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  #11  
Old 11-01-2006, 10:28 AM
tomstock
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I think Gebi meant to say rocker.. rocker will help in the chop, concave not so much. Longer is definately smoother in chop... but you risk digging the nose... there is only one magic bullet in a down wind race... a big board with some rocker if it's choppy, a big kite, and no fear... because you are going to need to be hauling a$$ if you are going to win, and that means being uncomfortable and on the edge of control.

Last year I found the best way to go (directly) down wind (in a hurry, it's a race after all) was to figure 8 the kite... dive hard, bring it up and around and dive hard again the other direction... as fast as possible. Carve a mellow S back and forth straight down wind... basically going back and forth from backside edge to toe side edge... never let the kite stop moving... edge only enough to keep the kite flying and powered without stalling.

You don't want to be pulled by the wind, you want to go faster than the wind..

Most people rigged 9's last year... I rigged a 13 and worked it hard going straight down wind. I wish I had rigged a 15 or an 18 and ridden a bigger board... I finished in the top 15 but I could have done better if I were more powered and hadn't wasted so much time at the start.

This time waves and chop are involved, plus you are going straight down wind, so you are going to need to rig a lot bigger than normal if you want a shot a winning. Your legs are going to be useless towards the end.
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  #12  
Old 11-01-2006, 11:33 AM
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toby wilson toby wilson is offline
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I think that Gebi did mean to say concave Tom. That Mako sure smooths out the chop and is very responsive. Concave is where it's at, if I hadn't overrigged the other day, that downwinder would have been a blast on that board!!!
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  #13  
Old 11-01-2006, 04:06 PM
tomstock
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Well, my guess is that your board is long and narrow with lots of rocker, correct? That's why it feels smooth in the chop, not because of the concave. Without the concave it would feel the same, but more "skatey".

The purpose of concave is to essentially give a board two different rockers... one at the rails and one at the center line. The effect is to make it plane easier, yet turn quicky like a heavily rockered board. The side effect is that it makes the board stick to the surface... which is great for edging but it also reduces the top speed. Concave is definately a good thing... but it doesn't make the ride smoother. I have owned several heavily concaved boards which pound like mad in chop. Narrow width, lots of rocker, and some length are what smooth out the ride. Problem is, I dont like long narrow boards. They don't fit in my trunk and they don't plane very well.
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  #14  
Old 11-01-2006, 04:10 PM
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inferno inferno is offline
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i disagree tom, think of the physics, just like how a Vbottom boat is smoother then a flats boat, a concave board, when it hits a wave, hits with the rails first then the center, this transition spreads the impact force over (a short) time instead of a flat board that the wave hits the entire bottom of the board at once...
just my thought
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  #15  
Old 11-01-2006, 04:17 PM
tomstock
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Disagree all you want, my bruised heels dont lie Concave hasn't made any of my boards soft in the chop...and they have plenty.
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  #16  
Old 11-01-2006, 04:21 PM
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It is 150 x 34.5 and has 18mm of concave (that is a hell of a lot of concave). There is some rocker but not much, concave boards are the future for kiting in chop and waves IMO. Ocean Rodeo really knows what they are doing, they have a pretty bright future IMO between these boards, their killer C and Bow kites, session harness, Go-Joes and their drysuits. Their punch-out bar is probably the safest bar on the market to boot! You'll have to try it out, once you ride it you'll want one for yourself!!! I have a good hookup with OR, can get you a Mako (or any other OR product for that matter) for a decent price!!! :twisted:
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  #17  
Old 11-01-2006, 04:31 PM
kent kent is offline
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my cab custom 128 has tons of rocker and in moderate conditions is fairly slow. when is gets wild, the rocker smooths the ride quite a bit. This board has a flat bottom and last years version is fairly stiff. easiest board to rider ever off the wind in a good wind.

i think that that OR board will be good. i once rode a board from takoon called a mong. i feel that this board woudl be great if there were any around. 130ish narron, concave, thick (1.5-2in), and fliped tips. flat rocker and flew off the wind. i'm trying my new board on sat from jupiter to ft. l. if you are going, alway carry a screw driver, patch material, and a small hand pump isn't bad. should be running 9's or 12's at the most. who else is in???

Kent
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  #18  
Old 11-01-2006, 04:33 PM
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No 20.5's Kent :?:
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  #19  
Old 11-01-2006, 04:39 PM
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ill hopefully be at cocoa beach on my 9m for DP...
fingers crossed
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  #20  
Old 11-01-2006, 06:12 PM
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If we talk about concaves deeper is better, 1 or 2 cm softens the ride a bit but once you get over 5 cm or higher the ride gets much better. Most boards now have minimal concave. Try the Ocean Rodeo 150 Maco board if you want to see what a real deep concave feels like.

Longer and narrower boards give more directional stability at speed and you lose the scatey feeliong which is not a traight that needs to be strong on a board for going down wind.

Remember going downwind effectively is done by parking a powered up kite and just sailing straight wiht the wind. If you have to sine the kite or constantly loop it it will be slower down wind as you do not have enough power which forces you to ride more on a broad reach. This is fast but you will get worn out fast. The best set up will allow you to ride at almost 160 degrees from wind direction, with minimal jibing.

Play with it, you might find some old retro boards work better ( 137 cm and up in length) than the newer shorter boards.
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