ATD Pushes the Envelope and Opens It!
posted by Gareth White on 11th November 2007
If you haven't already heard, he has just released his latest creation, the
Fluid Rail Design (FRD), through his company
Al Taylor Designs (ATD).
The FRD is a brand spanking new idea that apparently drastically increases the speed of the board - supposedly making it, "The World's Fastest Bodyboard!"
After relentless testing, Taylor loosely based his design around that of a surfboards rail system. The rail is rounded/ foiled at the nose of the board and makes a gradual transition to a hard, square edge at the tail of the board. Another unique feature of the FRD design is its channel system, which runs the entire length of the board, from the tail all the way up until they blend in with the board's nose rocker. The channel system helps to offset the looseness of the board at the nose end and give a more balanced performance throughout.
"This rail design is
NOT to be confused with other bodyboard manufacturers that have featured rounded rails at the front and bodyboard rails at the tail, which are not nearly as effective as the new FRD design. The net result is a board that is significantly faster than anything you have ever ridden! While it's hard to say exactly how much faster this board goes, there are times when it feels like it's twice as fast as a board with regular rails," commented Taylor on the performance of his design.
The system works by allowing water to flow more freely over the board, thus increasing the board's "aerodynamics" and decreasing drag caused by hard, square rails found at the nose of most bodyboards.
"The tail end of the rail has a hard edge, actually at 90 degrees to the bottom deck, but is kept thin by foiling the top half over onto the top deck - this part of the rail creates incredible bite in the wave face, while at the same time water shears off the rail quickly and enhances the overall speed effect," added Taylor.
For a more detailed description of this innovation, as well as news of other
ATD products please visit
www.atdbodyboards.com.
3127 views
Comments
 | Pierre Marqua
14th November 2007 10:56 |
| how much does it cost? |
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 | Kevin Williams
12th November 2007 10:43 |
| I rode this board over the weekend and all I can say is WOW!!!!! The speed and projection is like nothing I've ever experienced before. I've already put in my order! |
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