Want to understand your board? Bert Burger nails it

[supthecreek]

Wow... prepare to understand your board a LOT better.

Bert Burger, the genius behind "Firewire" surfboards and Sunova SUPs, explains board design so even I can understand it
Bert was Shaper of the year in 2007... so he is worth listening to.

I suck up everything I can about Sunova, because I am super stoked about his SUPs.

Sunova is not a new company... it was around long before Firewire and for the past few years, Bert has turned his stoke to SUPs

This is a 1/2 hour video. The beginning is his evolution as a shaper. The last half is a masterful explanation of every part of a board.

The first thing about Sunova that grabbed my interest was the construction... and why it works. He covers a bit of that as well.

For all the money and time we spend on SUPs..... this is a "must watch"

Starts out slow and country boy..... ends up like a wizard!

[standuped]

Nice! Are there any more that talk about rail shape?  Need about two more hours.

[SUPcheat]

Wow, that really was interesting and informative.  Contour, rocker, rails, flex and the role of the flattened tail section, single concave toward the front and double concave toward the midpoint.

My innegra Prowave is a really flexy board, you can actually feel it flexing when even a little force of water hits it.  The Vernor is much stiffer.  From his explanation, I can get an understanding of the role flex in the rails of the board actually do to make it perform differently, even the way the board throws off water and creates areas of vacuum/suction and counter force.

Flexy rails create a lively board, and rocker gives a better start but requires stepping to keep the "first gear" going.

I was wondering about the Tomo boards from what he said.  People say they turn really easily, but the flatter curve at the edges would seem to act to lessen the turning arc as he states it.  I suppose they could compensate with flatter rocker.

I'll have to listen to this one a few times to see if I can hang on to the concepts.

I always wondered if board dynamics in water could be computer modeled, but it seems that there are so many changing conditions on any wave in catching and riding, the feel through the feet has to be the ultimate arbiter, which makes the board shaping process more or less relentlessly subjective/artistic.

[Biggreen]

Nice! Are there any more that talk about rail shape?  Need about two more hours.

They've uploaded another that covers rails and some more. Really good stuff. Bert is definitely the man.

[supthecreek]

Part two - more later

[raf]

Thanks for posting that.  will watch part 2 later.  Very nice explanations.  I was particularly interested in the part about concave on a PU board vs epoxy board.  Sups will flex even less than surfboards because if the thicker rails.

[XLR8]

Nice share!  Thanks!

[TallDude]

Part II is even better. Best video on board design I've ever seen. Volume vs. surface area turned on a light bulb for me. Thanks' Creek!

[JimK]

That is some GREAT info
Thanks Creek!

JimK
www.extremewindsurfing.com

[Eagle]

Excellent videos on the nuances of shape and design philosophy - thx for sharing 

[Wetstuff]

Saw a reference to this one on the Acid SUP.  Lotsa good 'splaining.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/xahzbod1av4thhe/sunova_1280_sup_acid_v02_2015-05-08.mp4?dl=0


Jim

[supthecreek]

Thanks Wetstuff.... that is a great link to Bert talking about a SUP shape, and why it works.... more great info

I will repost it, so the vid is embedded.... all you have to do is delete the "s" in the https.... and the vid shows up like this:

[Sup-up]

Best explanation of board design I've heard.  Fantastic collection of vids.

[standuped]

Bert is just making it rain secrets.  This one just out... about flex, fins  (fixed , futures, FCS)... mind blower.  Thanks again STC!

[SUPcheat]

It's interesting that he places enormous emphasis on flex and the role it plays in the board dynamics. I never would have thought flex and speed of bounce back would be that important.

Do other shapers share that view on flex?

He also seems to believe that the board plays a large role even for experienced riders to accomplish certain feats on the waves.

There is the "90 percent rider and 10 percent board" point of view, which he might not support at those ratios from what he says about boards going "dead".

I do know that my Prowave has taught me a lot just because it seems to vividly communicate the water's differential energies to me and responds a lot to small stepping.  That seems to fit in with his views on board shape and flex, since the innegra Prowave really seems to have some flex and rebound.