***** Longfeather

retrowagen · 08-31-2012, 08:45 AM

That's R A Y C O...

I just found a minty specimen of this racquet on my travels yesterday. It looks to be a circa 1990’s 110 square inch Oversize widebody graphite composite, high quality and very nicely finished, but not too technologically remarkable until you proceed down to the grip, which is where things get funky: it adds an extra FIVE inches, with a little “bump” around the grip to mark the standard 27” length! Overall, the racquet is a whopping 32 inches long!

I hit with it for a while (it looks as though this particular specimen had only been used once before) last night. Having the head out there an extra five inches definitely took some getting used to. I found (even as a guy six feet tall) that the normal follow-through on my serve could easily have catastrophic effect on the frame, digging into the court surface! And contending with volleys was not easy – the weight of the head way out there at full length made the racquet feel very sluggish. However, taking a full swing on a flat forehand was positively, absolutely, superlatively hilarious – the Longfeather can absolutely kill the ball, if one has enough time to set up and takes full advantage of the ridiculous length.

Does anyone have any background info on this freakish racquet? A quick google on the manufacturer shows a company HQ’ed in San Diego who do stringing machines.

This would definitely make a nice addition to a collection of weird racquets.

retrowagen · 08-31-2012, 10:27 AM

With the length of the grip, by the way, a player could hit a THREE-handed backhand!

TMR · 08-31-2012, 12:51 PM

... when does 27 + 6 = 32 ?
Is it 32 or 33 inches long?
33 would be longer than the longest racquet to date, the Gamma Big Bubba at 32 inches.

retrowagen · 08-31-2012, 01:14 PM

Ah, oops, right you are. It is 32... edited original post accordingly.

coachrick · 08-31-2012, 02:26 PM

We bought a fair amount of string and accessories from Lynn Bob Ray(something like that) back in the '70s. Their Blue Ray was supposed to compete with the Blue Star that was so popular then. He distributed some machines, as well; although they were pretty basic. If I'm not dreaming, he had Klipper knock-off or a Tremont clone or something along those lines.

I didn't know about the Longfellow(er feather

).

08-31-2012, 08:45 AM	#1
retrowagen Hall Of Fame Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,500	***** Longfeather That's R A Y C O... I just found a minty specimen of this racquet on my travels yesterday. It looks to be a circa 1990’s 110 square inch Oversize widebody graphite composite, high quality and very nicely finished, but not too technologically remarkable until you proceed down to the grip, which is where things get funky: it adds an extra FIVE inches, with a little “bump” around the grip to mark the standard 27” length! Overall, the racquet is a whopping 32 inches long! I hit with it for a while (it looks as though this particular specimen had only been used once before) last night. Having the head out there an extra five inches definitely took some getting used to. I found (even as a guy six feet tall) that the normal follow-through on my serve could easily have catastrophic effect on the frame, digging into the court surface! And contending with volleys was not easy – the weight of the head way out there at full length made the racquet feel very sluggish. However, taking a full swing on a flat forehand was positively, absolutely, superlatively hilarious – the Longfeather can absolutely kill the ball, if one has enough time to set up and takes full advantage of the ridiculous length. Does anyone have any background info on this freakish racquet? A quick google on the manufacturer shows a company HQ’ed in San Diego who do stringing machines. This would definitely make a nice addition to a collection of weird racquets. __________________ Psalm 100:4 Last edited by retrowagen : 09-01-2012 at 05:03 PM. Reason: dum math addimication

08-31-2012, 10:27 AM	#2
retrowagen Hall Of Fame Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,500	With the length of the grip, by the way, a player could hit a THREE-handed backhand! __________________ Psalm 100:4 Last edited by retrowagen : 09-01-2012 at 05:04 PM.

08-31-2012, 12:51 PM	#3
TMR Rookie Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 144	... when does 27 + 6 = 32 ? Is it 32 or 33 inches long? 33 would be longer than the longest racquet to date, the Gamma Big Bubba at 32 inches. __________________ Everything is for sale once you are offered the right price.

08-31-2012, 01:14 PM	#4
retrowagen Hall Of Fame Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,500	Ah, oops, right you are. It is 32... edited original post accordingly. __________________ Psalm 100:4

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