Re: New board
Posted: Sat Mar 03, 2018 1:07 am
Krusher,
Last week-end I surfed the board in some reasonable waves.
I had two experiences which highlighted the limits of finless surfing - one was retrievable and no big deal the other was a wipeout.
In scenario one, I caught a hollow peak, got tubed and as I came out the wave got really full. The tail slid. I regained control but the wave was over. Dealing with transition was the issue - if I'd been quicker, I could possibly have adjusted my weight, but it all happened pretty quick.
Scenario 2 was at a solid pointbreak. The board was handling some steep drops and riding well. One bigger wave had a whitewater section. It caught me as I tried to get around it. In the foam there was no resistance and it was all over. A finned board would have been able to project around the whitewater, whereas I just lost speed in it.
No fin(s) mean less drag, but also less control. If you don't mind having less control and the occasional edge loss, this board rides great finless. One day I'll ride it with fins. This style of board has concaves, wings and some hard edges. There is the risk, fins may conflict with these features. I've ridden a flat bottom, low rocker version of this board and it is great finless. While it handled steep faces and drops it wasn't a tube rider.
Fins allow for tighter arcs in turns.
Your boards are shorter, so the dynamics will be different and you'll be more in-the-wave.
It's all a trade-off. My boards can be ridden both ways. The shaper likes the idea of finless boards so makes my boards with the idea of finless & finned in mind. At this stage I don't have any new ideas/thoughts about a future direction though I liked the look of these Friar Tuck kneeboards by Peter Ware.
The idea of flex in the rails also has appeal, like the Peter Berry board I posted elsewhere.
Bob
Last week-end I surfed the board in some reasonable waves.
I had two experiences which highlighted the limits of finless surfing - one was retrievable and no big deal the other was a wipeout.
In scenario one, I caught a hollow peak, got tubed and as I came out the wave got really full. The tail slid. I regained control but the wave was over. Dealing with transition was the issue - if I'd been quicker, I could possibly have adjusted my weight, but it all happened pretty quick.
Scenario 2 was at a solid pointbreak. The board was handling some steep drops and riding well. One bigger wave had a whitewater section. It caught me as I tried to get around it. In the foam there was no resistance and it was all over. A finned board would have been able to project around the whitewater, whereas I just lost speed in it.
No fin(s) mean less drag, but also less control. If you don't mind having less control and the occasional edge loss, this board rides great finless. One day I'll ride it with fins. This style of board has concaves, wings and some hard edges. There is the risk, fins may conflict with these features. I've ridden a flat bottom, low rocker version of this board and it is great finless. While it handled steep faces and drops it wasn't a tube rider.
Fins allow for tighter arcs in turns.
Your boards are shorter, so the dynamics will be different and you'll be more in-the-wave.
It's all a trade-off. My boards can be ridden both ways. The shaper likes the idea of finless boards so makes my boards with the idea of finless & finned in mind. At this stage I don't have any new ideas/thoughts about a future direction though I liked the look of these Friar Tuck kneeboards by Peter Ware.
Bob