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| Airush Monaro: Race and Lightwind Board
Mar 25, 2009 Author: interview by John Bryja photos by Stephan Fournet 
Airush is releasing a new Race and Lightwind board called the Monaro. SBC Kiteboard editor John Bryja caught up with Brand Manager and Product Designer Clinton Filen and Product Manager and Tester Dave Tyburski for a behind the scenes look at the project. Look for a full test review in the Summer issue of SBC Kiteboard magazine. How did this raceboard project get started? Clinton Filen: The focus of the Monaro is not only racing but also lightwind freeride. The growth of racing was clear and about a year ago and we decide it would be worth pursuing on a commercial level. Before that we had feedback from customers using our current Converse and Choptop range for light- wind flat water, for which it was not developed, but felt initially that was a very small segment. Together the two groups looked like an interesting area to develop a product for. How many competitors boards did you look at and what were you looking to improve? Clinton Filen: When we started the project there were no production race boards on the market. We looked at what some of our national team were doing (many were modifying existing boards) and there were many different ideas at the race competitions. This gave us an idea on what to improve and which directions made the most sense. Current windsurf boards have been through a lot of development and this was a big source of practical design concepts as well as our knowledge from Directional’s and Surfboards. We primarily looked at upwind performance combined with speed and control off the wind. Where did you guys design and test it? 
Clinton Filen: Prototyping is done in our workshop in Thailand, design and testing took place in Perth Western Australia. What sort of things did you try in the prototyping stages? Clinton Filen: That is a very broad question when you are coming into a completely new design. We considered everything from length, width, rocker, outline, fin placement and angles, bottom shape, rail shape etc. However the key testing areas in development was find a rocker that was fast, without sacrificing control and an outline that balanced upwind performance with stability at speed. The fin design, placement, cant and positioning was also very important. We spent a lot of time working with how deep and vertical we could make the fins before the board became a handful at speed. This lead to us offering the Monaro with two fin configurations, an upwind oriented fin set along with a reaching oriented fin set. Why did you choose the final shape over the others tested? Clinton Filen: It had the best combination of upwind speed and a high level of control off the wind. Why did you choose to use two fins instead of four? 
Clinton Filen: We originally experimented with single, twin and quad configurations each with their own merits. We felt that the twin fin configuration offer a good combination of efficiency and maintained the ability to edge. What sort of trade off is involved in using just two fins? Clinton Filen: One of the tradeoffs of not having 4 fins is that it could make the board more sensitive to overall design and fin positioning, as with 4 fins you can could technically use the relative position (to each other) along with relative size to influence the board trim angle, stability etc. However in the end you can achieve similar results on a twin by working with rake, position etc. as ultimately you are looking for the best position of the centre of lateral resistance, in relation to the rider, board and kite. Are different fin sizes available? Clinton Filen: We offer a upwind oriented fin set along with a reaching oriented fin set. This enables the rider to set the board up for blasting and windier reaching conditions or more dedicated upwind racing or light wind. What is the wind range of the new board? Dave Tyburski: The low end of the board really depends on the kite. At 85 Kg, I have had the board going upwind on a 13M kite in around 6 knots of wind. Basically, you can get going before any other board that I have ridden. The Monaro project really opened my eyes to lowering the light wind threshold. The right combination of volume, rocker, outline and fin significantly lowers the wind threshold and allows extreme upwind angles that most kiters have not experienced before. For sure, the Monaro will give you more low-end out of any kite than you have had before. On the high-end, the board handles extremely well for a board of its size and maintains its stability at very high speeds. What did you and the testers discover about footstrap placement during the testing? Dave Tyburski: You want to have your foot straps set up for how you want to ride. Our testing was focused on using the board as a high performance race board and also as a lightwind freeride board. For racing, I want my rear footstrap back centered over the fins. As you increase the length of the fins, you will want to begin moving the straps a little further back to keep the board manageable. I really only use the rear strap when I am reaching off the wind or down wind. For freeride situations when you are in both straps most of the time, I found that it was more comfortable with the rear strap positioned a little further forward rather than centered over the fins. 
What Airush kite compliments this board the best? Dave Tyburski: For racing, for sure the FLOW FT would make the most sense due to its profile, range and speed through the wind. The FLOW FT and Monaro are actually a perfect combination and we will have team riders competing on this kite board combo in many of the international races this year. For freeride. we tested it a lot with the DNA, VAPOR III and even prototype kites for 2010 as well as from years past. The board will work well with any newer kite designs that have descent depower and range. It is important to match the kite size with the conditions. Even for racing, you are able to easily drop a kite size than you would normally use. Any race speed tips you discovered during testing? Dave Tyburski: I have learned a lot over the past few years racing and toying with new shapes and designs. Most races are won on the upwind legs of the course. One basic tip that I could give is to position your rear foot in between the front and rear straps when you are pinching upwind for maximum penetration. This way you can feather your rear foot closer forward to the front strap and back as your power situation changes. It will also enable you to hold your angle longer with fluctuations in the wind speed and it will be more comfortable and less fatiguing on your body. As for speed and going fast off the wind, think of your feet in the straps as being on accelerator pedals. You will likely be edging a bit on your heals, even off the wind. Try to ride the fins more instead of the rail of the board by pressing down with your toes and flattening out the board. It is definitely more physically demanding, but extremely fast. www.airush.com |
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Volgende/Vorige Items
mig27
07 April /
2009 /
20:08
Ziet er goed uit, alleen hoe gaat hij door chop en golven (niet om te golfsurfen, maar ik bedoel de nederlandse noordzeeomstandigheden)
Nog steeds lid van het NKV
Morres
07 April /
2009 /
22:56
iesj niet voor golven, verkeerde shape
Morres had een 0 sterren sessie in Harlingen met maar liefst 0 - 0 knots op zijn Gaastra Jekyll (2013)
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