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Birth of a Motorized Surfboard
An anonymous reader writes: "The October Mechanical Engineering has a article on the creation of a motorized surfboard. Looks like a bigger creative leap than Segway and potentially a lot more fun!"
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I wonder if they can take the really big waves. I can't imagine that a jet on the back would make it any safer. But them, where's the fun in a safe sport, I guess.
I'm still waiting for my flying car.
A programmer is a machine for converting coffee into code.
Noisy buzzing surfboards along with the noisy buzzing scooters.. This is where I start becoming technologically conservative-minded.
--
om Shanti
The Segway was designed to *cough* make commuting easier, etc. This is just taking the fun out of a good sport. :)
And we wonder why Americans become so obese!
I went surfing for the first time last summer. By the end of the summer, I was feeling pretty cocky about my surfing abilities. At first, though, it seemed like a real pain to fight against the waves paddling, trying in vain to make it out of the kill zone just past where the waves are breaking. But, as I kept it up, my muscles grew. Which was a good thing, because I had an office job at the time that kept me there 15 hours/day. Surfing was the only way to keep fit, and although this might be good for beginners, I think this is just going to contribute to the obesity and laziness of this world.
Surfing is supposed to be a sport!
I saw a motorized surfboard when I was like 6 years old. That was about 19 years ago. Granted, it wasn't NEARLY as sexy as this one. The one I saw was a fairly big box on the back of a surfboard. The one in the article actually LOOKS like a surfboard, maybe a little thicker in the middle.
-- Having a Creationist Museum is like having an Atheist place of worship
This isn't the first motorized surfboard I've seen. I once saw a gas powered surfboard posted on Ebay, and it looked to be created in the 70's or 80's sometime, if not before that. The thing weighed in at over 50 lbs from what I recall, not too practical for surfing or carrying around the beach.
I honestly don't see the point. Surfing is about skill and instinct. You need to find the right wave, then have the ability to propel yourself onto it and maintain balance for a set period of time. Automating the process takes the effort out of it.
But who am I to critisize? I live in Kansas and didn't RTFA. (Well I did look at the nifty pictures.)
You're right, I wouldn't steal a car. But if it were possible, I sure as hell would download one!
Here is the site, PowerSki.com
I have dreamed of these for years.
I wonder if I can get it in kit form?
comment directly in my journal
"Looks like a bigger creative leap than Segway..."
Let's see here... Auto-balancing two wheeled compact electric vehical or a surfboard with a small motor inside of it. Oh yeah, the creativity is just leaping from this project...
You need a FREE iPod Nano
Sort of defeat the whole purpose of being outdoors, getting some sun and fresh sea air and some good healthy physical activity at the same time?
If you need a motor perhaps you should wait until the virtual surf simulator is released for Ninentendo in oh say 20 years.
Do not try to read the dupe, thats impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth
What truth?
There is no dupe
"this is the birth of a whole new water sport that will change the direction of the watercraft industry the way the snowboard changed skiing." I'm sold, where do I get one?
all jet boards (surfboards) were recalled today after people tried to use them without charging the batteries and drowned in the pacific.
If you lost your job today, don't despair. You may die tomorrow anyway.
Combine this with your own morter and we've got ourselves new Navy ammunition.
Yeah, that's why I go surfing, to see blue smoke, smell partially burned hydrocarbons and listen to the irritating whine of a small internal combustion engine.
I'm not really a web designer, I just play one on the Internet.
this is just one of those jet-ski's packed in to a surf board. I see no innovation on the level of the segway.
Here's to finally giving Bush his exit strategy in November
Saw your flying car come over a hill in San Francisco. No, Wait!
to skate (fast), you find hills. to snowboard, you find mountains.
to surf, you find a FREAKING OCEAN. i can't see this as a sport, but only a recreational activity. does anyone consider riding a jetski or driving a boat a sport?
well, now, I've been reading the first few posts here and everyone seems to be assuming that this thing'd get used in ocean waves. I doubt it for a couple of reasons.
first, it's way too heavy. sure, it'd help ya get past the waves, but there'd be no way to control it adequately riding back in. you'd need biggish surf to be able to be propelled beachward.
second, if you did take it somewhere where the surf was big enough to ride on this pig, the locals would skeg your puffy ass just to see you bleed.
this thing is for use at the reservoir, right next to those appalling jetskis.
Sorry, motorized has been done. Even has hydrofoils!
http://robijn.net/hydrofoil/
John Kerry is a Joke!
How about an UNDERWATER gas powered AquaScooter? Great for fighting the current when snorkeling for lobsters here in Florida!
Listen to Live FM Radio
Now i have to finish work on my Motorized Shopping Cart.
Browse at -1, because trolls are often the most creative part of
One more mechanized, motorized watercraft for people to abuse while drunk. Why is it that the drunks never collide with the other drunks? Instead they go straight for the people operating canoes and sailboats.
My somewhat grouchy and jaundiced opinion as someone who lives on the Chesapeake is that if you want to surf you should go where there are waves. Waves are found at the ocean. Preferably the Pacific Ocean.
DUCT TAPE: The Election Supervisors' Secret Weapon
check Here
BREAKING NEWS -- magicians Siegfried and Roy were killed in Las Vegas tonight during their magic act by a tiger used as part of the show. They were taken to a Las Vegas hosptial by firefighters where the duo was pronounced dead. Even if you didn't like lame magic acts, there's no denying Siegfried and Roy's contribution to American culture. Truly American icons. They will be missed.
Motorized surfboards have been around for awhile. People who haven't surfed don't realize just how social surfing is. There are rules, ettiquette, customs, and lots of interaction. I can't think of a break where this monstosity would be welcome. However, with the greying of the general population adn the surge in media/marketing hype attention to surfing maybe we'll be seeing lineups full of these things.
But with a custom engine and everything else they designed so that this works correctly, and considering that a standard surf or snowboard is already expensive just for the raw material, I seriously doubt that this sells cheap.
I don't think it can change the direction of the watercraft industry if only a few people can afford the thing...
Yeah, and no problems if it runs out of battery power. ;-)
"But as I sit here today, I don't have a single blister on my hands," he said. "Because now we're designing the whole board in CAD."
I didn't realize the world of the professional draftsman was so hazardous. They never warned us about that in highschool.
"I'm not impatient. I just hate waiting." - My Dad
I'm surfing right now on my powered laptop! And I can surf really big sites too!
--
Get rid of everything Micro and Soft: Buy Viagra and/or Linux
The first kook to take one of these out on North Shore O'ahu (or any other Hawaiian island) will be given a ticket back to da mainland. Woo hoo first big wave weekend of the winter season! (Blew off work early, now passing time reading slashdot :)
a Mortar-ized surfboard?
It would be possible to automate these boards with just a very small chip/computer and a contrallable rudder. If so, it could be used to transport drugs, weapons, or explosives to some areas. The board is relatively small compared to a boat, but can still carry a good amount of payload. It would be undetectable to sonar or satallite(if camoflauged) and could be remotely controlled. I am not a specialist or anything, but I learned in high school the technical knowledge that would be needed to add a remote controller chip(digital electronics senior year) and and a rudder with a motor to direct it. In total that would cost $100 at most. Then you would just need to strap on some explosives or something and send it at a ship or dock.
I like the Hydrofoil surfboard better... =D Looks pretty cool... Of course I'll never have the chance to surf, living in the suburbs and all.. A guy can dream can't he? heheh
in girum imus nocte et consumimur igni
No need to put the engine on the board. Towing is all you need to surf the biggest, gnarliest waves on the planet.
No Inflation Taxation without Representation
Yes. Creativity and lazyness reached a new height that led to the first powered surboard - in the late seventies.
I thoguth surfing was about acheiving a oneness with the wave and the ocean through the act. I mean, the whole appeal is amstering the skill and then riding upon the waves as if you were a part of that wave yourself.
To strap youself to a machine and try to ride that wave is simply to try and conquer it just like everything else in this world. To surf and several other activities, are to relax and achieve a state of exhiliration and calm (at least in theory, I'm a nerd on the east coast).
For those that care, college has really put me into this sort of mindset. And the girl that I've been jonesing to ask out has started to play Halo.
This was done before I was born /and/ hung with -
and
just about anybody I ever hit waves
Talked about this type of fun...
Simple Google search:
"motor surfboard" yields competition.
Too easy to check.
Whatever...
if fluoride is so bad why do americans have good teeth and just about every other nation seems to have really nasty teeth? I always heard it was the fluoride
bite my glorious golden ass.
What's the big deal? Eight-inch mortars are common in professional pyrotechnic displays. The shells are as big as these bowling balls. And they actually do something in the air, instead of being inert.
if fluoride is so bad why do americans have good teeth and just about every other nation seems to have really nasty teeth? I always heard it was the fluoride
Yeah, I'm pretty sure it does help people's teeth. But, what are the side effects? Cigarettes help people feel more relaxed, but they cause cancer. Not everything that is good for you in one way is good for you in the long run. Just a thought.
a wave pool that goes in a circle, so you can just catch a wave and go around forever?
The article does not mention what speed the surfboard can go at.
Some places have restrictions on speeds for watercrafts though these rules do not generally apply to water skiing. But, in light of the fact that these surfboards have mechanical engines, it might be possible that there will be new rules and speed restrictions.
New year Resolution: Don't change sig this year
As a surfer, I'm appalled. This looks more annoying that gas powered scooters and jet-skis combined. If you can't paddle out, you don't belong on a surfboard (the guy who started Life Rolls On and tow-in big wave surfers aside).
Some people just don't get it. I'm sure the first person to bring one of these into our local lineups will be dealt with accordingly.
From a techie standpoint, I can only wonder why this was created.
It's all Hood
they call em toilets, but I haven't seen one that big yet
Banaaaana!
I've been surfing for 15 years, and have many a time wished I had a little trolling motor to put on the front or back of my board to save my arms from paddling (not paddling out, but just paddling against current in larger waves to stay in one spot). This board may do something like that, but frankly, from the looks of this design, it'll do little more.
I have HUGE doubts about it's ability to handle in actual waves. See, when surfing (longboards OR shortboards), the tiniest of touches turns the board. You need to be able to turn the entire board with the same amount of pressure it takes to push your gas pedal 1/2 way down. And the turning radius needs to be very tight, with this amount of pressure.
Seems like they're putting a top fuel dragster on an F1 course.
Ever sat on a surfboard waiting for the waves after paddling out, feeling truly at peace with the world? Ever felt the power that waves have, the majesty of the sea?
Well, this instrument of laziness, ignroance and pollution will guarantee that you won't.
Hmm...talk about lazy, how about reading the article? This is not about avoiding paddling out to catch a wave, it's about surfing where there are no waves.
I wouldn't have bothered responding, except I can't believe this was modded +5 insightful.
I notice a lot of this anti-american fatso talk lately.
A couple things about americans.
We're BIG. that means one of two things.. a) lard ass or b) able to snap your puney leg with his forearms.
I think americans are generally more healthy then the skinny whine drinking smoking shorties in most other countries.. but anyways my point is you should probably focus your anti-fatso sentiments more directly on fatsos and not so much on americans
bite my glorious golden ass.
There are lots of appropriately modded posts on why this is such a stupid idea: Laziness, noise, smell, etcetera.
I have another reason.
The best part of surfing is... the surfer chicks. At least, it is in Tofino. All those beautiful hippy babes, in skin tight wetsuits, walking barefoot across the sand on a cloudy day, with the smell of the ocean and the roar of the surf as a great background.
Now compare that with how it will be if these things ever take off:
All those chubby women, in roll-tight wetsuits, leaving 8 inch deep craters in the sand as they stumble to the water, with the smell of sweat and Macdonalds and exhaust and the high pitch whine of a two stroke engine in the background.
If I see these on the beach, I will kick someone's teeth out.
I am a viral sig. Please copy me and help me spread. Thank you.
You better take your shoes off or your socks are gonna blow right through 'em!
They apparently used computers (?!?!) to design and test it!!
The article explains in depth how these new-fangled calculators on steroids can be used to model and analyze things that don't even exist!
I've "surfed" a motorized surfboard back in '91 or '92. It had the engine with jet at the back, the control (using a line with throttle control from front) was similar to this design.
The ride was alright I guess, not all that fast and really heavy compared to a real surfboard. The weight and limited power of the engine plus the fact that the jet inlet comes above the waterline easily limited the board a lot with regards to radical moves potential. I think I would have gotten bored with it quite fast.
I didn't try it in waves but I wouldn't want to wipe out with a board that heavy (does it have a leesh?? - would it tear off your foot?). Similarly how do you duck-dive a board like this? It would save you a lot of paddling though but I think this thing is not really intended for waves.
I don't really like motorized watersports equipment, they pollute the environment. The joy of the beauty of an area such as a beach, lake, river can easily be spoiled for a lot of people by the presence of one loud jet-ski.
The marketing dept always seems to figure out how to price stuff according to how badly people want a certain feature set.
How much you want to bet that there'll be a nice price jump when you get to the models that can outrun sharks? "And this deluxe model comes with a high-voltage electrostatic defence barrier to ward away predators..."
gee, another chance to slam a segway. love it. when i replace my car with a surfboard, i'll start bookofsurfway.com. jeez.
A friend of mine had what was called a Jet Surf, he bought it in an auction (yes a real one not ebay) it had a little 2 cycle Mercury engine on it and ir hauled some major butt. I suggested to him, since fishing was his big thing to attach some poontoons and a steering mechanism to ir and mount a lawn chair to fish from, and use it as a small personal fishing craft (River/Lake of corse) now that would have been fun ;P
Like the Motorola surfboards does?
Do you care about the security of your wireless mouse?
AOA Fact Sheets
So I'm guessing BIG really does mean lard-ass, in the american case anyway. Especially since it would appear from those stats that more than half the population is overweight.
For the record , from OECD health data, the list from most obese to less obese countries goes
- USA
- UK
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Canada
- Czech Republic
- Spain
- Finland
- Italy
- Sweden
- Denmark
- Switzerland
I presume by "skinny whine drinking smoking shorties", you mean the french... they're not even on the list.You are in a twisty maze of processor lines, all alike.
There is a lot of hype here.
Ever tried water skiing? Just as much sun, just as much fresh air, and probably more intense physical activity than surfing - and pretty well impossible without a motor.
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a rigged demo
--Andy Finkel (J. Klass?)
Well if being skinny short and scrawny makes you healthy then you can have it. Yeah theres a lot of obese americans but there are also a lot of BUFF ones. Probably a lot of strong guys make up most of that 127 million "overweight" metric.
:P
Anyways I live in CA I don't see half the fatsos people in the midwest or east coast probably see. I actually look around and see mostly extremely healthy people that are in great shape.. comparing these people to the avg german or asian person its like yea the american would pummel you you scrawny punk
bite my glorious golden ass.
> Real surfers don't seem to go for this sort of junk.
I don't know about real surfers, but I think tow-in (via jetski) is not an exotic practice. In fact it is said that some spots can only be surfed via tow-in.
As an avid surfer and windsurfer I see this as another implementation of the hated jet ski. You know the devices that cause so many injuries and problems on the waterways. Nothing is worse then planing along on your board only to be cut off by some yahoo on a jetski trying to jump a powerboats wake, that sucks when your out on your 6.5m sail trying to get some air. Or imagine trying to surf with one of these losers buzzing in and out of the break while you were dropping in on the wave, I can see the fights now especially in the northeast (and for those of you who say their is no surf in the northeast, get a wetsuit it's hurricane season and I was surfing triple overheads before Isabel, I can't wait for Juan.)
Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.
"You take your car to work, ...eh.. I'm probably too.
I'll take my board -
and when you're out of fuel.."
Surf wax america!
It looks like a jet-ski except you have to stand up. How is this cool?
This article is also a great insight into how businesses view technology. He spoke about how it helped him build better designs, get to market better, improve communication, speed up production, etc. Not once did he mention Microsoft vs Linux, pros and cons of open source, etc. Doesn't mean he doesn't have an opinion, it's just not his focus. As someone who is a technology person, but spends most of my time talking to business people, this is pretty spot on.
Worth keeping in mind - for business, technology is just a means to an end.
Read reviews of shopping cart software
I've been hit by everything else and have yet to get worse than a sprained ankle. I may not be immortal but I have an improbable level of luck for somebody who has been involved in so many major accidents. May I ask if, and how, you were hit by a jetski? I need something to go by if I'm going to try to duplicate the accident. I don't think I'm lucky enough to drown but I'll make a good effort. :)
At what price learning? At what cost wisdom? The price is a man's peace of mind, and the cost is his life.
Startup company makes crappy product with cad package.
Please never com into my sight with one of these things or I'll start trhowing pages out of a medical enceclopedia at you: There, get all these diseases please!
This space is intentionally staring blankly at you
I saw this demoed at the Southamton boat show uk. Personnally for the amount of money its cheaper to get a wakeboard and get your mate to drive his car along the beach pulling you along. However thats a bit more dangerous.
First an article about a DIY mortar, now a motorised surfboard, it must be International kill-yourself-spectacularly-day here on slashdot. Oh well, if I hurry I may finally get my Darwin award...
Maybe it's caus fat americans can't be arsed to go out, thats why you don't see them...
And so, the jet ski was invented, once again.
Surfing is and always has been a purist endeavor. A place where minimalists plan their $8 an hour jobs around 12 hours of time on the water. Last time I was surfing, I didn't see a whole lot of yuppies or techies sporting the latest and greatest gear.
I find it difficult to believe that you will get any major proportion of the surfing world to buy into some motorized machine to offer any assistance in the enjoyment and satisfaction of a wave caught and ridden with perfection.
Personal satisfaction is all surfers crave.
That and tons of sex and pounds of pot. But who doesn't crave these things...
But still neither are quite as cool as this Trebuchet from the which launched a piano and a cow.
Only on slashdot will an link to an old article slashdot a geocities site from the old article's comments.
Then again, looking at the date of the article (October 3, 2003), the site is probably down for the month from its inital slashdotting.
"The truth suffers from too much analysis"
All your lardass belong to us
kiteboarding is the latest extreme water sport. you DONT need to paddle and you get to surf the waves inbound and outbound. basically a very large power kite with 100' lines pulls you on various types of boards (whether directional - like a surf board) or smaller bi-directional boards (like wake boards).
its almost illegal how much fun you can have kiteboarding, but highly dangerous if you dont take safety seriously when kiting.
www.kiteforum.com for pix and more info. go to the gallery for a slew of amazing pics.
I may be older and fatter now, but my guess is that alot couch potatos like me can break you in half if you try to assault us. You try kicking someone's teeth out and it might just be you who will need the help of an orthodontist (remember the line form that movie about mobsters in Las Vegas "he was the kind of guy who if he couldn't beat you with fists he'd come back with baseball bats and if he couldn't beat you with them he'd bring a gun." There is ALWAYS someone bigger and tougher out there. You go looking for trouble over something stupid like this and you might find it.
It's all good until that air intake sucks some water and it dies as one of those babies is about to come crashing down on top of you...
This is new? Really?
"Skim the Waves in this motor-driven paddle board", The Boy Mechanic, Popular Mechanics/Simon & Schuster, copyright 1952, page 99.
mark
I see numerous mentions of PTC. They also have a free 3D cad system called ProDesktop Express that I have found very easy to use.
Definitely worth taking the time to learn if you do any kind of project where you are building something and want to make sure everything fits right the first time.
mod this person up, I was wondering how long it would take for someone to point this out
Selling software wont make you money, selling a service will.
... until they redesign cities around this concept? Starting with LA, of course.
Sorry Slashrot, motorized surfboards are _NOT_ a new idea. In fact, there is a motorized surfboard from the '70s hanging in rafters at the O'Neill Surf Shop here in Santa Cruz, CA. I saw people ride that thing when it was new.
Of course, due to the weight and noise of the device, they only used it when there was no surf.
It's just a jet powered board. Jetboard perhaps would be the name as it doesn't do anything like "surf".
As a surfer, geek, if this is your idea of surfing (big improvement over sitting infront of the computer all day) you still don't get it and likely never will.
Can't get through those narrow standard doors ya mean.
A friend of mine owns a couple motorized surfboard, put out mid 70's early 80's. They are very similiar to this one; they each have a controller attached via a cable and are powered by a little 2 stroke engine and a jet drive propulsion system similiar to a jet ski. I have seen them in action and they move quite fast.
This is by no means a new invention. The motorized surfboards never caught on but they have been mass produced. Looks like someone needed to do a little more research!
The comparisons with surfing end with the general shape - the whole point of surfing is the wave - the act of surfing is controlled falling down the wave - not fighting against it but working with it, sliding down. the feeling you get surfing comes from this. a motorised version on flat water will be constantly pushing itself through the water, same as a boat or jetski does - the feel of this is totally different. The wave also has other parts to play in surfing - working your way "out back", through the waves, the fear when you get dragged under and the difficulty of making your way along an ever-changing slope all add to the satisfaction and joy when you get it right - the "spirit" of surfing is totally lost with this machine. It is basically a re-shaped jetski, resulting in a worse design - jetskis can already turn very sharply, etc. and this looks more cumbersome and harder to control. I can't imagine this is going to be bought and used by more than a few rich holiday makers who will try it once then never again. If you really want to try surfing where there are no waves, i would suggest snowboarding or longboarding (really long skateboard) - both require hills (a wave is just a rolling hill) and the same feeling of floating-falling-freeness can be achieved on them (snowboarding on deep powder snow is very similar), as well as using the same balancing and turning skills.
IMO, that is a feature, not a bug.
Manipulate the moderator system! Mod someone as "overrated" today.
A quick search for 'jet' and 'surfboard' at the USPTO reveals 78 patents.
The earliest patent is to a guy from St. Paul, Minnesota (Land of 1000 lakes and all). FYI, the patent's expired if you want to build your own.
Here's a design patent for a jet power surfboard circa 1984. It too is expired.
How about a patent for surfboard or jet ski brakes?
This device had you RTFA, is more akin to water skiing than regular vanilla surfing in the ocean with waves. It's more designed for a still water lake environment. Just to cruise around on, with the other watercraft.
Did you bother to read any of the studies posted on this site? The first two in the section titled "flouride and cancer" state that there is "equivocal" evidence, which means inconclusive, and the second states "there is no evidence" linking flouride to cancer. The rest follow the same theme. Find something else to chicken-little about.
I sure did. Here are some quotes:
"Fluoride is one of the most toxic inorganic chemicals in the Earth's crust, but it is believed that at a concentration of 1ppm, or 1m g/mL in public water supplies, and at the concentrations used in dental preparations, it is both safe and beneficial to teeth. However, with increasing experience, doubts about both safety and efficacy have arisen."
"Exposure to high fluoride concentrations in drinking water is associated with decreased birth rates."
"The results obtained indicate that a fluoride exposure of 3-27 mg/day induces a subclinical reproductive effect that can be explained by a fluoride-induced toxic effect in both Sertoli cells and gonadotrophs."
"...fluoride toxicity may cause adverse effects in the reproductive system of males living in fluorosis endemic areas."
And finally:
"All recent large-scale surveys have shown minimal benefits to teeth from fluoridation programs. On the other hand, chronic exposure to fluoride at 1ppm could have a long-term detrimental effect on the general health of the population. Over the past 20 to 30 years there has been a substantial and unexplained rise in a number of conditions such as allergy, auto-immune diseases and the post viral fatigue syndrome. The common factor in these conditions is an alteration in the efficiency of the immune system."
There is enough evidence in these studies for me to be wary of drinking fluorinated water. If the 10% or whatever uncertainty factor is enough for you to want to take the risk, go for it. As for me, I'll stick to using the fluoride in my toothpaste which I don't have to swallow to get the benefits from. The thought of additives in our water is just ludicrous.
Don't you enjoy the waves anymore? I guess motorizing breathing would be as relevant to the planet. Can you stuff a motorized power pipe in your clothes to walk? Hey that's a way good idea to consider next. Note: I see the Atlantic Ocean and peace of the surfing waves being destroyed by motorized engines every day in here, maybe the guy just wants to add to it? I don't know to which slashgod to turn for a bright next generation idea using wind, wave, solar, tides, moon... Don't inventors know how to think cool anymore?
who made the CAD system.
I was wondering whether the CAD system happened to be PTC.