Solo Dolphin Glider
Joined: 10 Jan 2004 Posts: 67 Location: Newport, Oregon
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Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2004 4:36 pm Post subject: |
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Hi Stormseeker and Poobah...
Great questions!
The Airboard makes several models (w/at least one for surfing), and in terms of serious, balanced speed and handling (esp. in comparison to the performance of conventional snowboards/skis), they're simply the latest, mass-produced incarnation of high tech innertubes. As promoted, Airboards are new, fast, fun, comfortable, a short learning curve and relatively safe... with minimal control... primarily targeting a youth-newbie market. In our culture, that usually adds up to short-term popularity. I don`t see the Airboard as being the snow equivalent to Tom Morey`s revolutionary "Boogie" bodyboard. But time will tell.
My surf mats are an entirely different animal in terms of design, materials and operation. They don`t function as a solid/semi-soft object, and are made to run at very low pressures, weighing about 18 ounces- not several pounds, and have a refined balance of speed and handling over a wide range of waves and surface conditions. Their learning curve is decades long.
I`ve never sold one to a teenager, most of my customers being experienced water persons, ages 25 to 65. I`ve been making ultralight, nylon and polyurethane mats since 1982, as well as other types since the 1970`s... all custom, individually handcrafted, high end equipment.
But I reckon in the snow, my surf mats would have about as much control as an old innertube, minus the durability of thick rubber and garage sale price.
Regarding the question about surf mats in different shapes... I have done a bit of experimenting, but I`ve never made square, triangular, trapezoidal, circular or star shaped mats. That said, I`m aware that a great many peculiar things can be coaxed into surfing a wave, especially when used by a prone rider... all proving very little about advanced level performance.
One might then investigate how well such a craft works in a variety of challenging conditions, and how it feels. Some people have been known to prefer inflated pillowcases instead of paipos, bodyboards and mats. Truth is, almost anything will slide down a wave. My efforts have been shaped by my own experiences, as well as by the feedback from the best mat surfers in the world, individuals who are also skilled on many other types of watercraft.
The basic concept behind what I build has always revolved around creating the most wide-range performance and sensitivity from the least material and overall dimension. Why are fine sports cars built without the length of a dragster, or the size and weight of an SUV?
Inflated and at rest, surf mats appear crudely simplistic... but in action, moving across a wave, those straight lines, round rails and square corners come alive, active morphing into other contours, literally shaped by the curves and textures of the wave itself. A surf mat is a pneumatic structure, functioning as an independent air suspension system between rider and wave. Even the width, length and buoyancy distribution of a mat are subject to constant change.
Over the course of many years, I`ve learned how to make specialized mats for people who expect a single mat to run with balanced speed and handling in 1' - 2' beachbreak zippers all the way up to 3X outer reef waves, hollow smooth and offshore or bumpy flat onshore with cross-chop and ledges. That`s a wide operating range! Such a philosophy is the opposite of the mainstream surf industry, which generally encourages the purchase of numerous boards and accessories to accomodate a variety of subjective preferences, waves and conditions.
As for triangular/trapezoidal shapes working well on paipos, then why not on surf mats? Well... the higher a surf mats' air pressure, the more it begins to behave and feel like a solid object... which creates several new problems, one which is common to many hybrids: nearly all advantages of a low pressure surf mat are lost, and yet most beneficial characterstics of a solid object cannot be attained. I`ve also done a bit of experimenting with inflatable decks attached to hard lower shells, and hard flex panels attached above inflatable pontoons... with and without keels, runners, fins.
Interestingly, at lower inflation levels, the back width of a surf mat naturally flattens and expands from the pressure of rider and wave face. For example, a 19" wide design can instantly become 22" wide. When surfing, a mat`s "footprint", or contact area, remains substantial even when projecting through hard, carving turns. It`s 100% active, responding to the water`s surface in a similar manner as a radial tire to the road.
All for now... have fun! |
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