Genre bending surfboard design: Rampant 10'6"

Rampant is so visually striking that many people think it  might be designed for artistic appeal alone. But every Roy Stuart  surfboard originates from surfing requirements, and all answer the  question: "What would the world's finest surfboards be like if we had no limitations?"

When we started  twenty years ago, we took a totally different approach to wave riding. From the engineering standpoint, we went back to a point in history where quality of ride diverged from the demand for smaller, cheaper technology aimed at the mass market. And because our surfboards were  larger, they had to be beautifully designed, because otherwise no one would want them.

The design process starts (and ends) with the hydrodynamic engineering. We begin by modelling a prospective surfboard based on what we want it to do- how big must the hull be to accomplish its task? How will lower wave frequencies be handled, and how fast will we go? 

This process is devoid of any aesthetic considerations, it’s pure engineering. Later,  we work to maintain the engineering integrity of the design while making it look like something you want in the middle of your living room, or on the roof of your car.

Rampant has been created from a desire to blend the qualities of two well proven shapes: the extraordinary wave gliding  power of the larger Baron and the remarkable  agility of the Hotkurl.  In the process several revolutionary improvements have been introduced, for example the scalloped trailing edge on the Vort-X tunnel fin for smooth water flow mixing, and  the amazing Bumpy Leading Edge Foil (BLEF) on the leading Spitfire fin which research and testing has shown to improve speed and control by a huge margin.

2014 'Rampant' Specifications:

Surfboard hull

Type Longboard glider
Length 10'6"
Width 27"
Thickness 2.5"
Weight 31 pounds
Volume 106 litres
Construction Hollow Wooden torsion box
Materials Paulownia wood,Heart Kahikatea wood, epoxy resin, 23 carat gold,polycarbonate
Hull contour Full Single concave
Rail type continuous 70/30 downrail with tucked edge 
Riding position Central/focused 'sweet spot'
Speed capability 37+mph

Fin system

Leading fin:  'Warp Drive' 9" Spitfire cutaway BLEF ( Bumpy Leading Edge Foil) single fin with flow enhancing mirogrooves, made in high impact 'Aquamarine' polycarbonate via FDM (Fused Deposition Modelling). RAE102 foil section 

Trailing fin: 'Vort-X' 6" diameter annular wing tunnel fin with scalloped trailing edge channels and NACA16-012 foil section. Kahikatea wood.

Price US$1.3 million