Jet powered channel bottoms - literally
The fastest boards in the world just got faster. Dale Wilson of Byrning Spears has recently been tinkering around with jet powered surfboards, the goal being to tackle tow only waves without using cumbersome equipment.
Like many design ideas it was borne out of Friday arvo beers in the factory. Wilson and Allan Byrne dreamt it up together, and despite AB passing away Wilson continued with the project.
He recently revealed his first protoype and subsequently spoke to Swellnet about it.
Swellnet: Who's idea is it?
Dale Wilson: It was one of those ideas myself and AB had after a couple of arvo beers in the factory. We wanted to try to make it easier to go tow surfing, with less people and gear.
With many years growing up in jet boats, I knew it wouldn't be that hard to put a water jet into a board and had dreamt about it when I was younger. Working on it with AB, I knew the thing would come out a treat and had no worries it will handle anything that it gets taken to.
We made it for big wave surfing or where paddling wasn’t a option. I don’t want to see these taking over surfing. The laws will protect that I hope but its a scary thought. Using them on flat water also will be good for those who cant get to a beach.
How long ago was it dreamt up?
We started things about five or six years ago but getting things working right with the jet unit and waterproofing took about two years. After AB passed away I shelved it for about two years mainly due to work and the technology in the electronics not quite having enough power. Recently things are getting a lot more advanced and the power to weight ratio is better though still not quite there. We wanted this to be as light as possible and the board as close to normal as possible. The fast ones on the market at the moment are just way too big and heavy. The others are just paddle assist boards and that’s just lazy.
What materials are used?
AB shaped a 6‘8” channel bottom, the design is kind of a cross between a tow board and gun and it's glassed super strong - 2 x 6oz on the bottom and 3 x 6oz on the deck. The jet unit is mainly carbon, just to try and save some weight, also the hatches over the jet and controls are carbon.
How long does it take to make each one?
I’ve built and rebuilt this so many times now that it doesn’t take long to put them together, but overall would take about twice as long as a normal board.
And how’s it powered?
This one has a 5,000 watt brushless motor at 40 volt driving a Wilson jet unit and the batteries are lithiums. It has an on-board throttle and also wireless trigger throttle. The motor is the key to getting it right with good power to weight ratio. I ended up with German motors as I had less drama with them.
Everyday there are advances in motor and battery technologies, so I can see this working at its full potential in the next couple of years. The one I am building at the moment is 20,000 watt.
Does the engine shut off once the wave energy takes over?
Yeah it has a throttle so can go on where and when you want it to and at what power. The board was designed to run on waves like one of our boards and surf normally, that's how we wanted to make ours different from all the others.
Top speed?
Not fast enough...yet. At the moment it goes faster than you can ever dream of paddling, but it needs a lot more. With that comes more weight and that's where time and battery development will help in the future. It wont be long and you'll be able to use these on flat water.
So it'll be fast enough to catch any tow wave? Even coming-out-of-the-sky Teahupoo?
In the future they will, that's the whole idea of it. Staying on the technical developments will help us do what we dreamt of at the start.
Comments
Got the name right anyway Burning sorry Byrning Spears. Wouldn't want one of those up you clacker. Imagine it in the hands of evil!
I hereby declare I will never again towsurf.
I'll be lining up for one of these babies though!!!!
A new Yuppie toy! Just what we need. Being clever is not the same as being wise.
blindboy and Stu--how come so quiet on all the fuss going on about wave pools. please don't tell me you guys are on their side too......
Has got a Darth Vader look about it hey memla!
more the Batboard look with the red pins on black
Holy foam balls Batman
Imagine you are in the barrel at Cloudbreak and you just need that little squirt every 50 yards or so to make the longest massive barrels? Or using it to get in just that bit earlier at South Narrabeen? Not for the purist though.
You MAY and i mean MAY be able to get onto a wave at kirra before Dingo and his jetski army!
So they can burn you:-D
Or Panaitan.
Surprising this is only being run on what appears to be 10S lipo batteries (40v), no wonder it lacks power. This needs a boost in juice to at least 14S lipo power (50v) with motor to suit of course. 16 or 18S would do well for real power but then the electronic speed controllers get very expensive for that level of lipo cells, like $1000 or more...so do low kv motors to suit...and heavy.
Run time is gonna be low though, only good for maybe half dozen waves, and that's with paddling back out each time. An RC boat big enough to run 10S will be looking at 5/6 minutes max runtime...water dynamics and friction are power hogs.
Even on 10S using quality gear like Wilson is, these boards will be bloody expensive, like $2.5 - 3k with a couple of sets of decent lipo packs.
This is something I thought about when I got into RC aircraft using HV electric power years ago...had plenty of large lipos for power but never followed through with it.
Disabled people have a right to surf too ! I wonder how smucker will go when he gets one ?
Lots of HP required.
No way that battery power could propel that pie eating blow out camel!
Haha,pie eating blow out camel, disabled surfers, Smucker got paid out;) A new yuppie toy?
Gold stuff.
But you know what AB and Dale are thinking outside of the circle and it comes from the famous inventor another NZ bloke 'Hamilton Jet" who was a legend just like AB;)
Yeah well when the batteries are bigger . At this stage just for lightweight midgets ?
i can see all the Rich kids at a few of my old haunts flying around with these .
Nothing worse than dealing with grommy's with a sense of entitlement , throw the ability to out paddle you in the mix also .
I've been thinking over this one for a while looking over the pictures trying to get how they want to make it work . My understanding of the jet is you will only get propulsion whilst the jet is buried in the water, once the board is on the "plane" it will be rendered pretty useless. The jet outlet appears to be above the bottom level of the board. So you will get the power initially to try and get up to wave speed, but is it possible you would be pretty close to planing by that time? Am I missing something with this?
Wavejet have been bought and due to start up again in 2016.
Havent seen these around lately did they breakdown?
Foils are much better