“The nose to tail flex is decreased while the rail to rail twist flex is increased,” says Greg. For a similar length board “the volume is exactly the same,” says Greg.īeyond the feel, the deck concave effects the way the board flexes. To retain overall volume, Greg has done a bit of foam shuffling making the centre line a bit thicker than usual and the edges of the rails too. “The board wants to go into the water through a turn,” explains Beau. Like those who’ve experimented before them, Greg and Beau have found the deck concave allows the rider greater sensitivity, yet this is not just because the feet are closer to the water but also because, once the rail is engaged, there’s less foam to displace. Viewed in cross section, the centre line is more bulbous with the concave dipping and rising over a shorter space than the long, continuous concave underneath the board. The first impression of The Creature’s deck concaves is that they don’t match the concave underneath. I’ve watched him surf on Greg’s boards and also picked up a number of his prototypes marvelling at the unlikely curves. “I did a 10’6” SUP that Tom Carroll tried out.but I began working on performance boards with Beau Edwards in November 2012.”īeau is an ex-Newport surfer now working as an osteopath at Thirroul and surfing Sandon Point whenever he can. “My first ones were in August 2011,” says Greg. Not surprisingly considering his impulse to experiment, deck concaves aren’t new to Greg. Todd Proctor of Proctor Surfboards says his deck concaves give the rider an “in the wave” feel. Where concave decks have been used on surfboards the thinking has been similar. Greenough’s Velo design from the 60s had a scooped deck, while kneeboards from the 70s had gentler version of the same, and they were all made to get the rider closer to the water. Greg has played his part in developing bottom concaves, we all know the backstory to his banana boards, but concaves in the deck have a more obscure history. He’s worked the idea into a new model: The Creature. A double concave runs down the bottom of the board, and yep, a double concave runs down the top too. Recently, Greg Webber has taken to photographing the top of his boards in the same manner, and the reason is because he’s begun dropping deck concaves into select boards. All those lovely curves running through the engine room of the board. See the artistic photographs with shaper holding the board just so, the light falling across the bottom of the board so the shadows accentuate the concaves or channels. Now that Instagram has replaced the product catalogue, shapers have become adept at presenting their latest creations online.
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