Leathan Waveskipper

On a good day with clear skies, a cool breeze, and a bright, shimmering sun, you'd be hard-pressed to find a stretch of the eastern coast devoid of waveskippers. Bright and colourful, these well-crafted pieces of wood are more than just decoration, they're an important part of leathan culture and recreation. With calm seas and rolling waves, the only thing you'll need to enjoy the sights of the coast in the most stylish way possible is a good sense of balance and a strong pair of legs.
Invented over four thousand years ago by the ancestors of the leatha, waveskippers have been around for as long as pretty much anyone can remember, but they have never been more popular. In this program, we will show you how a simple piece of wood could be transformed into a vehicle that can help you ride the waves with minimal effort and maximum style.

— How It's Made: Leathan Waveskippers, Introduction

The leathan waveskipper is a masterpiece of traditional engineering and testament to the intimate understanding that the leatha have with respect to the sea and water in general. When a waveskipper is brought out of the water, its strange shape baffles the uninitiated who often think of it as nothing more than an oddly-formed piece of decoration when they see it outside of the context of its use. Indeed, a journal entry from one of the first Dominion traders to come into contact with the leatha expresses an inability to connect the wooden boards used by the children to ride across the waves with the "oddly-shaped decorative art pieces" that they saw out in front of some houses by the shore.

Description

The top surface of a leathan waveskipper has a rather unconventional geometry. It is widest at the middle, where the pilot of the waveskipper stands and tapers to a gentle tip at the front. The back end of a waveskipper is narrower than the middle but terminates in a flat edge. The entire board has a gentle curvature, bending upward in the direction of the front end.
Attached to the underside of the board, just behind the space where the pilot of the waveskipper would typically be standing, is a relatively narrow board of wood (called a mast), typically between 4 and 5 inches wide. The mast is usually mounted at an angle, such that it "leans" toward the front of the waveskipper. Attached to the bottom of the mast, which is typically around three feet in length, is a narrow rod attached to two sets of fins. The forward set of fins are curved backward, away from the front of the waveskipper, and are level throughout their span. Behind the mast is a secondary set of fins. Unlike the front set, these ones do not curve forward or backward, but rather the tips of the fins curve up toward the main surface of the waveskipper, typically doing so for two to three inches.

Nickname

Wave Skip, Skipboard, Pumpboard, Wavehopper

Price

10 Dominion Korna (ca. 329.30 NL)

Rarity

Common

Length

7" - 9" on average

Speed

10 mph on average, but up to 20 mph at maximum speed

Cargo & Passenger Capacity

Can carry 1 person