5'10" FALKENAU / THRAILKILL...

General Discussion
1

Okay, I admit that I’m still buzzing from the adrenaline, so please excuse me and my Greenroom Font Color… BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

The waves were mediocre, 4’ faces with lefts, rights, and a lot of closing sections. I tried to get out at mid-tide, but life kinda got in the way. However, I was able to run over to my shop, pick the board up, wax it at home, and walk down the beach access to my home break.

I caught 7 good waves (4 rights and 3 lefts).

The first right I took off on closed out quickly, but one good pump in my bottom turn and I flew right past the foam and connected the section. I immediately stood up in the waist high water, flipped the board over, and said, “I’m really onto something here!” I had the fins set all the way to the back of the box, and it was fine, but I think next time I’ll move them up a bit to make my turning radius looser.

I have to make this post short, because my wife is at home waiting for me to get there so we can all have dinner…

Anyhow, There was no learning curve with this board. I felt comfortable with it right away… very stable, very fast, very maneuverable. In fact, I noticed that once I got to a certain speed, I could put pressure on my front foot and it revealed a sweet spot that was like an accelerator… I mean that thing really zipped across the face. I tried to paddle in sideways to the waves to get in quickly and stay in the upper third of the wave face and avoid having to make a bottom turn, where at this particular beach break, I would lose that time that I needed to get going before the lip folded and closed out. This helped a great deal and I definitely saw the potential of this fin set-up.

My last wave was a left hand set wave that was about head high. I was going so fast that at one point the board nearly shot out from under my feet, and I had to lean forward and into the face more to stay with the board. I was flying. This was the wave where I realized that I am sure that I will be experimenting more with this setup. I had to call it a session after this wave… I wanted to end it on a good one!

I am completely stoked.

Until Report #2, stay tuned…

2

“I caught 6 good waves (4 rights and 3 lefts).”

Hi David -

Glad to hear you’re liking the new board. Your math skills have me a little worried though!

3

John,

Kawika said he caught 6 good waves. Maybe one of them sucked. Board sounds really interesting, though and I’m looking forward another report. Mike

4

“I caught 6 good waves (4 rights and 3 lefts).”

So if you were an English or math teacher, you’d give him an “A”?

5

Just messing with ya David. Pics please?

6

I second that request…

Quote:

Just messing with ya David. Pics please?

7

Roy Stewart e-mailed me earlier about how fast I said I was going…

"Lol and they say that my speed claims are unsubstantiated !

Take a look at your own !

:-D"

I must have gone so fast that the extra wave I caught in my miscalculation quantum leaped me into another realm where I forgot all elementary school addition… wow… I’m glad I teach English!!!

8
Quote:

I second that request…

Quote:

Just messing with ya David. Pics please?

No Worries… Kevin over at Epic Guitars took some pics of the board for Mike Aguirre at MorSurf Magazine… I’ll try to get those along with the ones on my wife’s camera. - KAWIKA

9

Hi kawika !

…do you have any PHOTOS of the board , and the fin setup , please ?

i’m curious to SEE it !!

cheers !

ben

10

You’ve seen it. Remember the thread, ‘‘Different’’, from a few years ago?

11

er

actually …

no

i guess i’ll have to …"search the archives " ? [… heeeheee …]

[“chipfish61” WAS a bit TOO prolific for his own good . hence the name change and restraint , eh ?!]

EDIT …

aha !!

i found the thread in question

http://www.swaylocks.com/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_view_flat;post=207573;page=1;mh=-1;;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC

okay , there , i can see the fins , but not the 5’10" board , though ? THAT , i would LIKE to see !

cheers !

ben

12

It’s a valid design,and plan on incorperating it in a few personal boards of my own.

Herb

13

is this setup applicable to larger sizes (9’+)?

14

Yes. I have it on a 9’0’’ x 22’’ gun, and an 8’ 10’’ x 23’’ all-around board. It literally takes the board to ‘‘the next level.’’ `I believe there are several SUP boards, that will be using the setup, being planned by another builder.

15

I was lucky enough to have Bill shape me this beauty of a board:

It’s a 9’. No need to comment on craftsmanship. Can’t wait to ride it (once I find an economical way of bringing it back to France…)

Some time ago, Bill had also posted this:

16

I was considering crating and shipping my board(s) when I come out to your neighborhood

next Sept/October…if you haven’t pulled the trigger by then, let me know and we can

work something out.

Great photos…I’m inspired and I’ve got an active project going in the shop that I think

this setup could be perfect for.

17

Thanks for that, Afoaf. I hope to have it brought back by February, together with other boards.

18

This is a board I saw in Scott Dillon’s museum in New South Wales…Could it be one of Bill’s?

19

No, not mine. Though I DID do the rout, and supply the fins. The board is an ONO surfboard, made in San Diego County, and taken on vacation to Aus. by the builder/owner. When he got back, he told me a museum owner hounded him for the board, so he sold it to him. That was some five or six years ago. I’m surprised to see it turn up here. Small world, eh?

20
Quote:
Quote:

I was lucky enough to watch Bill when he was shaping this in Jimmy’s shop on the hill in Encinitas… BEAUTIFUL! - KAWIKA

I was lucky enough to have Bill shape me this beauty of a board:

It’s a 9’. No need to comment on craftsmanship. Can’t wait to ride it (once I find an economical way of bringing it back to France…)

Some time ago, Bill had also posted this:

Quote: