Wax for my Broadcast?

Still stuck with my sloooooow a$$ Broadcast and looking for any suggestions to make it faster. Took off the center fin to make it a little more loose but the thing is just a dog. After riding an IS for the past couple weeks, it's just pathetic. Is there any kind of "Clark W. Griswold super lubricant" I can pick up easily at Home Depot or similar that might speed this thing up a bit? Tried 2 coats of Meguire's marine way and it didn't seem to help. Wife won't let me drop the cash on a new board right now and it's enough to make me hang it up for the season. Thanks!!!

(Message edited by iaonbb on August 06, 2007)

Wax is for the top, not the bottom!

Put the center fin back on, remove the outsides.

Yes, but with traction don't really need the wax now...maybe I should I have said lubricant?

(Message edited by iaonbb on August 06, 2007)

Try some KY jelly

I knew that was coming...talk about a setup

Someone posted awhile aback about something you could pick up at HD for under $10 that gave about 20 applications. Can't seem to find the old post though.

Anyone? Bueller?

Marc, there are several things that will make a very small difference.
The most popular (and most expensive) is Everglide speed wax.
https://www.eastcoastskimboards.com/comersus/store/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=29

I use Gel Gloss from Home Depot which works almost as good. (It's in the kitchen dept)

Do you actually do this?

sometimes, the difference is much more pronounced skimboarding but the same principal applies. Less friction equals more speed.
(I'd definitely be sporting a coat of Everglide in a contest situation)


(Message edited by caskimmer on August 06, 2007)

Thanks Sean! That's what I was looking for..can't hurt, that's for sure!

So, anyone else have any input on fin configurations? Will removing the two side fins help? I can't see how it would?

Need to make the best of it for the rest of the season and look into an IS, SS or WP over the winter...

water tends to stick to smooth surfaces. aka water tension. try sanding it with a really fine grain sand paper.

Theoretically, the Brodacast isn't a bad hull, a little too heavy, but not a HUGELY bad design. The fin configuration, however is awful. There is no cant or toe-in of the rail fins. IMO folks would be better served to add a little toe-in and cant to the rail fins. If you had an old Broadcast that you didn't mind drilling holes into...I'd try toe-in of the rail fins to something like 3 degrees...to make turning feel more responsive. Then bevel the bottom of those rail fins...where they attach to the board, to give it some lift and additional speed down the line. I would also think that adding some depth on the rail fins would improve that board immesurably.

Does anyone have an old Brodacast that they could experiement with and the needed shop skills?

Perfect thread title - Hotrodding the Broadcast.

I have one, but it's such a good beginner board I don't think I want to tear it up.

Johhny~ Sand it? Really? Hmmmmm...I can see that logic too. Anyone actually done this?

Jeff~ Thanks again for your informative and intelligent reponse. Here's a thought..I'll send mine to anyone that has the ability to "hotroddit" it??? I've got nothing to lose since I'll be getting a new board over the winter and this one will be kept just for beginners. Any takers???

Marc, if you're serious about letting me mess with it...I'll do a thread on it and then ship it back - do some experiements with it.

Ed? Can I enlist your aid with some of the shop work that might need to be done?

Hotrod Broadcast

Sure, I'd be interested to hear you suggestions. It would be interesting to add Futures fins and the type of fins found on the Walzer. Are the Walzer fins Futures too?

I think the long fins on the Broadcast are one serious limiting factor. The long fins make the board very stable but very difficult to spin. The fins on an IS yellow don’t look much smaller but the board is much easier to spin. The fins on the yellow are shorter and deeper.

Hot Rod Broadcast, are we talking flames or racing stripes? Dean can do airbrushing, maybe we can make this project one of those makeover deals?

The fins that you see on the Walzer Alpha towards the rail are Future's C-5's.

I believe that surface spins, 3's etc, are more a matter of technigue than fin depth. While it's true that a finless board will spin easier than a board with 4 inch fins, there is the OPPOSITE issue in that you have to stop the rotation upon completion.

Fin placement: Toe-in, cant and location UP from the tail towards the nose can change the performance of the Broadcast from a stable platform for beginner's to one suitable for intermediate tricks.

The toe-in, and moving the fins forward can make the board feel much more "loose".

It would be interesting to see if I can route a hole for a futures fin box. The rail boxes are 3/4 inch deep in the hull. If that is possible, it would substantially increase available fin options.

Definately flames.

Fin boxes are kind of deep. I think you might have to remove the traction and add a little material over the fin boxes, then reapply the traction or replace it.

I put 4 ½ inch fins on an IS Yellow yesterday. The ride was very different and I kept pearling the board. I need to ride the yellow with 4.5s a little more. Next week I’m going to get a chance to ride behind an Avy again. I’ll bring the Yellow out for that ride. I was hoping that the big fins would help stop my 3 like you suggest above but we were riding on a busy lake so there was a lot of wake interference. Also, my ankle is a lot better but I don’t have my surf legs back.

Yesterday Jon brought a brand new SS Ja Mako. Looks like a one of a kind board with some pin striping on the bottom. When I climbed up the wake to try to boost air I ended up on top of the pillow and stalled out. My last set was pretty good. The Ja Mako is def on the top of the list for next years new board.

yea mark, in a sence its the same concept as concaves, which you may hear people say dotn work at the slow speeds of wakesurfing, but believe me, concaves make the differance between sluggish boards and livley boards. the way it works is air gets funneled between the board and the water in surtain areas creating lift and speed. sanding the bottom creates the water to tumble off the board instead of stick. dont make it to ruff tho or you will create drag. believe me i talked to steve brom who is a legend and he is a hydrodynamic genious and hes taught me well.

Hey Jeff, I do like the idea but wonder if it would be worth the hassle and expense to ship both ways. Surprisingly, I tried movnig a little more forward on the board last night and had pretty good success. Feels slightly faster now, AND I was able to pull off my first 360! Lost the pocket though Took out the center fin and left the two outside fins on. Since I'm definitely getting a new board this winter, I'll just leave the old Broadcast for the beginnners. Appreciate the offer though! I'll probably PM you in a few months looking for advice on a few new boards if you don't mind helping me out yet again...thanks!

Always happy to help. The Broadcast is a great board for beginners, good choice to have one in the quiver.