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Dreams become a Reality - The Bodyboard is Reborn

Source: www.atdbodyboards.com

posted by Gareth White on 5th June 2007

The company behind these advances is Al Taylor Designs (ATD). ATD bodyboards are manufactured in South Africa by 8 times and current SA bodyboarding champ Alistair Taylor.

“ATD Bodyboards is proud to announce that after months and months of diligent research and development, we are ready to unleash the most technologically advanced bodyboard on the planet. The new PXL series of bodyboards is completely revolutionary, and unlike anything else on the market. It's also an achievement we're pretty pleased with, having been in the market for such a short period of time,” commented Taylor on these very interesting innovations.

Never before have bodyboarders been able to add such a level of personalisation to their boards. Not only can you select your own board configurations in design and flex preference, but even the graphics can be unique - ensuring that you are the only one on the planet with that truly unique looking board.

In essence the process sounds quite simple. You take a board, apply cool designs and seal it with resin - “hey presto,” wicked boards complete with sick graphics!

There is a little more to it than just that. The boards are made with a special type of cross-linked Polyethylene skin that enables Alistair to apply graphics in a similar manner as is done on surfboards.

The skins are then coated with a flexible, clear and very tough resin that seals in the artwork for good! The first thought that came to mind when I heard the word resin was, “boy, that is going to be slippery, their must be negative effects!” Believe it or not this has been made possible with very little, if any adverse effects to the boards.

“The resin has a similar feel to that of the Sealed Air PE skins found on most high-end-boards. With a bit of wax where you need it, it is fine. The resin does not affect the board’s stiffness; it simply seals in the artwork. It also provides a shell that seals the entire board. This renders the board virtually seamless in construction, so it is virtually impervious to water absorption, and virtually delamination-proof. The resin is UV resistant, so it won't discolour and is highly flexible, so it cannot chip or flake,” commented Taylor on the advantages of the resin.

ATD bodyboards are constructed with great care and precision – defective boards don’t leave the factory, emphasis is on quality not quantity.

“As with all ATD bodyboards, we still guarantee perfect rocker on every board (the only board company in the world as far as we know that does so), and the PXL series of boards will also include nose bulbs and elbow pads as standard (unless requested without). Above all, this is a performance product, but it is also going to raise the bar in terms of appearance and durability. This board has no equal, and it's plainly obvious when you get one in your hands for the first time,” commented Taylor on board quality.

ATD bodyboards include another unique feature - the X-Cell core. They are apparently the only company in the World to offer buyers the X-Cell core in their range. Cores are sculpted to suit each rider’s personal preference - be it a stiff board for riding massive waves, requiring big bottom turns or a board with flex for riding short, hollow waves where getting into the barrel quickly is of utmost importance.

“The X-Cell core is not another new - fangled name for polyethylene or polypropylene - it is an entirely different closed cell foam, that has higher buoyancy and a higher strength to weight ratio than any other bodyboard cores on the market,” commented Taylor.

Boards are available mainly through wholesale, with a limited number of retailers stocking ATD bodyboards. The advantage for the consumer is that because the boards are sold via wholesale, they are offered at wholesale prices. You would find it difficult to find a board of the same quality being sold for the same price at a retailer - great news for customers who want quality, but can’t afford to spend a small fortune.

The cost of the new boards, complete with customised graphics will depend on how flamboyant you choose to be with the designs. The more art work there is, the more you can expect to pay. I have been reassured that although the personalised boards will be more expensive than regular ATD bodyboards, they still won’t be the most expensive on the market!

“Pricing on the new PXL range of boards is still being finalised, but will be made known by the first week of June 07. Although this board is beyond compare to anything else on the market today, we still aim to ensure that it is comparable to other high-end-boards on the market in terms of price. Although this is a bit of a vague estimate, they will be priced somewhere in the R1500 - R2000 range,” commented Taylor on the estimated cost of the new boards.

Orders can be placed online at www.altaylordesigns.co.za, where customers will soon be able to choose from a selection of designs, or alternately upload their own personalised graphics to the top and bottom decks.

“The idea is to create a solid range of really cool stock graphics - the customer could go online, select his or her template, board size, stiffness level and other basic configurations. They can then choose a graphic or upload their own artwork. So you basically build your board in every respect online - price is automatically calculated, and we contact the customer in case of any extra costs that might be incurred,” said Taylor.

Full production will start in June 2007. Word of Alistair’s new boards has spread like wild-fire through the bodyboarding community. Orders have started rolling in - boogers all wanting to get their very own customised bodyboard first. With so many orders having already been placed and with a limited number of boards initially being made available, Alistair has set up a first-come-first-served waiting list. A deposit of R750 (this translates too roughly $105 US Dollars), will ensure that your board is made as quickly as possible. The balance of the payment will be due when the board is complete and ready to ship, which should be sometime in early July.

For updates on this exciting new product, log onto the website or contact Alistair at, [email protected]

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