Dave Wood and the Railution

Stu Nettle picture
Stu Nettle (stunet)
Design Outline

Since COVID struck, surfboard shapers have been doing all they can to keep up with the increased demand. Whether it be new surfers, or existing surfers with time and money to spare, they've all called upon foam mowers who've been one of the few beneficiaries from the pandemic.

The increased workload, however, meant that research and development has been shelved in favour of meeting orders. Great for the industry, not so interesting to write about.

So it was with some measure of excitement that I spoke to Dave Wood about a new rail shape he's been working on, dubbed the 'Railution'.

Wood, for those who don't know, is a shaper from Sydney's Northern Beaches, with 33 years experience. Late last year, once he'd finished his Christmas orders he set to work creating an idea he's had for a while.

"I've seen some shapers reduce rail volume with a bevelled edge," says Dave, and Garry Loveridge's 7S Superfish would be a popular example of that, "yet with a bevel the water's still wrapping around a rail with some volume."

"This rail is very low profile," continues Dave, "like an inch thick down in the water, and then it scoops up."

So as opposed to a straight line from rail to deck, Dave's solution to rail shape is what's called an 'ogee' in woodworking or architectural circles - an 'S' shape that links two curves. What results is a rail that's as thin as some tow boards, yet on a shortboard with standard volume. "The key," says Dave, "is that you've got to put the volume back in."

The first board he made created a lightbulb moment. "It was one of the best sensations I've ever felt," Dave effused. "It was fast across flat sections - there's enough foam for that - and barely any drag when burying the rail. Guys down the beach saw it and went 'Shivers, that's exactly what I'm after: All the foam but without the boggy rail.'"

The first board Dave made was a 5'8", and he's since put the same rail design into a 6'0" with similar results - each of them dead ahead performance boards. "I like high performance boards," says Dave.

So excited by the idea is Dave that he recently registered the design through IP Australia. "There's nothing much to it," says Dave about the design rego. "I've got no idea where things can go and it only cost $250, so I figured I'd do it."

The talk about design registration causes Dave to qualify his position. Many shapers have played with convex rail shapes. Greg Loehr, Cole Simler, and Stretch Riedel are a few of the bigger names, though for those three it was as much about strength as performance - a rail bending through two planes gives increased rigidity and strength - while the aforementioned Garry Loveridge used a bevelled rail for performance.

"I'm not trying to poach anyone's ideas," says Dave. "There's always someone saying, 'I've seen that, I've done that'. But actually, in all my time I haven't seen this exact design before."

"It comes off the cutters perfectly and the fin plugs fit fine. So far, so good," says Dave

The positive feedback - both from the boards and the crew at the beach - have launched Dave into experimentation mode. The first two boards were a groveller and a standard shorty, but, says Dave, "I think the design can go into anything - I really do. As long as you re-input the volume."

Yet he's already wondering if maybe the volume can stay stripped out, though he's yet to test that theory.

The last two years have been lucrative for the surfboard industry, yet shapers are creative at heart. Filling orders, working to customer specifications, can dull the imagination required to keep pushing design slowly yet interminably forward.

Fair to say Dave has sharpened his edge.

Visit Dave's Instagram page

Comments

MutantPig's picture
MutantPig's picture
MutantPig Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 11:33am

hmmm ...does look a lot like the Delta Designs (WA) rail I used a few years back, as he said quite a few crew have played with this one.

Salty Andy's picture
Salty Andy's picture
Salty Andy Saturday, 29 Jan 2022 at 8:34am

Yep Marty at Delta was doing that over 10 years ago giddy up.

Moored's picture
Moored's picture
Moored Saturday, 29 Jan 2022 at 1:29pm

Moose surfboards also been doing them for decades and I have a recent one in the quiver, goes so good.

getbarrelled99's picture
getbarrelled99's picture
getbarrelled99 Tuesday, 1 Feb 2022 at 3:33pm

i have a 15 year old Delta from Marty with that exact rail design

Zdx100's picture
Zdx100's picture
Zdx100 Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 11:44am

Makes a lot of sense - I have tried a S7 Superfish and although it didn't seem to suit me - the idea of a stepped rail seems so obvious I wondered why it had not taken off or been developed further.
Id love to try one of Dave's boards.

surfcarter's picture
surfcarter's picture
surfcarter Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 11:48am

Have sent it a lot on big wave guns , stand ups and high volume boards but it hasn’t been seen as a cool look for short boards so not “ marketable “ enough for main stream but keep doing different I say

stunet's picture
stunet's picture
stunet Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 11:54am

I've ridden a few of Stretch's boards with rail channels which are a similar theory in that foam is removed from the rails and shifted towards the centre. The volume redistribution makes the boards roll over easier.

The difference in Stretch's case is the rail profile is maintained - Dave's are much lower.

bbbird's picture
bbbird's picture
bbbird Saturday, 26 Feb 2022 at 1:06pm

Stretch calls his rails "love handles"
dont know if he patented that name .....or design.


http://www.stretchboards.com/news/

bbbird's picture
bbbird's picture
bbbird Saturday, 26 Feb 2022 at 1:43pm

Closeup of these rails

bbbird's picture
bbbird's picture
bbbird Friday, 13 May 2022 at 6:55pm

10ft board tested on +30ft surf

Fraser G's picture
Fraser G's picture
Fraser G Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 12:21pm

Delta Antman model by Marty Littlewood circa 1999

channel-bottom's picture
channel-bottom's picture
channel-bottom Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 2:32pm

Yep, this is the design I was thinking of.

Hazrus's picture
Hazrus's picture
Hazrus Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 12:26pm

Looks good!

Crab Nebula's picture
Crab Nebula's picture
Crab Nebula Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 12:39pm

Mr Dick Van Straalen's take on concave decks instantly came to my mind when I saw this. Seems like it is the exact opposite direction (not that that is a problem- one could have both in quiver). Its amazing all the different designs and takes on what works. One of the most fascinating things about surfing, for me, is the shaping process. I remember the interview https://www.swellnet.com/news/talking-heads/2019/01/29/audience-dick-van...

aaron61's picture
aaron61's picture
aaron61 Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 12:44pm

Meh.

A guy called Mick Grace did this exact thing on the Sunshine Coast years ago. Probably early nineties.

He worked for "Beachbeat" at Maroochydore.

andy-mac's picture
andy-mac's picture
andy-mac Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 12:50pm

Yep, the ol step deck....
Remember them....

spookypt's picture
spookypt's picture
spookypt Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 1:21pm

Yep watched woodsy surfin a step deck at sharkies MDore 15 odd years ao. Whats old is new again!

andy-mac's picture
andy-mac's picture
andy-mac Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 3:48pm

He's still ripping!

dazzler's picture
dazzler's picture
dazzler Saturday, 29 Jan 2022 at 4:26am

I lived in Alex & left in 2003. They had been doing them since about 2001.

Remember Woodsy picking up lots of waves on a step deck while everyone else struggled.

tiger's picture
tiger's picture
tiger Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 1:46pm

Yep Gracey was doing them for beach beat back in the day. They were very popular too.

eastcoast65's picture
eastcoast65's picture
eastcoast65 Monday, 31 Jan 2022 at 2:07pm

Mick Grace also did one, I think he called a Step Bottom. From memory, a flat rocker with lots of volume in front two thirds of the board, with some channels through the mid section, then stepped down to a thinner tail with single to double concave swallow tail. Had some flyers, too, with a thruster set up, Lots going on there, but mine went unreal. Woodsy convinced me to get one after seeing him rip on one, but that sucker could make a dunny door look good. Probably about 97/98. I think it might have had some influence from Tommy Petersen.

Clivus Multrum's picture
Clivus Multrum's picture
Clivus Multrum Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 1:11pm

May be a silly question but isn’t this the same as a step deck?

dewhurst's picture
dewhurst's picture
dewhurst Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 1:15pm

A step deck in longboards means a thicker middle with thinner nose when looking along the board, not across it. Like an S deck profile but more pronounced.

james.hamilton's picture
james.hamilton's picture
james.hamilton Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 1:36pm

Yes Sretch has a similar but not so agressive rail in the SK8 deck.

Robwilliams's picture
Robwilliams's picture
Robwilliams Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 1:36pm

At what thickness are rails starting to become considered as boggy or thick railed and how thin are the rails on standard tow boards?

Blowin's picture
Blowin's picture
Blowin Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 2:02pm

Meh. I did this retrospectively when I outgrew a board I loved. Getting older meant the board’s volume wasn’t adequate, so I ripped a 20mm thick sheet of foam off an old board and resined it on the deck from nose to tail , keeping a couple of inches off the rails all round. Then I glassed over the whole thing. Worked like a charm till it snapped.

Tom Curren did a similar thing in the movie “Free Scrubber” except he just looked to glue boogie board foam on his deck and didn’t bother glassing over.

The Seven S fish is the same.

Good idea but it’s not new.

blackers's picture
blackers's picture
blackers Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 2:32pm

What a great solution, fantastic Blowin.

Blowin's picture
Blowin's picture
Blowin Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 2:43pm

Bit of labour involved. Great result though. Certainly beats throwing an old favourite on the scrap heap. Especially if you love it more for its personality than its looks! Was probably more like 12-15 mm instead of 20mm.

Crab Nebula's picture
Crab Nebula's picture
Crab Nebula Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 3:29pm

Haha. Yes, I to thought of Curren's whacky tacked-on form in "Free Scrubber" when I saw DWS design.

Island Bay's picture
Island Bay's picture
Island Bay Saturday, 29 Jan 2022 at 8:27am

Good stuff, Blowin

Anyone ever try glueing a sheet of EVA foam onto a board that's just a little too low in volume? 5mm EVA would add 3 to 4L.

Clam's picture
Clam's picture
Clam Sunday, 30 Jan 2022 at 11:21am

hey IB, mate i tried it and it didnt work . it didnt seem to help with volume or floatation. the board was a bit too thin and even with a big piece of rubber foam glued on i could not feel any more floatation or benefit

BBrowny's picture
BBrowny's picture
BBrowny Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 2:01pm

Definitely been done before though it was many years ago in hand shaping days. That meant getting a new idea over the line while having to charge more for labour - how good's your marketing department?

I've ridden a few boards that have similar principles. My thoughts:

-Less forgiving so generally for better surfers.
-Better in weaker waves, think Qld not Vic/WA
-Volume redistribution is key. Try to retain nose to tail foil.

3dfins's picture
3dfins's picture
3dfins Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 2:42pm

Christian Fletcher boards have had these rails for the last 7 years lots of crew copied his design. Nothing new here. They do go insane and I have about 4 of his boards with these rails.

Nick Bone's picture
Nick Bone's picture
Nick Bone Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 3:03pm

Off topic but have can you register IP in board design? Surely you could tweak something minutely and it's a different design etc. In saying that, got no idea how Intellectual Property works.

Blowin's picture
Blowin's picture
Blowin Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 3:38pm

I’m thinking of registering a patent for the Twuster. It’s not a twin fin and it’s not a thruster….but a little bit of both!

It’s got 2 large forward side fins and a smaller rear fin.

Nothing like a 2+ 1 though…..completely different name for a start.

The Twuster…..in shops soon!

Thinking of getting Elmer Fudd to do the promos. The word would roll off his tongue.

thermalben's picture
thermalben's picture
thermalben Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 3:51pm

Sorry, already taken (I've got a set and they're unreal).

https://shapers.com.au/copy-of-twuster-2-1-set/

Blowin's picture
Blowin's picture
Blowin Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 3:56pm

Fuck…..I was sitting here thinking I was sooooo clever to come up with that name.

lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy's picture
lostdoggy Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 3:56pm

Maurice Cole also named a board the twuster

Spuddups's picture
Spuddups's picture
Spuddups Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 6:39pm

How 'bout a "Squad"? It's a single fin with four extra fins added, then the single fin taken off. Has all the advantages of a quad with none of the disadvantages of a single fin.

Blowin's picture
Blowin's picture
Blowin Saturday, 29 Jan 2022 at 3:37am

Excellent.

This reminds me of those handy hints in Viz magazine. They were hilarious.

indo-dreaming's picture
indo-dreaming's picture
indo-dreaming Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 3:29pm

Not exactly new, but makes sense.

A board model i love has this concept in the tail.

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 3:41pm

Dave did say..................
"I'm not trying to poach anyone's ideas," says Dave. "There's always someone saying, 'I've seen that, I've done that'. But actually, in all my time I haven't seen this exact design before."

SurferSam's picture
SurferSam's picture
SurferSam Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 4:49pm

Delta designs copy

Rojosh's picture
Rojosh's picture
Rojosh Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 4:50pm

Put 2 fins on it … it will sell

dangerouskook2000's picture
dangerouskook2000's picture
dangerouskook2000 Sunday, 30 Jan 2022 at 11:28am

not that there's anything wrong with a twinnie

shanecgriffo's picture
shanecgriffo's picture
shanecgriffo Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 5:08pm

I had an MR board about 20 years ago that had the same idea..
It was Mark Rabbidge, not that other MR bloke ;)
Paddled awfully well and was a fun midlength’er .. one of a couple boards I regret parting with.

lost's picture
lost's picture
lost Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 5:51pm

Max at Eye Symmetry in Brookevale has been doing rails like that for quite some time. I’ve got a couple of his boards. Really nice, quality build and seem to last ( as well as the cool rails/foam).
https://m.facebook.com/eyesymmetry/

BigZ's picture
BigZ's picture
BigZ Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 6:30pm

Change the U for an I Blowin? its yours

mattlock's picture
mattlock's picture
mattlock Friday, 28 Jan 2022 at 6:41pm

Ye olde domed deck works pretty good to keep some volume whilst keeping the rails thinnish.
Is what my go to shaper has recommended for a couple of decades.

Reefeater's picture
Reefeater's picture
Reefeater Saturday, 29 Jan 2022 at 7:58am

Yep Ant-Man model years ago from Marty went great, and very much like the "chumbo" model Dylan is doing now. Feel great to paddle also.

Island Bay's picture
Island Bay's picture
Island Bay Saturday, 29 Jan 2022 at 8:23am

90s Campbell Bros Bonzer I checked out at a mate's had exactly those rails.

GuySmiley's picture
GuySmiley's picture
GuySmiley Saturday, 29 Jan 2022 at 9:04am

Like the idea but perhaps better called The Love-Handler, what do reckon GaryG?

user's picture
user's picture
user Saturday, 29 Jan 2022 at 9:49am

Firewire Spitfire. Works a treat.

morg's picture
morg's picture
morg Sunday, 30 Jan 2022 at 9:14am

Great to see a modern interpretation and refinement of past designs. As an older bloke requiring more volume these days it raises a few exciting possibilities.

dangerouskook2000's picture
dangerouskook2000's picture
dangerouskook2000 Sunday, 30 Jan 2022 at 11:27am

I think the good idea here is that he paid $250 to register the idea with IP australia. Good to know coz I'm an ideas man. I might register some of them.

caml's picture
caml's picture
caml Monday, 31 Jan 2022 at 11:02am

That delta 7"0 cant be 8.5 thick

getbarrelled99's picture
getbarrelled99's picture
getbarrelled99 Tuesday, 1 Feb 2022 at 3:37pm

it'd be 3 1/2 - i have one almost identical that's 3 1/4

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Monday, 31 Jan 2022 at 11:21am
tango's picture
tango's picture
tango Monday, 31 Jan 2022 at 3:15pm

I'm sure I've seen boards with this rail profile before - all sizes and all types. Think I even saw a goat-boat with it once. I think it's a very long bow to patent it, and speaks volumes about the integrity of the patent process.

I'm assuming Dave's love of high performance boards has seen him sending off 33 annual appreciation cheques to one Mr Simon Anderson?

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Monday, 31 Jan 2022 at 3:20pm

Wheres the mention of Patent?

tango's picture
tango's picture
tango Tuesday, 1 Feb 2022 at 2:08pm

Sorry, my mistake, Udo - I conflated design rights with patents and they're separate (though related) intellectual property issues.

My point remains, though - he appears to be seeking to establish a right over the design, or in the case of a design right it needs to be at least part of the design.

I'm still struggling to comprehend how establishing such a right would be valid when there has been so much cross-pollination and collaboration for the past 60 years (at least) on surfboard design and, as others have pointed out, the stepped rail has been done by many people beforehand.

And if Simon got a dollar for every thruster made, well, that would be fair enough in my book.

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Monday, 31 Jan 2022 at 3:35pm
Greg Gillespie's picture
Greg Gillespie's picture
Greg Gillespie Saturday, 12 Feb 2022 at 9:38am

Wow, so many comments and such controversy over, who is claiming what and who did what first.

As one wise man once said, "there's nothing new under the sun", I am fairly positive Dave would be the first to agree that the idea is not new or his total invention. But nor was the Thruster that Simon made 40 years ago the first "tri-fin" surfboard.

We all have ideas on what design change might do to a surfboards' performance, but many or most of us, can't or don't do anything with those ideas. Dave has taken the step and as a recent test pilot, I have to say he has hit the nail right on the head.

He asked me what length, width etc, and my answer was, "Dave this is your thing and you are the shaper, you make me what you know works, as this is out of my league to be telling you what to do on something so different".

Result: Fastest, easiest to paddle, yet still easy to turn with great control surfboard I have ever ridden. This is just what this 60-year-old surfer with a bunch of old guy aliments needed to revitalise his surfing as a birthday present from the boys!

Thanks lads! Thanks Dave - the Railution is the future, and many are going to see this years from now as the turning point for something perhaps as special as Simon's Thruster - but just don't know it yet.