Mini Simmons -Wider and Shorter Boards

[Sandgroper]

Why a wider and shorter design for a kneeboard? Is this going backwards or forwards in thinking?

http://www.minisimmonssurfboards.com/

The history on the Simmons board is worth watching.

http://www.minisimmonssurfboards.com/mi ... s-history/

Shape your own Mini Simmons -Kneeboard old school 1950's style.

http://www.minisimmonssurfboards.com/sh ... i-simmons/

[albert]

Why a wider and shorter design for a kneeboard? Is this going backwards or forwards in thinking?

I'm sorry, I dont quite understand what you are asking with this question.

[KenM]

I'd say it's not going backward or forward, it's just something different. Try one and let us know how it works as a kneeboard.

[Headwax.]

sorry; edited for brevity

[Sandgroper]

Why a wider and shorter design for a kneeboard? Is this going backwards or forwards in thinking?

I'm sorry, I dont quite understand what you are asking with this question.

It was supposed to be a statement followed by question ..oops

What I was trying to say though is that recently many board sports have gone from "narrow and long" to "short and wide" and successfully.
Windsurfers now Surfboard designs are heading that way with Wider Thicker Styles. Suitable to specific wave type primarily.

Historically Kneeboards tended to start from a short and wide (and thin) in the 1970's then progressed to where it is today. There does not appear to be a significant change in design over last decade or so, refinements yes, fins yes but giant leaps forward no.

Bring in the ugly bunch; the Mini Simmons, JS Pier Pony and Firewire Sweet Potato and now the Sperm Whale by Channel Islands and there's something here that the Kneeboarder is missing out on. Shorter Wider and Thicker (and flatter rocker) particularly for surfing small gutless slop.

So I don't think that designing a kneeboard that is wider, shorter and thicker is taking a step backward in time but a step forward.
It's my opinion but it would be good to get some feedback before I start carving some foam.

Watch the Vid, then comment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU8E6GGJA4Y

[hart]

[quote="Sandgroper.]

So I don't think that designing a kneeboard that is wider, shorter and thicker is taking a step backward in time but a step forward.
It's my opinion but it would be good to get some feedback before I start carving some foam.
/quote]

Watch the Vid, then comment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU8E6GGJA4Y[/quote][

I watched it mate and saw a competant stand up surfer use his back and front foot weight to over-power a straightline shortboard rocker in 2ft? waves..

What does this contribute to kneeboarding where full throttle, full rail-bite surfing is desired?

Not sure..you're the one calling it..shape what you choose and post the pics

I am more than interested to see

hart

[RMcKnee]

I think this is less about kneeboarders missing out on something new than it is about stand-up board manufacturers jumping onto something old in an attempt to get some sales. Kneeboards have been shorter, wider and thicker for ages already and kneeboard shapers have always done their own thing. Always.

Up here on the Goldie the collapse of B.A.S.E and others has made the surviving board manufacturers think very hard about ways to shift product and get money in the till. We've had long and thin, we've had the fish and the fun board, now we need ... the next big (short wide thick) thing. All good fun if you can wear the freight, but in mi casa right now there ain't nothin' goin' on but the rent. We live in interesting times. The current crisis of our consumer society is producing some very weird marketing phenomena: this evening on TV I saw an ad for superannuation that featured a woman telling me how she's planning to be spontaneous. I mean ... really? The surf industry is part of that consumer society and is driven by retail. The B.A.S.E message is simple: sell or perish.

What I DO see a lot of at the beach these days is home made boards: I reckon anything that makes people appreciate what goes into creating a board from scratch by hand has gotta be a good thing.

[Dunc]

This is an interesting topic. I just turned a 6'0 semi gun into a 5'0 to experiment based on what I saw here - www.tomosurfboards.com

Here it is -
http://kneelo.org/forum/download/file.php?id=901

It's nearly finished now and if it works I'm going to get Bro to make me a proper one.

[analbirth]

hey dunc, that is one ugly beast but as they say don't judge a book .......

having just made a chubby bubby i can safely pitch in here.[albumimg]30040[/albumimg]
I made this one as fat and extreme in it's concept as i thought i could get away with and still be able to surf it with some degree of control.
This is a style of board in development, of course i'll need to refine it as i go which will be a slow process as i haven't got the luxury of team riders and the dollars to throw at it. From the few surfs i have had on it using various fin set ups it has a great deal of potential. Time and waves will tell me more. I set it up to be a 5 fin board but have been using 3 with the rear quad plugs. The last surf i had it felt like it needed all 5, different waves different options keeps it interesting, good fun though. You just have to change the way you usually surf and kind of let the wave decide what you do rather than you dictating to the wave if this makes sense. It's not a step forward or backward, just sideways

[Steeno]

Parkesy made me a five fin 5'2 x 24 rounded pin, super flat board in 2001 to surf at the Queensland worlds 2002

you could surf the smallest mushiest surf on this board, and it went over every flat section possible...sort of surf we where expecting for those worlds

it was kinda ugly, but that made it beautiful in my eyes, but WOW did i have some fun on that thing

[micko]

This is a fat little bugger I had shaped last year

http://indianakneeriders.blogspot.com.a ... chive.html

Lots of area through the back end to plane my lard arse. I have since added another set of plugs between these two, as the back ones were just too far back and also ploughed a third concave into the back half of the board to give it a bit more drive, had too much curve through the back half with the bowled concave before. So it's now single into triple concave!
Great fun to surf, an absolute blast just trying to keep it in a straight line.

[Sandgroper]

Really valid comments about the surf industry. It is tough across most of the Australian retail game at present. Particularly when your trying to compete against new asian boards for <$300 and internet orders.
It's like most industries I guess ski, snowboard, windsurf, kitesurf. Most make changes for the fashion of it, even though the changes are marginal, if not any significant performance improvement. Its a tweek here and tweek there and a new colour to match along with a bunch of sales speak. Kiting has taken over Windsurfing, Snowboarding has taken over skiing, fashions change, adapt or perish they say. Makes it fashionable makes for more sales.
that's the game you got to play, it's the way it is I guess.

It amazes me that boogie boarding is as popular as it is and kneeboarding virtually non existent. I can't understand why Boogie boarders don't graduate to kneeboards, maybe because there is little promotion of the sport.

Making boards in the backyard is fun and reward beyond the money you lose making it. There's nothing quite like taking your new hand made board out in the surf your prides and joy, dodgy shape glass and art work and finding out the shape isn't that good and surfs like crap. You start to appreciate the skill of a good shaper/glasser and that to get that level will take dozens if not 100 boards.
Surf industry was born out of the backyard shed, we will lose this craft with out people first giving it a go.

I think this is less about kneeboarders missing out on something new than it is about stand-up board manufacturers jumping onto something old in an attempt to get some sales. Kneeboards have been shorter, wider and thicker for ages already and kneeboard shapers have always done their own thing. Always.

Up here on the Goldie the collapse of B.A.S.E and others has made the surviving board manufacturers think very hard about ways to shift product and get money in the till. We've had long and thin, we've had the fish and the fun board, now we need ... the next big (short wide thick) thing. All good fun if you can wear the freight, but in mi casa right now there ain't nothin' goin' on but the rent. We live in interesting times. The current crisis of our consumer society is producing some very weird marketing phenomena: this evening on TV I saw an ad for superannuation that featured a woman telling me how she's planning to be spontaneous. I mean ... really? The surf industry is part of that consumer society and is driven by retail. The B.A.S.E message is simple: sell or perish.

What I DO see a lot of at the beach these days is home made boards: I reckon anything that makes people appreciate what goes into creating a board from scratch by hand has gotta be a good thing.

[Dunc]

AB it's finished and still no Mona Lisa - I think I'll leave shaping to the experts in future! Your Chubby Bubby looks pretty sick. How do you find the bodyboard rails work?

The idea was just to use an old board to test some concepts. I wasn't trying to make anything for small waves I'm aiming for a shorter all rounder. This was originally a 6'0 x 22" semi gun and it's now a 5' 1" x 22" thing. While I was playing around with it originally I rode it as a 5' 2" asymmetric in doh slabby reef waves what I'd call 6' (10'+ faces) and was impressed enough to carry on working on it. Once the resin has hardened I'll try it out in its new incarnation.
http://kneelo.org/forum/download/file.php?id=960
http://kneelo.org/forum/download/file.php?id=960

[analbirth]

Hey Dunc, well iv'e had a couple more surfs on it since the last post and with the 5 fin set up, in glassy 2-3' high tide full waves just what it was made for and it was so much fun, i had the drive and floatation to link up the fat sections and the 60/40 rails let you crank a turn and it holds in really well in the sucky sections and iv'e had a couple of barrels as well. So easy to flick it around. With the concave nose and super fat rails, floaters have such a soft landing. It makes me look forward to small full waves now.

That red lolly pop of yours is wild.