52INTERVIEWBOUKE BECKER
BOUKE
BECKER
(WITCHCRAFT) ON WINDSURF DESIGN:
PART ONE #BOARDS
WORDS: WSUK
PHOTOS: WITCHCRAFT WINDSURFING, JAMES JAGGER
WHEN IT COMES TO DESIGN OF WINDSURFING EQUIPMENT BOUKE
BECKER – HAVING BEEN INVOLVED IN WINDSURFING SINCE THE
EARLY DAYS – HAS SEEN IT ALL, DABBLED WITH IT ALL AND HAD A
HAND IN (LITERALLY) SHAPING THINGS TO COME AND HOW THINGS
ARE NOW. Whether it be hard wearing windsurf boards or more
recently sails and rig accessories Bouke knows a thing or two
about creating windsurf products. In part one of this double
feature we catch up with Mr Becker about board design.
How do you begin when looking to create a new board shape?
I am a very visual guy. I have visual ideas about a shape to reach what I am after. I can imagine
pretty well how a board will sail when I see the shape with the straps. So for a new shape I will
take one from my data base that is closest and start tweaking from there.
What factors determine the want and need for a new creation?
That can be many things: my own sailing, that of team riders, customers or the competition. I like
to visualize the performance of a board in a triangle. At each opposite point or corner: planing,
turning and control. The ideal board will score 100% on each. But that is an unreachable utopia.
So you have to make compromises and set priorities. Still, you are trying to score as good as
possible on all three points. Usually any change will cause a gain somewhere and a loss
somewhere else. But sometimes you find something that has more positive results than negative.
For example a more tapered outline increases manoeuvrability and wind range without losing
planing ability so all good and the reason why any board should have some taper. Only by going
too extreme will it become twitchy and harder to control in the turn.
uk
WIND
SURFING