Over the past few years i’ve made a few experiments for myself, a few of which i’ve given the go ahead to and made for other people, this is one of those and I want to see if anyone else has made or has ridden anything similar!
its a full foam kneeboard with a concave deck, the board is thin, and has pinched rails with a low hull/velo type bottom shape and a big flex tail. I’ve played with tail shapes to get different flex patterns, this is the stiffest one that responds best in good surf…While they’re not a replacement for a spoon type kneeboard at all, it was a good way to get me into the idea of kneeboarding and walk myself into spoons slowly, i think!
Interesting - I had a 5' kneeboard with much the same outline and fin size, though a very different bottom and rail. It's a good basic kneeboard, should respond well to hard turns, your trim on this board should be very similar to what you'd have on a flexie: no more than halfway up the board.
You mention something I find interesting: ...that responds best in good surf...
I haven't found a kneeboard that responds especially well in cheezy surf, in over 40 years at it. I have found that if you start going to something big, wide and kludgy enough to 'perform' in slop, it's just not fun.
ya i don’t usually kneeboard unless its got good shape, if you have to pump and navigate flat spots id rather stand up!
with regards to the flex tail and good waves I just mean that if you can lay down a solid turn, thats when this tail will react best; it’ll feel rather ‘normal’ until you lay into it, then it’ll give you the feedback.
Great to see someone putting some thought into different kneeboard designs.
Also quite hard to comment on it!
You need to be able to pick the board up....twist that tail to feel the nature of the flex......feel the weight.....AND SURF IT!
It's hard to relate to a single fin for me as I haven't surfed one for over 30 years.....but the board looks like it would go well in spoon conditions.....clean walls with some power......smooth lines.
Any chance of a photo showing the extent of the flex?
Flex should be a case of demand & supply.
The beach I surf [because it's 300 yards away] is not known for its power ....I reckon this board would only function well on the best days.....it looks like it needs time & space to set the turn & carve.
I guess as a user friendly step to the spoon it should work well & on more days........is that your aim.....is the spoon your zenith?
Personally I prefer to pull the tail in a bit and draw the rail line so I have more control but retain the speed, but I realise there are different strokes…
I have some really shitty photos of my dads kneeboard from the 70s. i rode it once and it was a very strange feeling compared to stand up surfing, very smooth i found. My knees cant handle lying on them though and their so hard to paddle,[img_assist|nid=1066189|title=dads kneeboard|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=640|height=425] so we gave it away. Check out the huge flex fin in it, i tried to take it out but it was in some ghetto box fin and the screw was rusted to the box.
P.s its the little green one, im not to sure how long it was but im 6’0’’ and it was way shorter than me so it may be a similar size to yours.[img_assist|nid=1066190|title=asdasd|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=640|height=490][img_assist|nid=1066191|title=dad with his kneeboard and rip curl wetsuit|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=482|height=640] I also was watching bob mctavish at randy raricks board auction and I heard him say he doesnt believe in flex anymore, ive always found it quite an abstract concept which some people can feel and some cant.
not to sure chip ive never really asked him, i dont think he was ever a full on surfer. He lived in curly and mainly just kneeboarded their with my uncle and his next door neighbour,. I tried getting him out recently but his shoulders dont work anymore.
I sincerely hope not, I love riding them, and certinlay dont make them
and ride them to be "cool"
Alaias are a novelty,
SUPs are for wave hogs.
Single fins are ok, but loose
there luster when you really want to lay a rail.
I think knee boards are closer to
bodyboards, but you never get that drivey push-back speed with a bodyboard.
With a knee board you have such a
low center of gravity, you get all the speed, all the drive, and can make any
barrel.
The real difference is that;
Alaias, SUPs, and singles, are mediums that have limitations. People try to make them do things
they aren't suppose to (which is ok, and fun, and challenging), but kneeboards are the real deal,
they are high performance, even the retro kneeboards.
