RealSurf Surfers' Forum

While it sounds simple to attach a front planing foil to the main body, there’s a lot of trial and error. And a whole lot of free thinking, just looking for ‘What ifs’ ?
You know, what if I used FCS plugs ?
What if I tried a 3D printed inlaid frame?
What if I’m Completely wasting my time on this ? Despite the energy, time and cost, it’s a worthy pursuit to keep the brain engaged during lockdown on the northern beaches.
The only bad thing is using poly resin.

Have any prototypes been ridden yet?

The usual problem with these type of designs is balance and weight distribution because of the join. Solving joining issues is usually the major issue with making anything that has to be put together.

Thank you Cliff Clavin.

Offshore1, I’ve paddled and proned a prototype with different front sections but it was a board too small for me. But all the water flow was right on target. Just not enough volume to let me get up.
So I need to find a larger donor board or a test pilot for this smaller board. It was originally a 5’10” so probably someone around 60 kgs ?
Beanpole, I looked at what methods are already tried and true and while a finbox can be kicked out sideways I’ve yet to see a fin box pulled out vertically, that is straight up out of the foam. I’ve multipled that system X 8. Not very hi tech but very secure. There’s F-all chance of pulling 8 fin boxes out but to be clear I’m not using boxes just a similar system.
The actual ‘bridge connector’ is a thin laminated panel. I’m 90 kgs and it flexes when I stand on it. The connection I’m pleased with, just a handful of composite hardware and it’s rock solid. I don’t think the connection will ever come out of the board.

Overall the board is about 12 inches shorter than the original. I’m doing the front foil in EPS to replace the lost lower buoyancy of the original nose. So an original 6 ft board is shortened to 5 ft, with the main section less than 4ft and a mal would have a main section of 5 ft. That’s a good travel board size to stash in the car boot. A little change in balance when you’re sitting in the lineup but on a wave it should be easier to manoeuvre with less length.

The proof will be in the riding and the main issue that I see there will be getting the front foil to work in synch with the back section.
I’m sure there’s a small bucketload of other tweaks that’ll need to be sorted too.

The size of the original Morey Bodyboard was dictated by the maximum size postal bag acceptable for posting. I believe Morey also experimented with detachable surfboards. The Morey Pope Model.

Fucking hell

Beanpole, I saw the video of how the Morey Popes go together

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOF8cjnXq1w

Interesting that bisects and tri sects all work on equally dividing the length so they must not have experimented with design.?

Yeah, I think the main focus was portability rather than optimising adaptability. Tom Morey was involved in the early designs. Interesting they are still going. I can see the advantages of using a cylinder.

For me seeing boards like the Peanut by Morey and Tomos then videos of people riding Pipe on Motorbikes and snow skis, and then Foiling makes it clear that there’s a world of design we’re not even trying to discover.
Or choose to ignore because it’s not 6’1” x 18.5 x 1 7/8.

Morey is an interesting character. I should say Y since that's what he calls himself these days. Sold his name to the Body Board Company. Morey Pope produced commercial hollow surfboards and a fin system as well. Karl Pope has experimented with quite a few things since then. I saw they also produced McTavishes Tracker design in the States. First commercial short board over there.
If you look at how narrow the focus is these days in the mainstream it's a bit disappointing.

About a year ago Tom was very ill, unable to finance essential eye surgery. Sad that the industry stands on the shoulders of these giants but they have to almost beg for basic healthcare through crowd funding.
I think the limited design experimentation is due to financial reasons. R and D has no guaranteed return but by following global trends the industry moves predictably and profitably forward, together. Everyone seems to adopt the same technology at the same time and only change is the young faces in the advertisements.
I’ve read about the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s where pro surfers came up with, and shaped their own designs, Simon Anderson, Jim Banks, Mark Richards, Reno, Lopez. They all seemed to be trying new ideas in board and fin design, and doing it by themselves.
How many pro surfers today can use a surform ? That would be a good idea to see what pro surfers today could create, I’m sure there’s a lot who have great ideas.

That's why I like Ryan Burch. You left out MP, Terry Fitzgerald, Wayne Lynch, McTavish, Nat, etc. surf comps used to be as much about testing board design as skill.
I was reading a thing Maurice Cole wrote where he said in the 80s 90% of the successful pros were on his boards.

I read in a really old Tracks that he did a spell at Her Majesty’s Hotel, right when he was in his prime. That’s very unlucky.

Looking back at this thread my pics have been viewed over 250 times but only Beanpole is chatting.?
Gotta love the lurkers.

I may be wrong, but I don't think surfers are experimenting on their own like they did back in the 70's and 80's. Stock boards in those days were pretty shitt, especially in the 70's, and needed creative shots in the arm from Lopez, MR, Simon, etc., but as Nick has said many times, many of today's boards on offer are fcuking unreal.
And the variety is wide.
Go out almost any day and you'll see everything from hpsb"s to 10 foot logs, Iggy's midlengths, Simmons, foamies, fish, SUPs.
Onya surffoils for following your muse.

Banksy is still experimenting, he's always thinking of new boards: guns, fish, rails, rocker, plan shape, you name it he's giving it a go, probably a dozen boards a year.

It helps that he's got good computer hardware and software so he can see his ideas almost as soon as he thinks of them.