Let me go back to where this started.

About 1yr ago i read about the 111km Hawkesbury classic and though to myself that would be a good idea why not have a go at it. I got a new second hand board that was 14" by 24" as i though this would be a good fit for purpose. Before i purchased the board i did some research to ensure there was some stability to be able to allow me to cover the 111kms along the river. I was doing good lenght training runs and my times were slowly improving.

On the day of the race i felt in good shape with all the preparation work i had done over the 5 months prior. Well lets say all all the work i had been doing before paid of in the wrong way where i got a injury 29kms in and had to retire.

So after the race i was chatting to the guys at Balmoral paddlesurf where we entertained the idea of reaching out to the Sunnova team for a custom board that may be a better fit for the 2017 race.

in November 2016 i got together with Burt and threw around a few ideas of what the ideal board may look like, after about 2hrs we had a good idea of the concept along with the direction we needed to go. Over the next month or so we threw around a few ideas to help improve the before the board went into production.

Here is what it looked like on paper




The board that was ordered is 18" by 24" and designed for pure flatwater with the objective of maintaining good average speed for long durations, due to the length it has lots of stability which was quite surprising. I am sure i will not be setting any records as the truth is i am a very very long way from the being a decent paddler let alone any good.

A big thanks for the Balmoral guys for helping the board become reality and to the Sunnova team as the board is a piece of art

Here is what it looked like in real life.

Very, very nice..

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DavidJohn said..
Very, very nice..

Oh yes!!!

That looks exceptional

Nice custom board!

So nice.

Congrats on turning your well thought analysis into reality . Looks great

GMilne, that water shot looks amazing..... owwwweeee!

Beautiful. Goes well with the mirror surface of the water. Must glide like on melted butter.

Thats a lovely looking board, I hope you travel far and fast on it.

That is a beautiful looking board! Good luck with it!

Now THAT'S a board. Wonderful, congratulations.

Beautiful board....pls keep us posted with feedback

Oh i have a feeling there might be quite a few very long and fast boards in this race!!

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SUPbru said..
Beautiful board....pls keep us posted with feedback

Shall do, i dont have a lot of feedback yet. I can confirm my speed has increased by around 1.5kph which i am hoping to get closer to 2kph by the time the race starts.
the glide is amazing, once you are up to speed it is much easier to keep up the speed

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paul.j said..
Oh i have a feeling there might be quite a few very long and fast boards in this race!!

Now you have me interested, last yr all the boards were production boards.

Hi Geordy
On the smooth water you smoked me. Also I can confirm that board leaves no wave so I couldn't even draft.

'Battleship'..... Perfect! Well done.

Beautiful!

This is a board I built awhile back. Only my second design so I am happy with it. There seem to be some similarities though minor so again I am happy with my design thoughts. Its 12'6.
Amazing board GMilne. What Sunnova construction is it and how much does it weight. Good to see a big company doing such a nice custom.
I can not even begin to consider paddling those sort of distances. Great adventure and keep up posted.

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tarquin1 said..



This is a board I built awhile back. Only my second design so I am happy with it. There seem to be some similarities though minor so again I am happy with my design thoughts. Its 12'6.
Amazing board GMilne. What Sunnova construction is it and how much does it weight. Good to see a big company doing such a nice custom.
I can not even begin to consider paddling those sort of distances. Great adventure and keep up posted.

Hey tarquin1 there is some similarities in the noseand your board looks awesome in the wood finish.
construction is the race board xxx construction. The weight is around 12kgs which is good for its length.

I can't wait to get out on some longer runs to see how it goes

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Bowerboy said..
Hi Geordy
On the smooth water you smoked me. Also I can confirm that board leaves no wave so I couldn't even draft.

Cheers, it took me a little to catch you then i put in a bit more effort to ensure you could not get into draft me around the island.

And as they say on the antique road show "how much did you pay " for this beauty if you don't mind me asking as the new unlimiteds have just hit the local up here and I was wondering how much of a difference it is between them and something that is exactly what YOU want cheers

I was able to finally get the old board and the new board together for a quick photo before a paddle over the weekend.

Those are the sharpest pencil I have ever seen, like!

Interesting how the concave on the deck goes all the way forward. I guess you don't need the volume up there in the flat and it keeps the weight down. I think it will add stiffness as well. Strength through better design. I read that somewhere.
It would be interesting to do some tow testing and get drag resistance of the 2 boards.

My board is a hollow wood board and weighs 15 kgs. Beauty has it's price.
Please keep us posted I still can't imagine paddling those distances.
I have seen some longer boards with a retractable fin forward? Better tracking and stability? More weight and drag?
Wet sanded bottom or polished? It's all going to make a difference.
Good luck.

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tarquin1 said..
My board is a hollow wood board and weighs 15 kgs. Beauty has it's price.
Please keep us posted I still can't imagine paddling those distances.
I have seen some longer boards with a retractable fin forward? Better tracking and stability? More weight and drag?
Wet sanded bottom or polished? It's all going to make a difference.
Good luck.

Correct as this is a flat water board there is no need to have a whole lot of volume at the front as it will slice straight through any little bumps that i encounter.

I am not sure of the weight, although i recall it was to be around the 11-12kg mark. I have been doing a few 20-25km training paddles and can confirm there is no need for an additional fins. In fact i am looking to go down to the smallest fin i can to reduce drag. This board racks unbelievably straight and i have been known to get in 20 strakes per side before needing to change