bonzer... somefin to think about

[olly]

http://www.bonzer5.com/

I was in Haleiwa cafe the other day and chatted with one of the 3 Campbell brothers that designed the bonzer fin system. i'd heard about it before but not really looked at it. His reasoning behind why they work 'better' than a normal set of thruster fins seemed sound.
Just wondered what the 808 gang thought about this with all the talk of fins recently.
some of the main points he made was that:
1. Traditional thruster side fins are too big, in that the outer fin in a turn is usually still in the water, pulling the board back down flat into the water, smaller bonzer fins keep the outer fin out of the water on turns. He reckoned this disposed the need for the 'double pump' on bottom turns and cutbacks

2. the smaller angle between the side fins and the board meant that you had a vertical skeg in the water throughout the turns instead of an angled skeg, giving more hold and drive through the turns.

3. The board is designed as a working hull, instead of a planing surface, and with more of the board is kept in contact with the water through turns... equaling more speed. I'm not quite sure how he achieved this, but it was something about using a double concave between the fins, less rocker through the stringer, with more rocker on the rails.

anyway, i've never used the system and wondered if anyone out there had, and what their impression is of it?
Tom@daum, i heard that red-ex are now offering using the system as well...?
what are your views?

cheers guys

[Guest]

if they build it , they will surf it

they great like all the design since the beginning fo sliding

[bammbamm808]

More wetted surface area = MORE speed? Not so sure about that one. What about drag?

My answer to all this is that the market rules. What works best for most people is what people will ride the most. Just cause some weird design works for some people, doesn't mean most of us will find the same success with it.

I think it was an early precursor of the excellent boards we ride today and was a vital link in getting us to where we are now.

[maleko]

i've seen some people haul azz on those things...................

[tom@daumtooling]

I've been riding Bonzers for about two years. Casey McCrystal first introduced me to them and then to Malcomb. Yes, Red X does now make a Bonzer setup.

My experience with them has been on two different 6'6" 19-5/8" 2-5/8" squash tail. The first Casey Shape for me and had a very interesting rocker profile. But, about the same amount of volume as my everyday board. The second Malcomb made for me with a much more trditional rocker. But, he carried the volume out to the rails alot more than most of my boards.

What I've found riding them is that I love them in really sucking out powerful reef waves. You ride them hard off the tail and they really stay hooked up. Zeroe slide, zeroe slip. But, you need power to be able to ride them hard off the tail. If the waves are smaller or slopier they seem pretty vanilla. And, don't trim too far forward cause if you lose that big back fin, it's not a gradual slide and reengagment like on a thruster.

Usually, I won't pull my Bonzer out until my everyday thruster is getting a bit iffy and I would normally stepup to my 6'10" semi gun. But, instead now I pull out the 6'6" Bonzer and it stays loose and snappy. But, very controlled. And, if you want a real ride lay that thing on rail for a cut back and hang on cause it's going to take you for a ride.

[olly]

[quote] bammbamm808
PostPosted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 4:44 pm Post subject:
More wetted surface area = MORE speed? Not so sure about that one. What about drag? [quote]

I wasn't sure about this either, but his point was about seeing the surfboard as a working hull, like a sail boat. where the longer the boat hull, the faster the boat. apparently current boards are designed as planing hulls... brief research found this equation
Hull Speed = 1.34 * (Length of hull at waterline)^1/2
so hull speed is directly proportional to hull length ^1/2.
using this equation, hull speed of a 6' board= 3.3 knots
speed of a 12' gun = 4.5 knots.
we all know you can paddle a longer board faster than a shorter board, so maybe drag has a less significant effect...

thanks for the comments Tom, so from your experience it sounds like the boards would work well in hawaiian surf...

[Guest]

I wouldn't go for the wide tail squash accept for real clean conditions there. But, I know plenty of guys who've sworn by then on their Pipe guns. You guys usually have to surf with more open ocean bump to consider. But, yeah, I'd bring it with me.

[HMARK]

Any info on a Bonzer set-up for LB? Or Mini tank/FB?

Like to see the feeling of laying that much edge down for a cutty, and go for that ride...

Good posts all ...