My Penetrator design has taken a couple of large leaps recently and I've been busy working on perfecting these new features hence my lack of much comment on this forum.
First and most obvious change has been the introduction of a deeply recessed deck, the main purpose of this is to lower the paddlers centre of gravity which in turn dramatically increases stability. Placing the pilot 3" lower gives him the confidence and ability to put more power and consistency into his paddling particularly in rougher conditions. In order to clear what water may enter the newly deepened concave I created the tail vents, the only worry with these was that they may flood the deck particularly when hit by a wave from behind. To prevent this the concave increases in depth from the nose to the tail and out through the vents, what little water enters through the open tail quickly runs downhill and out again, likewise with any that splashes onto the deck. This is also aided by an aft sloping 1/2" drain located in the boards handle. The new deck treatment has been a quantum leap in the performance of what was already an outstandingly quick design.
Next up was the finishing treatment of the Penetrator range which I had never been entirely happy with. Previously I had been painting them in acrylic laquer which worked reasonably well but wasn't ideal. The obvious was to move up to the same 2-Pac system that I use when doing yachts, though involving a lot more work the system provides a 100% waterproof, incredibly durable, brilliant finish, as can be seen on Jonathans 14' board above.
These developments have really stepped up the boards and will be standard issue on all new Penetrators.
A few queries have appeared regarding fin positioning. The photos of Jonathans board for starters are slightly deceptive being taken more from the tail looking forward creating the illusion that the fin is further forward than it really is. On a board that size I place the fin around 32" from the tail. There are several reasons for this, one, when on a run and you assume the surfing stance you want to have your back foot placed over the fin. Another is that the hull shape itself prevents the board from yawing as you paddle, also placing the fin too far back makes it very difficult to turn the board when paddling or on a run and the fin will often lift clear of the water in rough conditions. A lot of R&D has gone into these boards, involving everything from production techniques and materials to shapes and paint finishes, surely you don't think I wouldn't have put my time in regarding fin design and placement?

Cheers, Stuey

Piros said...

Stuey whats your take on this new Bark 18 footer , I always thought your designs were radical but this is so different again.

It seems designers are steering back to prone board design for the stand up , this Bark looks very difficult to stand on.




Here's a thread on it as well www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=4063.0

Hey Rob,
The guy who ordered that Bark was going to get one from me but freight costs kinda killed the idea. I like most of Joe Barks boards. It's a little hard to tell much from that photo but to me it looks a bit like a flattened out Penetrator. Those boards are real popular in the flatwater U.S. race scene.

from whats going on overseas i think the 12'6 class will stay the way it is now. The only new class we might see more of is the 14 ft class.

But for now the classes looked like they are locked in for the main events and if new events pop up then they would be silly to go out side of the classes that are already established. So nows the time to be getting in to the DW scene.

Jacko

stuey c said...

I think the race classes are pretty much set now i.e. 12'6" and under (rudderless), 14' and under (rudderless) and unlimited. Most races will allow competitors in the smaller divisions to use boards with rudders as long as they can be locked in position prior to the race. Some races will allow multihulls (cats, etc.) but it's a dicey area.

well now' i have two friends who have just snapped up two second hand 12'6"
thx for the comments by all
cheers
ps i used to dread strong s-easters and n-easters, maybe not now