Jack M

Prior 4WD, Coiler AM, Donek AX.

Not my board. Stopped in the factory today for something else and they showed me these pics of this custom going out to a guy in Utah. 166, 20, 9-11-10 VSR. Not metal , but carbon fiber weave. Looks nice.

That is the most camber I have ever seen. @Beckmann AG, check this out.

Welcome friend!

Had a 185 from 2010 until last fall when I finally had to let it go in order to fund new projects. One of my all time favorite boards. Smooth ride. Really accelerates off the tail.

Yeah, I should have done mine with SnoSeal, but my can of SnoSeal grew legs and I didn't get around to replacing it until now.

Yeah. A for effort, but I can’t imagine this taking off. Maybe if they also make a DIN version to compete with the Envy ski frame. There are a significant number of people who approach skiing and snowboarding just a little more seriously than sledding.

@BlueB I mostly agree with your understanding of things, but I would not put Hangl in the same group as Apex Canada, etc. A two piece system cannot function anything like a one piece. I would guess that the Hangls accomplished something similar to Geckos and @jp1‘s Gizmos.

Nice work making heelside look like toeside!!

I don’t even know! @bigwavedave got them for me at his local home improvement store because I asked him about his. Since then I have noticed them at general stores here in Maine alongside Kinco gloves, but they’re not Kinco. They’re pretty good although on east coast conditions I am already into the Gorilla Tape. I think these are them: Edit - previous link was for the wrong glove. I think these look like a closer match: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G53T569/ref=sspa_dk_detail_3?th=1&psc=1

Plate works great!

What else is there?

Like I said, I can't exactly define IP theft, but when I think I see it, I don't like it. Iron Rock and Monster plates are outrageous ripoffs, IMO. Anyone can make a car, but only Chevrolet can make a Corvette. Apex, Boiler, et al are not ripoffs of Karl's design, they altered and improved upon it. I am blissfully unaware of any IP theft in my phone. I am shocked, shocked! to find gambling going on here! I feel bad for anyone whose idea was stolen for it, but ultimately, I need a phone. I do what I can. Hey if you want to talk about smartphones, nobody who considers themselves an environmentalist should own one. Or anything made in China or India for that matter.

I didn't mean to reference you. BlueB seemed to say that the patent system needs to disappear and that IP theft is good for society. I disagree. Nobody is saying that. Henry (and I) are saying that if you willfully purchase something that you know is IP theft, then you are party to that theft. Whether that's legally punishable is another matter, but it's morally wrong, IMO.

Yes.

Just to clarify, I do not agree that the patent system needs to disappear nor that IP theft is good for society.

The Apex X-Plate in UPM or Allflex mount flavors function the same*. The rear is a hinge, the front is a sliding hinge. I don't think one is better than the other, they just want to provide the options. *The X-Plate with Allflex mounts gives you the option of adding brackets in the middle of the plate that limit its vertical travel away from the board. That would result in a different ride. As for @BlueB's and @lonbordin's comments, I agree in the legal sense but disagree in the moral sense. That's very theoretical and subjective of me, and is just my opinion. I can't quite define IP theft, but I know it when I see it, and it turns me right the hell off, personally. I would never buy the knock-off Geckos or Allflexes on principle. A Coiler or Donek on the other hand, is not exactly ripping off a Kessler, because Coiler and Donek can't know the entire recipe for the secret sauce. They are following the state of the art, and they are using their expertise and intellect to produce their original interpretation of it. That's honorable, IMO. Now, if Iron Rock advances the state of the art with a plate that functions similarly to an Allflex but is made of a much more durable composite, that would be original, IMO.

If the sword costs $40-50K, it may not be reasonable to expect one. Whether or not it is legally punishable, it is still theft. The consumer is once or twice removed from the actual theft, but they are still a party to it, if only in a moral, unactionable sense.

Not really. Northwave gave up on producing the .950 a long time ago.

It blows my mind that anyone would think it's worthwhile to go to such efforts to steal IP in such a microscopic market. I have been told that they do indeed crack eventually, and that racers are going through multiple plates a season. That may not be a bad thing, just different. There is a fine line between following the state of the art, and blatantly copying another product. This leaps over that line. Same with the shameless knock off Gecko plates being marketed by Soul snowboards.

I had it ground once.

It has been my experience that isolation plates like the Apex, Donek AF, Boiler allow the board to flex more freely, therefore more board flex is possible. I don't believe boards need to be built any differently for these plates, unless you wish. Plates like the Allflex, Vist, and Vistflex (with center posts) alter the board's flex pattern significantly. I have been told that boards are being built differently for use with Allflex.

Yes, with the rear locked, you can do this. Then it allows free board flex like the Apex or Donek. Technically you can float both ends and not use the center posts, but then the plate is free to shift forward and back. I wasn't interested to try that.

https://www.mcmaster.com/standard-flat-head-screws

Apparently this person feels what I feel when riding plates like the Allflex and Vistflex with the center posts limiting the travel - the board flexes differently under the plate than it does beyond the plate, especially if you don't hit the sweet spot of the system bang on.