

dreampow said:


> Definitely lets meet up,
> 
> Would love to try out one of your boards
> 
> ...


At this stage I am going to try and do 6 weeks starting early january with a hire car, starting at narita and driving to myoko, hakuba, nozawa, zao onsen, hakkoda, niseko, rusutsu, ashidake and smaller hokkaido ski fields on my way.
I will spend as much or as little time at each place as I see fit depending on how I like it. I know you are down south so maybe around the myoko- hakuba region we could meet up.

The reason I am building boards is I cannot buy what I want in a board, I am doing it for myself at the end of the day but obviously I am going to end up with a few boards that I will sell cheap if anyone is interested, Im not looking to take over the world here lol.

I am building a few of the same shape boards with differing core thicknesses so I can test them and decide what works for me personally. Doing this will teach me about core thickness in relation to flex, a board for a lighter person will mean a thinner core.

I have made 10 core blanks, probably the first 4 or 5 will be experimental and some may be bin jobs due to being too flexi or too stiff, the only way to learn this is to try them out locally this southern hemi winter. I plan on taking 4 or 5 boards to japan with me to test out in the powder they are designed for.

And yes I am building them by hand from start to finish and it is pretty exciting, I have invested a bit into it so far so there is no turning back now! My first thought was to get them made by a smaller board building company but nobody wanted to do the job. I had one quote of $7000 US dollars for a single board. Thats when I decided if I wanted this board I was dreaming of I had to do it myself.

We have had a few dumps but all have melted away, they have a small patch of snowmaking area with snow still on it but they are predicting more dumps before the season opens in a few weeks time, they generally open too early most years but once it gets good coverage I am going to hit it hard following the weather maps.


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## dreampow (Sep 26, 2011)

ETM said:


> At this stage I am going to try and do 6 weeks starting early january with a hire car, starting at narita and driving to myoko, hakuba, nozawa, zao onsen, hakkoda, niseko, rusutsu, ashidake and smaller hokkaido ski fields on my way.
> I will spend as much or as little time at each place as I see fit depending on how I like it. I know you are down south so maybe around the myoko- hakuba region we could meet up.


In Nagano Nozawa is my personal favorite and where I spend most of my time. Its the best place for us to meet in Honshu because I know all the runs including the lesser know side country runs.

You will need a big budget to rent a car for 6 weeks.
Buying and selling a van and sleeping in it would be cheaper. Second hand cars here are very reliable as the Japanese are very meticulous about these things.

An alternative is cut it down to say 3 boards and then you could travel by bus and train sending the boards ahead by mail (which is cheap and reliable here). Its about 1500Yen for up to a 20 KG board bag anywhere in Japan.

I would do it that way as petrol and the tolls for the highways are very expensive. We usually do a trip with 3 or 4 people and split the cost, going alone I wouldn't drive. Its also a big hassle finding your way if you get lost without Japanese skills.

The trains and buses are easier. You might cut down the number of stops a little if you do the train and bus.

hakuba, nozawa, zao onsen, hakkoda, niseko, rusutsu, ashidake. 

These are the best spots IMO. If you get a 2 week train pass you could get from narita to hakuba, nozawa, zao and make it up to Hakuba all on that pass. Then spend the rest of the trip in Hakkoda and Hokkaido as the ferry and trains won't be that expensive as the distances involved are not that much.

Also I recommend starting mid January through to the end of Feb. More snow is built up by then and the conditions are the best IMO. Also places tend to be most crowded until the 10th of January or so.

Just suggestions really, you can do it any which way and you will enjoy.


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## ETM (Aug 11, 2009)

dreampow said:


> In Nagano Nozawa is my personal favorite and where I spend most of my time. Its the best place for us to meet in Honshu because I know all the runs including the lesser know side country runs.
> .


Sounds great




dreampow said:


> You will need a big budget to rent a car for 6 weeks.
> Buying and selling a van and sleeping in it would be cheaper. Second hand cars here are very reliable as the Japanese are very meticulous about these things..


I enquired about doing that on snow japan forums and was told that I could never buy a car in japan due to not living there etc.



dreampow said:


> I would do it that way as petrol and the tolls for the highways are very expensive. We usually do a trip with 3 or 4 people and split the cost, going alone I wouldn't drive. Its also a big hassle finding your way if you get lost without Japanese skills.
> 
> The trains and buses are easier. You might cut down the number of stops a little if you do the train and bus.


I was going to do a bit of car camping and save on accom costs. The main thing that worries me about travelling via train-bus is finding somewhere to sleep each night. With the car (van) I am quite happy to crash in the back. How much do you think it would cost to drive the route I mentioned from narita to aomori for instance?


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## dreampow (Sep 26, 2011)

ETM said:


> Sounds great
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Yes, buying a car is a problem without the residency, hmmm. 

Still even if you could I would go with public transport. You can stay for 4000 Yen a night maybe less in some of the bigger resorts if you don't mind sharing a room. Finding places should be OK as long as you plan for the weekends in advance. Outside of weekends you will have no problems. Best to get a place or two written down on paper in each planned destination before the trip starts.

From Nagano up to Aomori you are talking a 12 hour drive (minimum) and maybe 30000 Yen in fuel and tolls. 

A rent a car is possible I guess. Might be able to find something reasonable for a long term rental.

I will ask around.


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## ETM (Aug 11, 2009)

dreampow said:


> Yes, buying a car is a problem without the residency, hmmm.
> 
> Still even if you could I would go with public transport. You can stay for 4000 Yen a night maybe less in some of the bigger resorts if you don't mind sharing a room. Finding places should be OK as long as you plan for the weekends in advance. Outside of weekends you will have no problems. Best to get a place or two written down on paper in each planned destination before the trip starts.
> 
> ...


I have found a place that has 4wd elgrand for 150,000 a month. I like the idea of being able to move freely between locations and not have to worry about finding accom as the sun is setting, all my gear in hand and next to no japanese skills! 

BTW i was watching some of your vids and your japanese is incredible.


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## dreampow (Sep 26, 2011)

Thats a good deal and for 6 weeks I guess it makes sense. Bring a top of the line winter sleeping bag for Hokkaido.

If you live here for 10 years you get pretty fluent as long as you make the effort. I also wrote my book in Japanese.

If I didn't have a young kid I'd be tempted to join you on the trip. Should be epic:thumbsup::thumbsup:.


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## dreampow (Sep 26, 2011)

Finally got the swallowtail out in some powder, lots of it.

Sadly I forgot to recharge my camera so no pics yet but will post some soon.

First off, the float is as expected much better and it takes quite a bit to sink the nose.

I was riding in mostly knee deep some waist deep powder and it was easy to stay afloat.

With the shorter tail you can turn on a dime. Great for slashy powder turns and avoiding trees.

I would say that the flip side of this is a little less stability on hardpack especially if you have a full setback. This may be particular to my Volkl since it had tip to tail carbon stringers that I cut out with the swallowtail cut. 

In choppy hardpack conditions it flapped a lot more. In powder however it is way better than before.

All in all a fun easy way to breathe new life into an old board making it more powder specific if a little less stable on hardpack.

Thanks to ETM for all the help with it:thumbsup::thumbsup:.

Will add a few picks and maybe a video since this board will see lots of fresh lines this year.


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## seant46 (Dec 8, 2009)

Would definitely like to watch a video:thumbsup:

I'd like to make one of these one days but unfortunately i live in the prairies of Canada so i mostly ride park except for trips out west:RantExplode: One of these days...


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