SB_issue55_Digital
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“Our boards are still<br />
lightweight as we<br />
utilise sustainable<br />
natural materials to<br />
deliver great strength<br />
to weight ratios with<br />
high impact strength.”<br />
“Once you are up and running, you can motor<br />
out to the swell line, pull around and onto some<br />
swell and turn off the motor. Doing it that way<br />
you will get about two hours riding out of the<br />
battery and I challenge many to go beyond that<br />
two hours because you are knackered. That is<br />
all you need. This way you have the assist of<br />
the motor where you need it and then you tap<br />
into nature’s energy source, being the wind and<br />
water. It is the best of both worlds.”<br />
Jack simply sees the technology as a means<br />
to introduce more people to foiling and open<br />
up the opportunity to ride unridden swells. As<br />
many would attest to, our local breaks are most<br />
definitely becoming more and more crowded<br />
so any reduction or diversion of these numbers<br />
has to be seen as a positive. What Jack does<br />
craft however is a pretty impressive range of<br />
foilboards for beginners<br />
through to the most<br />
experienced.<br />
“We basically produce<br />
right here on the Sunny<br />
Coast two ranges of Foil<br />
boards. The Foilz8 is our<br />
entry level beginner board<br />
range priced at $880 and<br />
comes in two lengths – 4’8”<br />
and a 5’. The SURFoilz<br />
is our high-performance<br />
foil board range and here<br />
we have boards for prone foiling through to<br />
downwinding, SUP and wingsurfing.<br />
“We’re really concentrating on producing<br />
a more sustainable foil board. We have<br />
steered away from carbon because, whether<br />
or not people are aware, it is not great for<br />
the environment, absolutely terrible to work<br />
with (carbon dust), has extremely low impact<br />
resistance, and the boards are prone to<br />
overheating if left in the heat. We exclusively<br />
use vacuum technology, having manufactured<br />
over five thousand boards in the last decade<br />
using this technology.<br />
“Our boards are still lightweight as we utilise<br />
sustainable natural materials to deliver a great<br />
strength to weight ratios with high impact<br />
strength.”<br />
Jack informs me his workshop right near the<br />
Sunshine Coast airport also specialises in foil<br />
repairs and the installation of the Foil Drive<br />
motorised propellor we spoke of earlier. Not<br />
only that, but he also has a foil simulator in the<br />
workshop where you can experience the feeling<br />
of balancing the foil board prior to going to the<br />
expense of purchasing a foil board. It’s basically<br />
a one stop shop – beginner foil boards,<br />
performance foil boards, foil repairs and foil<br />
experience all in one. It prompts Jack to recall<br />
his childhood growing up near Williamstown<br />
Beach in Melbourne’s southern outskirts.<br />
“I used to ride my bike over to Williamstown<br />
Beach from Spotswood with a huge board in<br />
tow whenever there was some wind generated<br />
swell. The board was the first I hand shaped<br />
from a solid slab of balsa 8’ long by 2’ wide and<br />
6” thick. I used to clamp on pram wheels to the<br />
nose and hang onto the<br />
big plywood fin while I<br />
rode my bike the 6km trip.<br />
Who would have thought<br />
60 years on this whole<br />
wind and water energy<br />
transfer I loved so much<br />
as a kid would have such<br />
an effect on me all these<br />
years later.”<br />
surfoilz.com<br />
<strong>SB</strong> / #55 / 84