I've been looking at a few boards over the last month and think I have finally found the people that will make an awesome craft, the problem I'm having is whether to add a concave/double under the standing area of a race board, I've had both before (planning and double concave) but on two very different types of boards, just wondering what peoples opinions are on this?

What do they recommend/think ?

DJ

Hey DJ,

The company I'm looking at using specifically design SLSC surf craft and have only just started design SUP's. They are use to planning hulls but are also open to new ideas/concepts that may improve the performance of a board. When discussing with the designer he said that he had made a board with concave before but didn't mention the negatives or positives.

Maybe its just my surfing background but concaves have always given me the perception of lift meaning a faster ride. Thats why I'm putting it out there to the SUP community.

I like concaves.. but they only work when planing.. If the board is going to be a flat water race board you will probably never get it planing so it makes no sense to have them.. If you want to do BOP races in and out through the surf.. or do down-winders it would make sense to use them depending on the shape of the board.. You would not use concaves on a board like the Penitrator but you could on a board like the 14' Glide or Open Ocean.

It's a good idea to look at boards that work and see what they use.. Starboard use a small narrow and shallow concave about 6-8" wide running down the center and that seems to work.. Most other boards use a pretty normal single to double concave and the trend these days is to have it very shallow and I think it's best to not run them all the way to the rail. I like the idea of having small flats on the sides near the rail with the concave running parallel to the centerline so the flats get wider a the board gets wider.

It will be interesting to hear what others think.. How long is this board and what conditions will it be made for?

DJ