Tom Wegener Seaglass boards

[sflinux]

Hi,
Yesterday I picked up a Tom Wegener Seaglass board.
http://www.surfindustries.com/surfboards/seaglass.php
There are two boards in the line up; the Albacore and the Tuna. The Tuna is epoxy contruction, the Albacore is soft foam construction like a boogie board. The boards are inspired by the wooden Tuna boards, which were inspired by Alaias.

I know there are some that have tried alaias on here, they are a blast, you should check them out if you haven't. I made a few and they were super fun, but kept braking. I'm currently working on making, thicker stronger ones.
To paraphrase Tom Wegener, the Albacore is the easiest board to ride, followed by the Tuna, then followed by the alaia. The Seaglass boards have volume (32-36L) which makes it easier to catch waves. With a kite, you don't need volume, but it does come in handy in light conditions when there are lulls. Yesterday I rode the Albacore 5'6" model. It was very easy to ride. It has a longboard feel to it, but makes turns like a shortboard. I love that slide feel that alaias have, which makes it feel so much different than a regular surfboard. It has more of a surfboard feel to it, then a skimboard, probably due to the long rail outline. The alais are a faster ride. The Seaglass boards feel more like a surfboard, the rails have a softer feel to them. In summary, the Seaglass boards have the feel of an alaia, but are more user friendly, which may be appealing to some strapless riders on here.
I've ridden soft surfboards before and had a lot of fun. They give a nice cushioned ride which is great for long rides. My main complaint with soft boards was there soft flexible fins, which is not a problem on the Albacore. These soft boards are great for crowded areas, as the board is soft and is unlikely to hurt anyone. A wave hit me and I did manage to puncture the deck of the soft foam of the Albacore. I'll probably just fill it in with some door/trim silicone sealant. I look forward to surfing this board on days without wind. I used to bodyboard, and this board looks really fun for prone riding too. This will be the go to board for my kids when they are old enough to hit the surf. The Seaglass Tuna is now on my wish list. Anyone else checked out these boards?

[tungsten]

Thanks for the hint sflinux, those boards look really interesting indeed. I watched a couple vids and this looks like lots of fun. 36l is a lot of volume, how do they handle chop?

[Lonny]

Interesting... and excellent post sflinux. I look forward to hearing more about your riding impressions. Had an amazing weekend of 3 full days of riding. Our off season is finally over. Stoked to be back on the water. I think my wife might like me again.

[sflinux]

Hi Tungston, I'll have to get more time on the water, but my first impression is they handle chop as well as a regular surfboard. I was surprised at how easy it was to power over white wash waves on my way out. On my way out pass the breakers, an alaia with minimal concave would have to slice through a wave, but with the concave on the bottom of the Seaglass the nose would pop up like a board with lots of rocker. I did notice the side of the nose is sensitive to catching the rail, but no worse than my Airush Wakeskate. The board feels super floaty though, kind of like a fish, but is narrower, so is faster than a fish. If you are worried about chop, the 31 L Tuna is probably to board to check out.
Over the years, I've found I like finless boards for underpowered conditions at my local beach. The beach is not straight, so in one section you are in waist deep water, than another you are in inches of water. A normal surfboard would always bottom out in these conditions, whereas alaias and skimboards would just keep cruising.

[tungsten]

Brilliant! I'm dealing mostly with choppy waters, and some boards are just a PITA in those conditions, bouncing about like an old cork. My solution to date for dealing with chop is a rather thin board with sharp rails tip to tail, deep concave and little volume (11 l for a kite surf board, 8 l for a skim). Redecessed deck like the Underground Kipuna, keeping a moderate surf-ish rail thickness + thinning the board center. Works amazingly well.

Now seeing this Wegener shape, I'm intrigued by the idea of an alaia type bottom (deep concave) on a volume board. Plus the V-shaped rail in the back, known from boogie boards and the y-boards, some finless ("The One"), some with fins http://catchsurf.com/index.php/surfboards-by-y.php

I'll have to build one I guess. I'll probably go less volume, and I'll have to wrap my brains around the tip rail shape and volume distribution. Just finishing another ride, so here's the new project for the winter coming up. Thanks buddy!

[sflinux]

Hi Tungsten,
Thanks for the skimboard tip. I think you'll like concave once you check it out. The last twintip I ever bought was the Ocean Rodeo Mako 150. It has like 15 mm of single concave. That is probably the fastest board I've ever ridden, I just hated the straps . The concave gives the board suction, which is great for holding an edge (an eliminates the bounce). I agree that thin boards work well in chop. My plywood boards and alaias were all ~ 1/2 inch thick, and would just slice through chop, even without any rocker. When I copy the shape of this Albacore with a wooden version, I may thin out the thickness of the nose for kiting. The thick nose is probably good for paddling and catching waves, but is not needed for kiting.
Hi Lonny, it seems like our windy seasons are polar opposites. Here in the SF Bay Area, March-September is our season. When is your season in Florida?

[tungsten]

hi sflinux, funny you should say that! I also own a 2005 Mako 150x34 as a sole remainder of my strapped kiting career. I only break it out every now and then to race around over powered with a mad grin ear to ear, laying down some knee buckling carves. I won't sell that one, ever.

My current wood project http://www.losethestraps.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=0&t=911 is actually my attempt to bring the Mako concave bottom together with a surfboard shape. This board is almost as fast as the Mako, and it also does ride like a flying carpet over chop.

So yeah, you're making your own boards as well? Let me see what you come up with that Albacore! If you have any documentation of your boards, please post whatever you see fit in the "build it and they will ride..." section. Much appreciated!

cheers, tungsten

[sflinux]

I liked the feel of the Albacore so much I picked up a 32 L tuna (5'3"x16 1/8" x 2 1/4"). I weigh 200 pounds and the board still feels big. I don't think my Zap skimboard is going to get much use anymore. My last session I could only go downwind on my Zap skimboard, then switched to the Seaglass and had much more fun, holding my line no problem. For kiting, I am considering making a smaller one around 4'10" x 16" out of wood, but I need to make another alaia first.

[sflinux]

Yesterday I rode the Tuna after riding a homemade 6'x17" Peanut alaia. I must say, if you haven't tried an alaia, you really should, they rock. The winds were dead onshore and light. It wasn't enough for my normal lightwind board, the Placebo Surfskate. I rigged a 9M Eclipse Kima and was out on the alaia no problem. Later the winds picked up and I tried the Tuna. The Tuna is a completely different ride. The alaia is all about the rail and no rocker. The rails are thin and slice through everything. The Tuna is thick ~2" and the rails feel boxy. The Tuna does have massive concave in the tail. My previous rides I rode the Tuna like I ride an alaia, kind of centered on the board, like a snowboard. But this doesn't work with the Tuna, as any chop makes the nose slide out. Next I tried putting my rear foot right over the tail, like a short board, basically with my weight over the rear of the board. I still need more time on the board, but the board likes to be ridden this way. I could point upwind, stay in control with lots of speed, and this pitches the nose up, keeping it out of chop. The Tuna has a skateboard (longboard) feel to me. I found my legs getting tired on the Tuna, as the board is so lose, very sensitive to foot pressure and foot placement. For normal surfing, I'd say the Tuna is an easier ride. My Tuna was getting heel dents so I put in a deck pad (I'm a big fan of deck pads). But for kitesurfing, I find an alaia to be easier to ride (and better for lightwind). My alaias are sealed with Tung Oil/Linseed Oil blend, no wax necessary.