Bob Evans
Forcefin Corp.
Santa Barbara, California
www.forcefin.com

Bob Evans is the designer and inventor of Force Fins. Force Fins are the most advanced diving fins in the world. Bob is continually inspired by natural forms in the development of his fins. When studying these fins, one can see obvious connections to natural forms such as fish fins, seal fins, aquatic shapes and forms and leaves. Bob has been designing diving fins intuitively for the last 25 years. His fins are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art for their inherent beauty and design.

Interview with Bob Evans
Santa Barbara, California November 29, 2002

I am with Bob Evans today asking him questions on his design work and his outlook on art, design, and science. We are taking a hike to Point Sal. This is a very good hiking trail in the California Hills just north of Vandenberg Air Force Base on the ocean.

HW: Bob, What is your most inspirational natural form?

BE: I think it is frequencies of waves. Swimming is not just moving your arms and legs fast. It is about body positioning--making a pressure wave and becoming slippery in water. Good swimmers hardly move their arms and legs that much. The good swimmer turns the water around their body into a frequency. The good swimmer rides a pressure wave that they create, similar to a fish swimming upstream.

I enjoy watching the Bat Ray. They effortlessly fly through the water with no energy. I also like Sting Rays, Dolphins, and Whales.

Plants. Kelp hangs on the bottom of the ocean. I see a wave pattern to it---for what purpose? The kelp leaves--I admire how they can endure the harsh conditions in the ocean.

I like the way water forms the rocks and how they are shaped by natural forces.

Birds in flight fascinate me, especially Pelicans. I admire the way they can float above the water and fly so close to the surface.

HW: Describe your “design process” of how and where you get ideas for your products.

BE: I work in the pool. I watch how water behaves around different forms.

Lately I have been watching “water wicking” on leaves. I wonder if I make a fin like a pointed leaf---then what would happen? I see that tadpoles have fins such as this. In most other fins, much of the water goes off to the sides, and they do not focus the water to the rear of the fin. From these observations I created the Ops Fin and the Cousteau Fin.

Remoras, the small fish that attach to a shark’s body look like the “finlets” that I attach to my fins. Perhaps the Remoras benefit the Shark. Where they attach appears to be in the drag inducing areas of the Shark’s body.

I also get ideas from basic observations-watching and experimenting with form and shape and the effect of water on them.

I find that ideas do not just happen when I am idle. I have to be involved with construction or a project, when my hands are shaping something, when I’m deeply involved in a project, ideas come to my mind. Then I apply them to a project at hand or I remember them for future works. For example, in developing my winglets, I attach strings to the “Boogy Boarding” fin and I noticed how the water flowed around the fins. The water was spilling to the sides, so I added winglets. All in one day, I noticed how the water was being moved to the sides, so my winglets were moved to the side. I did this in my pool. I observed that the winglets were aiding the water into different areas that were releasing the water. When using this fin, I noticed I was not feeling resistance to the fin anymore. I was going through the water faster. I didn’t have to kick harder-I could adjust the thrust with the winglets. During this time, I also noticed in magazines and other publications that winglets were being added to airplane wings.

HW: What products by other manufacturers do you respect and admire, and why?

BE: Burt Rutan’s planes. I think the shapes he has found and used are bizarre. He is not following the same path of thinking, he is experimenting with things that might be strange, but are very useful.

The SR-71 airplane. When you look at the front of it, it looks like a sub, or a duck or pelican bill. The whole form of my “Spear Blade” looks like the plane.

I like the Concorde airplane because the nose moves. I really like looking at big jet engines. I enjoy looking at the compressor blades and how the shape evolved over the years. I am fascinated by the sensitive shaping of the blades that cups and forces air more efficiently.

HW: What challenges do you face in future design work other than practical, financial or legal issues?

BE: Communicating with engineers who will help transform my ideas into reality for larger structures.

HW: What is the future of the swim fin? Project as far into the future that you can.

BE: I can see my fin technology used for ship propulsion systems. Thinking way ahead, I can see the same ideas used for the transfer of medicine with the human body’s fluids.

HW: What books or publications or information sources do you use?

BE: The following magazines-Science, Modern Plastics, Aviation Week and Space Technology, NASA Briefs, The Economist, National Geographic, Sea Technology, Rubber World.

HW: What people were most influential?

BE: Bev Morgan, who told me “If you’re going to do something, do it well.” He also inspired my first fin designs. The other one is Laddie Handleman, who started one of the largest diving companies and who will talk to me anytime.