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 FRICTIONLESS SURFBOARDS and the PURSUIT of PERFECTION
 
  
 
 February 9, 2024
 
  
 
 FRICTIONLESS FOILS & MAGIC SURFBOARDS

Every surfboard has a power core in the profile and foil created by the relation of bottom and deck rockers juxtaposed with a speed box in the bottom rocker. The ultimate goal of all surfboard designs is a board that paddles and catches waves well, accelerates on demand, carries speed, is maneuverable, controlable, and predictable in its perfromance. A frictionless surfboard has no friction or drag in front of the power core and speed box and no friction or drag with complete release behind the power core and speed box. These designs are magic surfboards.
 

The Power Core and Speed Box correspond to the medium blue area in the foil and red line along the bottom rocker.

 
 Friction is a force that can act on objects and decrease their velocity or speed and ultimately their efficiency. Specifically, friction involves two surfaces that are in contact with one another and in motion relative to each other such as the surface of a surfboard and the face of a wave. The absence or reduction of friction is an ideal component of surfboard design. In the macro universe of surfing and surfboards a frictionless surfboard can be achieved through the pursuit of perfection.

WHAT is PERFECTION ?

Perfection is flawless. It is free from all flaws and defects. Perfection is a state of excellence. It is the highest degree of proficiency, skill, execution, and excellence of any thing or activity. By any standard perfection is the highest degree of quality in any endeavor. It is the extreme degree of excellence. When something is perfect it is as good as it could possibly be.

Contemporary psychology generally considers perfection impossible to achieve. And it considers the pursuit of perfection a risk factor and a source of many psychological issues. No doubt this can be true when someone falls short of their goals. On the other hand we often refer to many things as perfect - a perfect wave, a perfect score, a perfect fit, a perfect day, or a perfect game in baseball. There are so many things we consider perfect. A magic surfboard is a perfect surfboard ! The pursuit of perfection in surfboard design is well worth the effort and ultimately produces continuous improvements in surfboard design and performance.

WHAT is the PURSUIT of PERFCTION ?

The pursuit of perfection is the process of perfecting something. Perfection is a state of quality of something being flawless. It is a continuous process of improving something until it is without flaws or defects. To perfect something such as a skill, a system, an entity, or for instance a surfboard involves making it as good as it could possibly be.

Greek Philosopher Aristotle in Metaphysics described perfection as that which is complete - contains all its requisite parts, that which is so good that nothing of its kind could be better. Perfection is something that has attained its purpose. Green Bay Packer Head Coach from 1959 to 1968 Vince Lombardi famously said to his players, "Gentlemen, we are going to relentlessly chase perfection. Knowing full well we will not catch it because nothing is perfect. But we are going to relentlessly chase it. Because in the process we will catch excellence. I'm not even remotely interested in being just good."

PERFECTION is a PROCESS

Perfection is an ongoing, ever adapting process. In this ongoing process improvement comes through learning, innovation, and repetition. The pursuit of perfection seeks to understand and perfect the process.

The Zen of Perfection is a rigorous discipline. It requires humility and an acceptance that change is integral to success. Ironically, perfection is often achieved not when there is nothing more to do or add, but when there is nothing left to do or take away.

Perfection can only be achieved in a timeless and welcome environment. The pursuit of perfection struggles in a limited time frame and a resistant or hostile environment. Perfection becomes more elusive when the working environment is cluttered with friction and drag.

What are the benefits of relentless pursuit of perfection ? Perfection, the process and the result, are about performance and quality. Performance and quality originate from the pursuit of perfection.

ELIMINATING WASTED EFFORT

When lean, timeless, and environmentally welcome techniques are applied throughout a process, friction and resistance are notably and functionally reduced. Eliminating inefficient tasks creates excellent work flow. The creative process in a welcome environment reduces needless effort, makes efficient use of time, and reduces or entirely eliminates mistakes and errors while offering results or outcomes that are ever more excellent.

FRICTIONLESS SURFBOARD FOILS

A perfectly foiled surfboard is is a close to frictionless as possible and offers maximum lift and minimum drag. A surfboard with a perfect foil engages waves, accelerates, maintains speed, turns on any radius on any wave in its design class and perfromance range, and extends perfromance well beyond expectations. A magic surfboard is not only a perfectly foiled design for its own design class and performance range it extends performance well beyond its intended and expected performance range.

The pursuit of perfection in surfboard design includes significant emphasis on extending frictionless and controlled performance throughout a board's design class performance range, and extends performance beyond the board's expected range of perfromance.

A perfect surfboard foil for any design class will paddle and enter waves as if on a yellow brick road. A frictionless surfboard design will accelerate, maintain speed, turn on any radius, and engage waves in any and every wave with control, consistency, and predictability. Within any design class the design concepts, appropriate dimensions, and foiling the geometry of the surfaces as near to or as frictionless as possible creates such perfromance. A perfectly foiled surfboard ultimately provides maximum lift and minimum drag.

POWER CORE & SPEED BOX

The Power Core is created in the foil of a surfboard. It is the segment of the foil that harnesses and applies the energy of a wave. The Speed Box is in the rocker. It is is the segment of the bottom rocker with the least curve. When the Power Core and Speed Box are synchronized, balanced, and functioning with each other and when there is no friction or force fore or aft of this area of the foil and rocker you have a magic surfboard.
 
 The Power Core and Speed Box correspond to the medium blue area in the foil and red line along the bottom rocker. This is the same image as the one above with the light blue area illustrating the distribution of volume and surface area in a contemporary shortboard and how that corresponds to the power core and speed box.

 
 The power core of a surfboard, from where the board is primarily surfed, is where the board gathers, masses, and distributes a wave's energy and power and releases that energy and power into acceleration, speed, maneuverability, and control. The rocker and foil, outline, and rails absorb, distribute, and release energy from waves. The Zen of board, wave, and surfer pursue perfection through the power core and speed box of a board. This fundamental and primary concept applies to all classes of surfboard design.

The combination of the core mass and the geometry (design elements and features) create the power core of surfboard. This core mass and its geometry absorb, amplify, and distribute a waves energy, speed, and power providing surfers the opportunity to ride waves. The power core is a broad concept in surfboard design. It is fundamental to all surfboard design classes, surfers, and waves. Design classes, surfers, and waves are more diverse than ever, yet all pursue perfection and excellence.


 
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