alb
Longboard design in 2009 has us riding all sorts of shapes, all sorts of technologies, all sorts of fin configurations ... and it’s all because we each have a slightly different idea about how we want to surf, and how to go about it. With that in mind, the 2009 ALB Boardguide has approached all the leading longboard makers and designers in Australia, and the result is this collection of boards. Our aim here is to assist our readers in their search for the board that best suits their surfing aspirations.
Photo: gregmccarthy.com
ALB|048
ALB|049
09
longboards Old school style soft railer that is sure to impress log riders and those surfers just looking for a very relaxed “cruisy” style of longboard.
Bennett Surfboards
Noserider 9’4”-9’6”
The Utopia is an all-rounder that has been receiving very positive feedback from those that have ridden it. Designed specifically with our local beach breaks in mind.
Bennett Surfboards
Utopia 9’1”-9’6”
Featuring refined, slightly thinner rails, less area within the outline and a little more rocker than the traditional longboard. This allows for tighter turns and greater response throughout the whole board. It features concave within the nose to allow for noseriding. Hugely popular with longboarders wanting to take their longboarding to a new, more modern level.
Clearwater Surfboards
High Performance 9’1” x 22” x 2 5/8”
Built for cruising, this board can be thought of as the “Cadillac” of surfboards. Featuring old-style rails, a greater surface area within the outline for stability and concave in the nose for noseriding. It also has a rolled vee in the tail and moderate rocker lift to allow for easier turning and a smooth flow throughout its surfing.
Clearwater Surfboards
Traditional 9’3” x 24” x 3”
High-performance longboard as ridden by Isaac Paddon, Oliver Shaw and Jason Blewitt. Advanced surfing manoeuvres made easy!
Diverse
High Performance (HP) Custom
All-round longboard designed by Jason Blewitt for everyday surfing. Suitable for legends to novices.
Diverse
Classic (JB) Custom
ALB|050
ALB|051
longboards
longboards A board by an all time Aussie shaper. Designed to do it all in East Coast conditions.
Classic-style longboard for long rides on small days. Flat, fast and fun!
Diverse
Glide Industries – Oxbow
Noserider 9’4” - 9’6”
Orca 9’6” x 22 3/4” x 3 1/5”
Handling both small waves and pumping swell with style, the Classic Longboard offers both beginners and seasoned noseriders a ride with endless possibilities! No matter if you are looking to hang five, get tubed or perform a roundhouse cutback, the Classic Longboard is with you all the way. Effortlessly bringing together modern technology with oldschool style.
Glide Industries – Bic
Performance longboard with V bottom. A single concave in the nose incorporating belly channels for extra acceleration when nose riding. Double concave in the tail for added speed, hard tail edges for bite. Subtle chimed rail tapered to extreme 45-degree egde on rail for smooth, radical surfing.
Gordon Jackson Surfboards
E – Comp 9’0” x 22 1/4” x 2 3/4”
Performance Custom
Designed by Nat Young’s long-time surfing mate Darrell “Rooster” Dell, this 9’4” is Nat’s personal favourite – and it’s also the preferred longboard of many intermediate and experienced surfers who want a longboard that combines superb design, smooth wave entry and speed with exceptional manoeuvrability.
Glide Industries – Bic
This board is the modern version of Donald’s more traditional noserider, the NR-2. It has a 2 + 1 fin set up, a 60/40 rail with a harder edge towards the tail – allowing the rider the chance to perform noserides they never thought possible! This board will get you accustomed to the nose – you’ll never want to get off!!
Hawaiian Pro Designs – Donald Takayama
Nat Young 9’4” x 22 3/4” x 3”
In the Pink 9’–10’
Offering big volume for big riders, Bob Pearson poured over a quarter of a century’s shaping experience into this refined 10’ longboard. Incorporating well-proportioned volume and excellent glide with outstanding noseriding design, it’s suitable for the surfing spectrum from absolute beginner through to seasoned campaigner.
Glide Industries – Bic
Unique double-stringer V2 construction utilising natural properties of timber for rigid controlled entry and stringerless tail delivering sensitive and lively flex performance. Chine entry for loose handling, full concave to triple concave tail delivering turbo drive and speed. Thruster and quad fin available. Perfect point, beach and coral reefer at any wave height.
Outer Island
E – Comp Noserider 10’0” x 23 3/4” x 3 3/8”
V2 Super Mal Custom handshaped
A mix of modern-day lines and tradition, the 9’0” is a great, all-round performance board.
Glide Industries – Oxbow
Orca 9’0” x 22 1/2” x 2 7/8”
Three fins, rounded rails and good “kick” in the nose for greater control. This robust board is designed to withstand surf-school use.
Redback
mini-mal California Malibu 7’0”
A great all rounder. Nose rides well while still being an easy board to throw around in the turns.
Glide Industries – Oxbow
Orca 9’4” x 23 1/8” x 3 1/4”
ALB|052
A great fun softie for novice riders. Three fins for strength and direction, heaps of flotation and miles of enjoyment.
Redback
Malibu Midi 6’10”
ALB|053
longboards
longboards With a wide body and down the line speed makes the PRIME FISH a must have board. The fish is recognized as one of the most versatile boards available. The wider profile in the fish really makes for power surfing. An easy paddle and the opportunity to make radical turns will have you wondering why you didn’t buy one years ago! This is the board for longboarders looking for the shortboard experience.
Medium rocker, rounded square tail, concave nose, vee tail, fine rails, single box fin, modern old school, rail stringers.
Retro
Prime Surfboards
Mark Rabbidge 9’1” x 22 1/2” x 2 3/4”
FAT FISH 6’10” x 22” x 2 7/8”
One of our passions is creating PRIME longboards that are true to the longboard style of surfing. Hand made and finished in a high gloss glass and with a great range of designs, these boards will do all that is asked of them. With a box fin and side-biters our boards offer tremendous trimming as well. The mid height rails and slight rocker allows the board plenty of maneuverability along with the slight tail rocker. This board gives you that real longboard style and feel.
The Classic is a solid malibu inspired by the boards of the ’50s and ’60s that the Australians, Americans and Hawaiians rode at the small point breaks of Noosa, Malibu and Waikiki. This is a great board for hotdogging and reminiscing those good ol’ days.
Riley Classic Balsawood Surfboards
Prime Surfboards
Solid Classic Custom handshaped
Classic LONGBOARD 9’ - 9’6”
This softboard is designed to suit the beginner to intermediate surfer, ideal for the whole family. It is a strong board with double wooden stringers for added strength. Prime Softboards provide you with safe learning equipment to ensure a fun learning experience. Sizes available 6’ – 9’ long.
A classic nose-riding board for the surfer who enjoys surfing every inch of the face. This board is designed for the surfer who wants to surf small to medium-sized waves. The design also incorporates a soft concave leading to a subtle V and tail lift. An easy-riding board that is loose and very forgiving, yet offers real high-powered performance.
Ron Wade
Prime Surfboards
The Bull 9’0”-9’8”
A full length single concave, flowing into a double in the tail (with spiral vee). The Carver has more power to get up and go in smaller conditions, and accelerate faster on the bigger days. It’s shortboard thinking in a comfortable paddling package.
Surftech – McTavish
Auswind (Starboard) (08) 9244 4446 www.star-board-sup.com Bennett Surfboards (02) 9905 5157 www.bennettsurfboards.com Clearwater (08) 9524 8636 www.clearwatersurf.com.au Customsup.com.au 0417 407 581 www.customsup.com.au
SOFTBOARD/SCHOOLBOARD
Diverse (07) 5598 4848 www.diversesurf.com.au Glide Industries (Oxbow, Bic) (02) 9949 8594 www.glideindustries.com Gordon Jackson Surfboards 0425 297 330 gordon.jackson8@bigpond.com Heritage Surf Australia (02) 6685 6896 www.heritagesurfaustralia.com
Naish (02) 9982 6444 www.naishsurfing.com Outer Island (02) 6655 7007 www.outerislandsurfboards.com Prime Surfboards 03 9558 0008 or Free Call 1800 333 505 www.primeboards.com.au Redback (02) 9997 2288 www.landandsea.com.au
Carver 7’6” and 8’0”
Arrow 9’0”
The design elements of the 10’5” condense into a shorter and even more performance-orientated board. Still stable for its size and providing direct paddling. It has extreme acceleration and due to shorter lengths and refined rails allows for greater precision while maintaining drive and fluidity through turns.
Auswind-Starboard
Element 9’8” x 30”
The smooth pintail and wide nose feels small on the wave and stable while paddling. The deck is flattened out for better foot grip, the rails are thinned down for a slightly sharper feel and there is an increased V in the back foot area, combining to produce a board with extreme drive and speed, yet is loose and responsive.
The Wingpin single fin has the smoothness in turn that no other shape has; and with wings, the drive that no other rounded pintail has. With the speed of a single fin plus wings and our famous nose channels, you now have a board with effortless flowing turns that delivers great nose rides.
Surftech – Harbour
Auswind-Starboard
Wing Pin 9’0”
ALB|054
Retro – Mark Rabbidge Designs (02) 4456 4045 www.retrolongboards.com.au Riley Balsa Surfboards 0412 376 464 www.balsasurfboardsriley.com Ron Wade Surfboards (02) 9979 7071 www.ronwadesurfboards.com.au Surftech Australia (02) 4226 1322 www.surftechaustralia.com.au
stand-up paddle boards The Josh Mohr model is very high performance. Through extensive research and development by Josh Mohr and Bob Pearson, they have incorporated extreme speed, manoeuvability and noseriding into this surfboard design.
Surftech – Pearson
8’6” x 22” x 3 ¼”
Drive 10’5” x 30”
ALB|055
stand-up paddle boards
stand-up paddle boards Like its wider brother, the Element, it carries the deep mono concave to provide lift on to waves, drive through turns and acceleration to get around sections. A board for the experienced rider who wants to push their SUP surfing to totally new levels. This is the board where you’re prepared to sacrifice paddling stability for the best surfing SUP available.
Auswind-Starboard
Super Fish 9’8” x 25”
This thruster fin set up has been designed for the 80-100kg guy to really throw it around. The concept is simple, if it dosent float, how can you stand up? Not everyone is 75kg so the 4” rails just wont do it, if you’re a real size like 95-125kg you need to try 5” plus.. No sore feet, no tippy paddling, just cool relaxing times.
Custom SUP
Throw Around board - Snake Design 10’0” x 30 x 4 1/4, Custom
Its smooth paddling and glide on to waves has been enhanced with a lively response and drive out of a turn with increased V in the hip and thin, refined rails. The deck is quite flat for better paddling and also more grip while on the wave. Its flat nose section is great for nose riding and it is a very comfortable board to walk.
Auswind-Starboard
Designed to be throwen around this board comes set up as a thruster and has slightly more volume than the snake to suit this customers needs. The beauty of going custom with your SUP is the ability to use thickness as your friend. customsup.com.au offers upto 5 3/4” PU and the skys the limit in EPS, upto 16ft in lenght and 31” wide.
Custom SUP
The Blend 11’2” x 30”
Throw Around board - Flower Design 10’0” x 30 x 4 1/2, Custom
The Stinger’s wider nose area, which also supports getting into the wave, and pulled-back tail produces the sensation of a narrower board when you step back for bottom turns and cutties, while also providing greater acceleration and speed, with faster rail-to-rail response and agility. The quad-fin set-up enables a sweet, carving sensation.
Auswind-Starboard
The Stinger 9’0” x 30”
Shaped for the bigger guy who wants a smaller board, this board has been set up with 5 fins and a swallow tail. This design works really well, and continues to impress, I have seen guys taking off as they paddle back to the line up by digging in the heal & paddle on the approaching wave turning on the face and away they go with the greatest of ease.
Custom SUP
Smaller board for bigger guy 9’6” x 31 x 5 1/2, Custom
Combines fish-like performance, great stability, and the ability to catch waves ncie and early.
Naish
stand-up paddle board 9’6” x 29 1/4” x 4 2/5”
This custom Sup blank is available to anyone up to 90kgs wanting to experiment. This small board / big guy concept has demo boards available at the factory. Along with these new designs I’m concaving the decks on request which means you don’t need deck grip ( saves you hundreds ).. but if you want it we have everything from the foam & paddles through to the deck grip and leggies.
Custom SUP
Smaller board for bigger guy - Demo Board
I’m super excited about this one, it’s a semi gun shaped blank, designed for the ripping big guy at 100-150kg and designed by a customer after they tested the 11’6” round pin demo board. This board basicly becomes your alrounder, fun at any size and has the goods when the surf picks up and turns on.
Excellent performance in a huge range of conditions from small, mushy surf to offshore reef breaks.
Naish
Custom SUP
stand-up paddle board 11’4” x 30” x 4 1/2”
Semi Gun 10’6” x 30 x 5 1/2, Custom
Donald Takayama’s name is synonymous with performance surfing. An icon in the sport, his Alii range of SUPs are geared for wave riding. With a rounded pintail and thruster-fin set-up, these are the most progressive SUP boards on the market, designed for serious surfers wanting to crossover to SUP surfing.
Surftech – Takayama
stand-up paddle board 10’3”, 10’7”, 11’0”, 11’6”
ALB|056
9’4” x 30 x 4 1/4 , Custom
This semi gun with a thick round pin is the perfect all rounder for the guy who is 100-150 kgs, great in all conditions and comes to life in the bigger surf.
Custom SUP
Semi Gun 11’6” x 29 x 5 1/2, Custom
ALB|057