Check out the the Windsurfing TV pod cast of Bruce Wylie, Aussie legend and a great insight into the windsurfing life.
Yes interesting but for more background read the links below. The interview was somewhat superficial and did not go into the background and enormity of what Bruce Wylie achieved prior or later and the questions were somewhat inane, underlining the lack of preparation of the interviewer and lack of knowledge by the interviewer of the subject being interviewed. It was good to see the interviewer did not do the usual interruptions he often is seen to be doing so some improvement here and well done. I will concede the interview did hit the highlights and that Wylie is an Olympic gold medalist in Windsurfing from LA 1984 Windsurfer Class Exhibition and was a great slalom and wave sailor in the World Cup under WSMA, PBA and PWA. I missed it that he was among the highest paid Aussies , on the Mistral, Bombora, Gaastra and Sailworks teams at different times. It did mention he became a designer/shaper and now is a Manager at Cobra. I dont think it mentioned, unless I missed it, that he also designed the modern Windsurfer LT, currently the best selling and most popular windsurfer one design class in the world.
cobrainter.com/assets/downloads/Cobra-Web-WTPS17.pdf
www.cobrainter.com/news/case-studies/the-latest-extract-from-our-40-year-book-interviews-bruce-wylie-chief-commercial-officer-of-cobra
Last shot is of the highly moneyed Racewinner in the Peter Jackson Bluewater Classic 1986, skipper Bruce Wylie sailing on the Pittwater side of Palm Beach, Sydney, a Division 2 board for the Bombora team using a Gaastra 9.0 m2 RAF Prototype racesail with a great shape on what looks to be a stiff alloy mast providing power and speed. Bruce is rumoured now to be considering an entry into the Australian Masters Games, Perth April 2022 for a repeat win, this time on the modern lightened Windsurfer Class LT conceived and designed by him.
Probably because nobody who watches windsurfing TV cares about the LT and Bruce didn't think it worth mentioning.
Select to expand quoteGrantmac said..
Probably because nobody who watches windsurfing TV cares about the LT and Bruce didn't think it worth mentioning.
I seriously doubt that the watchers would really be offended by any mention of that other than any watcher who may just be a small minded mealy mouthed individual. I think Bruce would mention it if asked and it is worth mentioning and the fact it wasn't actually reflects poorly and negatively on Windsurfing TV. He did have a photo of one in his office. The interviewer failed to ask all the right questions.
Well the "interviewer" is a professional windsurfer at the current top level, so perhaps you should let go of the 80-ties and try some more modern stuff?
If being "modern" is so important then why do you guys windsurf at all, instead of spending all your time on kitefoils?
Well, to me it is the developments that came after the 80-ties that makes the sport great.
I'm struggling to understand the sect like behaviour around boards like the Kona and LT. We had all that in the eighties, and then we improved on it.
Select to expand quoteSurferKris said..
Well the "interviewer" is a professional windsurfer at the current top level, so perhaps you should let go of the 80-ties and try some more modern stuff?
Sorry just because he is a professional windsurfer at the current top level does not make a good interviewer. It is not about the gear, we all have modern gear too, it is about the interview.
Improved? That depends entirely on your taste, and to a certain extent how narrow it is. Windsurfing can be a lot more than just sailing in stronger winds. Windsurfer racing can be a lot more than a wallet competition. For many things, an "improved" board is actually an inferior board; try cruising around on a nice quiet day, or racing in a big local fleet, or building your skills without just getting a "better" board. Try the feeling of railing on the centreboard, or the feel of an ultra-light rig, or the interest that comes with having radically different sailing styles dependent on point of sail.
If we are going to judge windsurfing by most of the measures it has "improved" since the '80s, then kiting is arguably better than windsurfing. If we're judging it by speed in a moderate to strong breeze and open water then kiting is better. If we're judging it by new designs, then kiting is better. If we're judging it by height, then kiting is better.
Of course, we could just accept that we shouldn't be arrogant dorks who claim that only their personal preference is any good........ in which case we'd just accept that enjoying sailing any board is good.
Select to expand quoteRichardG said..SurferKris said..
Well the "interviewer" is a professional windsurfer at the current top level, so perhaps you should let go of the 80-ties and try some more modern stuff?
Sorry just because he is a professional windsurfer at the current top level does not make a good interviewer. It is not about the gear, we all have modern gear too, it is about the interview.
Did the interviewer ask about why the quality of cobra boards is falling and quantity of bog in them is rising.
more or less that question was asked. answer was pretty much "customer specifications".
Select to expand quotestehsegler said..
more or less that question was asked. answer was pretty much "customer specifications".
When it comes to using materials like bamboo or eco resins etc I would agree its a customer specification, when it comes to a tail full of bog or excess sanding of material I would call BS to "customer specification"
I reckon Mr Proffitt should do the interviews for the podcasts. Agree that the questions were not well thought out but really pleased that it showcased what a "BP quite achiever" Bruce is.
Ben is only hosting this on windsurfing TV.
AFAIK it is entirely the work and ideas of Maciek (the "interviewer") who started this on his own channel.
Watched the podcast because it was 34 years back in 1988 since I last seen him or had any idea he was in the industry. 1988 Margret River Wave Sailing Nationals he got with out doubt the aerial of the event ( a bouncy bottom turn that put him so deep inside and under a Margaret's mast high drainer where time stood still for seconds as he some how got sucked right around the barrel suspended inside ,sucked up the face upside down with not a lot off wind in the rig , before it picked him up like a tooth pick inside the barrel, he free fell back into the pit and he sailed away. Ps Best laydown bottom turns for the week of sailing was performed by local Margret River ripper
Gill Stubbs on his Delta asymmetrical with an inch of twist through the tail (sic) Memory's yes Bruce was into slalom and racing but this Margret River aerial was insane for the time , I know he would remember it .I have a Video Cassette of most of the event 1988 Margret River Nationals I'll take this opertunity to ask some one to PM me or tell me where to get it digitally updated ??? I'm sure it is on that video tape. Blar blar bla Nice one Bruce 
Good interview, he speaks very well and was a great windsurfer by the sounds, also a valuable asset to any surf company
Bit below the belt sledging cobra, seabreeze is a better place to vent that
Select to expand quoteking of the point said..
Watched the podcast because it was 34 years back in 1988 since I last seen him or had any idea he was in the industry. 1988 Margret River Wave Sailing Nationals he got with out doubt the aerial of the event ( a bouncy bottom turn that put him so deep inside and under a Margaret's mast high drainer where time stood still for seconds as he some how got sucked right around the barrel suspended inside ,sucked up the face upside down with not a lot off wind in the rig , before it picked him up like a tooth pick inside the barrel, he free fell back into the pit and he sailed away. Ps Best laydown bottom turns for the week of sailing was performed by local Margret River ripper
Gill Stubbs on his Delta asymmetrical with an inch of twist through the tail (sic) Memory's yes Bruce was into slalom and racing but this Margret River aerial was insane for the time , I know he would remember it .I have a Video Cassette of most of the event 1988 Margret River Nationals I'll take this opertunity to ask some one to PM me or tell me where to get it digitally updated ??? I'm sure it is on that video tape. Blar blar bla Nice one Bruce
I suggest you contact Flying Dutchman and he may digitise it and put on you tube for the benefit of all. Gill Stubbs a legend, first Highwinds, Cottesloe (Ken Eichenberg) and then Delta Designs boards and sails and being the master of Margaret River.
Select to expand quoteFreeflight said..
Good interview, he speaks very well and was a great windsurfer by the sounds, also a valuable asset to any surf company
Bit below the belt sledging cobra, seabreeze is a better place to vent that
Just listened to it today during a long car ride. I more got the impression it was meant to be an opportunity for Cobra to lay out their side of things as it's difficult to do that on line or in social media. Maciek's questions seemed to be about popular internet "Cobra tropes" and Bruce was able to address them. Maciek didn't seem to challenge his responses which would have been more adversarial. Some people on forums can be irrational and even when a company tries to give their side of things, posters will just scream louder and louder making any sort of adult conversation challenging. Seen it happen here when a company tries to respond to something.
If there was any awkwardness, it seemed more that Bruce seemed to be guarded in his statements as opposed to the Peter Thommen podcast I listened to afterwards. Bruce is in a more corporate position than most in the industry. He's responsible, if I remember the numbers correctly, for the production of 40,000 boards a year. What he can or can't say is going to be different than an individual shaper, brand manager or custom builder.
If brands are underspeccing boards (as Peter suggested - he seems fond of Cobra), Bruce isn't going to chuck his best customers under the bus for not adding that last layer of carbon that the board probably needed but someone at the brand decided would impact margins too much. The brands, not us, are Cobra's customers.
My second board was a cobra gun that I bought used in the mid 80s. I had one session at narrabeen lakes on it that really stuck with me. Blasting from side to side getting off and turning around in the shallows.
I liked the interview.
For some reason I thought starboard had their own factory. Which brands use cobra?
Select to expand quotethedoor said..
My second board was a cobra gun that I bought used in the mid 80s. I had one session at narrabeen lakes on it that really stuck with me. Blasting from side to side getting off and turning around in the shallows.
I liked the interview.
For some reason I thought starboard had their own factory. Which brands use cobra?
As far as I can tell:
Kinetic
- Simmer Style (note the sponsor of Ben Proffitt)
- FUTURE FLY
- FMXRACING (note the sponsor of Maciek Rutkowski)
- AV Boards
-Windtech
Cobra (CCO Bruce Wylie)
- Starboard
- JP Australia
- Fanatic
-Quatro
-Goya
-Naish
-NSP
-Exocet
-i99
-RRD
-KT Surfing
-Mistral
-Surftech
-Patrik (some of the range but not all)
-Tabou
-Windsurfer LT
-Kona
-Global Surf Industries (GSI) (some of the range but not all)
-Haydenshapes
Unknown
Severne made in China ? by whom ?
Select to expand quoteRichardG said..thedoor said..
My second board was a cobra gun that I bought used in the mid 80s. I had one session at narrabeen lakes on it that really stuck with me. Blasting from side to side getting off and turning around in the shallows.
I liked the interview.
For some reason I thought starboard had their own factory. Which brands use cobra?
As far as I can tell:
Kinetic
- Simmer Style (note the sponsor of Ben Proffitt)
- FUTURE FLY
- FMXRACING (note the sponsor of Maciek Rutkowski)
- AV Boards
-Windtech
Cobra (CCO Bruce Wylie)
- Starboard
- JP Australia
- Fanatic
-Quatro
-Goya
-Naish
-NSP
-Exocet
-i99
-RRD
-KT Surfing
-Mistral
-Surftech
-Patrik (some of the range but not all)
-Tabou
-Windsurfer LT
-Kona
-Global Surf Industries (GSI) (some of the range but not all)
-Haydenshapes
Unknown
Severne made in China ? by whom ?
Thanks richard! super interesting. Particularly surprized surftech is made there (I just assumed they had their own factory)
Kinetic used to be a windsurf brand in the past, wasn't it?
Edit:
Looks like jimmy lewis also uses the kinetic factory
panjiva.com/Kinetic-Sports-Co-Ltd/4722695
Select to expand quoteFor some reason I thought starboard had their own factory. Which brands use cobra?
As far as I can tell:
Kinetic
- Simmer Style (note the sponsor of Ben Proffitt)
- FUTURE FLY
- FMXRACING (note the sponsor of Maciek Rutkowski)
- AV Boards
-Windtech
Cobra (CCO Bruce Wylie)
- Starboard
- JP Australia
- Fanatic
-Quatro
-Goya
-Naish
-NSP
-Exocet
-i99
-RRD
-KT Surfing
-Mistral
-Surftech
-Patrik (some of the range but not all)
-Tabou
-Windsurfer LT
-Kona
-Global Surf Industries (GSI) (some of the range but not all)
-Haydenshapes
Unknown
Severne made in China ? by whom ?
Considering that Mistral (Quickslide) are the same as Simmer Freemove boards I would assumed that Kinetic produced those boards?
Select to expand quoteFor some reason I thought starboard had their own factory. Which brands use cobra?
As far as I can tell:
Kinetic
- Simmer Style (note the sponsor of Ben Proffitt)
- FUTURE FLY
- FMXRACING (note the sponsor of Maciek Rutkowski)
- AV Boards
-Windtech
Cobra (CCO Bruce Wylie)
- Starboard
- JP Australia
- Fanatic
-Quatro
-Goya
-Naish
-NSP
-Exocet
-i99
-RRD
-KT Surfing
-Mistral
-Surftech
-Patrik (some of the range but not all)
-Tabou
-Windsurfer LT
-Kona
-Global Surf Industries (GSI) (some of the range but not all)
-Haydenshapes
Unknown
Severne made in China ? by whom ?
Considering that Mistral (Quickslide) are copies of Simmer Freemove boards I would assumed that Kinetic produced those boards?
Select to expand quotededekam said..For some reason I thought starboard had their own factory. Which brands use cobra?
As far as I can tell:
Kinetic
- Simmer Style (note the sponsor of Ben Proffitt)
- FUTURE FLY
- FMXRACING (note the sponsor of Maciek Rutkowski)
- AV Boards
-Windtech
Cobra (CCO Bruce Wylie)
- Starboard
- JP Australia
- Fanatic
-Quatro
-Goya
-Naish
-NSP
-Exocet
-i99
-RRD
-KT Surfing
-Mistral
-Surftech
-Patrik (some of the range but not all)
-Tabou
-Windsurfer LT
-Kona
-Global Surf Industries (GSI) (some of the range but not all)
-Haydenshapes
Unknown
Severne made in China ? by whom ?
Considering that Mistral (Quickslide) are copies of Simmer Freemove boards I would assumed that Kinetic produced those boards?
I have no idea about the Quickslide as they don't get sold here, but suggest you test your assumptions. I do know that since 2020, Mistral branded Windsurfer LT boards have been part of Mistral inventory. Those LT boards are made by Cobra, and I would expect some of the other Mistral range are made by Cobra but it is true some but not all prior Mistrals were made by Kinetic but historically many have also been made by Cobra. Originally they were made in Germany and elsewhere as they were originally a Swiss brand.
Does the same thing happen for sails and kites? Meaning does one sail loft make most of the sails?
Select to expand quotethedoor said..RichardG said..thedoor said..
My second board was a cobra gun that I bought used in the mid 80s. I had one session at narrabeen lakes on it that really stuck with me. Blasting from side to side getting off and turning around in the shallows.
I liked the interview.
For some reason I thought starboard had their own factory. Which brands use cobra?
As far as I can tell:
Kinetic
- Simmer Style (note the sponsor of Ben Proffitt)
- FUTURE FLY
- FMXRACING (note the sponsor of Maciek Rutkowski)
- AV Boards
-Windtech
Cobra (CCO Bruce Wylie)
- Starboard
- JP Australia
- Fanatic
-Quatro
-Goya
-Naish
-NSP
-Exocet
-i99
-RRD
-KT Surfing
-Mistral
-Surftech
-Patrik (some of the range but not all)
-Tabou
-Windsurfer LT
-Kona
-Global Surf Industries (GSI) (some of the range but not all)
-Haydenshapes
Unknown
Severne made in China ? by whom ?
Thanks richard! super interesting. Particularly surprized surftech is made there (I just assumed they had their own factory)
Kinetic used to be a windsurf brand in the past, wasn't it?
Edit:
Looks like jimmy lewis also uses the kinetic factory
panjiva.com/Kinetic-Sports-Co-Ltd/4722695
Yes true I omitted Jimmy Lewis and you are right as far as I can tell. Surftech is made in Thailand and I believe at Cobra, unless I am mistaken just as is NSP.
panjiva.com/Cobra-International-Co-Ltd/61276687
