How Fast is Fast??

[ScottMac]

..

[Beeline2.0]

31.5 km/h is 20miles/per hour.

that is not any speed record.

[ScottMac]

..

[ShaunMurphy]

20 miles an hour on a wave is pretty damn fast if u ask me if its not paddle in even to- in it seems really fast

and thats a pretty sick surf mobile

[Beeline2.0]

..

[toofast3]

well, just so you guys know, my boards are just TOOFAST !!!

[MTBarrels]

31.5 km/h is 20miles/per hour.

that is not any speed record.

I think this information was posted here once before, but here's an updated summary of the fastest speeds recorded between 2003 and the present (Note: this data previously posted at the surfermagazine link given at the beginning of this thread).

"...<snipped>...The following summary table indicates the maximum speed recorded by type of board among all the sessions for which data for that type of board was recorded. Also shown are the number of sessions for which data is available for each type of board, and the number of different riders who participated for each type of board.

Column 1 - Type of board
Column 2 - Max speed recorded (mph)
Column 3 - Number of sessions recorded
Column 4 - Number of riders

Kneeboard........27.6....30....3
Shortboard.......26.9....12....7
Neumatic(mat)....22.4.....7....2
Bodyboard........20.6....11....1
Exp.board........20.2.....1....1 (mushy waist high waves)

...<snipped>...

Comments:

Slowest session max speed recorded: today (7/28/06) ... 14.5 mph...bodyboard

The two fastest speeds (27.6 and 26.9 mph) were recorded in wave heights of approximately 1.5X and 2.0X, respectively.

Not all classes of boards have the same distribution of wave heights sampled. The waves during the bodyboard measurements (and to a lesser degree, the mat measurements), as a group, were generally smaller than for the shortboard and kneeboard measurements.

[Jack Beresford]

I got to try out that GPS briefly on a small day at O-side. I think the best I did was a little over 20mph on a closeout. Would love to have checked it out at Natividad last month!

Jack

[DrStrange]

seems like comparing speeds is almost irrelevant (dang how do you spell that?) unless waves are same conditions/size etc. Like comparing apples and oranges if you compare 3 foot mush vs 2XOH barrels etc.

[MTBarrels]

I got to try out that GPS briefly on a small day at O-side. I think the best I did was a little over 20mph on a closeout. Would love to have checked it out at Natividad last month!

Jack

You're short-changing yourself Jack. Your fastest speed was 24.0 mph (as I recall, your speeds on other waves were a little over 20 mph).
Conditions:
La Jolla buoy reporting significant wave ht of 3.25' @ 11sec from 269 deg
Oceanside buoy reporting 2.92' @ 11s from 259 deg

Kneeboard max of 27.6 mph
Conditions:
Torrey Pines* buoy reporting 3.6' @ 17sec from 275 deg
Oceanside buoy reporting 2.5' @ 4 sec from 243 deg
(*La Jolla buoy had been removed, so Torrey Pines data substituted)

Notes:

Because of the way significant wave height is computed, the reported significant wave height can differ substantially from the wave heights associated with infrequent sets. Therefore visual observation (ideally, documented by a picture or video) will give more reliable estimates.

The GPS-reported maximum speeds at Open Doors could easily be less than what one might expect. One limitation of direct GPS speed measurements is that if the unit is unable to receive satellite signals (e.g. by the lip throwing out over you and forming a liquid Faraday Cage) the unit will attempt to estimate the speeds for the period of missing data on the basis of your speed and acceleration (or deceleration) immediately prior to loss of signal. Hence if you bottom turn and go up the face (causing a deceleration as you trade kinetic energy for potential energy), and then get covered, your speed--as reported by the GPS--will be slowing down no matter what it is doing in reality (until the signals are again received).

[Beeline2.0]

...

[ScottMac]

..

[ScottMac]

..

[Beeline2.0]

..

[Beeline2.0]

..