|
There are three primary varieties of bottom rockers in surfboard design:
Speed Box rockers, Continuous rockers, and Relaxed rockers. All three rockers
have important features in common, entry rocker, mid board rocker, and tail
rocker. They all share these fundamental features - more curve in entry, less
curve mid board and more curve in the tail. The curves accelerate in the nose
and tail and are reduced mid board. All these rockers may be applied to any
surfboard design - shortboards including stepups, semiguns, XXL guns, tow
boards, mid legths, longboards, retro, and specialty shortboards - as shapers
design performance features into a surfboard. However, each of these rockers is
generally very well suited for specific surfboard classes and designs.
SPEED BOX ROCKER is a bottom curve that features relatively flat curves
through the mid section of the surboard referred to as a speed box with
accelerated curves in the entry and tail. Speed Box rockers share this feature
with continuous and relaxed rockers with the rocker mid board reduced to dial
up the acceleration, projection, speed, and control of a shortboard out of it's
turns. The speed box can vary moderately in length and position. The manner
that these reduced and accelerated curves transition into each other is
critical to the successful application of this design. Smooth transitions allow
the board to maximize performance. Poorly placed, abrupt, or interrupted
transitions will cause the board push water, drag and lose speed.
Speed Box rockers are used primarily in shortboards, semiguns, and XXL
guns. Decreasing the curve and extending the relative flatter curves of the
mid section yield greater acceleration, projection, and planning speed with
longer natural arcs out of the turns. Increasing the curve and shortening the
flatter mid section yields less projection, tighter turning radius, and shorter
arcs out of the turns, without loss of acceleration and speed. Surfers with the
skill to ride these boards will be able to generate and maintain speed no
matter the natural arc or turning radius of the board. Shapers use these
fundamental principles with moderate variations to maximize a boards
performance in a variety of conditions.
CONTINUOUS ROCKER is a bottom curve with continuous curves from nose to
tail with no staged transitions. The curves accelerate in the nose, entry, and
tail and decelerate mid board. Continuous rocker excels in the critical
sections of high quality, hollow, barreling waves. Continuous rockers keep
boards loose and rails clean in the tight sections of critical waves. These
smooth and continuous curves allow a surfboard to turn with ease and
accelerate, project, and create speed with complete control and predictability
in critical sections.
Continuous rocker in shortboards, step ups, semiguns, and XXL guns, allows
a surfboard to transition from rail to rail, turn in a variety of arcs, and
project out of turns with acceleration, speed, and control. Shapers cab dial can
or down performance features by varying the degree of these curves. A
relatively greater continuous rocker will have a tighter turning radius
offering greater manuverability. A relatively flatter continuous rocker will
offer more projection and a longer natural turning radius.
Continuous rocker in mid length designs, eggs and longboards allows a
surfboard to glide or trim at speed and turn with ease. Shapers can dial up and
down these performance features, as they do in other types of designs by
varying the curves. Mid length designs will have rocker patterns similar to
shortboards designed to turn and accelerate when the opportunity presents
itself yet glide and trim in marginal waves with less energy and power.
Contemporary longboards will have rocker patterns that are flatter throughout,
particularly in the nose. They are still characterized by clean continuous
curves with no flat areas. The flatter nose and entry rocker of longboards
creates the trim and nose riding features of the design. The greater
accelerating curves from wide point to tail in longboards creates the turning
features of the design.
RELAXED ROCKER is a Speed Box or a Continuous rocker with reduced
entry and tail rocker. The lower rockers profiles in the nose and tail offer
performance characteristics of Speed Box and Continuous rockers in small and
marginal conditions. Relaxed rockers are designed to help a surfboard carve and
accelerate through turns and hold speed and power through transitions in
marginal smaller waves. |
