Kiteforum.com

Wow! Such a great Idea,
I know that the the suction cups do work,
Years ago I had a car roof rack that had them sort of suckers fitted, any dobghts I had were dismissed after a European tour went without any drama, every few days I released the roof rack to see if any suction was lost, nothing at all!
Brilliant stuff.
I will have one of each

How far out are you from production and availability for purchase?

If stiffness is there, what a great news for home builders and prototyping. I 've watched the vid with a "converted" sup board in the video section. Any old plastic boards with plastic bottom skins (Windsurfers, Bic, Fanatic, ....) from the 80's could be easily converted to ... Windfoils since the fin box is not at risk any more.
Grand dad will be pleased.

Europ2 wrote: ↑

Wed May 30, 2018 10:17 pm

revhed wrote:doubt it greatly!

Suction cup lifters Exist in single, double, triple, quad....



The difficulty is to bring stiffness between the white cover and the 3 or 4 suction cups.
One triple pad: 150kg / 300lbs of vertical lift
Two dual pads = 2 x 100kg = 200kg / 400lbs of vertical lift

Still in doubt ?
https://www.facebook.com/RemoraProducts ... 5942879601

YES!
Salt water
sand
Alu
rubber,plastic

board bottom surface irregular
Heat, car in sun, summer,
cold water
Lack of given board strength
Drag when board on H2o
Lines flipping open suction lever
ECT....
I know this works like a charm for glass installers and tilers, seen it, because none of the above are factored in.
Better trust your leash and paint your T bar bright hunter orange or signal yellow to be able to find it!
Good luck?
R H

N1 system .

revhed wrote: ↑

Thu May 31, 2018 7:45 am

YES!
(...)

Let's give Paul a chance to answer....

@Revhed, I do agree with you regarding "Lines flipping open suction lever"
Levers turned inside would be a good start. Is it possible in this first batch ?
In a second product iteration, flanks (two half-shells on each side of the lever) are easy to implement (like some clever and not so common RJ45 connectors).
More expensive and probably overkill, a recessed lever solution like the Nobile Travel board split levers.

Thanks again for comments both positive and negative. Constructive criticism is always interesting. I will try and answer points raised.
How near to production ?
I have had quite a search to find a suitable manufacturer .. However, I have now found such an outfit and we are refining the manufacturing process. So, hopefully within next 4-8 weeks.

Regarding non FB users ( like myself until this project !). We are in process of getting website and hopefully this should be up and running within next couple of weeks

Regarding Stiffness... I have constructed the Remoras using my knowledge of building my own Boards, Foils and Masts over the last 20 years and can assure you it has good structural integrity.

Salt Water ....As we know Saltwater can be a very corrosive substance. However, my original prototype a year old now is still working fine, although I do recommend the units are hosed down with fresh water after a session just as you would with an aluminium hydrofoil.

Board Bottom Surface Irregular. For sure, The Remora much prefers flatter bottomed boards, but can cope with shallow concaves and rockers. It is important that the Board is clean and free from dust before application of the Remora. This is easily achieved by a quick dunk in whatever water you are about to sail in. Wipe over with a flat hand then apply good pressure and activate the levers. There will be an information video on the website.

Drag when board on water....I have designed the Remora to be streamlined, and is only in contact with the water at very low speed i.e when starting. In all my testing so far I have never felt Drag to be an issue. On a recent test of the remora on a SUP on the paddle down to the 'Break' other than the drag of the Hydrofoil I was a little slower than the others but not a lot . In approx a 1km paddle to the wave I was only a few metres back without putting in extra effort.

Line Flipping Suction Lever.....You will notice that the levers face Aft so water flow keeps them activated. As for lines catching them. I think if your lines are down there they are probably round your Foil by that point and you have more problems than your levers being flipped ! Were one lever to be opened the Remora will most likely stay in place until the lever was reactivated. The Remora does have a leash attachment. I use a flagout line as a short leash. You will notice on the video the bright orange foam deck pad so no need to paint anything. With the set ups I have used so far the Remora bobs on the surface so is easily spotted.

Hope that helps.
Thanks folks
Paul

now you just need a custom casting to reduce the hight by 50% and get rid of extra drag. I know you say it wasn't a problem, but it looks very draggy and has got to be a factor at some point. If you are going to use a leash, I would prioritize low profile, low drag shape over buoyancy.

Thanks for the update Paul.
I am sure it will go through some iterations over time and improve in design.
What is the process to order one? And which country are they going to be made - for shipping and costs

Morning, So, at the moment we are finalising production in the UK. Regarding shipping/pricing/availability etc all that information will be on our Website which should be online pretty soon.
Thanks very much for your interest . Cheers Paul