Author Topic: Flow  (Read 3648 times)

Rand

  • Sunset Status
  • ****
  • Posts: 470
    • View Profile
Flow
« on: August 28, 2007, 07:59:55 AM »
Front foot surfers, back foot surfers, balanced surfers etc.

Assuming now a smaller board with the goal of as-close-as-possible-to-a-shortboard, what do you see as the best means to achieving that easy speed generating flow that "the magic board" always seems to have?   It seems that the relationship between the tail end of the flatter portion of the rocker (the last part of the full planing surface) and the front end of the more accentuated tail rocker seems to be critical in developing the alternating glide and thrust that can generate speed (especially when the wave ain't helping much). 

Relatively constant rocker boards are much harder to get anything from, and seem to rely more on great waves or walk-to-trim (which is not what I am after).  Blane seems to have put a lot of thought into this relationship and has come up with the best you-can-juice-it board I have used.  On the best boards (for this) it seems that this is still occuring on the mid back, with a back foot reach-to-the-pad required for deeper turns and off-the-whatevers.

So my question.  Where to go to optimize boards for this into the future?

Thanks,
Randy

bracicot

  • Waikiki Status
  • *
  • Posts: 15
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Flow
« Reply #1 on: August 28, 2007, 01:12:12 PM »
That's an interesting question, and one I was going to ask on the forum myself, since I'm laying out rocker profiles for the 10'6" I'm making.  I'm looking at a couple of different philosophies:  a kind of gradual arc from the flatter section in the middle of the board to the tail, and one that keeps the flat section going a little farther back towards the tail, with a more pronounced kick in the last foot or so.
The more gradual arc looks better to my eye, I guess because it seems more like what you would find in nature.  But then again keeping the flatter section of the rocker going back behind where you stand might give you more speed.  Anybody have any input?

thanks, bruce

Dooner

  • Waikiki Status
  • *
  • Posts: 36
    • View Profile
Re: Flow
« Reply #2 on: August 28, 2007, 03:09:22 PM »
The rocker break on my current board is about 12" up from the tail. It's quite flat forward of that for a few feet, then it has an accelerating nose rocker (about 6" nose & 2 3/4" tail).

It rides well and goes fast off the tail or middle, but there is a definite line that you need to have your foot behind to turn very hard. I am thinking of increasing the tail rocker and blending it a bit further forward on my next one. The nose rocker will be reduced as well to allow a wider nose & more glide/wave catching.

My thinking is that for performance, you want the rocker change in between where you place your feet so that you can roll back onto the curve for turns, & forward onto the flat for speed & trim. How much rocker & how it is blended & combined with the outline is the hard part..

The type of waves you are surfing come into play as well.

A very good shortboard shaper told me recently that the modern shortboard rocker is just one long, low entry rocker with some kick through the tail. I think it makes sense for performance SUPs to be more or less the same, at least in theory.

 


SimplePortal 2.3.7 © 2008-2024, SimplePortal