Design for fins on a bodyboard? Recommendations?

fooj · Post by **fooj** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 1:20 pm

At the beginning of last winter Bud gave me the chance to ride that board shown in the picture. The waves were very small but perfectly formed. It paddles nice, rides fast and is nice on the knees with no deck pad. Considering that it was made for a 170 pounder (I'm 140) and how nicely it rode I'd say it would only get better to have one made for my physical attributes. I get the impression it would be best tuned for fun-sized surf, nothing too gnarly. If I recall correctly he mentioned that it started to wig out at about 5 foot Goat island.

IKAIKA · Post by **IKAIKA** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 1:58 pm

ALOHA KNEELORIDER*

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viewforum.php?f=3

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GET WET !

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 2:26 pm

IMO, soft kneeboards are quite valid as wave riding tools, if the surfing circumstances are warranted. There are instances, such as dumping close-out beach breaks, where the safety factor of softness is quite desireable. You DO need a good soft kneeboard, not a modded bodyboard - there's a big difference. So far, I don't see where they'll replace a good hardboard, but they do have their place in a kneelo's board quiver. IMO.

Here are two vids (570k and 680k, AVI format) I took of a very good kneeboarder (Mr. Paul D.) testing out a 5' softboard I shaped for him in some decent juice. Vids taken years - I do believe the surf venue is Wilderness, PR ...

http://www.FretTech.com/vids/pd2.avi

http://www.FretTech.com/vids/pd3.avi

And here's some photos of the soft kneeboard used in the above vids ...

Post by **joe** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 7:56 pm

Sponge kneeboard? For around the same money you could get the real thing. Don't really see the point. May be for the kids?

Beeline2.0 · Post by **Beeline2.0** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 8:07 pm

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 4:33 am

Beeline wrote:Well I think the boogeyKneeboard is an interesting concept.

Indeed, if nothing else it's interesting.

varying thicknesses of Lexan or other plastic sandwhiched between the Bodyboard material can tune the flex.

Turbo did/does that with their glued up bodyboards - not so easy to accomplish on a heat/pressure laminated softboard. I used core embedded 3/4" carbon fiber tubes (which required the use of a six foot long drill to create ... two stringer tubes per board). And as you can see in the above vids, a hefty 200+# rider mixed with some juicy waves were no problem for the board.

But I have to be a bit critical here, I dont see any foil from the
midpoint coming down through the tail in the rail area.
Seems overtly roughcut.

The top and bottom are flat, there's no foil intended or needed. There's nothing at all "roughcut" about the board. Look at the speed Paul generated in the vids - and rail-to-rail turns were no problem, either.

Perhaps you needed the thickness in the tail and out to the rail for structural integrity.

No, the thickness is for stiffness and tracking - fat diamond rails attract wave holding when they go fast.

It would be a great blackball cheater (BlackBall: LIfeguard Flag for NO Hard Boards or SoftBoards w/ fins) if you could put the fins in a fanny pack then covertly put them in after you've paddled out. Easy on them bottom turns though, so as not to show the lifeguard
your fins.

IMO, there are two real good advantages to a soft kneelo - safer than a hardboard, and able to surf blackball beaches. Most beaches in my NE area don't bitch about softboard skegs, and if they did the above method would work fine, I'd think.

willli · Post by **willli** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 1:32 pm

Off topic but Rob did you catch any of 'cane Alex? I got lucky, already in the water and out in the line up when for a few hours 6'+ juice rolled through. No pics, just surfed. Then things got very ordinary, fast. The strange (for a hurricane swell) S^SW angle kept Turtles from breaking but nearby points were super fun while it lasted. Can't wait for Labor day.
Bill

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Sat Aug 07, 2004 4:36 pm

Hey Bill T.!

How the heck ya been? Long time no chat! A long while back my hard drive took a hit and I lost all my saved email addresses - been meaning to contact ya, see how yer doin'.

Naw, didn't get out in Alex at all. These dayze my surf time is sporadic, but at least I do get out and get wet and usually manage to snag a few decent waves here and there. Goin' out to Jones tomorrow morning, see if there's any waves to hop on - if not, a bad day at the beach at least beats couch potatoing the boob tube.

Cheers, Rob DiStefano.

sf_firestarter · Post by **sf_firestarter** » Wed Oct 27, 2004 9:12 am

they make cheap fin kits for bodyboards...check this out. Don't spend the cash to have some custom installed.

http://store.yahoo.com/ebodyboarding/46-stf.html

Rob · Post by **Rob** » Wed Oct 27, 2004 9:42 am

sf_firestarter wrote:they make cheap fin kits for bodyboards...check this out. Don't spend the cash to have some custom installed.

http://store.yahoo.com/ebodyboarding/46-stf.html

IMO, those things are toys compared to *real* functional fins. YMMV.

Kneeboard Surfing USA Community Forum

Design for fins on a bodyboard? Recommendations?

Design for fins on a bodyboard? Recommendations?

Re: Design for fins on a bodyboard? Recommendations?

cheap alternative

Re: cheap alternative