What do you think?

[Surfdad]

LOL - what is it? Is it an inflatible mat or is that thing solid?

[NICKYPOO]

I think you might need a time machine to see it for yourself. I happened to turn the tv on and the canned was on TCM and this was what I was greeted with. Its from the open credits from the 1951 Danny Kaye movie, "On The Riviera." It was literally a 1 sec. screen shot. Lots of water skiing shots and then a quick shot of this beauty. I had to get a pic for you, Jeff.

From what I could tell, it looked to be foam. It looked incredibly "lively". In 1 sec, she gets way out of shape and the appears to recover. The "board" was just flying all over the the place and looked light as a feather. It would have to have some sort of reinforcement for that rope going through the center of it though. Maybe just a big plastic disc on the deck? It would also need something for those bitchin handles although they just appear to be straight through and knotted. You can just barely see them at the two front corners.

[Wakeman22]

When I was competing in windsurfing to prove your manhood and as a right of passage you had to mount the sail to a door and ride it across the lake and back.

Jeff I think you pass the right of passage and are true wake surfer. Congratulations. Now the rest of us have something to prove. Get out you doors and ride. Pics needed for proof.

[Surfdad]

@ Nick, that's funny! Thanks for think about me! Was it the bitchin' handles that brought me to mind? When you pointed those out I went back to look and then the palms of my hands started to hurt!

@ Wakeman22. I thought we in the wakesurf community were crazy! Wakesurfing that door was much harder than it looks in the picture. It wanted to rotate out and away from the wake and as you can see the nose rocker is a tad flat That outside corner grabbed really quickly!

[Timmy!]

What board are you working on right now?

[Surfdad]

This!

[Wakeman22]

In windsurfing a door it wanted to slide out with out the skeg. But to wakesurf a door now that is hard core.

[Timmy!]

I like that! Very cool! Can't wait for the video.

[Iwndr]

That looks pretty sweet SD

[Surfdad]

Thanks Timmy! We're planning on going out Sunday. Hopefully it rides well enough.

@ Wakeman22 - we cut a huge fin out of plywood and screwed it to the bottom of the door. It still spun to the outside. Did you actually sail one without any sort of fin/skeg? That must have been crazy hard to control. If you don't mind me asking, what was the last sailboard you were on?

[Surfdad]

Thanks lwndr! Let's hope it rides ok, too!

[jbort]

Can hardly wait for the weekly SD surf vid - gets me thru winter. Board looks wicked too.

[Surfdad]

Thanks jbort, hopefully we are going to test it tomorrow.

[Wakeman22]

Thanks Timmy! We're planning on going out Sunday. Hopefully it rides well enough.

@ Wakeman22 - we cut a huge fin out of plywood and screwed it to the bottom of the door. It still spun to the outside. Did you actually sail one without any sort of fin/skeg? That must have been crazy hard to control. If you don't mind me asking, what was the last sailboard you were on?

Yes I sailed it without a skeg. It took a delicate balance between the right pressure with mast and you had to keep you legs pulled up under your body and not exert any latteral force or the back would spin out. You also had to use the windward edge and dig it into the water to generate the forward movement.

It has been a while, years since I windsurfed last. I was a team rider for Bic and rode Mistrals, Bic and customs for racing. The last one I rode was a custom 8'6" with a North sail. We sold North and I usually used them most of the time. The sport was big here in Oklahoma at one point and then the Nintendo generation came along and none of those kids would come outside let alone try something that required a little effort. I have noticed recentely that this has changed and the new generation is a lot more active.

[Surfdad]

I can imagine that was a crazy ride! Not so much the Bic, but the Mistral was part of that original movement to composite sandwich construction, like we use in the Flyboy. I've studied the construction of so many of those old boards and you guys were really ON IT.