raceboard completed

[TomW]

Rockets upwind. very pleased with the results. Tested head to head against a flat rocker TT 150 x45 with 20mm concave and 2 fins (Mako copy) and race board was in another league. Pointed at least 10 degrees higher and faster too.

[Toby]

looks killer!

You should ride it against other raceboards and see how it compares to them!
That would be interesting!

[ed257]

Besides being fast, how doe it ride. Do you teeth chatter in the chop, or is it pretty smooth?

I would imagine that it tracks well, but can you turn it? It must be great for cruising long distances - fast!!!

Ed

[TomW]

My main reason for building this board was to keep my sanity during winter, and curiosity if these kind of boards had any advantages at all. I´d really like to see someone race it. A local guy has interest in buying it, but he messed up his knee skiing and may not.

As far as i know there is only one other guy that has a raceboard in Sweden-Peter, and hes 200km from my spots. So its hard to get any references.

There is a Cabrinha race May 21 up by Peter in Varberg, but i probably cant go for family reasons, and anyway i cant jibe or tack the thing- so i´d be last. If i could get up there i´d lone it out.

ed, Ive only been out in choppy conditions, and its OK, i´m sure it could be improved tho. The bottom is dead flat. I´d bet a deep single or double concave would make it smoother. The 1-2ft wind waves we have are fun- you are going so fast the board gets air but the fins are still in the water. Like a windsurfer.

I also think an outline that has wide point a bit further forward may splash a bit less- but who knows? it may pound more in chop.

I rode a Naish 5-7 wave board the same day- and remember i´m crappy at riding both boards- but it could not go upwind as good as the Mako copy. And it took the chop the same. But it turned about 3 times easier. But yes you can turn it, but they are longer turns, 3 times easier to jibe than the Naish. I managed make 2 jibes of 20.

It tracks like mad. Just point it upwind- flatten out the board- sheet out the kite, ride one handed and it drives upwind- You can feel it kind of accellerate when you get it right. Slightly off wind- at an angle when i would be pressing my Makos upwind- it feels like you are off-wind and it just blasts off- at that speed its hard to control - the apparent wind builds and its a challenge to just stay on in rough water. Again- I´m new at this, if i knew how to ride it....seemed like i had to oversheet kite to get kite slow and turn upwind a bit and thereby control my speed- using the kite like a gas pedal.

I´m working on a fish outline race-wave hybrid now- a more forgiving design.

[frankm1960]

At first the board looked like a hydro foil, the way the fins were angled.
Is this for light winds mostly?
I ask because the fins seem very long and I'm wondering how controllable it would be in higher winds.

You have to have deeper waters tho, no sliding up on the beach

Nice work tho.

I've got a light wind ply board that I made and it works very good. However it's not that maneuverable.

I'd like to copy your board if that's possible. I'm guessing it's way more agile than mine.

[TomW]

The research i did indicated that when the fins are not toed in, spaced far apart longitudinally- then the board will track and not turn easily. If you "angle" the fins this loosens the turning.

As does toeing in and putting fins closer together.

[UNSAFE]

Thought about building one, what foam did you use? Where did you get the fins? Re the fin bxes angled or do the fins come out of the box on an angle?

[Blueroom Surfboards]

Just want to say>>>>>>>>>>>> That board is sick.

[TomW]

Fins are from Tarifa Fin Co.
Boxes are in straight- fins are pre-canted from TFC. You can order them with the cant you want.

Foam is Divinycell H80 glued up 3 layers of 15mm. I had it on hand- its a heavy foam.

Check out my board blog: http://twboards.blogspot.com/

[swell]

How long are the fins? Why 2 smaller in the front? Are two bigger at the end not enough?
Also maybe someone knows what advantages or disadvantages brings the smaller or bigger angle of the fins?
I ride North Race LTD and I found out that it rides upwind better canted (the heelside fin becomes straight in the water) than flatened out (the opposite on the surfboards, where the best upwind is achieved by pressing the toeside withs the backfoot .)
The standard fins are 15cm but I'm interested in longer ones, mayby 25cm for lightre winds, mayby someone has tryed it out?

thanks