Modding your Bomber Boiler Plate?

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Picked up a few recently. As always Fin's work is amazing!!! I need to make some changes to a BP to fit on a board I like with Snow Stix. I am also likely to do some modds to soften it. I have heard that others have done the same. Anyone care to share photos and ideas. We all understand that these modifications are NOT approved by Bomber Industries and you do so at your own risk.

Bryan

[SunSurfer]

Anyone added extra inserts to a BBP? Any problems, breakages as a result?

SunSurfer

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Here are are a couple photos of mods I made today to fit the BP to my favorite ride.

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Started this mod with a 5mm plate that had already been cut. Photo of the plate prior to my trimming the ends to clearance the snow stix adjusters and then opening up the cut to 2". I think the next step will be to remove material along the edges. It is still very stiff. Hope to get a couple runs on it soon so I can report the differences.

[norm]

Started this mod with a 5mm plate that had already been cut.

I have done the mod to my 5mm plate - 1/2" wide slot, 9"" long looks just like the pic with the simple slot down the middle.

"before-after" comments; before the mod i did not have the agression and skills to overcome the torsional stiffness of the 5mm; though i really liked the fore-aft plate effect. After the mod it was amazing- the fore aft stiffness stayed, but I ended up with what i thought was just right torsionally for me- it enabled low speed peddle, ability to steer into quick turns on narrower trails, and brought back just the right amount of playfulness (177 VSR 6.9).

Yes I recognize the warranty was out, but I'm glad I customized it to my riding ability.

2 big caveats if you are going to do any of this stuff; 1) dont breathe the fibres while cutting 2) deburr/sand the sharp edges when done. Just for fun I sealed the exposed core with a few coats of UV-waterbased urethane.

hope this helps

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Cool Norm. Thanks for the feedback. I figured this would help with twist, I was really surprised by how little it appeared to change the longitudinal flex. Still seems really stiff. Next I am going to take some off the edges to see if that softens it.

Bryan

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Anyone added extra inserts to a BBP? Any problems, breakages as a result?

SunSurfer

Do it as similar as possible to those already there? I doubt if there would be an issue if done correctly. IMHO

[lowrider]

Not sure how far you guys are willing to go with mods to your plates but if you are willing to continue till the plate is very flexable and strap on a pair of TD1's the ride is amazing all day long. Not sure what bindings you are using but the softer you go with the plate the stiffer the binding should be. If you are riding TD3's you will probably not want to get the plate too soft since the bindings will distort a lot of the movement the soft plate will compensate for. If adding exta inserts you won't want to go beyond the mounting hardware. The diving board feel that is the result of mounting bindings beyond the hardware is very unpleasant to ride. Most noticeable on the front binding. Keep the pictures comming !

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Not sure how far you guys are willing to go with mods to your plates but if you are willing to continue till the plate is very flexable and strap on a pair of TD1's the ride is amazing all day long. Not sure what bindings you are using but the softer you go with the plate the stiffer the binding should be. If you are riding TD3's you will probably not want to get the plate too soft since the bindings will distort a lot of the movement the soft plate will compensate for. If adding exta inserts you won't want to go beyond the mounting hardware. The diving board feel that is the result of mounting bindings beyond the hardware is very unpleasant to ride. Most noticeable on the front binding. Keep the pictures comming !

Sounds like you have removed more material on one?? Yes, photos of your mod please. The idea is to stop before it snaps and or is rendered useless.

[scrutton]

Has anyone double-stacked a plate? One plate on top of another. Just curious what that would yield.

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Has anyone double-stacked a plate? One plate on top of another. Just curious what that would yield.

Yes, technically this recent mod meets the bill.

[nekdut]

Yes, technically this recent mod meets the bill.

I was thinking about trying that too. Have you ridden that yet? I think I'll give that a try this weekend. I have a feeling it will be a bit too high and probably ultra-isolated from snow feel.

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

No, I have not ridden this set up yet. Used the low bp cants.

[Miltie]

Bryan, I tried the new BP lower assemblies on my Donek plate 2 weeks ago. The lower height helps and the feeling between the plate and binding is pretty driect. Nice improvement from Fin. Your set-up looks cool. Have fun! Tom

[GeoffV]

Has anyone double-stacked a plate? One plate on top of another. Just curious what that would yield.

Ha, Fin, Sean and I had a discussion about doing this over a few beers as a joke during the ECES. The plan was to have me ride Todd Browns 205 with a BBP and a Donek Plate on top on the last day of the ECES. But we got a 16" dump of snow the previous day and conditions were way to soft to attempt that.

This may turn into a SES/ECES challenge

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

I know some of you have made your own mods, lets see them please?

How about those building top plates using the Bomber DIY kit??

Currently I am using this mod on both a Tinkler TNT 185 and a 202cm split tail. It is really cool to be
able to swap the top plate with only two bolts. Very different feel on each board.

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Has anyone double-stacked a plate? One plate on top of another. Just curious what that would yield.

I think this would really only have a negative "height" effect UNLESS the base plate mountings of the plate were in different locations. Otherwise if the shafts are directly above each other it would like have little effect. IMHO

[scrutton]

I'm enjoying reading this thread. I have a 4mm plate and a 5mm plate. I weigh 230, and the 4mm seems perfect. The 5mm seems way too stiff. How are you guys cutting into your plates? I can see the hole-saw approach.

[piusthedrcarve]

I think this would really only have a negative "height" effect UNLESS the base plate mountings of the plate were in different locations. Otherwise if the shafts are directly above each other it would like have little effect. IMHO

Hi Bryan,

I'm considering isolation plates on some of my decks and have some questions.
How ride differ on different pivot distances. I hope below figures represents what i was trying to ask.
I'm comfortably ride 55cm on GS decks but I prefers narrower stance (50cm)on camber decks (see fig. 4). Most of plates can configure Pivot distance from 55 to 65 cm.

Would you describe how ride differs on each configured setup that I illustrated below??
Thanks!

[lowrider]

Can't wait for Brians response. His fingers are going to be tired after this! I think Brians quote covers most of your options. The greatest differences you will see will be in your actual choice of plate. (stiff to soft) Pivot point distance will be a personal feel based on the flex of the board with the plate on which will be much different than without the plate. You really will need to get a plate and experiment to dial in your own preffered feel. Well worth the time and don't forget that a plate can make an old glass board into a whole new ride.

[piusthedrcarve]

Can't wait for Brians response. His fingers are going to be tired after this! I think Brians quote covers most of your options. The greatest differences you will see will be in your actual choice of plate. (stiff to soft) Pivot point distance will be a personal feel based on the flex of the board with the plate on which will be much different than without the plate. You really will need to get a plate and experiment to dial in your own preffered feel. Well worth the time and don't forget that a plate can make an old glass board into a whole new ride.

If I set bindings directly above those two pivot points, I don't see it any different than VIST (Floating Front), regardless the plate is stiff or soft. I'm assuming if the pivot distance are longer than my stance, I can see some effectiveness by plates' stiffness. But that's just my speculation. So.. plate riders, Educate me.

[lowrider]

It gets very difficult to pin down cause and effect with so many variables. Vist doesn't elevate the platform and allow the board to flex as well as a plate does. Your foot print has an effect, plates eliminate that undesired trait. Soft to hard plates moderate peddling, it's personal as to what degree you find comfortable. Axle spacing is important as it effects how easily the board arcs but is dependant on the build of the particular board and what you desire the board to do. A plate has the ability to moderate bumps (hinge and slide front) by lifting your bindings off the board it eliminates the flat spot created by your bindings that restrict the board from flexing. It also dampens the board. Axle spacing can fine tune the load pints of your board independant of where the bindings are mounted on the plate. Extremes of placement of binding and axle spacing can have undesirable results as well. If you are content with what a vist offers stick with it but if you like to experiment, a plate offers more options with many more results than you could ever derive from a vist system.

[Steve Prokopiw]

...And in the ultimate 'dirtbag carver experiment on an almost pristine Oxygen 185 Proton,I decided to try and to low profile mount the Sidewinders -about 3/8" lower than using the Bomber cant discs.By virtue of several layers of rubber matting I managed to get about 1 1/2 to 2 degrees of toe and heel lift and cant. I'm running a 20 1/4 " stance,and used modified Blax aluminum center discs to hold it all down.Seems to do a powerful job in holding the baseplate down on the rubber matting.The slot in the plate is 9 1/2 " long and about 3/8"" wide.I went conservative and didn't cut out a whole lot.I did place the slot farther toward one end than the other. I'll find out how it works on the hill in the morning.If it all explodes in a blaze of glory well;Woohooooo!

[lowrider]

I'm convinced tinkering around is always a good thing i applaud your effort. Straying very far from your normal toe heel lift my not prove very useful but lowering stack height is. Good Luck !

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

As has been mentioned, placement of the boot / axle is key. Too many factors to go into detailing the cause and effect right now. I can tell you that I am interested in some non conventional placements and how they effect the flex and the pressure applied to the board. Here are a couple photos that a keen eye can derive the details from (my current setups)


PS. I think my Tinkler 202cm with dual plates, snow stix has reached a new weight ceiling. Doubt if there are any boards that are heavier still being ridden today.

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Steve, I think you may be surprised how little that slot changes it's flex. The BP plate is super burly. I would guess (for me) I would feel allot more difference due to the SW bindings. As much as I believe the SW hardware IS huge change in the Bomber bindings options. I tend to think that the small amount of absorption that the E pads provide are magnified by the plate height and or distance from the edge.

I believe that mounting directly to the plate is something that will become more common in the future.

The ultimate balance between the height and isolation/flex has yet to be discovered. Some of the work Mike is doing right now seems to be getting closer to that balance point.

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

I'm convinced tinkering around is always a good thing i applaud your effort. Straying very far from your normal toe heel lift my not prove very useful but lowering stack height is. Good Luck !

Agree, I am not ready to give up my "normal" stance for height, yet. The trick is coming up with safe, strong, options that will allow direct mounts to be canted and structurally sound. I don't need adjust-ability , just strength. Just know that mounting separate toe and heel blocks can seem simple and have been done successfully (somewhat) many years ago. It does toss some serious dynamics into the mix. The "base plate" of the Bomber bindings is not just there for looks. WARNING. It is not to be dismissed lightly and could cause catastrophic failure if not approached with great caution.

PS. Curious, how many plates were seen at SES? In the videos I only see Fin on the BP ? Where are all the DIY jobs out there? That DIY kit, Fin generously made available, has not born any fruit?

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

...And in the ultimate 'dirtbag carver experiment on an almost pristine Oxygen 185 Proton,I decided to try and to low profile mount the Sidewinders -about 3/8" lower than using the Bomber cant discs.By virtue of several layers of rubber matting I managed to get about 1 1/2 to 2 degrees of toe and heel lift and cant. I'm running a 20 1/4 " stance,and used modified Blax aluminum center discs to hold it all down.Seems to do a powerful job in holding the baseplate down on the rubber matting.The slot in the plate is 9 1/2 " long and about 3/8"" wide.I went conservative and didn't cut out a whole lot.I did place the slot farther toward one end than the other. I'll find out how it works on the hill in the morning.If it all explodes in a blaze of glory well;Woohooooo!

Cool beans Steve. You have allot of things going on there. Look forward to the reports.

I think one of the side effects I don't hear folks talk about is the "tipping" effect of pushing around with the back foot out.
The softer the board / softer the plate can make it feel very odd when you pressure forward. If the board is very soft and or the plate is soft (not the BP) it can pivot on the front axis and feel like you are going over. Heads up This largely goes away when you have both feet in. It does point out an interesting "Tipping Point"

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Hi Bryan,

I'm considering isolation plates on some of my decks and have some questions.
How ride differ on different pivot distances. I hope below figures represents what i was trying to ask.
I'm comfortably ride 55cm on GS decks but I prefers narrower stance (50cm)on camber decks (see fig. 4). Most of plates can configure Pivot distance from 55 to 65 cm.

Would you describe how ride differs on each configured setup that I illustrated below??
Thanks!

First, thanks for the diagram , it is VERY useful.

I am short of time right now, I will tell you that I have found I prefer being rearwards of the axis on the front mount. If you look at the photos I just posted you will see that I have a pretty wide pattern of the base mounts with my toe and heel over the axles. I like the stability of that stance, although it does seems to make the board "run" longer. Being forward of the front placement gets a bit weird, feels like I am going to taco the board. I am looking at some alternatives to my current placements however time on snow has not been what it used to be. So test opportunities are limited. Some of the changes I want to make are more related to my powder longboards and how it can keep an old fart rippin for a few more years

Off hand I am probably set up closest to the Fig 3 diagram.

Tip. Think about what changing your stance on a non plated board does to the flex of the board. That is what the plate base plates tend to do too. Narrow = softer , Wide = stiffer
This really makes a big difference on the front of the boards flex when you stall or go nose heavy.

[corey_dyck]

If the board is very soft and or the plate is soft (not the BP) it can pivot on the front axis and feel like you are going over. Heads up

I definitely noticed this on one of the plates lowrider lent me a few years ago. They were on the softer side (a little softer than a 4mm Lite BP) and I couldn't get the axle far enough forward to suit my taste. Pushing around required a bit of discipline, and I still had a few of those 'emergency' moments where I was certain I was about to fall on my face over the nose of the board, only to be completely fine.