A Cornish company is looking to revolutionise the sailboard market.
Supported by a £2K Rapid Innovation Grant from Marine-i, St Austell-based Waveblades is developing a new manufacturing process that is already grabbing global attention.
Waveblades was founded by Bruce Keeping, who has been designing and building racing sailboards for more than 30 years.
He explained: “My racing sailboards have won world and national titles. To make a step change in the quality of manufactured boards, I plan to go into production using a moulded vacuum infusion system, based on the very latest technology, as well as a new, patented centreboard system.
“To construct these boards, we will use a production process that was developed for the aerospace industry and adopted by the marine technology sector. We will be creating a raceboard, which is a type of sailboard for course racing, which has to be 3.8 metres long that we hope is faster than anything yet seen around a course.
“We have had fantastic support from the Marine-i team. Their grant will enable us to proceed with the vital CAD drawings and 3D rendering we need to create a working prototype for testing.
“I have already had expressions of interest from all around the world, including from former world champions and the UK champions.”
Part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, Marine-i is designed to help the marine tech sector in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly grow through harnessing the full potential of research and innovation.
