|
|
NATURAL CURVES SURFBOARDS |
| Surfboards | | | Design | | | Surfing & Media | | | Surfcast | | | About NC | | | Custom Orders | | | Contact |
|
DESIGNS that GENERATE SPEED & POWER
October 10,1998 This essay is from in 1998. The idea that boards that fit into the critical power source of waves, offer the greatest potential for a surfer to generate speed and power in their surfing has been essential to surfboard design since the beginning of surfing. This idea became more and more relevant as surfing and surfboards evolved. |
|
Today's surfboards are the result of decades of surfing, shaping, design,
and observations. They generate and control speed and power in waves from one
to fifty feet. They provide recreational joy and professional competence to a
wide spectrum of surfers. Through a combination of intuitive ideas and
deductive reasoning they have evolved into the variety of fine tuned boards
available today. It's up to the surfer's and shaper's imagination and logic
where the surfboard will go from here.
Surfboard design is a simple combination of synchronized design components working together. These design components may seem overwhelming. Once you identify and become familiar with them they are anything but overwhelming. They include the rocker, template, profile and foil, bottom contours, rails, fins and their placement, and the glassing of the board. Some of these components are more significant than others, but the single, most significant, and often overlooked component is synchronizing the design components and variables. All the design components and variables must work with each other to achieve optimum results. Without motors, paddles, sails, or any other external source of energy, speed and power, the essential components of high performance surfing, are achieved with the board's design, the surfer's technique and skill, and waves. The one element that makes surfing a reality is the wave. Without waves, there is no surfing. Surfers, shapers, and designers recognized from the outset of the sport that boards developed more speed and power in bigger and or better waves. Such waves through size and or quality provide the resource to the design equation that makes boards fast and responsive and allows them to accelerate and turn on demand. It took decades and generations to recognize that even the smallest waves had critical sections or areas within that also generate speed and power. Over those many years the primary design goal of a surfboard was rarely to fit easily into these critical areas where they could tap into the greatest potential energy available in a wave. The surfboard was a high volume, maximum surface area, relatively flat planning device. They were so bulky and awkward they barely fit into the tight contours of the critical sections of waves. Generally, the design and curves of these boards, even with the advent of lightweight polyurethane foam cores and fiberglass and resin skins were unable to access the greatest energy source of most waves. It's often necessary to look beyond as well as push the limits of the fundamental concepts and variables of surfboard design to achieve quantum leaps in performance surfing. Further work within the variables is essential for fine tuning these quantum steps. Thus intuitive ideas and deductive reasoning combine to evolve surfboard design. Shorter boards with reduced surface area and increased rocker find themselves fitting comfortably in the critical sections of waves. In these critical sections, where water moves at it's maximum speed and power up the face of the wave, bottom contours and rails pour energy into boards. The more powerful the wave and the better the board fits into the waves power, the greater the potential for a surfer to generate speed and power into his surfing. This realization and the fine tuning of the design variables of contemporary surfboards are responsible for the current high level of performance surfing. Unfortunately, the low volume, minimum surface area, extremely rockered surfboard presented surfers, shapers, and designers a major problem to overcome. The "glass slipper" designs quickly bled off their speed and power in low energy and marginal energy waves and sections. Significant as well as subtle and nuanced increases in volume with surface area and thickness and moderation and evolution of rocker, bottom contours, and rails yields a surfboard that still taps into the energy of the critical sections of a wave, maintains the speed and power through less critical sections of waves, and generates speed and power in low energy and marginal energy waves. Boards with rockers and outlines that fit into the critical sections of waves, rails that engage and control the board in critical sections, and have sufficient surface area and volume, generate maximum speed and power. |
| < top of page > |