Will review once it is tested thoroughly.

Sweet looking board Martin.

My sneaky plan to get the PiT crew back on the top of the ladder!!!! Who said " hasbeens"???

Very nice looking board !

I'm wondering, how do you find the straps inserts ??

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seanhogan said..
Very nice looking board !

I'm wondering, how do you find the straps inserts ??

Oh Bugger!!! Ha...Pretty sure James took the photo before he put the holes in the pads. The board should arrive late in the week, fingers crossed we get some wind next week so I can report how it went.

Wheres the pre build plans concepts ideas measurements and the usual story process that goes with your board builds???

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Twisted said..
Wheres the pre build plans concepts ideas measurements and the usual story process that goes with your board builds???

Will do if you are interested... just need some time to put it together. Short story is that it's a crossover Speed/Slalom board specifically designed for the type of sailing we do for GPSTC. Straight line blasting often in less than perfect conditions, fast, smooth gybing, early planning and a reasonable amount of hidden volume so you can slog if needs be. For a while I have been trying to create the perfect blasting board for Port Phillip Bay in the 18-25 knot sort of wind range and this will be it!!!

240X64.5X102.8 liters. V to subtle double concave with side flats, also has a narrow flat section right up the guts. Reasonable amount of V at the mast box and forward, less in the tail. Fast rocker, nose rocker fairly low but not as low as a true flat water speed board and just a hint of tail kick to help in rougher water. Volume is all placed around the front feet so it will feel floaty when slogging but small when lit up as the nose is scooped out.

Got a bigger one in the computer as well.

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mr love said..

Twisted said..
Wheres the pre build plans concepts ideas measurements and the usual story process that goes with your board builds???

Will do if you are interested... just need some time to put it together. Short story is that it's a crossover Speed/Slalom board specifically designed for the type of sailing we do for GPSTC. Straight line blasting often in less than perfect conditions, fast, smooth gybing, early planning and a reasonable amount of hidden volume so you can slog if needs be. For a while I have been trying to create the perfect blasting board for Port Phillip Bay in the 18-25 knot sort of wind range and this will be it!!!

240X64.5X102.8 liters. V to subtle double concave with side flats, also has a narrow flat section right up the guts. Reasonable amount of V at the mast box and forward, less in the tail. Fast rocker, nose rocker fairly low but not as low as a true flat water speed board and just a hint of tail kick to help in rougher water. Volume is all placed around the front feet so it will feel floaty when slogging but small when lit up as the nose is scooped out.

Got a bigger one in the computer as well.

Martin, I reckon that's the design brief for all GPS sailors ! Can you bottle it when have that nailed ?
How did the last one go, was it a similar size to this one ?

Ha, yep maybe a pretty ambitious brief but that is what I am trying to achieve. There is always a compromise ( eg theoretical top speed vs control) and getting that balance right is proving to be the secret.
The last one was the one Hoop built me. Bigger than this and has that W bottom I was playing with. It's a sweet board, not quite as racy as this one is intended to be. The previous one was the PC2. That board was hand built and did not come out quite to spec, ended up shorter and lower in volume than intended. I also made the tail cutouts too big which I have since modified. It,s a good board but a bit small for me to get used regularly, about 10 liters smaller than this.
A garage sale coming up soon to sell some of the previous customs I think.

OK, because you asked here are a few happy snaps of the board development. Cad model showing the bottom ( chrome shader really exaggerates the concaves, they are subtle). My graphics ideas, kept it simple. If James is OK with it I will add some build shots from Carbonart tomorrow.

The board is designed as a GPS Team Challenge board, so a crossover speed / slalom board. Could call it a big speed board for rough water if you wish. Compared to a PWA style slalom board it is narrower in the tail allowing a more relaxed stance when going deep and theoretically a higher top speed. It has quite a bit of volume under the front straps but quite carved away in the nose. Rocker is fast, moderate nose rocker low enough for low drag but high enough for rougher water. A touch of tail rocker to loosen it up and improve the gybe. V tail, increasing V middle to front with a subtle concave mid board. A small twist on the normal by having a narrow flat right up the center. It should handle rough conditions easily.
Built by James at Carbonart. James vacuums down onto a machined shim to ensure the bottom shape is accurate. The core is also machined along with the check templates again to ensure accuracy. Construction is his Tech construction with an extra carbon strip down the guts on the bottom. Carbon deck, S glass bottom with carbon reinforcements. Lightweight sanded finish.

We do intend to offer this board and a larger design as KA boards. Obviously as they will be built by Carbonart and James has to look after his own customers they will be done in very small numbers, built to order. But a bit early to talk about that, some final testing to do first.

James fine with me posting some build pics, just wanted to make sure I wasn't giving away his IP. As I said he machines a shim and the board is vacuumed down on to that. The core is also NC cut. The cutouts machined oversized and high density blocks fitted then the final cutouts cut into the HD block. Awesome work!!!

Nice work Martin. Is the high density foam in the cutouts to eliminate the weak point that some boards have around their cutouts?

Is there any truth to the rumor that the Pit Crew are changing their team name to the Hasbeens?

Gaz, James from Carbonart is the construction guru and I only gave him an idea of what I wanted and left it all to him. I understand it is what he does on his boards. Yes I assume it would be to make them stronger and also that if you did get a crack there is closed cell foam underneath so the board will not suck water.

I will neither confirm or deny that rumor.

Don't want to put the Moz on it but Northerlies forecast for the whole second half of next week. Hurry up DHL!!!

Board is here and it is SICK!!!!! Photos soon. Awesome job James.

Oh yeah baby!!! In designer heaven. Will take it down the beach later and try and do some "arty" shots.

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mr love said..
Oh yeah baby!!! In designer heaven. Will take it down the beach later and try and do some "arty" shots.

Make sure you wear some KA shorts

Col, I wish I had some.

OK, my attempt at some photos, as a photographer I make a good designer.

I like the 2nd picture.

Will it be in the garage sale? I'm keen

I like the red/ green. Port/ starboard cut out colours. Lets the dolphins know which way you are heading!!

How do they stop the blank from moving whilst it is being cut ?
My best guess is they don't fully finish cutting the deck but leave random, foam block sections, then flip it over and glue it down then cut the bottom.

Can you send one to the UK please? ??

OK, first outing. Patchy holey Northerly at Green Point, 15-25 knots. Very steep wave with the tide just starting to come in and running against the wind. North end of Port Phillip Bay is not a speed venue.

I do not really have the right fin for this board, as it was pretty windy I ran a Tribal Powermax 30 but knew it would be too small. Koncept 5.8 which i think also the smallest sail you would use on this.

So...how did it go... well bloody good. It has a crisp lively ride, really gets up on it's tail and goes. It was tough conditions but it handled it well. A bit flighty upwind but when I beared away and pointed down wind it came alive, sliced through the chop and it was fast. I ended up with a 32 2 second and a 30 5X10 average which sounds lame but is a full 2 seconds faster than I have ever gone at this spot and I am happy with it in the conditions. Especially good as the fin was too small and I could feel it trying to let go when I was pretty much airborne off the backs of the waves going downwind This is not a speed venue..full on 1 meter plus steep backless waves randomly breaking.
The gybe was awesome....somebody with good gybing skills will rip Alphas on this.

I am pretty happy. James has done a super professional job with the build... it feels rock solid, finished beautifully and looks the part.

Looked very nice on the water from my board yesterday Mr Love, chop didn't seem to cause you too much grief at all.

Surprised you could see me, thought I would have been just a blur!!

Second ride today, Green Point again almost mirror image conditions to Wednesday. Used a KA Race 6.3, still with the Tribal Powermax 30 which is a shade too small, 32 would be ideal. The board rides high when you sail crosswind and upwind and maybe lifts its nose a tad too much but when you point it downwind it just goes. I do have the straps right back so could put them forward to settle it a touch.
I put the hammer down for one downwind, run went probably 400 meters before I wimped it and backed off, was pretty crazy in the chop. Had a 34.11 on the dial which is 1.5 knots faster than Wednesday and the top speed in these rough conditions is only limited by your level of commitment as it was still accelerating.
Would love to try it in some flatter water or in a 20 knot seabreeze at Elwood where the waves are bigger but not as closely spaced.
It s a fun, engaging ride, but not for the faint hearted in these conditions!!!

Maybe mast base fwd a cm or two? Sounds like a great board. Looking forward to hearing about some flatter water trials. Or proper open ocean swells.

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Piv said..
Maybe mast base fwd a cm or two? Sounds like a great board. Looking forward to hearing about some flatter water trials. Or proper open ocean swells.

Will move the straps forward for the rough stuff, I have them right back. Then it should be sweet as!!

Sorry about the low res photos but it gives some idea of the terrain I was trying to go fast in.

Thats not a speed course... good place to test a board though.

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Piv said..
Thats not a speed course... good place to test a board though.

Also good for testing ageing knees, thus my quest for a board that can go fast in these conditions without killing you.

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mr love said..

Piv said..
Maybe mast base fwd a cm or two? Sounds like a great board. Looking forward to hearing about some flatter water trials. Or proper open ocean swells.

Will move the straps forward for the rough stuff, I have them right back. Then it should be sweet as!!

early days Mr love ...as you get to know ,and get use to the board the straps might come back again .i sail in similar rough ,and getting the nose up is a must
great job .