Board Design: waves, ability, style, etc.

[Natho]

I think Maurice's explanation re the flat straight edge on an angle thing was that water does not enter your board straight on from nose to tail when you are turning?

[Nick Carroll]

Yeah that's pretty much it.

Push a turn along that flat line and kapow. If the line is wobbly or bumpy, well not so much kapow.

[steve shearer]

I'm hurting to get a hold of one of Maurice's new Reverse vee's


something about the way those boards went into a carving turn.....kapow

[Natho]

I picked up a Maurice Cole Mermaid with a SWAT tail down in Vicco a couple of weeks ago. Never been a fan of swallow/ bat/ moon tails and very deep concaves but seriously this was one of the best feeling boards I have put under my arm in ages. It was exactly my specs and I had to drag myself away so I didn't buy it. Everything in the board was blended to perfection.

[Cpt.Caveman]

NC and Natho, an improvement on what is currently standard for a current high performance shortboard you think?

It is a different take on the high performance shortboard from my understanding, lots of concave and hard edges... They look beautiful!

If I wasn't in a marriage with straigther planshapes right now I would be considering one for sure.

[Natho]

aaah that is one for NC. I have had a good look at the MC boards but I have not ridden one so can not really comment. Just by looking though they just look like they will work but the proof would be in riding one. I would think if others tried to shape some of the extremes into a board that MC does, they would end up with dog boards. MC just seems to know where to place and how to blend all that sh!t into a board that would work.
If I saw such extreme edges and concaves in some other shapers boards I reckon i would run a mile. The board I looked at just had such a nice foil with foam removed anywhere you don't want it and only left where it was needed. It looked pretty HPS

[pirate_agenda]

extremely good read this thread.... some good things that are often thought of but hard to explain. thanks nc and others.

[Nick Carroll]

NC and Natho, an improvement on what is currently standard for a current high performance shortboard you think?

It is a different take on the high performance shortboard from my understanding, lots of concave and hard edges... They look beautiful!

If I wasn't in a marriage with straigther planshapes right now I would be considering one for sure.

Yeah I am a fair way down that rabbit hole myself, have been working with Maurice on developing the superconcaves out of towboards and into hi perf boards for six or seven years

Beautiful lifty fast edgy boards, you can ride short in solid surf, v finely tuned so a slight shift of a fin changes a lot about the board, and a lot of variation, I think I have nine or 10 of them at present ranging from 5'8" to 6'6". but mostly under 6'0"

Have watched pros of extraordinary skill ride 'em, clearly surf 'em better than their normal boards, then shrug and go back to other equipment. I don't fully get their thinking, mostly I suspect they are uncertain of the design's consistency and their ability to get a series of magic boards down those lines. They do not want to become dependent on the design.

Plus I think the turn timing is a bit different on a superconcave, they lift so much that they get to spots on the wave earlier than other boards, you have to work out how to slow them down at times, or do other kinds of turns than pro surfers have to do. Superconcaves are not that great surfing U-shaped turns straight up and down the face for instance, they want to be ridden in fast curves and snaps and deep cutties etc.

Amazing air boards, I can't do airs really but I understand the technique and the lift off the concave would be superb for carrying speed out of the the wave.

But MC and Webber seem like the only guys who can go there with that kind of concave, nobody else wants to shape it, so it will probably remain an aficionado's delight.

[Natho]

Im keen to try one if a second hand one comes up for sale in that 5'9, 5'10 or 5'11 range. Im just reluctant to try one at full cost of a newy given how different they are to what I am used to. That's why i had to make myself walk away from the one down in Vicco with a tear in the eye.

[swvic]

Natho, didn't Nick offer to loan you one of his MCs?

I have an earlier version from about 5 years ago. Loved surfing it, but it paddled appallingly. 6'4" x 19 x 2 1/2. At those dims, I can't figure out the paddle thing. Seriously narrow and foiled front end, but not too much foam stripped out at the tail. Surfed way shorter than the 6'4" on the stringer, but still handled some pretty meaty power. To ride, possibly the best all rounder I've ever had. Foam's all shrinky fcuked in the tail now though

Now he's putting even more concave (and a longer edge) into 'em so I'm a little reluctant to go back there. Sure, I could go thicker/wider, but ................ One day

[Natho]

yes in fact Nick did kindly offer. I was heading overseas at the time and didn't end up taking him up on the offer. My loss. You have a good memory.

[swvic]

Perhaps he'd still be happy for you to borrow one. Would like your insights. How about it, Nick?

[Natho]

Yeh look I love trying different boards but I'm not always comfortable borrowing other people's property. That's just me. Ive always felt uncomfortable about the responsibility of someone else's property at their kind gesture, unless I at least have something to offer in return. And yes a head job is out of the question before anyone comments.

[swvic]

Fcuk Natho, it's Nick Fcuken Carroll, the man with a zillion surfboards

Reality is though, I know where you're coming from. I've always treated other peoples stuff better than my own. Exception is surfboards, treat 'em all equally well and hurt badly when a good one gets damaged

[Natho]

Well the board on offer was the one used in the ASL board test, not Nicks own board as such.

[Natho]

Fck u think Nick has a zillion boards. You should see his lil bro's garage. Looks like a large board shop. Makes me feel better about my own board problem. Got it down to 10 now.

[Cpt.Caveman]

The longer edge they are talking about is how MC and other shapers are playing around with more water release off the rail by extending the hard/sharp edge in the rail right up the board rather than stopping it around the fins.

I think with all the extra grip from the concave hes been adding a harder edge further up that would normally be a little slippery in my imagination otherwise. Several guys are using the extended harder edge - MP with his MORElease rails, Tomo with his MPH's, JD on some of his designs seen here.

My understanding is that water sucks/sticks to curved objects (place a spoon under a running tap and see), but it releases off hard sharp edges. The theory being that faster release of the water helps reduce drag and improve planing because the rail isn't "sucking" the board under water.

[swvic]

swvic wrote:
... I have an earlier version from about 5 years ago. Loved surfing it, but it paddled appallingly. 6'4" x 19 x 2 1/2. At those dims, I can't figure out the paddle thing. Seriously narrow and foiled front end, but not too much foam stripped out at the tail. Surfed way shorter than the 6'4" on the stringer, but still handled some pretty meaty power. To ride, possibly the best all rounder I've ever had. Foam's all shrinky fcuked in the tail now though ...


Any pic's?

swvic wrote:
...Now he's putting ... (and a longer edge) into 'em ...


swvic, what do you mean by 'longer edge'?

Sorry for late response wingy. Been away from the 'puter. I'll take a couple of pics and post them for you. Like Matty says though, hard to see too much in the photos, but I'll give it a go

Maurice likes a hard edge on the bottom rail of these deep concaves. Same as the tail of most boards, but maybe a bit sharper and certainly longer. I dug this out for you which explains what he's doing now

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99CXUqH7YOc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ywYsCfzRgQ

Mine is a round square. Narrower and thinner than the protow (2nd vid) and the edge is even shorter than the protow. He's developed them quite a bit since mine - which is actually what he calls an ATM (all time magic). I'd love to ride one of the current crop. Nick seems to have round pins which might just be a preference for him. Maurice seems to do heaps of the SWAT tails. There's quite a few on the racks in Patagonia in Torquay. If they have a store near you, there'd be some MCs to check out