View Full Version : Kneeboard Question: Why are the bottom of some new kneeboards rough as sand paper?
Bought a new knee board to replace one that is getting old and wore out. The old board is smooth as glass like that of a typical boat bottom. What I don't understand is why the rough bottom on the new ones? I did try it out and it takes more effort to use the board. :(
Anybody know the answer to this question?
Aeration. Helps loosen it up. I once had a Jobe edge and it had varying degrees of roughness and it allowed the ski to perform different ways depending on where you positioned yourself. Hard to get used to but it was a heck of a ski once you did. Might be other reasons but that is the only one I can think of.
Rock
M.CHAPMAN
10-02-2006, 03:10 PM
Yeah "HO" had a slalom ski they called a micropolymer textured base. Made the ski faster on flat water. It felt a little like 320 grit paper.
Tom Foley
10-02-2006, 06:00 PM
Since kneeboarding speeds are slow and controlled, I don't think speed is the end desired goal . I have a fairly late model O'brien board and i think that "re - entry grip " is the desired result rather than skidding on the surface after an aerial maneuver .
RNM018
10-02-2006, 06:13 PM
Tom Foley on a Knee Board . WOW ,I got to see this ! :rolleyes: Rich Martin 018
Scream And Fly
10-02-2006, 06:41 PM
The 'diamond pattern' on the bottom of the kneeboards is to add control. Without it, the board would slide too much on landings and other tricks. O'Brien did make a smooth-bottomed board, which was the newer generation Bullfrog, but it was horrible. I was a hardcore kneeboarder for many years - I miss it!
Greg
OK a rougher bottom for re-entry does make sense to gain more control.
I called Nash MFG in Ft Worth TX and spoke to one of their techs. I was told "We changed the surface bottom so it did not have the plastic look but this should not effect functionality"
Whatever........
When I compare this to an older board, I prefer the older board since there is less drag on the person using it and you can stay up longer without your arms getting quiclky tired.
Thanks everyone for your imput. :rolleyes:
Tom Foley
10-02-2006, 07:10 PM
The 'diamond pattern' on the bottom of the kneeboards is to add control. Without it, the board would slide too much on landings and other tricks. O'Brien did make a smooth-bottomed board, which was the newer generation Bullfrog, but it was horrible. I was a hardcore kneeboarder for many years - I miss it!
Greg
I'll drag you around Lake Tarpon behind my Sidewinder as long as you want !! It's originally from O'neills in Island Park , NY .
Tom Foley
10-02-2006, 07:12 PM
Tom Foley on a Wake Board . WOW ,I got to see this ! :rolleyes: Rich Martin 018
Bring it Beoch !! ( actually I hate kneeboards but always had one !! )
Scream And Fly
10-02-2006, 07:19 PM
I have to get an Air Chair. I really need one.
RNM018
10-02-2006, 07:22 PM
Ya TOM , I'm not sure whats hurt me worst , Three Wheelers or Hyrdoslides. Been way to Stupid with both . Thank God for Old Age and Small Bits of Wisdom !Rich Martin 018
Pro300x24LD
10-03-2006, 07:17 AM
I have to get an Air Chair. I really need one.
Now your talkin'!!! Talk about a wild ride. I road a friend of mine's a couple years back and had a hard time really getting it, but he could do all sorts of flips on the thing. Regardless they are extremely fun.
Yeah "HO" had a slalom ski they called a micropolymer textured base. Made the ski faster on flat water. It felt a little like 320 grit paper.
The sandy satin finish on the bottom of slalom skis is NOT for aeration, and certainly not for speed. Speed comes from the power to pull hard through tha wakes, the satin finish is to slow the ski down before going into a turn.
On kneeboards, I'm not sure. The control factor seems to make sense. I used to kneeboard when the sport was still young, and the slippery boards really slipped and jumped around a lot on the landings...
Doesn't make sense. The foils on either side of the "keel" on performance skis is for deceleration. I'm not sure why a company would apply a rough surface to the entire run on the bottom of a ski when the foils, tuneable I might add, perform the same function but only better.
They are also there for edge control.
Pro300x24LD
10-03-2006, 08:39 AM
In general, MOST performance slalom ski's of the mid 90's had a rougher bottom then older ski's, I am not sure of the newer ski's.
The foil can be tuned for deceleration and also will allow for the ski to turn harder.
I have an older EP Stilletto, with double highbacks that my bro and I have tuned to hook very hard with little deceleration, and that ski can FLY through the wakes.
M.CHAPMAN
10-03-2006, 09:39 AM
The sandy satin finish on the bottom of slalom skis is NOT for aeration, and certainly not for speed. Speed comes from the power to pull hard through tha wakes, the satin finish is to slow the ski down before going into a turn.
On kneeboards, I'm not sure. The control factor seems to make sense. I used to kneeboard when the sport was still young, and the slippery boards really slipped and jumped around a lot on the landings...
Well, that's what the ski reps I dealt with in the 90's said, the texture was for cross wake acceleration and the foil angle determined how fast it slowed in a pre-turn when the you applied pressure with the front foot. The more foil angle the faster the ski would slow down. I know personally between the O'brien I had that had a slick bottom and the HO a buddy had the HO would accelerate more on flat water. But that is just my experience with them. I could tell a difference. I logged a ton of hours on them a few summers.
Pyro could be right. I wish I still had the ski so I could look at it. It had several textures progressing from front to back and I don't remember if it was rough in front or rough towards the rear. If the roughness was toward the front deceleration would make sense. Been over thirty years since I have been on a ski. Lost a lot of cells since then.
Rock
Pro300x24LD
10-03-2006, 11:22 AM
Well, that's what the ski reps I dealt with in the 90's said, the texture was for cross wake acceleration and the foil angle determined how fast it slowed in a pre-turn when the you applied pressure with the front foot. The more foil angle the faster the ski would slow down. I know personally between the O'brien I had that had a slick bottom and the HO a buddy had the HO would accelerate more on flat water. But that is just my experience with them. I could tell a difference. I logged a ton of hours on them a few summers.I would agree completely with what you posted and my experience. Though I know the stiffness of a slalom ski also makes a big difference in how quickly it turns and begins to accelerate.
Also my mother's Kidder slalom ski had a smooth bottom and was real jumpy when not on edge on glas calm water, so maybe breaking up the surface in calm water has something to do witht eh slalom ski's....as far as the kneeboard, not sure I'll have to go home and look at my boards and take a gander...
Oh ya, boards! We have an O'Brien Black Magic. It has a knob that you can turn. When you do this, two keels pop out of the back; it's on a cable system and is pretty cool. Didn't do a whole pile though. I found that if your speed was right, you just needed to pull back hard enough to execute your turn.
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