The Journal
What Makes a Good Beginner Wakesurf Board?
Ultimately, the ideal beginner wakesurf board combines buoyancy, appropriate size, sharp rail profiles, a suitable fin setup, and sufficient speed. By optimizing these features, we can make wakesurfing significantly more accessible for newcomers, helping them enjoy the sport right from the start.
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The Role of Air in Wakesurf Board Performance
In one of our first posts, we started to unpack what it is we mean when we are talking about wakesurf board performance (link here). In it we defined performance as being a function of the combination of wakesurf board speed, agility, and air. By defining what exactly is meant by performance we could then start to optimize for performance and make measurable gains in that direction. In our most recent article we took this a step further and started to unpack Speed in particular (link here). In this follow up, we’ll take a deeper look into Air and what makes up Air as a performance metric.
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The Speed Factor: How It Shapes Wakesurf Board Performance
By now you may be asking yourself why it matters that we’ve separated out speed into two separate pieces. For that matter, you may be asking yourself why do we even care to measure speed in the first place? We all know a fast board when it’s under our feet. Aren’t boards out there fast enough? NO. By defining speed and truly understanding what makes up speed allows us to test and measure different changes we make to boards. It allows us to carry forward those changes that increase speed so that every year our boards get faster and faster. Ultimately, faster boards mean that you can ride a smaller board which will increase it’s agility and allow you to do more on the water. Designing a faster board means that you have more forgiveness when you are learning a new trick to fall farther back on the wave because you can recover faster. Faster boards are an unlock to bringing out the best wakesurfer in all of us.
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Why does board size matter?
The big takeaway here is that there’s a sweet spot when it comes to finding the right size board for your body. If you go too small, you’re going to sink too far into the water, and you’ll find it hard to build up speed. But if you go too big, you’ll have to work much harder to maneuver the board in any way. Currently there’s no definitive guide on what size board you should get based on your weight, height or any other factors. There's no where to find that if you’re 180 pounds you should get a 50” board, if you’re 150 pounds you should get a 48” board. That doesn’t exist yet, and it’s not quite as simple as that anyway, but here at SBC we’re working to build and pass along an understanding of these things so that everyone can choose the best board for them. Hopefully by reading this article and understanding the physics behind these choices, you can get an idea of what to consider and why it’s important.
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3D printing: the next phase of custom boards
Here at Smith Board Co we’re taking an active role in bringing 3D printing into the wakesurf industry. 3D printing currently allows us to prototype designs that we can then test out at small scale before iterating and getting into our upcoming boards. But we’re not stopping there, we’re partnering with 3D printing experts to see what more we can do with 3D printing and how we can help usher in a new era of wakesurf board design.
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FEA: A Better Way to Design Wakesurf Boards
What exactly happens to a car during a crash, or to the Golden Gate Bridge when it sways in the wind? What about when a rubber band snaps or you wear an indent into your favorite spot on the couch? When your laptop heats up your legs as you watch Netflix, or the handle on a pan gets hot enough to need an oven mitt? The last few of those aren’t too important, but knowing what happens in a car crash or when a bridge sways helps engineers build those things in a way that keeps us all safe. In engineering, you often want to know how something will behave before you build it. Especially if you're building it for other people to safely use like a bridge or a building.
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The Perfect Pro
It is the same ethos that we look for in everyone that is involved with Smith Board Co. We want pro wakesurf athletes who are willing to work hard every day at their craft. Athletes who are willing to learn from their mistakes and to use those same mistakes to drive their improvement forward. At the end of the day we are looking for someone who’s not out to beat the competition but is there to beat themselves every single day. We understand that there’s no such thing as perfect and those that want to go down in history are those that are here for the process. This mindset is fundamental to everything that we are doing here at Smith Board Co. In our products, in our people, and ultimately in our perfect pros.
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Performance Optimization Methodology
At Smith Board Co, we’ve set out to design and create the highest performing wakesurf boards to give every surfer the most out of every ride. We’ve discovered ways to make boards faster, lighter, and easier to spin. We’ve simulated new designs and worked with different materials. We’ve even defined what wakesurfing performance means, but we’re new. We’re a small team. There are thousands of riders in the US alone, no two of which ride the same way or want the same thing. So how do we align our goals with the goals of each and every person who rides one of our boards?
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CFD: Driving Continuous Innovation In Wakesurf Boards
Computational Fluid Dynamics, or CFD, is a game changer when it comes to designing anything that flies or floats. Why? The complex models that take humans weeks, months, or years to calculate, CFD can model in minutes or hours. Engineers use these models to enhance designs and increase performance in aircraft, boats, and more. For example: have you ever noticed that almost all planes have slightly turned up wingtips? Using CFD, aerospace engineers discovered that adding these winglets to airplane wing design decreased drag and reduced the amount of fuel needed to fly.
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When Force is Fluid: Using Fluid Dynamics to Inform Wakesurf Board Design
If you've ever tried a skim-style wakesurf board and then switched to surf-style, you’ve likely noticed that they feel and ride completely differently. It makes sense because the former is usually smaller and thinner, while the latter is larger, thicker, and has bigger fins. But why do these design differences change the ride? Is it that bigger boards have more contact with the water, while thinner boards have less volume and buoyancy?
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