Ok so this idea may be a little left field but curious to get everyone's thoughts..
1). Are you guys sick of seeing or having your surf-sup boards compress in the middle from your feet or knees? I've yet to see one that hasn't done it over time, or even from that one time when you're paddling on your knees and get pitched by a wave with the resulting drop back on to the board causing a compression in the middle.
So I got thinking.. have any of you ever seen the below malleable but high-impact goo? It's a thick liquid but when it's hit with a force hard enough, it becomes a solid and impact resistant. Being used now for lots of sporting and safety applications.
What would happen if a thin layer of this was put under the grip on the surfboard? Would it make it a slightly softer platform to stand on / paddle, but when hit by the riders knees or constant load-bearing, it doesn't compress? Would this stop deck compressions?
Check out the link and get your creative hats on..
edition.cnn.com/2017/03/27/tech/d3o-orange-gel/index.html
2). Fins- I've hated quad fins on sups for awhile. I just find thruster to be so much more pivotal and basically just as fast as any sup i've tried as a quad. Recently i've shifted away from a regular thruster template and gone more and more in the direction of the AM1 style template- big wide and drivey front fins with a smaller trailer fin for release. Every person i've pushed in the same direction now rides that template every ride and some are winning sup-surf competitions. I just find they work so much better for sup- faster, more hold and drive on turns, more pivot and agility.
Now there are boards like the Smik twin which are getting flowing reviews for a lot of the same attributes.
Do you guys think sup's might head this way? Surfboards are certainly getting back in to twinnies..!
For anyone that hasn't tried that style of template on your surfing sup, I would like to suggest it and hear the feedback.
I don't think i've ever been a backfoot / right off the tail surfer so I find this style of template opens up the turn from mid-board and only gets more lose and pivotal the further back you step.
Cheers!
1) of course, first: NEVER KNEE PADDLE :-) ... you will destroy your board, face and toenails
I do not think a shock absorbing foam, which is used on sailboards for years is the solution, as we are not subject to the shocks of a sailboard at high speed in chop, where the impact foam is there more to save the rider heels than the board. For SUPing, my guess the solution is more a rigid skins that spreads the constant load on them. And actually, a lot of SUP boards have them now, in the form of a sandwhich deck under the feet (at least 5mm thick to be efficient). But the more the heavier.
Also, personally, I think slight feet depressions are useful on small boards where the feet positioning is critical to the inch, and help surviving big roll angles without slipping.
2) We have been saying this for some time here. SUP seems to require smaller back fins than prone shortboards, and this may be why you hate quads. And they seem to work better also with the McKee placement (rear quads closer to the stringer) than the PSH one (rear quads close to the rails). Just try smaller, symmetrical quad rears. And try C-Drive fins in front!
For instance, hear Tom Carroll at 1:30
