| Finless surfboard wins design award |
| Tuesday, 02 August 2011 16:07 |
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A finless surfboard has conquered the "Design Award" for design excellence by the prestigious Australian International Design Award (AIDA). The "Tuna" surfboard produced by Global Surf Industries is an Alaia-style replica of the ancient boards used by Hawaiians. The awarded gear was shaped by Tom Wegener, who shocked the surfing community in 2005 with claims that the ancients, with their thin, finless wooden boards, were far more advanced than we ever thought possible. The "Tuna" is an extension of ancient surfing, designed with the perfect blend of flex, rail and bottom contours, and combined with modern materials to increase flotation. Surfing on traditional wooden finless boards is something only highly skilled surfers can become proficient at. The award winning collaboration with GSI opens the door for everyone to enjoy the unique experience, which is one of very little drag or surface tension, and freedom with the ride. "The alaia works off a different set of principles than our modern surfboards, and The Seaglass Project is about taking the ancient’s knowledge and applying it to modern materials," said Tom Wegener. "I’d like to hope I can share this fantastic Australian International Design Award with those generations of great surfboard shapers from the distant past."
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