board for handicap

General Discussion
1

hi all,

a surfing buddy of mine is parralized waist down [nothing recent]

so i offered myself for designing wich is great for me cause im an industrial design student who surfs all day, so designing anything related to surfing is probably what i plan on doing after finnishing the degree anyway.

what im actually trying to say is that taking on this project is a great honer,

my buddys a real inspiration for me, his will and strength are amazing.

style: kinda greenough style although he aint kneeing but lying down, looking for an early entery, speed and getting tubed.

local break:reef break mostly knee to waist high can get to head high somtimes.

shallow water hollow wave many people, the paddle out is easy from the side.

so thats the basic details+pic of his old board, if anyone has any thoughts ideas ect…

id be gratefull, its my first surf related project so im realy excited.

thanks

Eddie

.

2

Didi,

You sound like a great friend, your friend

must be stoked that you are taking on this

project.

First thing you should do is check out the

Channel Island Surfboards website. They

have a board that they build for a young

man in a similar situation, Jesse Billaeur (?)

that would be worth looking at.

(Jesse also has a foundation called

‘Life Rolls On’ that would be worth looking into).

As far as board design, without knowing your

friends height and weight, I would say

something long, wide and thick, possibly

10’ X 23" X 4" with thickness and wide point

forward (but not a noserider). I would go for extreme

nose rocker and a concave deck with full length

deck pad and play around with strategicaly

mounted foam blocks to prevent his lower body

and legs from being washed off the board, as well

as handles in the front.

Good luck with your project, and please post pictures

and a rider report when its completed as I’m sure

it would be very helpful to others.

Paul Boardman

PS It would be worth looking at some of the

Australian made Lifeguard boards to see what I mean

regarding handles, rocker and concave deck, as they are

designed to bring unconcious patients in through the

surf. Brand names include Bennett and Forcefield.

3

a few months ago, there was a similar thread.

i remember something about the surfer sitting on the board.

seems to me the thread was by someone in Europe… Balsa… Reverb…

sorry, that’s not much to go on… i tried searching for the thread and couldn’t

find it… maybe someone can get you closer…

as far as design ideas, i’m sure you’ll get lot’s of feedback about that…

4

I have to agree with Paul you should contact Life Rolls On, their website is liferollson.org They most likely have worked out any problems that could arise in design.

5

Didi,

In the 1960’s, in Hawaii, there was a chinese kid named Lee Wai Doo, that was featured in surf films of the day, surfing a ‘‘normal’’ board and getting tubed at Ala Moana, in good sized surf. He was/is paraplegic, yet surfed really well. Perhaps some of the Hawaiian Sway’s guys can provide some more info about him. I think that he would be an inspiration to your friend.

6

Hi Didi,

I think I saw your friend surfing in one of the biggest days in Bat-galim (backdoor) last winter.

anyway, after you finish designing, talk to me, maybe I can help in some way.

Lee

(Haifa)

7

Infinity make an adaption of their sit-down paddle boards for paralyzed people. I’ve seen them in both sit and lay down versions, using polyfoam blocks for support were needed. Obviously, these are custom depending on the how much mobility the person has. Contact them via their website www.infinitysurf.com

8

Another option is a waveski, The american style of this is like a sup with a seat and paddles. The rest of the world style is more like a competition thruster. It requires upper body only and you can surf it really radically, reo’s & aerials etc.

see Waveski

In fact a SA bodyboarder lost a leg in a shark attack and went on to win the World Waveski Championships.

9

check archives for El Paipo Grande

Roger

10
Quote:

a few months ago, there was a similar thread.

i remember something about the surfer sitting on the board.

seems to me the thread was by someone in Europe… Balsa… Reverb…

sorry, that’s not much to go on… i tried searching for the thread and couldn’t

find it… maybe someone can get you closer…

as far as design ideas, i’m sure you’ll get lot’s of feedback about that…

http://forum.surfermag.com/…rch=true#Post1173098?

Lob

11

well, roger beat me to the punch, but i highly recommend checking the archives like he suggested. his board is 8’8", with a concaved deck, displacement hull bottom and single fin-designed specifically for lay-down (prone) surfing. it flys and is a blast to ride. i think something like it would be perfect for your friend…not too long, nor too short, 3easy to turn,handle,etc…

12

that was it Janklow.

thanks

13

Just bumped into somt’ …

take a look :

http://www.cisurfboards.com/jesse.asp

14

not so much the board, but the whole concept and determination …just absolutely bitchin’ !!

15

http://johncurl.free.fr/modules/zonephoto/Creation%20Vagdespoir/index.html

16

Agread, lot ‘a’ respect.

my imediate thoughts would be something like a Greenough spoon, the raised side would help stop your bud from slipping off.

extra traction fro the body and hand holds so your bud dosen’t need to grip the rails and help with turning.

Wide tail to help catch wave, though I suspect your bud will delevope greater upper body strengh so paddle should be too much of a problem.