Local Made Bamboo EPS Vacuum Bagged Custom by Dennis

Downwind Raceboard No. 6

Hot wired and ready for shaping.

Downwind raceboard number 6 will be Jacky's. It's going to be 14'6 x 26 with a target weight of 22 lbs.

I've got my rockers and template dialed in just right for our ocean conditions during the summer SW wind. They plane early and they hit very high top speeds. It's easy to keep the plane going without poking the wave ahead in a way that knocks you off a plane. The stability is very high at a narrow width.

A few months ago, a fellow shaper set me the Naish 14 ft glide rocker, fully mapped in detail. I was stoked to find Naish's glide rocker, and the way it curves throughout the board, matched the rocker I had developed (independently) exactly from the tail to about 2/3 of it's length. My rocker deviated in the forward 1/3. Mine being more gradual, while the Glide curve accelerates more rapidly. With my rocker working just right for our SW wind, I didn't take anything from the Naish and kept mine the same.

I have not added any design features for flat water or upwind racing. This is strictly a no compromise, optimized shape for SW wind. It should be an awesome summer of downwind runs past our house.

Like Summer Today

A Few More

Jacky doing a head dip

Feel the SPEED

I shot video of 6 runs, but vibration kept shuting the camera down. Only one good run was filmed completely. Look close and you'll see the fin break loose on me once during the run.

Windsurfing Rules Again

Jacky in the 3 photos above. Dwight in the upper photo.

About board quality, here is an update, since a few people have asked about this since buying Naish. My knowledge of "windsurf" board construction was out of date. Being out of windsurfing for 10 years, with zero exposure, left me way behind in knowledge. I cancelled all windsurf mags when I switched to kiting 10 years ago. I freaked when I saw no PVC sandwich in that broken Naish. Little did I know, wood sandwich had replaced PVC as the cutting edge construction with windsurf boards. Invented by Starboard, an entry level brand nobody took serious when I left the sport. Imagine the surprise to return to windsurfing and find Starboard had become the largest windsurf brand and wood was now the go-to material of choice.

Now that I've installed quad boxes in my Naish's and seen and felt the wood in my hands, I'm blown away by how tough it is. No wonder PSH has gone nuts over wood. The bonus of using wood, is the boards surf like good poly customs, without the dreaded hollow pop-out feel of PVC boards. These Naish boards don't have gel coat either, so no paint chips.

Jacky Playing with the Mana

Spring Break in Florida

Morning Video at Cocoa Beach

The New JPs Smoke

Holly Crap, the new generation windsurf boards are FAST. Wind was hitting 30 at times this afternoon. What a blast. These shots are all Jacky. I should have surfing video from our dawn session uploaded this evening.

Guess Where our Truck is Parked

Road Trip

Loaded with Kitesurfing, Windsurfing, and SUP gear. Life is good when your gear is worth more than your truck! Next update Monday from a location with warm water.

A Wonderful Story

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Andy on Saturday

Sunday Morning

Sorry, this one was too funny not to post.

You'll have to suffer with lots of photos of me today.

Dwight this Morning

Jacky is M.I.A.   The shore break was taller than she was.  The 9'3 Hokua

Z man, the New Surf Machine?

On his new 9'2 custom Sub Vector