With the proliferation of wave pools round the world, is anyone making boards specifically for wave pools ? At first glance it would be a great marketing opportunity for all board makers to sell a new custom board to every surfer who plans on going to a wave pool. I’d like one. Are the pool operators already offering ‘wave pool’ boards ?
Doesn’t seem like there’s much design difference required but salt water has greater bouncy so wave pool boards require more bouyancy to create a similar feel. There’s also a difference that when in the real surf you’re paddling for a lot longer than you are surfing whereas surf pools you can literally jump off the wall and onto a moving wave with no paddling at all. Potentially a much shorter board would be required by reducing nose length. Even if it’s not taken as a design progression opportunity, it’s still a market where every surfer now needs a new board.
I’m making boards for a wave pool, but the wave is stationary like a river wave. I have the boards down to 4’ 9" x 17" x 2.5" (or less). In this pool, you start standing up, so you don’t need to worry about paddling.
I’m currently making board #5 that is 5’ x 18.5" x 2.5" with a lot of curve in the outline. I tried having up to 3" of tail rocker and I think the rocker should be lower, like 2.5" or less.
I went back to 5’ because I’m 66 and my brother is 68 and getting into the pool with our broken bodies isn’t easy. I think the extra inches will help to hold the nose while we get our back foot set. Otherwise 4’ 9" is a good length, 18.5" width is also good. 17" is a bit narrow, but it works. I’ve tried a rolled bottom on one board, but I think flat or spiral vee would be better.
The 2 shorter boards are 4’ 9" and the longer one has the rolled bottom.
That’s excellent. What do you think is the difference in the hydrodynamics of a standing wave Vs a pool wave ? Because the standing wave appears to have more water flow/ greater speed of water under board.
And of course I’m thinking about hydrofoils in a wave pool where you could have a 30 minute ride going around and around. Or 3 or 4 riders up at any time.
I haven’t ridden waves other than ocean waves, and for the last 40 years, I mostly surf the mellower waves of Oahu’s south shore.
This wave is very different from anything I’ve ridden before. There’s a lot of water moving up the wave face compared to an ocean wave. A lot of people say the way you turn is closer to snowboarding, and I’ve never done that. Getting used to the extra volume of water moving is the hardest part, but once you get that down, I think the only other thing you can start doing is airs, and my back can’t deal with the impact of landing airs.
With the volume of water moving up the face a tiny flowrider board would be enough, but most people are either riding the short softboards they provide or their own short board. Their boards seem to wide for me but most people can rip on them. I notice that a couple guys that go there all the time use 4’ 9" x 18.5" boards, I didn’t notice the thickness, but I think it is around 2.5" and shaped like a firewire omni.
Because of the way they have this place setup, you can only ride a minute or so then they’ll ask you to get off and let the next person go, but it’s possible to ride it for several minutes if you get it wired. Most of the really good guys will push themselves doing tricks and fall around a minute or so in, or get off.
The last time I went, my brother and I were the only paying customers, so they let staff ride it and we had to wait in line with the staff. I was kind of upset about that because we could have had twice as much riding time if it was just us two. I only go once in a while, so it takes me a while to get used to it every time I go. Just when I get it down and get the timing for continuous turns down, our session is over.
I don’t think a hydrofoil board would make sense in this wave pool, but I don’t know, I haven’t tried foiling. The first 2 boards I made for this place are flowrider boards. They are finless 4’ x 12" x 1", but I didn’t know how to ride this wave then, and never really gave them a good try. I plan to add a small single fin on one of them and see how that works.
Great description of the water flow, thank you. Those standing waves won’t really suit a foil like you said, but in those calmer UrbanSurf pools it’s a possibility. Because foils need less wave height, it could be a foilers paradise.
I’ve mainly seen JOB vids riding lagoon waves and they look pretty aggressive.
Urban Surf Sydney below.
We’ve gotten really good feedback from surfers & shapers with the rockers of these river blanks. Also good feedback using this rocker for the wave pool in Chelan which is similar to yours. You may want to try out these rocker #'s:
https://shapersupply.com/collections/great-pacific-foam/products/great-pacific-foam-49-r
https://shapersupply.com/collections/great-pacific-foam/products/great-pacific-foam-52-r
This is a fun question. I can only speak to Urban Surf in Melbourne which is the only pool I’ve surfed.
In terms of thinking about boards there are a few settings. That said, there are only two people who aren’t learning would bother with - advanced turns and then the barrel setting.
The advanced turn wave is sort of shoulder high then drops off to chest high toward the end. I didn’t get to surf it but it looked like it had just enough shape to easily bang out a turn.
The barrel setting is a relatively steep drop off close to the wall that backs off before throwing for a short, hollow but pretty slow section where you can get a little cover up.
I’d had a boxing match the night before we surfed it and was really hungover so not exactly the best lead up. It was surprising how heavy it felt given its size but the hangover and battering from the previous night might have played a role there.
In terms of boards I would guess you could get away with more rocker and less volume than you’d normally take into the ocean. That said, while you’re not paddling to get on the spot you still need to get to speed quickly to make the drop. And if you fall or miss that’s you done and there’s a big line behind you.
I have a Webber banana rocker that I wish I’d taken but I’d also love a crack at the turns setting on a mid-length. You could probably drop volume - as folks are suggesting with those very cool looking tiny blanks - but you do still want to get enough speed to catch the wave and make the drop.
I would say all in all I wasn’t really overawed with the experience. It’s pretty expensive and made me realise how much of surfing is about being in beautiful settings and getting close to the ocean environment.
That new one in the Middle East though is a different story.