QLD
140 posts
Wow.
Lovely video.
Like a fusion of a couple of the construction class boards from the 80s, tell us more!
WA
1607 posts
The King of early planing in Oz surely.
Getting his essential Vit D in abundance whilst having fun.
WA
23647 posts
I thought bigger than that .. Looking at his height and it's a loonngggg board
WA
3413 posts
Could well be bigger. Don't quote me on it, but i think his 7.5 has blue trim from memory.
WA
1460 posts
I had a go on the board - Its width is something like 85cm wide.Longer waterline with a Displacement entry into a low / flat rocker into a mid/ tail with width / high planing lift section- makes for a LOVELY and effortless transition onto the plane.I had a 42 cm upright fin on, but the end game is to get a 33 cm delta with a thick chord so you can generate similar or more lift but still be able to sail over shallow sections. The bow / front end looks very architectural / majestic. Its just a beautiful thing to look at. In my opinion. The board actually carve gybes very nicely, my first gybe was a full carving gybe, planed out easily. This is a function of the low speed lift that the board creates so you have lots more time on the plane as you come out of the gybe.
The concept is to optimise 8-14 knots. (i call 8-11 knots the most important 4 knots in windsurfing because its where the plane-able transition occurs on large gear)This wind range that is also low risk (low chop, low power in the rig) which needs to be optimised due to Neil's bad luck with injuries (that get exponentially worse if they reoccur.) Neil has to come off the water at around 14 knots.
This board is not a commercial project, the board is a one off, made by a master craftsman.
The sail in this video was the 8.5. Neil tells me he loves the 9.5 and it gets going a lot earlier than the 8.5- which is impressive considering how early he was going.
I am planning on getting some more shots in future, hopefully on a 9.5 day - to show the light wind functionality and to get some low tele shots of the bow / waterline in action up close.
WA
933 posts
Oh yeah thats the one he had in his van when i saw him at Peli the other day. Its basically got the bow of a skiff.
WA
1460 posts
My understanding is super efficient water entry / low bow drag
which gives max speed under low power -
which then feeds the flat rocker / wide planing area through the middle of the board, while also getting water velocity over the fin, (which will have a relatively thick foil for low speed lift generation) which also, in turn feeds lift. If you ever sailed a Div II board in the 80s you know how much speed can be attained with little wind (they flew around in 5 knots) using the magic of displacement dynamics and longer waterlines. I am sure Neil would describe it differently and much more technically.
