It seems George Gall has been working with Carl Ekström on flare-tailed (side-cut) boards. The following are some of his responses on his FaceBook post:
“That was my gut reaction when Carl Ekström showed me his scale models. It’s gonna grab. I’ve tested it, they don’t have significant drag, in fact the sidecut boards have great bursts of speed, even in slow soft waves plus top turns were very free and loose. I thought they would grab or hatchet into the wave somehow. Overall pretty stoked other shapers are into it as well!”
“…when we worked with Maurice Cole he explained how boards with distinct widepoints (picture a "diamond"ish outline) will put heavier loads on fins, like through a bottom turn. The widepoint acting as a fulcrum against the wave face pivoting, and the fins resisting being popped out. Ekström told me he was at the stationary wave machine that he designed, literally sitting just feet from riders. He saw that same thing, the engagement to the face was limited by the fulcrum/widepoint…”
George says that Wouter has been making these for a few years now. Wouter’s boards don’t have that kind of tail, but he says they are fast.
I’ve always liked a straighter rail line in the rear , but in this design the tail is almost was wide as the wide point. I still have problems getting my head to accept that this would work for me, but…
Hi Bill, I think it’s only logical that as a board rolls and tilts on the wave face and with the changing pressure from the surfer, lthat there would be a moving area of balance and force. Giving any craft a smoother shape would make it difficult for forces to build at any point but by increasing the hip of the outlive, the angle of the board or any solid point like a fin, that would create a pint of pressure or fulcrum.
From then on it’s a personal choice of variables of speed and manouverabilty. No two combinations being the same for any surfer or wave.
The problem with the flare tail board design is that it’s not suited to your average surfer. As the design shrinks in all dimensions it becomes harder to ride and less rewarding.
We’ve been through the ultra short board genre, the incredibly thin board period and now the no width board.
Boards’ll probaby end up being a submerged surf foil or some sort eventually.
With the minimalisation of design I’m thinking of a plastic carapice trapping air for buoyancy and then riding / skimming on a semi submerged foil arrangement,
You guys should really love the “Coltenator” . I’m surprised those of you who have attended the Del Mar Board Show in the past have never made comment on this Revolutionary design. But don’t try to copy it; The design is patented. Someone should bring the Hot Seat back and get the designer/inventor Colton Dupree to join in.
OK here we go…I shaped the board in picture around 1990. Carl’s shop was through the door on left. He passed though my shaping room several times a day. He was designing the first wave pools out of clay in the driveway. Testing various wave contours with a hose. After making the board we talked my friend Mark RIP into testing it at the beach. We covered it in blankets and headed to N. OB “AVALANCH”. I told Mark to just paddle out and catch a couple off off the side so we could see how it went. I had a pretty good idea it would work BUT who knew?? Carl said " I base everything I know about surfboards that it will not work!"…Mark paddled out turned left headed to the main peak pulled into a set wave and took off. We all stood silent as he dropped in threw a big bottom turn and proceeded to launch the thing off the top making the wave all the way through. “HUH” Carl said as he turned his back and walked back to his van…
I like Aces story, classic. And yes I think we all knew it had been done before the Coltinator came along.
I don’t think everything has been done , it we’re getting low on new ideas that rely on a single piece of glass covered foam.
Hey Ace. I recall seeing that board of yours somewhere in the “ether” or on the “printed page” at some point.
Could you fill me in on the details as to its bottom contours - roll (nose) into flat (middle) into vee (tail)?
Probably had the “chine” concave nose, it nose rode really good, flat mid to Bonzer tail. It to me was a chance to prove that outlines are the least important part of what makes a surfboard work. I can hear the screams now. If all the important things are right you can play around with the fancy curves, selling points, and still have a pretty good riding board. IF the main elements are off all the outline zig zags still will not save it…I used to say that there are two things that sell surfboards…Outlines and colors.Which is more important to how it is going to ride? COLORS…Becker said “ugly boards sell fastest” I would add green boards never sell…Just like cars you have to keep changing the outside skin to sell em. Underneath they are still pretty much the same…This is why I tell new shapers to LEARN THE BASICS FIRST. Than you can play around with the other stuff. I usually get a blank stare…
