hard vs soft rails

[apwa06]

ok, im on the finishing process of building my board and i've been told that there is a big difference between hard and soft rails. i can't decide which type of rail i wanna do yet, can anyone help me make my decision. I ride in mostly flat, sometimes choppy and also waves. So basically i want rails that fits an all round board.

thanks a lot

[ed257]

Most boardmakers have gone to rails that transition from soft between the straps to progressively harder rails towards the tips. The theory is that this approach gives you the upwind edging of hard rails where you need it, but makes the board easier to handle and less harsh by softening the rail towards the center of the board. I have made boards with this arrangement and they seem to work well.

There is some good info on board design and rail shapes here:

http://www.dcboardz.com/kite.html#design

Ed

[lalawyer]

I prefer hard rails. Super thin and sharp. That way the board sticks and doesn't slide around too much. Just my 2c