Ok, I've built my wooden surfboard and happy to say it rides pretty well.
Now, I've got a bit of paulownia timber left over from the project, spare fins laying about, the odd foot strap, some marine varnish as well, so I thought I might knock up a speed board. Only trouble is, I haven't a clue about the latest designs in a go-super-fast kiteboard.
We've got a really nice flat water spot around here where I think it would be fun to go fast in the right conditions.
Any design ideas?
Hay Graeme, Got a few Q's about your timber surfboard...
where about did you get your paulownia from? I;ve searched around a bit, the only place that I've heard who has it is some place in WA, and since I live on the Sunshine Coast, QLD thats not good for me. I also heard that there may be a place in northern NSW who may sell it, though people have told me that they went broke sometime last year :(. I;ve also checked online, found a few... If you got your online could u please post a link so i could have a look?
Also, did you just buy a blank, something like this...http://www.surfinggreen.com.au/store/alaias/Alaia-Blank-Standard-Paulownia-Wood-8ft
or did you buy one already half shaped.
Did you use an electric or a hand planer? I've heard hand planers are better because you can get more perfection.
thanks mate
Marcel
Marcel, search the thread on kit3r's board, he used pieces and glued them with black epoxy for a cool effect.
Most all round race/speedboards are around 155-170cm 44-47cm. fins 9-12 degrees canter. boards have very little rocker and Atm suffer from nosediving when bearing downwind. My advice, more rocker at the extreme end of the nose and a slight converse V through the nose, put slightly more rocker through the edges to aid in turning, and a single concave through the riding position of the board as these need to be ridden flat.
OMG the red ones had a shark bite off the back of it .Hope the rider isnt too bad i would say he lost his little toe though 
try this for an experiment, hop on a really fast boat grab a normal kitchen knife and when your at full speed try to force the knife into the moving water, You will start to realize the presure that goes with having a skeg in the water and high speed
once you have a skeg (finn) in the water you will not go faster than 85 km with a kite.
I love science at work
We have been demoing the new boards from Xelerator over the past few weeks and I must say they are real nice. We will be bringing these boards in this year for sure.
can you understand what I'm saying ??? there is a limit on how fast you can push a finn through the water.
so if you want to go really fast, Finns slow you down.
it's true science, why fight it go with it.
It looks like fins are useful for control though. The fin on Seb's board looks like it is sprung, so the more resistance it hits, the less fin there is in the water, so less fin seems to be good for higher speed.
Would be interesting to know if the springing is just to reduce the fin size with speed, or if it works fast to vary the fin as it hits chop, so the fin always stays in the water.
The vibration damper on the nose is probably similar to the type used on downhill skis.
Sounds good but I find that you can go the complicated way and it can work, but it's alway the simple and small way that works better.
I think a deep concave and no finns is the way forward, retractable finns is just too complicated, I also think a 2.2m racing foil on 40m lines will do the job, a 5m inflatable is just too big to go really fast.
I would love to test my thinking but I can't get a group of keen kitesurfers to try it out , the big winds are due in a few week and I'm stuck in sydney for all of next month.
come on guys, lets give it a go. I'm keen and there is a big prize for the taking.
I have the location a GPS and a camera we need a boat and first Aid
Any takers out there???
Pic of a friends speedboard from 2005. Still being finished in the pic. Made for Sandy Point.
At the time he did did 44.8knots average over 500m and max of 48.5knots.
*edit* don't have the specs kit33r but can get them
the amount of concave and as for the huge amount of watercoming off the board all you have to do is lay the board flat. The thing is the more you pull against the kite the more the kite pulls you down wind the idea is go fast enough so the kite is pulling for forward with minimal pressure against the water, it's a different way of riding and it take years to perfect it.
it's the same technique I use to kitesurf in 2 knots.
I would love to be given the opportunaty to be proven wrong.
