Forward motion, headfirst & horizontal to gravity!

Fluid Anvil in production!

I am very pleased to let you all know that the Fluid Anvil is now in production.

It will be available through Fluid Kayaks' Distribution network internationally (USA, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan). Pricing is likely to be very competitive with all the other Riverboard / Hydrospeed boards on the market.

Since Fluid's products are shipped in containers internationally, availability will initially depend on when specific Distributors have placed their orders, and on shipping schedules to international destinations.

As members of TeamFLI, you are welcome to contact me directly to find out more... though actual orders etc. will be fed through Distributors.

The Fluid Newsletter (called the Fluid Fanagalo) has just come out and has a write-up on the Fluid Anvil. Here is the link if you'd like to find out more: Fluid Fanagalo

I will likely post up some more info in due course.

Charl

Tags: Anvil, Charl, Fluid, Rensburg, van

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Comment by Josh Galt on October 14, 2011 at 11:37pm: Looks great Charl, I love the new sculpting, can't wait to put one through a pounding. ;)

How thick is that padding on the arms? That's my biggest concern (and really only, other than "popping it") with plastic boards. And related question, will Fluid be offering after-market padding systems to glue on for wussies like me? :)

It looks awesome though and you should be truly proud of yourself for bringing to market the first of the new modern generation of hydrospeeds.

Comment by Charl van Rensburg on October 15, 2011 at 9:54am: Hi Josh, thanks for the kind words... Regaring the paddding. Check out this link to my blog where there are some other pictures of the Anvil. It should give you an idea of its thickness > Fluid Anvil Pics

We have spoken about additional paddding for the hatch & center console and will be looking at some ideas around this. Will keep you posted.

Comment by Tyler Mayhew on December 11, 2011 at 5:12pm: It probably needs some padding up on the constriction down by where your hips will sit. My main complaint with Ripboards (and the reason that I prefer a Carlson) is that the hard plastic sides really bust up your hips in manky water.

Comment by Charl van Rensburg on December 12, 2011 at 9:20am: Hey Tyler, thanks for the constructive feedback. The Anvil comes standard with padding for the arms/elbows and stomach area. We do intend having padding-kits available to help riders who want to customise their boards. I for one, like putting in a sort of foam elbow-stop on my boards... and I know that different guys all have their own ideas for modifications and tweaks, so we will hope to accomodate this with a DIY foam kit.

Comment by Josh Galt on December 30, 2011 at 8:19pm: Hey guys if you are interested in the Anvil click over to FaceLevel.com/Anvil. Charl and Fluid have created a great product and I've got a ton of information I'll be sending out over the next couple months until it's available. FLI will also be offering an awesome pre-sale discounted price on these boards.

Comment by Josh Galt on December 30, 2011 at 8:27pm: Tyler I usually wear padded shorts from 661 even on a foam hydro, if you're vertical or just going through mank there's still a chance you could bang up your hips. They really help for plastic boards as well.

661 Sub Short

Comment by Tyler Mayhew on January 3, 2012 at 1:26am: I use a Carlson so I've never had a problem, but if I end up buying an Anvil I will need to figure something out. I wish someone made a wetsuit that was adapted for riverboarding; I hate wearing extra crap because it gets bulky and usually doesn't stay in place. Sixsixone makes a nice product but it's not exactly built for what we're doing.

Comment by Josh Galt on January 4, 2012 at 1:21pm: Agreed - I've been asking for that for years. The French have a wetsuit that has shin pads, but it's not really the answer. MacDavid makes a product for football (American) that would definitely work for our application: http://www.amazon.com/Mcdavid-Hexpad-Thudd-Extended-Thigh/dp/B000UV...

If there was a wetsuit that was all padded up for riverboarding...how much would you (anybody weigh in here please) pay for it? $500? $1k?

It's doable it just depends on the market. I agree on wearing extra stuff being a pain, but it's worth it and the alternative at this point is not one in my opinion (going without).

Comment by Erik on January 4, 2012 at 2:51pm: Very nice board!

Just throwing out a quick reply to Josh's padded suit comment. I'd pay $500 *if* it were really durable, for more it would have to last crazy-long. Everything ends up being more disposable than I would like in the Colorado blast-rock granite. Bulky but it's saved me a time or two.

http://www.icewarehouse.com/Viewlarge.html?PCODE=WPG

Comment by Tyler Mayhew on January 4, 2012 at 11:26pm: I would be willing to shell out money for a true top of the line kind of product that has all of the features I want. A $500 wetsuit would have to be something truly amazing though -- the only wetsuits that I know of that cost 500+ dollars are Patagonia's R4 suits and they are really top notch, so the thermal protection/comfort would have to at least be on par with that.

A suit for riverboarding would need protection that is thin, low drag, low weight, and high in impact protection. The suit itself would also need to be covered in a durable material that can take the rock rash -- all of my wetsuits are shredded below the knees from running low volume stuff.

I would want molded carbon fiber plates backed with a thin layer of minicell foam covering the major joints (knees, elbows) and similar plates sewn into the fabric over the thighs, shins, and forearms. The arms and legs of the suit should also have something like hypalon fabric (one of the common fabrics used in making inflatable rafts) sewn over the neoprene in places where the suit is going to come into contact with rocks (such as the shins) or the board (around the elbows and forearms).

I would also like something akin to a fin leash as part of the suit -- possibly a thin flap of neoprene with a metal snap that could loop through the back of the fin and snap into place around the heel. This could be potentially dangerous though, so it would have to be small that wouldn't catch on stuff in the water and something that would release under enough pressure. A metal snap button would probably do the trick -- it would stay in place through most wear and tear but if your fin gets entrapped the pressure of the water should force it open.

The ultimate goal for me is something that protects my knees and my shins without having to add significant bulk or drag to my lower body.