Cool/strange doc lausch board ...

[pickles]

I was at the beach house the other day and was checking out a surfRx board that was really cool, wondering if anybody has ridden one or knows what he calls it ...

performance shortboard, (I think) 6'5" x 18 3/4" x 2 3/8"

absolutely dead flat deck all the way to the rail

super boxy rails that are *almost* hard 3/4 of the length of the board, then softening. Basically full hard rails with just the slightest bevel on the bottom, and almost square to come up and meet the flat deck.

Fairly flat rocker, squash tail, very narrow nose.

Looked to me like the fastest piece of foam ever mowed ... if it was a little wider I'd have walked out with it. Anybody else seen one of these?

 

[LeeD]

Flat decks, turned down rails the best.
We spend almost all our time standing, walking, running, and jogging on FLAT surfaces (the ground).
Some of you might be monkeys and get to practice standing on tree limbs or tree trunks, but I'm not one of those.
And I likes the statement.... "I surf so much better with bare feet, because the feel is there". Yes, when you walk around with shoes on, you are constantly falling and tripping over every little subtlety on the ground. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

 

[amsets]

I ride a 5'10" version of what you described. It is a doc 5'10" x 18.75 x 2.0, flat deck, boxy rails, narrow nose and wide squash tail. The board rips, it catches absolutely everything from knee high to couple feet overhead. The flat deck takes a little getting use to at first due to its added buoyancy in the water, but overall it performs like a dream. Be sure to note that the flast deck carries the volume straight out to the rails and therefore less size is needed in the thickness. Also, I highly recommend getting it with either speedfins or vectors.

 

[carverb]

I see your point LeeD, but I disagree somewhat that a flat deck is best. A dome-deck board not only cuts down rail volume, but the extra foam under your arch gives you better control of the board. For me, its kinda like when I have a new board versus one I have had for a while and put pressure dings under my front foot...I would take the ride of the older one because you can feel better board sensitivity, and you can shred better. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

 

[hackeysaky]

I rode one of those boards (borrowed), it did have a lot of drive and carry-though, but the edge control and rail-to-rail transfer absolutely sucked. I can see it working well for a back-footed surfer in real, lined-up, wally waves, but for the waves I usually ride, and the way I ride, it has no place (also for economic reasons- hell, if I was rich, I would make one fit for sh1ts and giggles) in my quiver, IMO. I'm with carverb on his opinion- dome decks get my vote. Theoretical point: On a flat-decked board, a lot is wagered on friction- ie, the traction provided by the wax- to keep your feet on the deck. A domed deck provides a second vector force- when you start to turn the board, some force is exerted against the convex curve of the deck as well as by friction/traction. That is the reason curves in highways and off-ramps are banked- to allow for safer navigation in low friction (actually often designed with the force of friction equal to zero- those yellow "recommended speed limit" signs are the designer's recommended speed considering low/zero friction, even if the legal speed limit is higher) environments.

 

[pickles]

It was the rails that intrugued me more than the flat deck. I've never seen such full/hard rails on a modern thruster.