I use to think that having a gal that surfed/was involved, would have been cool…
…not anymore…not that if she wanted to,it would bother me…but…it’s my free time…and I like my Freedoms,…that is…with 50+ other people in the line-up…lol.
I ran into Randy Rarrick on the way home from a business conference at the Las Vegas airport and asked him about the whole Roy-Board project. He confirmed that its on and will be in Hawaii around October. He said it was very expensive for Roy to ship it by boat to Hawaii but Roy was commiitted to doing it.
I gave him my card and asked if he could let me know when it gets ridden so I could watch and video it. Plus Roy said I could give it a go before someone broke it in half here which is its mostly end if you know the “Boys”. I think Randy was taken a back that someone out of the blue would bring up the whole thing especially a “suit”. It did seem apparant that it wasn’t on the top of his mind although he though it was a neat project similar to the Yellow Single Fin Project awhile back.
Roy is out there at times like any anyone living at the edge of life, but speaking as a former student of Physical Oceanography in regards to his understanding of hydrodynamics and ocean waves physics he’s spot on. His design reminds me of the perfect shape we looked at the design of high speed underwater torpedos for the naval warfare lab in seattle back in the 70’s.
Per your comment about high speed shapes, Buzzy Trent told me that he and George Downing, in the early 1950’s, took measurements nose to tail on Wahoo, Ulua, and various small Tunas, to get proportions for board outlines to use in big waves. All those fish are ‘‘fast as torpedos’’, so to speak. Does anyone know the dimensions of the ‘‘Pipeline Olo Special’’, and the fin/fins that will be employed?
His design reminds me of the perfect shape we looked at the design of high speed underwater torpedos for the naval warfare lab in seattle back in the 70’s.
Respectfully, I’m not a weapon’s expert, but I’m at the other end of your opinion. If I had to choose a Downing / Trent over a RS it would be an easy pick.
At the very least George Downing figured out thickness flow by the 1950’s.
As I remember some of the lofty statements like riding better than modern longboards.
