Kneeboard Surfing USA Community Forum

Take a look at what's going through Bruce Hart's stoked mind. We're just posting his sketch for him, so he'll field the questions.

The numbers 1-20 show how he integrates the 20 Greenough points listed on the "Spoon Fed" thread.

The choice of the swallowtail instead of the roundtail was not accidental.

A greater degree of foam will probably be retained. How much is still undecided, but Bruce does not wish to replicate Velo or MTB's work.

Plans are to have a surprise build into it, something that will be the keystone of the design.

The vehicle has been baptized "Synchronicity" by its creator, inspired partly by the Police album and partly by the number of elements that combine to make this design work.

Last week Tumak (a.k.a Chris Harazda) in FL resurrected his balso paipo as a kneeboard and was willing to have this pic posted below.

The experimental deck pads are customized X-Trac longboard pads with a splash of red. The fin is a Greenough Stage IV-A. The beautifully crafted board was shaped by a local Melbourne shaper, George Robinson, and is based on Tumak's detailed design.

Tumak's inspiration for developing this paipo into a kneeboard comes from The Surfer's Journal, Vol. 7, No. 4 (Winter 1998). The article is "Moving Forward--A Greenough Scrapbook: 1960-1970," pp. 82-87, where George illustrates his first balsa kneeboard with the first high aspect ratio fin. In the following pages, he illustrates how his balsa spoon was used as the mold for Velo. In Tumak's mind, his board fills the role of "missing link" in the evolution between that first balsa kneeboard (1959) and the balsa spoon (1962).

Dubbed the Mysterious Turtle (see deck), it is dished out, quite heavy, and very thin. Its owner is stoked! and no doubt itching for that first day of tow-ins at Pump House.

It used to be look but don't touch. Thank you, Bruce, for taking the first step toward opening this up to all of us.

MOW

It is impossible for me to read such posts (like GG's thoughts as numerated by flexman) and not be provoked in some way.

This sketch came immediately to mind..

Information unshared remains just an opinion, whereas once it is, it becomes the genesis of potential knowledge

Hope it is of interest and I will continue to post as this project unfolds..and please expect many qestions from this end as it does

hart

Good on you Bruce and Mark for stretching the limits of ideas as well MT Barrels. But lets get these designs tested with pilots. Barry, I and Scott will start the list on the west coast. On the Oz coast I know Steenos will ride any new fangled machine pumped out. And I am sure there are many eager pilots for these new concepts. Theory is the start. Research and development requires test models and riders. I for one reserve all comment until I ride one.

Just received this from yet another George, dedicated spoon man:

Respected shaper, Bruce Hart, has posted a sketch of his next board, a glass spoon. Just saw the sketch... interesting.

Tail Rocker? a no-no. As Paul Gross always said, "Dead flat rocker for back 36" of board. Flex creates rocker as needed."

Do you have the rest of the sketch? bottom is cut off?

JON -- Right, test pilots are waiting on both coasts now and in Oz. A mainstream shaper has stepped up and hopefully the rest of the crew will be inspired to get back into it or into it for the first time. I noticed that these recent spoon threads have had enough hits to bring them up into 3rd or 4th place out of the 50 design threads. And two weeks ago none of this was here. What happened.

BRUCE -- Who gets the first model?

throw them at me, i will be critical but positively critical

Man O' War wrote:
BRUCE -- Who gets the first model?

I intend to exercise the Torsion Rod principle in an existing (prebuilt)board first..and see if it works

This isn't about putting the chicken before the egg

I figure that the egg, has already been laid!



and I'm not one to reinvent the..chook

So while the prototypical foam-spoon (and its synchronicity) may be a little while away..I will say this.. that the first to go will be me!

but be assured, my good friend and mate, Steen..

will not be (and..intelligently so) far behind

hart



"Tomorrow is such a fun place to visit.. and you can only get there by experiencing the past"

loose derivation of a quote by George Orwell..

apologies duly offered to all concerned

cheers big ears

You cats are talking about a lot of labor......but it is a labor of (KB) love.
I rode several spoons back in the 70's and they were a kick - really compatable with my experience as a then, single fin KB rider.

Everyone is going to have to help out with this venture; you're looking at a lot of time and money which shouldn't all fall on the shaper's head. Take a look at Romonowsky's site for what he charges for a spoon. He even goes way out of the way to try and talk you out of ordering one altogether.

Maybe costs can be cut by grabbing old (thicker) shortboards and stripping the 'glass for the foam since you'll be scooping away most of the foam anyway - as long as negative rocker can still be achieved. Since it was Earth Day last weekend, just a recycling plan for KBers.

just fouond this on swaylocks from Paul Gross on flex and tail rocker:

[/quote]we have found flex in the tail for powerfull waves and > solid surfers to be slow turning.flex tails seem to unload way to early in > a solid turn creating unwanted drag 3/4 way thru the turn. Remember Dave, Greenough introduced tail flex into boards with THREE FEET OF DEAD STRAIGHT ROCKER in the tail of his boards. Take a yard stick and lay it along the bottom of any Rusty you have access to. Imagine a board as striaght as that yardstick along the bottom. THEN image flex introduced into the tail. I doubt anyone fooling around with flexible tails on surfboards today begins with anything nearly as straight as that yardstick. No wonder there is unwanted drag 3/4 of the way through a turn...there was too much rocker to begin with. To gain anything from flex, you have to start fresh with variable rocker in mind. Modifying existing designs with tail flex rarely results in anything worthwhile[quote][/quote]

Nice work, Dr S.

If only we had Paul Gross's input right now. What a guy to bounce stuff off of. Any of you in a position to bring him in?

Just a few thoughts –
Is it collectively expected that this board will travel much the same path as the original spoons?
I would guess the problem with a flat rocker through the back half of the board is that it will not allow the nose to rise over the broken part of the wave when trying to float a section as the flex will only come into play when under load [as in a bottom turn] & that is only from stringer to rail.
Isn’t there an advantage in having your knees wider apart to get more power into that rail?

Hi Chris

crox wrote:
Is it collectively expected that this board will travel much the same path as the original spoons?

uncollectively from me, no

I would guess the problem with a flat rocker through the back half of the board is that it will not allow the nose to rise over the broken part of the wave when trying to float a section as the flex will only come into play when under load [as in a bottom turn] & that is only from stringer to rail.

probably not, if you allow the centreline to flex..

and not rely wholly upon flex in your rail (because that way you will only experience flex [loading]during a turn)

I am considering that the bottom should load as well..at least anytime the rail isn't..cause bottomcurve is essential for a floater

[but this is noted as undesirable given some of the latest posts and I'm thinking strongly about it]

Isn’t there an advantage in having your knees wider apart to get more power into that rail?

yes, there always has been that advantage..

but it depends on the width the shaper gave you in the first place

..hard to get your knees apart if you're riding 22" or less..

(because they already are)

hart