Has anyone ever tried putting together a wakesurfing based on the Simmons Planing Hull designs? I'd think a mini, or micro Simmons would work pretty well at 4.5-5ft in length...

Interesting concept. I think we see influences in some of the boards available, if not the full design. <BR> <BR><a href="http://www.legendarysurfers.com/surf/legends/ls15.shtml" target="_blank">http://www.legendarysurfers.com/surf/legends/ls15.shtml</a> <BR> <BR><a href="http://olosurfer-woodensurfboardsatpipeline.blogspot.com/2009/02/simmons-board.html" target="_blank">http://olosurfer-woodensurfboardsatpipeline.blogspot.com/2009/02/simmons-board.html</a> <BR> <BR>Cut 'n paste of the recap from the last URL: <BR> <BR>1) Nose rocker. This is used in order to gain more lift per square inch from the nose area so that the board can accelerate more quickly on takeoff <BR> <BR>2) A relatively parallel rail line. Lindsay Lord's planing hull theory ( used by Simmons) implies that a parallel rail line reduces drag. <BR> <BR>3) A wide tail. Planing hull theory tells us that a wide planing hull has a better lift/drag ratio than a narow one. <BR> <BR>4) A hard edge at the tail. planing hull theory again. . . a hard edge gives a cleaner wake and thus, less drag <BR> <BR>5) Zero tail rocker, this reduces drag

I definitely see a lot of it in wakesurfing design, but I have a feeling that the sum of the whole is greater than the parts. <BR> <BR>Also - there seem to be a lot of variations on them - and when I think "Simmons Planing Hull" I think of a board like this: <BR> <BR><a href="http://thedegreeofslide.blogspot.com/2008/01/simmons-inspired-planning-hull.html" target="_blank">http://thedegreeofslide.blogspot.com/2008/01/simmons-inspired-planning-hull.html</a> <BR> <BR>Notice the design details like the concave bottom between the fins, the stepped deck (very common in windsurfing - my main sport), etc. <BR> <BR>I feel like a lot of the boards I see use one part or the other, but not all. Take the parallel rail line - I feel like I see this on "beginner" or "big guy" boards, but not on something that is intended to be super-high-performance (with some exceptions). <BR> <BR>Also feel the thickness and stepped deck is often lacking. <BR> <BR>I'd love to have something like the board in the blog link above, in a 4'6-5' ish length, 2" thick in the center, dropping to 1" at the rails, glassed in fins, the entire bottom and fins sanded with 600 grit to break the surface tension - just something insanely fast that still turns well enough (with the speed, the idea would be to turn it off the lip with only the back 1/3 in the water - so in theory it turns like a fish). <BR> <BR>Just thinking out loud.

Are you guys even speaking english??? Wow! Thats heavy stuff! Good luck with that anyway!