News

Out Of This World

Out of this world , USC Alien for Shaun who ordered a replacement for a Formula Energy surfboard that was over five years old !

Five years is long time , and the new updated Alien has a been tweaked and some design changes to improve the overall performance of the ultimate high performance fish .

Here is a brief explanation on the improvements

Improved Alien Breakdown .

• Improved Flat Fish Rocker
• Single To Double Concave bottom
• Flatter deck line with even foam distribution foil.
• Slighter wider tail pod.
• Symmetrical Swallow Tail 
• Way more accurately made surfboard .

This Alien is 5'10 by 19 3/4 by 2 9/16  , 29.86 litres plain white deck !

The Heat Is On

The heat is on

Mike  sharpening his skills and keeping fresh taking on the best from his home break with the contest "rashie" on.

Giving it a good old shake on his Old Faithful in his local board riders over in WA.

No Smoking

The deck on this USC Predator model surfboard not just good looking lavender / purple colour, but is actually a hemp composite material inlayed into the deck designed to add durability and strength 

 There is No Smoking this one , the Hemp is blend of an organic hemp material and PET recycled plastic , we also have it available in MINT GREEN as well.  

At the moment  we are also testing a couple ofnew Hemp blends that is combined with "Tencel".Tencel or "lyocell" which is another sustainable fabric, regenerated from wood cellulose. It is similar to rayon and bamboo, both regenerated fabrics. Colours are light blue and black .

Tencel is one of the most environmentally friendly regenerated fabrics, for several reasons. Tencel fibers are grown sustainably ,  on farms not old growth forests.

If you are heavy on the decks of your boards or if your boards are not lasting then the alternate materials are the go .

Getting three seasons plus out the USC plus combination Hemp range is common. Some surfers have got surfboards that are five years old and still going strong !

The Hemp / Tencel will be available in a couple of new colours. Stay tuned we will give it a some heavy testing in extreme situations and let you know ! 

Bellissimo Maldives

Alessandro our Italian friend ,sent through a few photos taken by  Richard Kotch surfing in the tropical wonderland called the Maldives.

Board : USC Savage , location Hudhuranfushi Maldives.

Fish designs, alternate and wider nose surfboards like the Alien or hybrid Fuzz Nutz ,we all know are super fun to ride and for that reason everyones got a couple in the quiver these days.

If you chasing perfect waves then you still can't go past a modern day performance short board . The USC Savage is designed for those days that you dream about. Heading to the tropics , don't forget to pack a performance shooter !

Alessandro wrote:

I always follow you on Instagram your boards are simply amazing, my best compliments to you all at formula energy!!

Need to wait a little longer, but very soon I will place the order we have discussed on our last emails....meanwhile please find attached some pics of my beautiful Savage, I really love this magic board!! hope you like it!

Best regards!

>Alessandro

Sounds like Alessandro is digging his USC Savage model !

Savage Key Points

Flicker

Love the way these resin tints evolve . This one is the Green Flicker design . 

We do our best to replicate the online image on the website . It's kind of impossible to copy it exactly, but our team of artists and laminators, get it very close to the image you see on your screen .

The process is amazingly complex . Trial and error don't cut it in the production of surfboards, you have to nail every stage with "perfection" . Especially when adding tints and pigments to fast curing resin !

It's definitely worth adding colour to your surfboard ! 

Green Machine

Custom foam spray on the deck of this USC Performance Plus built for Jason.

Dimensions are 5'11 by 19 by 2 5/16 , litres 26.83. Instead of the standard pin tail or rounded pin , Jason ordered a swallow tail set up . Which allows a little more area in the tail pod , equals more hold and bite at higher speeds and two distinct pivot points with the swallow design .

Designed for good  to really good waves , well when it's pumping ! Kind of like Indonesia this week , get over there !

New 3D Fins in Stock.

New 3D fins in stock . With the "dimple" technology and superior flex memory these are good ! Designed for speed , flow and hold ! Check them out at the online store here ! Scroll below to read and watch a video about the design principles ! 

Technical Talk 

As we all know, a golf ball with dimples will fly further than a golf ball without. What most of us don’t know is why? There are two main reasons:

The Dimpled Surface reduces drag.
The Dimpled Surface improves lift.
A lesson in Hydrodynamics

There are two types of flow around an object: laminar and turbulent. Laminar flow has less drag, but it is also prone to a phenomenon called “separation.” Once separation of a laminar boundary layer occurs, drag rises dramatically because of eddies that form in the gap. Turbulent flow has more drag initially but also better adhesion, and therefore is less prone to separation. Therefore, if the shape of an object is such that separation occurs easily, it is better to create a turbulent boundary layer in order to increase adhesion and reduce eddies (which means a significant reduction in drag) Dimples on golf balls create a turbulent boundary layer.

3DFINS decided to test these principles and apply them to a surfboard fin. With advanced Computer Fluid Dynamic testing, we compared two identical fins: the 3DFINS dimpled fin and the exact same fin without dimples. The tests were conducted by fluid dynamics expert Darren Stephens (formally of CSIRO) and the results were surprising. A surfboard fin with a smooth surface is much like a golf ball with a smooth surface, it has a lamina flow over the surface. This works quite well when going straight and at lower speeds, but when you start to turn and reach higher speeds the fluid starts to separate from the foil or fins surface.

A surfboard fin with dimples creates a turbulent flow. Turbulent flow has more adhesion so when you start to turn, the dimpled fin surface delays the flow separation, reducing the separation bubble allowing the foil to maintain performance.

When the surfer is turning at high speeds, the turbulent boundary layer helps the flow overcome an adverse pressure gradient and allows the fin to remain attached to the surface longer than it would otherwise. This reduces drag, increases lift and improves overall performance of the fin design.

Mentawais Surf Tax

Our good mate Harry updated the quiver and headed over to the Mentawais in early August . Trying to get in before the all new Mentawai Surf Tax takes effect . Yes SURF TAX, you can read all about this new tax here at Surfline website.  But basically every visiting surfer will pay from $76 US upwards to surf the Mentawais Region , depending on the length of your stay . Hit the link above or go to the Jakarta Post for the original  breaking story .

Staying near playgrounds area at the Mentawai Surf Retreat  ,he managed to score a variety of waves from fun little setups like Pit Stops

Where he rode his USC TP1 model, perfect for those smaller days in tropics.

Then when conditions turned on he headed round the corner to a much intense set up called Bank Vaults . Its a fast , shallow barreling wave with a heavy inside section .

This type of wave Harry jumped on his USC Hi Performance model . Locked and loaded and looking for some travel time !

The Low Is The Go

DCD Low flyer custom for Jacob, dimensions are 5'8 by 19 1/2 by 2 7/16 th. Litres 29.69.

A modern day twin fin with a heavy influence from yesteryear . The stringerless blank is fused with dual kevlar stripes on the deck , to add durability but also improve "flex" (see previous blog) 

The design of the board is really different with flat deck line , then an extreme step down beveled rail . Allowing the board to knife through turns .

The plan Shape is single flyers to add that quick release pivot point .

The bottom shape a flattish style rocker, but not too flat . Single into double concave with V thru the tail . Fast and loose with plenty of hold when you add the small rear trailer.