i know a couple guys that regularly sand rails on new boards...

theres plenty of boards out there with soft(ish) rails that work great

Hi WD,
Of the boards I've tried/have the rails that are pretty rounded seem to grip better that sharp rails. The sharp rails seem to hold really huge power up to a point then loose grip big time and bounce out. The rounded rails doesn't seem to do that and "gives" a little and you maintain your stance (not that you'd notice this "giving" that much). One of Last years Gastra's (137 maybe) seems to have a rail radius of say 5mm bottom side but was sharpish on the top the otherway round than you would expect but the guys say it gripped like no other.

Most of the boards these days are made in the same manner as snowboards and have the ABS rail system which is usually square edged. The reason for this is simply cost effectiveness.

Airush used to do the fully wrapped rails in a soft rail design on all boards, but have opted for the ABS flat rail on a lot of boards.

They are easy to build, handle more abuse and are cheaper to manufacture. I suspect many shapers/board manufacturers are chosing this option for the same reasons.

Regards and good winds

quote:

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Originally posted by Ryland

sharper rails tend too track more and go straight 2 where they are pointed. softer rails are looser and tend 2 go from rail to rail better. heaps better for waves. just depends what u ride mostly flat or waves but taking a bit of the rail back wont do any harm. i sanded back some abs rails before going up 2 gnaraloo and it felt like a different board. they where square and after 10 mins of sanding where very similar to theb shaped rails on the flx.

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I will second this; of the boards I own the sharper rail is best for flat water, the rounder rail is better for surf/chop.

Wipika's new SS 125's have ABS rails and are sandable/shapeable. As it comes it's is a really light, smooth ride until the chop gets bigger... Having tried one I want one! A softer edge on the rail might just tame it a bit in the bigger chop; the extra slip would cause less loss of speed while holding an agressive edge. (that's the way i see it, but i could just be spouting sh1t)

Soft rails work on the spoon in the flow from the tap theory.

That is if you hold the curved side of the spoon in the flow it gets pulled in, hold the sharp side the sharp edge and the spoon keep bouncing out.

Soft rails suck your edge down giving grip in the turn. They also cause drag slowing the and a feeling of weight and being stuck firmly on the water. Given the 'well powered upness' of most kiting this seems to work better especially in chop and waves[which is nearly everywhere].

Progressive rail shaping is the way to go, with sharp release under edges near the tips for good release and less drag, and then really soft rounded rails throught the mid section, where grip is paramount.

Adrian Roper [Underground] tells me his riders universally preferred the feeling when the ABS rails were rounded in the middle sections and they do that on all their boards now. Colin McCulloch at Airush is doing the same thing.