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PaipoJim Director of CTU
Joined: 31 May 2004 Posts: Location: Oregon
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Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 8:19 pm Post subject: Plywood-epoxy-glass BodyGun |
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This prototype, one quarter inch plywood BodyGun deck was field tested today. It's a replacement for the mini-boogieboard that comes stock.
Factory board is 22.5" L x 17.5" W x 2.5" thick and riding it is akin to trying to bodysurf while wearing a Type 1 Life Jacket.
Replacement deck is 22.5" x 22" x 1/4" with minimal buoyancy. Here it is, unfinished, in plan and profile with the factory deck.
Shaped freehand by the owner from a leftover piece of plywood hanging around the garage, it was boiled and then bent with clamps and some 2x4's on a ping pong table. It was originally intended to merely be painted and ridden as a proof of concept. I talked the owner into letting me experiment with glassing it with epoxy in a vacuum bag.
It was primered/sealed with a mixture of epoxy and carbon black. The rails were then taped with 5 oz. fiberglass tape, and the deck with one layer of 2.1 oz., 40 Warp X 39 Fill , plain weave Volan left over from a skateboard project. The bottom received three layers of the same with carbon black used in the lamination of the outer layer.
Deck pad is inexpensive 3mm wetsuit neoprene with the nylon coated side facing out. Attachment points are in the same spots as stock with the through deck attachments cut down to 5 turns and four extra layers of neoprene as spacers.
How does it ride? Well, testing today in a winter-like 8 foot swell at 13 seconds showed that swimming out and maintaining position is more difficult than plain body surfing due to a large amount of extra drag, however that syndrome is completely reversed on a vertical wave face, with the wetted surface of the board and the lower legs and swim fins being the only thing touching the water. It feels like you're flying through the air like an albatross, right above the wave!
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rodndtube Dolphin Glider
Joined: 06 Jan 2004 Posts: 690 Location: USA, MD, Baltimore
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Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 9:45 pm Post subject: |
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Congrats on your experiment... I still can't imagine what duck diving it is like. Guess I will have to try it sometime, actually try it! _________________ rodNDtube
"Prone to ride"
I love my papa li`ili`i |
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PaipoJim Director of CTU
Joined: 31 May 2004 Posts: Location: Oregon
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Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 10:27 pm Post subject: |
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rodndtube wrote: | ... I still can't imagine what duck diving it is like. |
Duckdiving's pretty much of a snap. What little flotation there is keeps the board pressed to your body. It is a bit cumbersome though when changing direction while swimming.
and wrote: | Guess I will have to try it sometime |
You won't have to go far to check out a stock one. Who would have thought that Bethany Beach would be the U.S. headquarters for bodyguns?
http://www.thecoastalpoint.com/archives/20050812/formerlifeguardsangleintosurfindustry.html
Plenty of videos even of them in action on the site, although if you watch you'll quickly see the reason for Andy's updated deck design:
http://www.waveking.net
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Nels Dolphin Glider
Joined: 13 Jan 2004 Posts: 340 Location: Ventura County, California
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Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 12:31 pm Post subject: |
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Haven't got around to saying it...looks like nice work...if I can get this borrowed cpu to play the video that will be interesting too as Iv'e never seen one in action... |
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Nels Dolphin Glider
Joined: 13 Jan 2004 Posts: 340 Location: Ventura County, California
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Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2006 5:02 pm Post subject: |
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Quote: | Duckdiving's pretty much of a snap. What little flotation there is keeps the board pressed to your body. It is a bit cumbersome though when changing direction while swimming. |
Now I'm wondering if pearling the thing is an issue, or is it tight enough against the body? Can't quite imagine what it would be like to pearl a board at my own neck at speed... |
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andy karl
Joined: 03 Jun 2004 Posts:
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Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 10:59 am Post subject: |
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After taking the new board out for it's first sea trails i can say pearling it is probably impossible. When going down the face of a wave all the force is pushing the board against your chest and downward. With the rubber on the top side of the board making contact with your wet suit there no noticeable movement of the board.
After several good rides in 5' to 7' surf I can say that it is much faster than I thought it would be. Turning is easy, just roll your body and that is the way you go. After one spectacular wipe out the only modification I am thinking about is ma bey making the base of the board a little less wide. At speed I am thinking less (board width) may be more. |
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Nels Dolphin Glider
Joined: 13 Jan 2004 Posts: 340 Location: Ventura County, California
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Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 7:01 pm Post subject: |
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I finally got a computer in good enough shape to watch the bodygun video at their website...obviously it works...
Does it feel like the speed/benefit is from the planing surface, or from the floatation? The ply replacement must have given a decent difference to compare the two.
Seriously, I watched the vid and aside of the speed shown on some of the waves my main thought was if anybody had ever tried to bodysurf with a good lifevest on...I'm sure trying that out at a busy beach would get me harassed by every form of waverider on earth who witnessed it... |
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