The Hydroflex surfboard manufacturer has recently offered a new construction which was named Supercharger.
It provides such stunning features as higher sustainability and durability due to its quality to regulate pressure. It also adds better performance to the surfboard.
Among all these characteristics, the most appealing one is a surfboard ability to adjust the internal pressure up to surfing conditions.
The German shaper Rouven Brauers known as ‘Bufo’ who has recently moved from his home country has gathered a creative team for developing Supercharger.
Bufo is an experienced surfer himself who has been engaged in surfboard shaping since he first tried surfing being a student at school. He has done many experiments in surfboard technology connected with pressure that resulted in Supercharger.
That is why Supercharger is one of such attempts, the one which has become a true success.
The new creation, developed by him and his team, demonstrates his great devotion to the future of surfing as a sport. He is always eager to speak about Supercharger.
While surfing together with him, the journalists were told about the construction process for Supercharger and the options to regulate pressure. They also tried catching waves with him using different surfboard models.
As Bufo explains, they have taken a stringerless blank made of EPS for this Supercharger surfboard and filled it with about ten thousand strands of resin. Each strand is the size of a hair follicle.
It was a challenge to anchor each strand into the blank, though they managed to do this imitating tree roots. That provided additional firm hold while creating a unique 3D glass item for Supercharger construction.
This process supplied the original features to the surfboard. The coating of Supercharger is also made of glass, and it has a value in the deck.
After being hand-tested, each surfboard is provided with the final polish.
Bufo hasn’t revealed all the specifics of the Supercharger making process. Though, you can see this 3D glass job when having a close look at the surfboard.
Such a bond emerging from this process is very durable, and it can withstand the high pressure without the risk of delamination. The tiny dots are seen under the glass coat, and the pump starts working if you need it.
This provides a surfboard with a kind of durability owing to pressure control which has two obvious benefits.
The first of them is pressure dings resistance.
You can cope with the pressured environment yourself, so dings happen quite rarely. If they do happen, they are removed efficiently when you pump the Supercharger surfboard to the maximum.
The second advantage of such enhanced durability is that you can spot cracks and the water is kept out immediately because of the adjusting pressure option.
When the air is pumped into the Supercharger surfboard, you can see the bubbles in the water of a pool or tub. This way, you can spot and fix cracks.
Even if a ding occurs in the middle of the session, bubbling out does not let water enter the core of the surfboard.
Bufo also emphasizes the variance in surfboard flexibility while performing. It is due to the varied pressure within the surfboard which can be adjusted for 1-9 psi.
The shaper says that lower pressure is suitable for choppy days while higher pressure is right for glassy days.
Sometimes, the Lost team riders prefer to keep up the low pressure just for landing airs.
While testing the Supercharger surfboard, we began with the highest pressure of 9 psi and lowered it gradually during the session. At the end of it, the pressure was about 2 psi.
We noticed a big difference: when the pressure is higher, the Supercharger surfboard is much stiffer, and it can slap on the wave a little.
It is also a bit more difficult to dig into a turn. Correspondingly, when the pressure is under 5 psi, it is easier to maneuver the Supercharger surfboard because it is more flexible.
An experienced surfer can distinguish the slightest changes in pressure easily.
Though, since our team included just average surfers, we managed to notice the ideal pressure of 2-5 psi when the surfboard became quite flexible, and it was easier to deal with speed and to engage Supercharger fully.
During the following session, we lowered the pressure to almost 0 psi, and it went flat like an old surfboard which does not have its spring anymore.
So, we decided that the best variant of pressure for our Supercharger was sure to be about 1 psi.
Hydroflex Supercharger technology is applicable to any type of surfboard shape with a stringerless EPS blank.
The two identical shapes differ in weight: the Supercharger weighs only 75% of the weight demonstrated in a PU/Polyester board. However, it remains much more durable.
The original samples shown to us by Bufo have lasted for many years.
In short, all the Hydroflex Supercharger materials are eco-friendly and recyclable. The core can always be reprocessed to obtain a new blank.
Conclusion
As it is obvious, the new Hydroflex technology of Supercharger has the benefits that are quite important for a surfer.
They are perfect performance, sustainability, and durability due to a pressure adjustment characteristic.
Owing to the 3D glassing, a bond is formed to prevent the delamination of Supercharger while the special gauge allows pumping air into the core for better control of internal pressure.
The chance of pressure dings decreases and cracks are easily noticed. Supercharger technology provides light weight and it is applicable to any shape of a surfboard.
This technology is a great option for the surfing community that is certain to benefit from it.
