Crash prompts Logan craftsman to build a better longboard
March 20th, 2011 Posted in BusinessLOGAN — Dan Crockett couldn’t understand when his friend’s longboard broke, so he designed his own. About five years ago Crockett and his college roommate, Darin Thomas, had an intense run.
“[We] were racing down an indoor parking lot when I did this move that I called a bunny hop,” Thomas said. “This is when you would bounce on the board in an attempt to have as little weight as possible on the board, to prevent the front wheels from catching on a gutter, crack, or lip in the concrete, pot hole, etc, so you don’t turf it and end up road rash.” Thomas was using a well-known and expensive board, but when he attempted this move his board snapped in two and then he crashed.
Crockett is a graduate of Brigham Young University with a degree in manufacturing engineering technology, and for one of his projects he decided to design and make a strong longboard. For Thomas’s birthday, Crockett gave him the first of his design.
Thomas said, “It was awesome. It was lighter, handled beautifully, and it was crazy insane strong. I can literally, and do, bounce on it like a trampoline. The give, mixed with the strength, that Crockett has put into the design allows amazing control when carving or when even more intense activities like powerslides are desired. I have never bottomed out.”
Crockett goes through a long process to create such durable but flexible boards. He starts with Baltic birch wood and will add a bottom layer of carbon fiber.
“Carbon fiber is a composite material that provides additional strength when tensile forces are applied,” he explained. “When a rider is on the board, he applies a compression force to the top of the board and tensile forces to the bottom. The layer of carbon fiber on the bottom provides further support to counter those tensile forces. Epoxy is applied to the carbon fiber, which, when cured, causes it to be as strong as steel.”
Once the carbon fibers have been laid and several layers of the birch wood have been placed on top it will cure between 10 and 15 hours. “Afterwards, the general shape of the board is cut out to the shape specified by the customer with a 5 axis CNC (Computer Numerical Controlled) mill,” said Crockett.
Crockett started longboarding because his roommates did it. Crockett loves to snowboard but doesn’t like the fact that it can only be done in winter. When he started longboarding it was so similar to snowboarding he picked it up and it has become a favorite sport. Asked if he still rides, he replied “Yes… my wife too! I was so impressed by her because she already had one. It was love at first sight.”
Crockett has worked in Logan for the past three years. He came here when he accepted a job as an engineer working for a company called Inovar. He will spend 10 to 20 hours working on orders from all over the country. He would like to see his product reach into South America, Asia, Europe and even Australia.
Recently Crockett made a Facebook page called DC Longboards and is welcoming anyone interested in joining. He has perfected his design to make sure the ride is smooth, enjoyable, and able to endure some crazy activities. He is also able to custom make any design, although the price will depend upon the difficulty. If you would like to contact him or have any questions about his services his number is 435-764-7902.
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Tags: Dan Crockett, DC Longboards
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