A few years back there was an artical about a Board with Bottom designed by George Greenough. The rails were thin and about Two inches in was a step of maybe 1/4" or so. The photos showed a gunny shaped single fin. I have also seen One Photo of Wilderness longboard,with the bottom. This kind of intrigues me. Not sure why. Maybe it’s just the cachet of Greenough. It is an interesting concept. Does anyone here have any first hand experience with this Greenough design? Even if it was just seeing one in a shop or on the Beach.
I have been thinking about this, it brought to mind the original Apia sting with the cut hydroplane hull, a glasses nightmare. This could make an interesting board. A combination Frankenstein board a Greenough,sting multi fin fish. Feel free to discuss or just put this down to “the poor guy has finally gone off his rocker.”
This design is known as the edge board. More info can be found on displacementia. Also at andreini surfboards maybe google greenough edge board as well.
Thanks will check out edge board.
I’ve made three and in general found them to be interesting but nothing that warrants all the hassle in shaping and glassing. Kind of like a exaggerated tucked-under edge. That said, I’m just a hack so maybe that’s the problem. The most recent things I’ve read quoting GG indicate the board is supposed to be put up at a precise angle so you engage just the edge, reducing surface area and allowing the board to go really fast on a trim. Sounds like something George experienced when sailboarding the same hull design. When on a broad reach he could tilt the hull just right so the edge is engaged and no much else. Zoom! Real fast in a straight line which is something GG relishes in the extreme. Marc Andrieni makes some with all kinds of different fin set ups. Anderson makes versions that look more like Duncan’s Wilderness versions. I talked to Steve Pendarvis at length about them here in SD and he thinks 1/4 in. steps or edges are too subtle. His conversations with George indicated the higher the step the more pronounced the effect…
I’ve had a couple of them and posted here in the board archives. Don’t really have much to add to what’s already been said. These were posted about 15 years ago. I’m pretty sure Bob Duncan will still do one of these at a slight premium over a standard shape. If anybody knows how to get it right, I’d imagine he does. Wish I didn’t have to scroll through 25 bleeping pages to find a board in the archives(!) Am I missing a search option?
http://www.swaylocks.com/node/62048
http://www.swaylocks.com/node/62246
Years ago I made a kneelo edge board like that. Per instructions/suggestions from Dale Solomonson, I shaped and glassed as a “standard” chine bottom, then masked off where I wanted the edge w/ a dam and built is up w/ Bondo. Sanded that down and put hot coat over it and done. It was definitely fast but the board was a bit too small for me and I can’t say it had any stand out qualities over any more typical hard tucked edge
I thought about this ALOT
… about the concept of double rails and trawled the archives. I found those threads on the edge boards so somebody had already done it, as per usual on sways.
I then found underwhelming opinions on them.
This is all theory but I want to share. What the hell. Hopefully it stops a patent:
Having 2 different rails for 2 different speeds makes sense.
Rail 1) high speed. Straight rails. Low rocker. Hard edge.
Rail 2) higher on the water line so engages on the turn not on the straight. Rounded edge for grip and hold. More rocker. Curved rails.
This could be the rail revolution people have been writing about on swaylocks. The merge between the 2 rail archetypes is the new line of enquiry.
Speedneedle has done some R&D on this very different to greennough before epoxy sensitisation messed it up.
I sat on this one for a while as it felt like gold. Seeing this thread and remembering I’ll never be pro I just felt it best to share
Have fun with it. I still feel it’s the next big thing
Hen I started this thread, I could not recall the name of the Greenough design. Looks like some others here have some interest in this. I’m having some problems with my back. Yesterday we had some nice small waves lined up and hitting a sandbar just righ knee high and a couple of waist high waves. Had about three good rides. Then on my fourth Wave I could not pop up. From that point on I rode my 9’5" as a knee board. I have been thinking for a while now about a kneeboards that would have some float. And of course some speed. Edge board might help in getting more foam into the board and still have a thinner rail. The outline I was thinking about would be like the FireWire Backed Potato. Wide with Round tail I am thinking around 5’5" to 5’8" pretty sure that it will have Center box so I could try the long Greenough flex fin, I would also want to try The keel fin that Ace Designed. Might go with a quad set up as well so I could play with some of Robin Mairs fins. I’m looking to get this Board to about 3 1/4"to 3 1/2 thickness. Sound 23’ wide.
Any comments from the Swaylock Brain Trust are most welcomed.
Hi jago 25_98 - I think your understanding is as reasonable as any I’ve heard.
Both of mine feature fairly deep dual concaves along with the edge. If anything, I have found the concaves to be something of a liability in chop… I.E. the boards can get a little ‘slap-happy.’ I’ve also dug a forward edge on a late drop and got pitched over the nose on a good wave that I like to think I would have made on a regular board. Of course, that could be wishful thinking on my part but a softer rail with a little roll and boost in nose rocker might have made the difference in the case of this rider’s error.
I’m not sure but I tend to think the ‘slot/edge’ thing may contribute to redirecting water flow on the underside of the rail like channels do on the bottom of certain boards. There may be improved directional stability compared to a normal rail. It’s really hard to say without having two identical boards except for the edge difference to compare.
I haven’t read this in awhile but I apparently felt it was worth saving at some point… hopefully you can read it.
Thanks Johnmellor, This gives me Littel more to work with.