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MANUFACTURE
MANUFACTURER: Free Flight Surfboards
SHAPER: Phil Myers
DESIGN: Col Smith Channel Designs, Double Flyer Channel Bottom (Bee tail)
DESIGNER: Col Smith(Newcastle)/Jim Pollard

SPECIFICATIONS
CONSTRUCTION: Fiberglassed foam blank, 1/8'' redwood stringer, spray, Multifins fin box, r/h plug

DIMENSIONS

*Length :*	5	ft	11	inches	*L2:*
*Width :*	19 1/2	inches		*Wide Point :*	+ve 2 1/2	inches
*Nose :*	13 1/2	inches		*Tail :*	13	inches
*Thickness :*	2 1/2	inches		*Pod :*	0	inches
*Nose Lift :*	4 1/2	inches		*Tail Lift :*	2 1/2	inches
*Weight :*		kilos		*Volume :*		litres
*Flyers :*	3 - 8 1/2 - 16	inches

FEATURES
Nose: Semi pin
Tail: pin, three flyers/wings (Bee tail?)
Deck: flat
Bottom: flat with 3 channels parrallel to the stringer, starting behind wide point and exiting at flyers
Rails: Soft down, hard in nose and tail.
Rocker: Smooth,

FIN
7 1/4''x 5''
Yellow laminated fibreglass, fitted to Multifins fin box.

Bottom
1. 'Free Flight Surfboards' script/text black, nose
2. 'Col Smith Channel' red text, below

MARKINGS
Deck: ' 5' 11'' ' pencil, tail
Bottom:

COLOUR
Deck:
three symmetric sprayed colour panels (green, yellow, orange - at centre), repeating bottom design, but starts further up the board.
Bottom:
three symmetric sprayed colour panels (green, yellow, orange - at centre) high lighting channel

BOARD HISTORY:
Purchased 11 December1998, Cash Converters, Miranda Sydney.
Severe Nose delaminaion/damage on deck and bottom.
Nose and tail repairs with Q-cells resulting in damage to major nose decals.

DESIGN HISTORY
A later example of JimPollard/ColSmith (Newcastle)'s Channel bottom design.
Jim Pollard was originally inspired by an article, ''Groove Ridge Theory'' by Jim Richardson and Art Shafer (both USA), circa 1975 and possibly printed in Surfer or Surfing magazine.
It detailed experiments using flexible polyurethane rubber ridges stuck to the bottom, and concluded that it improved lift and increased directional stability arcoss a range of designs and lengths.
In 1976 -1977 at Noosa Queensland, Jim Pollard had developed a conventional pintail with six(some eight) channels nose to tail, running parrallel to the rails and exiting at matching flyers.
This model was test ridden by Peter Cornish, Steven Butterworth and Col Smith, all Newcastle surfers.

By 1979 the design was modified to straight channels (parrallel to stringer) in the rear 2/3rd, still exiting at the flyers.
This design had international exposure with successful contest results by Col Smith (Newcastle), notably a win in the Pipeline Masters in 1979?
It was manufactuered in Australia by both Shane Surfboards, Brookvale (Jim Pollard Fluid Foils) and Free Flight Surfboards, Ballina (Col Smith Channel Designs).

From the 1978 Channels were common features on a variety of designs, for example the small flutes on some Mark Richards Twin fins -see #40, and Laurie/Phil Byrne's Clinker Botton Twin fin, circa 1981.
Present on many Single,Twin and Thruster fin boards of the period, they also appeared on kneeboards (see #58) and sailboards.
The Channels became more subtle features through the 1980's, virtually disappearing from design by 1990.
Note 1. Channels could be seen as a specific application of concave theory.
Note 2. Design precedent : Greg Noll Surfboards 'da Cat' model 1967, see Schiffer: Surfing (1998) page 67

Magazine Articles
1. Jim Richardson and Art Shafer : Groove Ridge Theory,
in Surfer/Surfing magazine circa 1975 ?
2. Jim Pollard :The Evolution of the Channel Hull,
in Surfing World magazine Volume 26 #1 1977 pages 56 - 57
Ad : Free Flight/Kirra Surf Surfing World magazine Volume ? #?

CONDITION: 6

1976 Channel design by Phil Myers
Freeflight Surfboards,
Surfing World
1976 Volume 24 #4 pages 56 - 57
Photograph by Bruce Channon.

Geoff Cater (1999-2021) : #64 Freeflight Col Smith Channel Design, 1979.
http://www.surfresearch.com.au/00000064.html