New Ellis Ericson Lite Kite Surfboards and Edgeboards

We've just received a fresh batch of Ellis Ericson's latest creations. Hot wired and hand shaped by Ellis in Australia, glassed at Golden State Glassing here in the US, and available now at Thalia Surf! Ellis Shaped us 5 Lite Kite Surfboards and 1 single fin Edgeboard. 4 of the Lite Kites are set up with Hanalei quad fins, and 1 has a twinzer fin set up.

Heavily influenced by the creative thinking and design concepts of George Greenough, Ellis' exploration of progressive bottom contours, and non-traditional fins, has garnered him a bit of a cult following.

Here's a bit more from Ellis about the method behind the madness.

LITE KITE

The Lite Kite is a surfboard design that combines my lifelong surfing experience with insights gained from my 10-year mentorship with George Greenough. It brings together edgeboard principles, water manipulation techniques, and heavy concaves to maximize speed and control.

My goal with this design was to push the boundaries of surfboard hull design and explore what's truly possible. Every component on the board is engineered to contribute fully to its performance, with each element working in perfect synergy to deliver next-level performance and a truly engaging ride.

Shape and Performance:

The board features a heavily contoured nose entry, leading into two parabolic chine panels and a central concave from nose to tail. These chine panels create a "Rail Vee" that transitions from convex to concave throughout the boards hull, offering a more passive edge design in the nose that harmonizes well with the dominant multi fin setup. This unique shape results in a flatter central rocker line for speed and trim, while the elevated rail line enhances maneuverability as the chine panels lift into the nose. Essentially, you get the benefits of a flatter board for trim and a more rockered board when on rail and during turns.

Tail Design:

Most of my Lite Kite designs feature a wider tail, which provides additional planning area and helps to compensate for the multi-fin setup. The intricate forward contours on the bottom of the board offer a high degree of sensitivity while riding, and the wider tail helps to balance this out - The extra width in this critical area gives the water access to enter and exit effortlessly without being too congested

Fin Design

The fin set has an organic, sail-like template with an aerofoil and an inside concave for enhanced laminar flow adhesion. This fin template perfectly complements the Lite Kite design, providing exceptional initial speed generation. The upright template provides excellent agility, especially when navigating tight turns. Additionally, its interior foil design offers loads of drive and glide, enhancing overall performance of the fins throughout turns.

Deck and Rails:

The Domed "S Deck" deck concentrates foam distribution between the rider's stance and chest, which significantly improves sensitivity underfoot and enhances paddle-ability. The crowning of the deck also provides more leverage from the water's surface, contributing to a more responsive feel. Additionally, I've incorporated hidden foam under the back foot. This provides a subtle lift when depressed, creating a positive pushback feeling during turns for improved control. The dome then smoothly transitions into a contemporary "C" rail, ensuring reliable performance and predictability in various conditions.

Tail Variants on the Lite Kite:

Swallow Tail: This option reduces tail area and slightly straightens the rail line towards the back of the outline, leading to more projection and drive down the line. Subtle V can be added through the swallows to provide extra rocker and a tighter turning radius if needed.

Area Pin Tail: This versatile, predictable, and smooth tail handles hollower sections effectively and is a great option for a rider who wants smooth transitions from rail to rail. This tail also works well with a twinzer setup.

Rounded Square Tail: This variant offers the best of both worlds with a slightly straighter rail line. It's predictable, versatile, fast, and retains area for small wave planning and entry speed lift. A rounded square is recommended in boards below 6'6''.

Velo ARC tail: This design provides excellent projection and drive from the straighter rail line, while the arc creates a nice curved exit for smooth turns. It's particularly well-suited for smaller, wider shapes and excels in small, weak waves, performing best in waves below head high.

EDGEBOARDS

Edge boards are a continuation of Greenough's concepts and represent a deep dive into what is possible in modern single-fin riding. These boards are all about lessening the wetted surface, which reduces drag and increases speed. 

I've spent the last 10 years working with George, developing his concepts and applying them to my surfing and shaping designs. I continue to use his hot wire process to achieve unique curves specifically suited for these boards. They truly stand in a category of their own, and I see them as a tribute to George's groundbreaking work on edge design, which dates back to the 1960s.

I'm incredibly grateful and respectful to be able to carry these innovative designs forward into the modern day.

 

Design and Concepts:

Edgeboards are composed of three distinct rockers:

Center Plane: This is a concave section at the board's center.

Rail V (Edge): This refers to the V-shaped edge that runs parabolically inside the board.

Rail Rocker: This is the rocker of the board's overall outline.

The core concept behind this design is to reduce drag and increase speed. When the board is on rail, water is released efficiently from the 'Rail V'. When trimming, the board primarily rides on the center plane, allowing water to release without resistance from the rails, which further reduces wetted surface area and increases speed.

This design creates a "two-in-one" surfboard experience. At lower speeds, the wider outline provides stability and control. However, once the board is planning on its edges, you'll feel like you're riding a much narrower center plane, offering a more sensitive feel and making the board much easier to turn.

Sizes and Shapes

Stubbies (5'8" - 7'0")

These boards feature a bullet outline with options for an arc tail, area pin, or rounded square tail. Stubbies have a forward wide point, a straight rail line through the rear, and an accelerated center plane for a narrow, responsive feel. They have a prominent central concave from the nose entry that transitions into a mid section double concave with a Vee through the tail. Stubbies are designed to perform well in various wave conditions and can easily handle most waves from waist-high to overhead, depending on the size.

Gliders (7'0" - 8'0")

Gliders feature a more elliptical outline with elongated curves and come with either rounded square or area pin tail options. The wide point is more harmonized, and the center plane follows the outline more closely. These boards have triplane contours from nose to tail with a prominent V under the single fin base. Gliders are built for riding in smaller conditions or on longer, sloping faces—perfect for when you'd typically surf a glider or want to keep pace with longboards in the lineup.

Fins:

Greenough Powerglide: The Power Glide, a George Greenough design, represents a significant advancement in single-fin surfboard technology. Through extensive material selection, testing, and design, a unique flex pattern has been achieved, enabling it to compete effectively with thrusters in performance.

A key feature of the Power Blade is its ability to flex and "twist-off" at the fin's "head," creating a "variable-tow" effect similar to that of a thruster. This innovative design allows the board's tail to follow the nose, generating enhanced drive. Much like a fish tail, it flexes and twists to provide propulsion based on the direction of movement. Furthermore, its narrow base minimizes water resistance, contributing to superior responsiveness, speed, and maneuverability.

Ultimately, the Power Blade successfully addresses three critical requirements for a high-performing single fin: localized stiffness, specific flex, and the ability to twist.

Greenough HighSpeed: The Greenough High Speed fin truly lives up to its name, excelling at high speeds. It's a prime example of George Greenough's groundbreaking high-aspect ratio fin designs. Much like an airplane wing, its slender shape harnesses significant power and generates lift while keeping drag to a minimum. This fin truly shines on longer, point-break style waves, where its full potential can be realized.

For the smaller stubby models (5'8 - 6'4) I typically use an 8.25'' Powerglide from True Ames. I've found that this fin performs best in cleaner conditions or point breaks, the blade need time to load up and I found having predictable bottom tension lets this Fin really climb through the gears and show it's true potential.

For the longer stubbies and gliders (6'4 - 8'0)  I prefer an 8.9 Greenough High-Speed fin. The volan's flexibility in this fin complements a longer rail line and synchronizes well with the bottom contours. The High-Speed is also an excellent starting point and introduction for edge boards.

Deck and Rails:

The Domed "S Deck" deck concentrates foam distribution between the rider's stance and chest, which significantly improves sensitivity underfoot and enhances paddle-ability. The crowning of the deck also provides more leverage from the water's surface, contributing to a more responsive feel. Additionally, I've incorporated hidden foam under the back foot. This provides a subtle lift when depressed, creating a positive pushback feeling during turns for improved control. The dome then smoothly transitions into 50/50 rail , ensuring reliability, hold and predictability in various conditions.

Tail Variants on the Edge Boards

Area Pin Tail: This versatile, predictable, and smooth tail handles hollower sections effectively and is a great option for a rider who wants smooth transitions from rail to rail. 

Rounded Square Tail: This variant offers the best of both worlds with a slightly straighter rail line. It's predictable, versatile, fast, and retains area for small wave planning and entry speed lift. 

Velo ARC tail: This design provides excellent projection and drive from the straighter rail line, while the arc creates a nice curved exit for smooth turns. It's particularly well-suited for smaller, wider shapes and excels in small, weak waves, performing best in waves below head high.