It has been quite a while since I have shared one of my board projects so thought maybe it was time to bore everybody

I am 60 this year....been struggling with my back a bit and my right knee is not wonderful......so I really should be cruising around on freeride gear rather than trying to beat my Port Phillip Bay PB on Slalom boards. However I just love going fast.
The northern end of Port Phillip is a very challenging piece of water and not the ideal environment for speed.....it's the water that inspired the Severne Fox. My slalom designs are quite sailable here and I can go super fast in bursts however at my age I am finding that I tire quickly and as a consequence my sessions aren't as long as I would like. Hence this project....a specific design that will hopefully allow me to sail really, really fast with more comfort and ease. A rough water slalom/ GPS board.

Here is what I am doing.




The board dimensions are 239 long.....66.5 wide.....106.5 liters. It has a very parallel outline mid board and "kinks" at the front foot strap with a second straightish section through to the cutoff tail. This will generate lots of lift in front of the front foot to initiate planing and improve stability off the plane. It will also set the stance up with the back foot slightly more inboard than on a full blown slalom board which will be less physical. As the board pops and picks up speed it will ride off the narrower, low drag tail.





It has a slalom rocker line, the little bit of extra length allowing for a slightly higher nose for safety in the steep backed waves when fanging off the wind. It,s pretty flat through to front straps and has a super smooth progressive curve through to the nose.






The bottom shape is double parallel concave with side flats, nothing revolutionary. The concave is deepest just forward of the mast base and although it runs right through there is only a hint in the tail. The cutouts are similar to my 73 wide slalom board but slightly shallower at 12mm deep. The board has quite a bit of V.....not extreme but generous at 1 degree per side and the side flats having 1.2 degrees. There is no spiral the angles are constant right through. Having done a lot of boards now I am confident that I have the balance right between comfort in chop and top speed. The rails are quite tucked forward to prevent grabbing and nice and sharp in the tail for a clean release.



The deck is scooped out to get the mast track lower and to remove mass from the nose.

Carbon Art is building this board, I am so lucky to have James helping me out with this little Atomicsurf project. He has the files, the materials are ordered so the CNC should be firing up very soon. I am super excited about this design, everytime I have sailed lately I have thought..."if only I had the Masterblaster"

Hopefully soon i will will be giving you a full rundown on how it performs.......

I've just realized that it isn't just another private building project but the birth of a new boardbrand. www.atomicwindsurf.com/

This is really great news. Good luck!

Not really a brand Fred...it,s a project. Carbonart machine a bottom shim even when they do 1 off custom boards. It seemed a waste to me to machine this and then chuck it, so for the sake of registering a business name and creating a website ( which was fun) I thought I would offer my board designs to anybody that may be interested. I think the boards are good and those who have had a spin appear to like them and quite a few people have said to me that I should do something. So I have, but it is all very low key and for me just a lot of fun.

Great initiative Martin, these types of boards have a big future. Comfortable is fast and with this it seems like you're onto it! Just had 95 and 80 liter boards built for the Gorge with this in mind.

Hi Roo....Yes there comes a time when you have to face your limitations and admit that you don't have the stamina that you used to. My slalom boards work in the conditions but just tire me out...younger, fitter riders would love them. I find myself doing short bursts at full speed then backing off for a while to recover, I can't keep the hammer down for a full session. Last season I dabbled with a freeride board...Tabou 3S 106 but it was not fast enough for me so the mission was try to create a board as comfortable as that but with a much better top end. I am pretty excited to see how well I have succeeded.

Martin looking forward to seeing it in the flesh and a report on how it goes?
Do you have anymore views of the board mainly the bottom shape like a front view? Sounds a similar to the mistral?

when do you recon it will be ready?

Problem solved .....Windtech 72 and 64, as fast as any slalom and more comfortable than a Fox, in fact every time I've sailed alongside a Fox and we hit chop the Windtech's pull away. Now I will wait for all the expert commentry on my statement ,however If you haven't ridden one you really can't make a qualified opinion.

Sure will do a few more screen dumps tonight.
ETA...not sure but it is happening.
Similar to Mistral ? Same basic bottom shape setup, double parallel concave with side flats. Patriks are similar as was his F2 designs and I saw and old Tiga at Sandy Point recently that had basically the same format...check it out.

So the concept has been around for sometime.

Where I have no idea of the similarities is in the V and rocker setup as I have not measured any of them apart from taking a V measurement off the Fox with my iPhone, the V looked extreme and I was interested in how much it actually had....more than my Masterblaster. I reckon I am sitting in between somewhere. I based the V setup on my learning from all the boards I have done including a few bump and jump boards. I think I have a pretty good balance and will find out soon. The rocker is really close to my Weapon Slalom boards, just a tad higher at 120, 150 and the nose.
All good fun.

Good work mr Love. The number of 60 + windsurfers out there is only going to increase. And I can see a return to that old fundamental of sailing at your local spot where wind and wave are not necessarily separated.

What about length? Do you think a bit more length is beneficial in your target conditions for those of us not too worried about doing an endless series of slashy turns? Don't have my old 278 anymore to compare to the modern shorties, but theoretically moment of inertia goes up with length squared so 10% more length - 20% more directional stability.

The windtechs get good reviews in this area. They're 257 and 262 long,.

love your work Martin ! You should consider a holiday in New cal to show us your boards !!!!!

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Ian K said..
What about length? Do you think a bit more length is beneficial in your target conditions for those of us not too worried about doing an endless series of slashy turns? Don't have my old 278 anymore to compare to the modern shorties, but theoretically moment of inertia goes up with length squared so 10% more length - 20% more directional stability.

The windtechs get good reviews in this area. They're 257 and 262 long,.

May sound crazy but the practicality of shorter boards is a big plus for us city dwellers. I can't event get a board over 240 in my van.

i see a definite demand for boards that are kind on the knees while delivering good speed.

Here is a screen dump of the front view.


Sean....would love to looks like a awesome place to windsurf.

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Waiting4wind said..

Ian K said..
What about length? Do you think a bit more length is beneficial in your target conditions for those of us not too worried about doing an endless series of slashy turns? Don't have my old 278 anymore to compare to the modern shorties, but theoretically moment of inertia goes up with length squared so 10% more length - 20% more directional stability.

The windtechs get good reviews in this area. They're 257 and 262 long,.

May sound crazy but the practicality of shorter boards is a big plus for us city dwellers. I can't event get a board over 240 in my van.

i see a definite demand for boards that are kind on the knees while delivering good speed.

https://www.carsales.com.au/demo/details/Ford-Transit-Custom-2017/OAG-AD-14825085/?Cr=3

So that's it? Boards are 239 long to fit in the standard SWB van which is designed around two standard Euro pallets? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EUR-pallet

There's got to be more to it than that. Although I can understand how the shortness of freestyle boards (in the quest for minimum swing weight) became fashionable, spread across disciplines and then got stuck at the standard van length. No one's going back to one piece masts even though there are advantages....

but for those of us over 60 with LWB vans ......

Could centre of percussion have something to do with it? Some boards that are very rough riding at slow speed smooth out when a bit more power is available and the chop starts slapping a bit further back.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_of_percussion

Maybe a 1 kg lead weight glued right on the nose would do the trick, still keeping within the 2.4 limit?

Hi Ian, All a bit high brow for me I am afraid. Where I think a bit of extra length helps is in the rocker curve and the angle that the bottom of the board impacts a wave. If you have established your basic rocker..tail kick if any, 0 rocker point, 900, 1200, 1500 and nose rocker heights then the length impacts the shape of the curve splined through those points. If the board is longer you end up with a shallower angle at the front of the board which means when it does impact a wave the impact is theoretically less abrupt. If the board is very short then the curve in the nose when splined through the same points will be more severe and in theory will impact a wave more abruptly. I know this is way over simplified and there is a lot more going on however my experience has been that the very short boards with more pronounced curvature in the nose can tend to "trip" on the steep short frequency waves when sailing downwind. You can solve this by lowering the nose rocker but then you have the risk of driving the nose into the back of a steep wave....so its a trade off.
For example my old 2010 RRD FSW ( which I rated highly) had a long rocker flat, was quite low at the 1500 point and had a very pronounced nose lift. Overall an excellent board however it did have a tendency to dig its nose into the back of steep waves when going flatout downwind and would abruptly slow down and give you that over the front sensation. I then did a FSW design which Stuart built me that was pretty similar but had a higher 1200 and 1500 point and a lower entry curve in the nose. This board did not do this, when it impacted a wave it tended to just ride over it rather than dramatically slow down and felt way safer.
But as I said its not that simple. The way a board trims ( ie flat or nose up) has an effect on how it impacts waves as well as bottom shape blah blah blah.

I do agree with Waiting for Wind that there are practical advantages in keeping the length down for transport...so again its a tradeoff.

Every time I design board I learn something that is what drives me to keep doing it.




Here is a curve splined through the same 0, 400,1200,1500, 1800 and nose heights, one is just 100mm longer than the other. See what it does to the entry curve.

Boards over 240cm long are easier to tack. This is an advantage when trying to get upwind when underpowered.

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John340 said..
Boards over 240cm long are easier to tack. This is an advantage when trying to get upwind when underpowered.

Only if it has more volume John...a wider, fatter, shorter nose with the same volume will be just as easy to tack.

The advantage of a longer board is that they may be easier to tune and also may pop onto to the plane more easily in marginal conditions without pumping. I may be wrong but I have shorter boards now and that seems to be my observations.

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Roo said..
Great initiative Martin, these types of boards have a big future. Comfortable is fast and with this it seems like you're onto it! Just had 95 and 80 liter boards built for the Gorge with this in mind.

Off topic but Just curious, because I sail in the San Francisco Bay Area, who is building the boards? I am looking for a slalom-fast 80-85 Liters to take the place of my Carbon Art 52 wide.

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mr love said..
Hi Ian, All a bit high brow .

Here is a curve splined through the same 0, 400,1200,1500, 1800 and nose heights, one is just 100mm longer than the other. See what it does to the entry curve.

Probably should have used the cricket batting term "Sweet spot" . The spot between the tip and the handle where the jolt is not felt at the handle. Possibly not a factor at all, just thinking out loud. Looked at those curves for a 230 and 240 board. the nose lift is certainly affected but I'd think the incessant chop slap is between 1200 and 1500? Not much different there.

Can see a few boards on the market at 250 or greater. Tabou Rocket 125, Mistral slalom, Windtech Silver Bullet, JP Excite Ride, Patrik F ride... Haven't sailed any of them. Can any ancient mariners report on how they go in choppy water? Just trying to ascertain if length is an important variable. We all rode longer boards back in the day, but who took any notice of how smooth the ride was way back then?

Sure Ian...and those mid points can be whatever you dictate suitable for your design...my point was more about how that extra length lowers the entry angle and helps the board when sailing at speed downwind and running into the backs of steep chop. In my experience that is where the super short boards can be problematic, had broken ribs to prove it.

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mr love said..

John340 said..
Boards over 240cm long are easier to tack. This is an advantage when trying to get upwind when underpowered.

Only if it has more volume John...a wider, fatter, shorter nose with the same volume will be just as easy to tack.

Maybe, but I suspect they are more sensitive to foot placement

Duzzi, Carbonart are making the boards. At this point I have no plan to do anything that small...92 litres the smallest. James has a new range of Carbonart Slalom boards and has ones in that size...take a look at the website.

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mr love said..
Sure Ian...and those mid points can be whatever you dictate suitable for your design...my point was more about how that extra length lowers the entry angle and helps the board when sailing at speed downwind and running into the backs of steep chop. In my experience that is where the super short boards can be problematic, had broken ribs to prove it.

I'm sure that this is quite complex. Comparing my Patrik 110 to my iSo 110 the isonic is much more prone to running into the backs of waves then the Patrik in heavy chop. The Patrik is simply awesome in chop when you have it setup well.

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duzzi said..

Roo said..
Great initiative Martin, these types of boards have a big future. Comfortable is fast and with this it seems like you're onto it! Just had 95 and 80 liter boards built for the Gorge with this in mind.

Off topic but Just curious, because I sail in the San Francisco Bay Area, who is building the boards? I am looking for a slalom-fast 80-85 Liters to take the place of my Carbon Art 52 wide.

Duzzi I had my boards built in the Gorge by North Pacific. Art Collier is one of the best around and Richard Greene is working with him there. northpacificsurf.com/ Even better no sales tax!

This just gives you an idea of the rocker. Shown are sections at center line and down the center of the concave. As you can see there is no true "flat" but it is almost flat through to 800 with just 1mm of tail kick and less than 1mm rocker @900 off, a bit more at the center of the concave as the concave increases from virtually nothing at the tail and is deepest @500 off.
Carbonart don't have the machined bottom shim or blank yet but as soon as they do they will be into it!!

Final graphics.......Carbonart started the build this week and James will send photos as he progresses. At the risk of boring you #$%^less I will post as he sends. I,m like a kid waiting for his birthday to arrive with this one!!

Woohoo!
I can imagine you anticicpating the arrival of the first boards.
I would love to try one, but it doesn't seem likely that one of them falls off the ship in Germany on its way from New Zealand to Oz.
So I'm eager to read the first gear review.

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mr love said..
It has been quite a while since I have shared one of my board projects so thought maybe it was time to bore everybody

I am 60 this year....been struggling with my back a bit and my right knee is not wonderful......so I really should be cruising around on freeride gear rather than trying to beat my Port Phillip Bay PB on Slalom boards. However I just love going fast.
The northern end of Port Phillip is a very challenging piece of water and not the ideal environment for speed.....it's the water that inspired the Severne Fox. My slalom designs are quite sailable here and I can go super fast in bursts however at my age I am finding that I tire quickly and as a consequence my sessions aren't as long as I would like. Hence this project....a specific design that will hopefully allow me to sail really, really fast with more comfort and ease. A rough water slalom/ GPS board.

Here is what I am doing.




The board dimensions are 239 long.....66.5 wide.....106.5 liters. It has a very parallel outline mid board and "kinks" at the front foot strap with a second straightish section through to the cutoff tail. This will generate lots of lift in front of the front foot to initiate planing and improve stability off the plane. It will also set the stance up with the back foot slightly more inboard than on a full blown slalom board which will be less physical. As the board pops and picks up speed it will ride off the narrower, low drag tail.





It has a slalom rocker line, the little bit of extra length allowing for a slightly higher nose for safety in the steep backed waves when fanging off the wind. It,s pretty flat through to front straps and has a super smooth progressive curve through to the nose.






The bottom shape is double parallel concave with side flats, nothing revolutionary. The concave is deepest just forward of the mast base and although it runs right through there is only a hint in the tail. The cutouts are similar to my 73 wide slalom board but slightly shallower at 12mm deep. The board has quite a bit of V.....not extreme but generous at 1 degree per side and the side flats having 1.2 degrees. There is no spiral the angles are constant right through. Having done a lot of boards now I am confident that I have the balance right between comfort in chop and top speed. The rails are quite tucked forward to prevent grabbing and nice and sharp in the tail for a clean release.



The deck is scooped out to get the mast track lower and to remove mass from the nose.

Carbon Art is building this board, I am so lucky to have James helping me out with this little Atomicsurf project. He has the files, the materials are ordered so the CNC should be firing up very soon. I am super excited about this design, everytime I have sailed lately I have thought..."if only I had the Masterblaster"

Hopefully soon i will will be giving you a full rundown on how it performs.......

I hear you brother, at 60+ its becoming increasingly difficult to do more than 30km per session on race gear in bay chop.
Any gear that makes it easier is welcome and theres a big market out there of ageing sailors.
Goes for race sails too,lighter easier rotating wanted.

First photos from Carbonart.

The core straight off the CNC.....the standoffs allow the bottom to be machined on a flat milling bed.



James has started cleaning up the core ready for the sandwich which will happen this week. There will be PVC blocks going in to the cutout recesses and the cutouts will then be machined into the higher density PVC.

Bottom on, pvc blocks for the fittings to go in then the deck can go on.