Dimples on a Surfboard

General Discussion
21

Thanks, Lowel, I think?

22

surface is a minor component when compared to design

“smart” designs and materials are the only things that can truly reduce the negative aspects of drag and cavitation

dynamic surface tension/boundry layer manipulation so that the perfect coefficient is always in effect between one thing and another is the real answer

I have never seen anything “non-living” that has come anywhere close to achieving this

sharks, porpoise, orca, and tuna have all the components they need to be “fluid” 

surfboards have little chance of ever achieving such

yet we dream on

maybe learning to train and ride flipper or maybe two flippers is the answer

23

Hey Mark. My impression. You’re a skilled hobby builder that challenged the ideas the last couple of years of some of the pro’s and didn’t brown nose.  I just figured you enjoyed the debate. Don’t take all this shit too seriously. Do you really care if guys on a fricken internet forum think you’re an asshole?

You’re right. The dimples on surfboard thing has been covered. I doubt dimples on a surfboard or fins improves anything.  All the tuna and dolphins I have touched have been smooth. No dimples and very fast in water. Just marketing bullshit or maybe boredom.  Mike

24

 

The various angles of attack that a surfboard utilizes as a competent surfer rides a good wave put so much more into play then pure inherent board speed, one of the most important being acceleration…speed generated by thrust, essentially energy load and release…maxium static speed vs. dynamic speed potential

and when was the last time you didn’t make a wave because the board wasn’t fast enough…sure it was the board…?

oh, and regarding the name calling and similar b.s.

some of you need to grow the F up…

25

Lakewakes, do you dye the material for color? Thx

26

same technique as you would on glass cloth, I role it on

27

I generally look at board speed from 2 perspectives. First is from working the board, when you are putting the board on edge or pushing it through turns, the second would be when you are in full trim, and letting the board run as fast as can. It’s when you are in the full trim when you find the board’s speed issue’s. Bottom contours (rocker, flat, bellied, vee or concave) and rails will most likely affect this the most and I believe this is where you can determine if the surface texture helps or not. Once you get all the bottom contours right and have “fast” rails, the smoothness or textured finish would be the last thing to affect the flat out speed.

Today’s multi fin boards use different aspects of board design to go faster, and surfers generally stay back on the tail when riding because you create speed from turning. There’s a lot going on with design that makes a board accelerate from putting it on edge.

Most us who’ve grown up in the single fin era can relate to riding your board flat out, trimming across a long wall up on the forward half of your board trying to go as fast as possible. I enjoy riding single fin boards 7 to 8 feet long, so I still use older styles of riding for those boards. I can say that the multi fin boards will get up and go much quicker than a single fin, and you can use those fins to generate a lot of speed.

28

Hi Sharkcountry,

We are about the same age, and I know just what you are talking about as far as trimming a singlefin and moving forward for speed.  It seems to me that a lot of the older designs had a higher top speed.  In auto terms, an older single fin had a top speed of 100 while a modern concave thruster has a top speed of 80.  But the old school board had a zero to thirty speed of 4 seconds, while a modern thruster has a zero to thirty speed of 2 seconds, if the rider knows how to pump for speed.  If the rider just stands there a modern thruster has a zero to thirty speed of 10 seconds or maybe even never.  I hope that made sense.

But depending on what the rider is after, a textured bottom could be fine.  The kids today always seem to be stalling by dragging their asses in the water, waiting for the tube.  If that’s the goal, then a high top speed is just going to outrun the wave.  Its all about what the surfer is after.

I agree that rocker is more important than a small texture on the bottom.  It is just another part of a well designed board.

29

**Dimples On A Surfboard**

This topic has been discussed before, in depth, with an engineer’s input…**

30

just pure natural design at its best

courtesy of Dave Riggs

 

31

30 of em dropping in on the guy on the left. That’s how I see it. That line up needs a good enforcer…

32

science and surfing  lol

 

 

33

And whats that? 

34

Who needs science when there is alchemy and shamanism?

35

Like tits on a bull.

36

I was wondering about something, so I thought I’d throw this out to the group for discussion.  See what you all think.

A surfboard with an open texture c  ould be really light weight, because of all the air voids in the skin.  You could make a board in the 5 pound range.  But that would be its dry weight.  And when clean and new.

So you add wax to the deck.  All the deck voids get filled, adding weight.  Then you put the board in the water.  All the textured voids fill with water.  Now water is heavier than epoxy.  So would the weight of a textured board in the water actually be heavier than a smooth skinned board while riding a wave?  Should the textured board have its open weave filled with microballoon/ epoxy slurry?

37

I like the way you think. I think it could go two ways,

  1. If the holes are shallow and wide enough, so that the board isn’t waterlogged , then it should stay light. If the water isn’t “stuck” in the holes, then when you go to do cutbacks, or the like, the weight of the board will not be increased by the water. From what I can tell in the photo, that would be the case of those wake boards that were posted.

 

  1. If the holes were small and deep and the water gets ‘sucked in’ the weave, you would then feel the weight of the board. This most likely wouldn’t be the case.

 

I would be curious if case 1 makes the ride smoother. I have a shortboard with a flat smooth bottom, minimum rocker. In under head high or slower waves if feels fine. When the waves start getting bigger/faster it doesn’t feel right. It is kinda like a snowboard on ice.

38

I noticed over on the Surfer BB that Coil has gone smooth, and that the reviews are that smooth is better.

39

Hi Mark, yes we are offering a smooth option again, but we still build plenty of boards in Kick.

Customers get to choose.

40

Hi Mike,
What are your thoughts on performance? What is your reasoning for offering smooth? What feedback are you getting? What is the weight difference?