Kona Time
By Patrik Gustafsson
Exocet have recently launched a very innovative board concept that incorporates a long hull and a step-tail. Patrik interviewed Patrice Belbeoch about his innovative design.
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Where did you get the inspiration for the Kona design?
PB: Based on shapes and concepts I started myself in the 1980’s in combination with modern freeride and racing boards. The basic idea is very simple; in light winds and sub-planing conditions, the board is engaged along its full length, when travelling at speed it lifts onto the shorter planing surface (with a rocker line taken from the AHD 310 that was designed by the Exocet crew circa 1998) and behaves like a much smaller board. The outline of the Kona is quite similar to traditional surfboards and is both quick and manoeuvrable.
At the beginning it looked a little strange with a fin half a meter in front of the tail, but after a while it didn't bother me. When the Kona is planing it feels like a short board and it accelerates to a serious speed. I recently did a top speed above 32 knots. |
How come you are pushing longer three and half meter boards at a time when short boards are still the ‘in thing’?
PB: Looking back, we now know which types of boards were attracting the big crowds. Windsurfing was booming at the time light wind cruising on longboards was the name of the game. Present wide boards are wonderful and very easy to learn on, but they can never replace a longboard with a daggerboard in sub-planing conditions. Our goal is to reinvent this concept and open up the sport to a much wider audience.
There has been a lot of hype about hybrid boards with daggerboards. These are about three meters in length. Why is the Kona different from these?
PB: We have been testing boards with daggerboards for several years. It started with the Exocet contribution to the Olympic trials, and was followed by the Exocet Pacer hybrid boards but we quickly realized that these boards were difficult to sail for the average weekend surfer.
A Pacer will perform better in a narrow wind range from 9 to18 knots, assuming sufficiently big rigs are used. The biggest advantage of the Pacer, in its optimum wind range, is upwind. On a reach there is not much of a difference. Below 9 knots the Kona has a better sub-planing performance, and over 18 knots the Kona is a much easier board to control and to sail.
Tell me about the Kona step-tail, and the relationship to the Hybrid boards?
PB: The step-tail is really only used in sub-planing conditions, as having a narrow tail and a long displacement hull generate more speed which again allows you to rail the board up very easily. We have tried to remove the tail but the board would hardly rail at all, and when it did it was a very "aggressive railing". The board became hard to control and was slower upwind. Downwind was quite similar although it was getting on the plane quicker with the step tail.
If the Kona would have been cut off where the step in the bottom is, it should be called a Hybrid. As it is now it will get on the rail and will go upwind on the fin, but certainly not as well as an old long raceboard. Hybrids are poor boards in term of performances and feeling in any conditions compared to a Formula or a Raceboard. They are just a different breed. |
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Was the step-tail invented by you?
PB: No, the concept is quite old. Already in 1962 there were surfboards shaped with step-tails. The concept was also later used on windsurfing boards (for example by Rick Naish) but was forgotten as boards started to get shorter.
Does the step-tail board concept affect rigs as well?
PB: Yes, the sail size relative to wind strength is certainly different as compared to boards designed for mostly or only planing use. The formula boards are designed to use huge rigs compared to any other boards. They also need very long fins (70 cm) with sufficient width to allow the concept to work. The hybrid boards are also mainly designed for planing conditions, and intended to be used with big rigs (preferably over rigged). In contrast, longboards and raceboards are designed to work well without much sail power, in sub-planing conditions. This style of boards can therefore be enjoyed with relatively small sails, and the combo is consequently much more suitable for the average weekend windsurfer.
Do you have any longboard design background?
PB: I actually believe that I have more experience in longboard design than shortboard design! We did not design any longboards for 15 long years but before that I was constantly designing longboards with different shapers. Based on this experience I claim that the new raceboard Warp-X 380 will be very hard to beat.
Both the Kona and the Warp-X have an unusually forward fin position. How does that affect performance?
PB: It is true that the fin position is far forward, but it is a long low drag fin. The way to look at it for me is "why put a fin at the very back"? The board is long, narrow and therefore you need to find a solution to give it more power once on the plane. You also want to have a board that is tracking on the fin once on the plane and not a dinosaur bouncing around just because you have a 35cm fin. The advantage of having the fin forward is quite clear; you stand straighter up in front of your rig, you get a much better top speed upwind, a shorter mast track and the upwind footstrap position are almost identical to the reaching positions. The pin tail is there only to get a nice clean displacement in light wind. A wide tail would not work, I have tried and it was really bad.
You have, since the introduction of the Kona Style, introduced the slightly smaller Kona Surf. How do you position these two on the windsurfing market?
PB: The Kona Style is the norm for combining non-planing and planing windsurfing for hobby surfers on flattish water. The Kona Surf emphasizes planing windsurfing a lot more; it is shorter which negatively affects glide in light winds but at the same time increases planing performance. The rails are also slightly softer to add to the freemove capabilities and to make it much more viable in waves.
Finally, sell me the Kona Concept!
PB: The long and efficient fin originates from the Formula boards that are designed to plane very early, and to go upwind extremely efficiently. The long outline of the hull comes from the old lightwind, non-planing, boards of the 80's. By combining modern fin and sail technology with the pure physics of a long hull, spiced with a step tail for versatility, we have the answer; a new, versatile, easy and responsive board concept.
For more info go to: www.exocet-original.com
PHOTOS: Courtesy of Exocet
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