hey everyone, i was just looking at Slater’s quiver for the hurley pro at trestles and noticed that one of his boards has a concave deck. I assume that the only benefit of having one is that it takes a little volume out and provides a spot for your foot to go. Am i totally wrong or are there any other advantages/disadvantages to having a concave deck?
My magic board atm has a concave deck. huie seems think its the reason its going so well for me…i dunno…a concave deck must help deck wash flow cleanly off the back of your board also?
Concave decks have various purposes depending on how they’re done: (1) Change flex characteristics, (2) Provide a better fit when paddling, (3) Reduce volume.
thanks, i didnt even think of the whole flex thing so thats pretty cool. im guessing the deeper theconcave the more flex?
Not necessarily.
Deeper concaves would thin the stringer, for sure, but it would also introduce deck shape, which stiffens the whole board. Point of diminishing returns here. And depends on the kind of stringers you choose. Some glassing schedules don't allow for flexing of the board, while other's can accomodate flexing.
Remember, a tube shape is the stiffest.
What's a stringer?
I think the main difference with a concave deck is the added responsiveness when putting a board on rail.
Something for your toes and heels to push against.
Control.
Flex??? Sure, it might change some of that but, that's just collateral.
you are too funny. actually, I heard your stringers are white so they won’t show.
When you ride one, you notice that there is a distinctive feeling about feeling lower on the board and more connected to the board. Hard to discribe but not a bad thing at all.
Flex is certainly a factor, but flex is mainly effected by the strongest point in a perpendicular line from the stringer, with the exception of the angle of flex exerted by the fins and back foot.
I have an old OP short board with a concave deck that has almost 3" of down vertical rail with a tucked edge. Result: a thinner board with thick rails. Not complicated at all. It was the 70’s. Surfboards are a continuing progression of funtionality vs. a look that sells.
I watched the contest, and I think you are mistaken. I saw no concave decks, only his typical boards.
Mikes stringers are white so they don’t slow the board down. I shaped concave decks off and on for a number of years. They always seem to come around. One time it was at the request of Bill Hartley. He ended up going to PR with Todd Holland and while there Todd rode his boards and was stoked. It gave him such a different feel that it kind of rejuvinated him. He had all but dropped off the world tour and after changing his boards he went back up into the top ten. I found them to be more stable, quicker to manuever in tight spots and real free edges. Maybe not as much drive though.
i was there
no bloody machine
cheers huie
now were talking :-)
shows up much better than my crappy pic
love it
i think i have said this before ‘’ i fancy that little green board
cheers huie
I’ve got a really light single in one of my boards and I really like the locked in feel. It’s a thicker/floatier board so the loss of volume wasn’t too big a deal. I’d like to figure out how to put a nice single into a HPSB that’s 2 1/4" thick without giving away too much volume.
I always make the analogy to riding skateboards with/without concave, the concave boards are so much more responsive and easy to control. I think the same applies to surfboards.
