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Downwind and Racing / Downwinder, New F-16, F-14's, Foote 14, Penetrator run, etc.
« on: February 15, 2009, 07:52:29 AM »
We had a really fun run yesterday in very good Maliko conditions (lets give it an 8 out of 10).
We were not only graced by the conditions, but also to have with us many of the newest, most cutting edge boards being produced for this niche of the sport. I rode a proto of the new F16. Chan grabbed My Foote 14. Also, the F-14 production with rudder, A custom F-14 rudderless, and the Penetrator.
Where to start?
Mark Raaphorst has been working on the F-16 and has refined it in some really outstanding ways. A while back, I had called that board the gold standard of unlimited (over 14 foot with a rudder) Maliko boards, and I want to refresh that. The tweaks are so subtle, that you would have to know to look for them, but the change in performance is really stunning. The big one's are that there is now a subtle concave up front which leads into a channel and then double in the tail. The volume has been pulled out towards the squarer rails and the deck has a very light concave. All of this serves to take away the minor twitchiness of the original. At my size (185 lbs) this board is insanely stable for its width. Additionally, volume has been added to the nose (the deck vee-if that is a term-is higher an more pronounced than on the original) and the tip (last foot) has more flip. It is very hard to pearl this thing. If you accept that an average rider is going to fall a few times on a blasting Maliko run, I would guess that this board will roughly half that number of diggers.
I mostly rode this board on the run (spent 2 miles on the Penetrator and 1 mile on a custom F 14), so I will let the other folks who went sound in on the gear they rode.
Let me finish by posting some photos that Darrell Wong shot (taken back in Jan), courtesy of SIC.
Scott Trudon, showing off the flip tip on the new F-16. He is convinced that 16 is the ideal length for Maliko.
I love this shot. Scott Trudon again, just starting to lose the little cup he has been working and moving forward to milk it a little more. You can even see him eyeing the better dip just to his right. What a capture!
Mark R on a proto for the new F-14 mold.
An F 18 custom designed more for flatter water, but Alan Cadiz makin it look good on a little runner.
We were not only graced by the conditions, but also to have with us many of the newest, most cutting edge boards being produced for this niche of the sport. I rode a proto of the new F16. Chan grabbed My Foote 14. Also, the F-14 production with rudder, A custom F-14 rudderless, and the Penetrator.
Where to start?
Mark Raaphorst has been working on the F-16 and has refined it in some really outstanding ways. A while back, I had called that board the gold standard of unlimited (over 14 foot with a rudder) Maliko boards, and I want to refresh that. The tweaks are so subtle, that you would have to know to look for them, but the change in performance is really stunning. The big one's are that there is now a subtle concave up front which leads into a channel and then double in the tail. The volume has been pulled out towards the squarer rails and the deck has a very light concave. All of this serves to take away the minor twitchiness of the original. At my size (185 lbs) this board is insanely stable for its width. Additionally, volume has been added to the nose (the deck vee-if that is a term-is higher an more pronounced than on the original) and the tip (last foot) has more flip. It is very hard to pearl this thing. If you accept that an average rider is going to fall a few times on a blasting Maliko run, I would guess that this board will roughly half that number of diggers.
I mostly rode this board on the run (spent 2 miles on the Penetrator and 1 mile on a custom F 14), so I will let the other folks who went sound in on the gear they rode.
Let me finish by posting some photos that Darrell Wong shot (taken back in Jan), courtesy of SIC.
Scott Trudon, showing off the flip tip on the new F-16. He is convinced that 16 is the ideal length for Maliko.
I love this shot. Scott Trudon again, just starting to lose the little cup he has been working and moving forward to milk it a little more. You can even see him eyeing the better dip just to his right. What a capture!
Mark R on a proto for the new F-14 mold.
An F 18 custom designed more for flatter water, but Alan Cadiz makin it look good on a little runner.
. The last issue was IMO really strong, but this thing is a freakin' mind blower.
