Carve115 Board Guide by Orca Publications

The biggest board heist in history 40 grand’s worth of boards stolen to order!

SURFING MAGAZINE

& Charlie Brown’s Time Machine

super sticks

Slater Shaper - the godfather talks about your boards Stubby Vectors - why short is cool top tips for intermediates how to buy your first custom board

Real Life Story The man who split in half • Oli Adams sweet spring sesh • SCOTLAND Survival at the O'Neill CWC

9 771354 508054

DANE REYNOLDS

James Hick and co charge all-time Oz

Freaky skatey foam party

down under

£3.80

Jordy Smith’s

Thunder

carvemag.com ISSUE 115

Shoot to Thrill Girls, guns & geezers…

kirstin prisk

Models: Kerry ‘Kitten’ Powell, Pippa Harrison, Lee ‘Bullet’ Bartlett, Hostage: Glen prisk. Thanks to ‘Bullet’ for his armoury, Coastline Housing for the van, James Nestleton for the ride.

shooters to thrill

volume 1

Oi, mush. Put your eyes back in. If you can stop polishing Kittens PVC with your porkies I’d like to have a little word and it may pay dividends.

As discerning gentlemen and admirers of the finer things in life there's one thing that tickles our fancy, and I ain't talking about your Auntie May. Nah, mate, it’s surfboards. We can’t get enough the plastic fantastic. So when it came to our attention that a large shipment of desirable models was heading across our manor it sounded like the Sale of the f**king Century. Only without the sale if you know what I mean. This was an opportunity not to be ignored. Anyways Kitten, Pippa and Bullet and I set off to arrange a little welcoming party, but we wouldn’t be wearing paper hats or doing the hokey cokey. We were going make the drive an offer he couldn’t refuse; hand over the boards or suffer a righteous infliction of retribution

manifested by an appropriate agent. Personified in this case by an ‘orrible c**t...ie me. It were a right old knees up and as you can see we took the jam right out of his donut, acquiring for your viewing delight a collection of wave riding vehicles. 84 to be precise, or if you like about 45 grands worth. It was a wight wesult. Of course with so much to look at sometimes you can’t see the wood from the trees. So to help you make off with your own bit of heaven we put the feelers out and managed to persuade a few faces to come and have a chat. So put up your plates, and feast yaaahr dots an’ dyes ‘cos daddies brought home biscuits.

the godfather The truth behind Kelly Slater’s surfboards …and what he thinks of yours. Story By Kelly Slater

I’ve been privileged to surf all over the world and just about everywhere I’ve been has some sort of unique surfing culture. It can range from being the main source of industry, as it is on the Gold Coast, to nothing more than a couple of guys fooling around on an island in the middle of nowhere (I know, that sounds kind of weird). Obviously the equipment available to surfers in different regions varies wildly, but it always interests me to see what guys are riding and how that translates into the way they’re surfing. Primarily, there are two ways I tend to look at things: guys are either out there to have fun and be functional or their approach is more performance based and they're constantly tinkering away at minute measurements on each new board. Neither one's right or wrong, but I’d be surprised if most surfers didn’t want to improve the way they ride a wave on top of having fun. So what is a good board? Well basically it’s one that does just what you want it to. From what I have seen, I believe even the best guys in the world could be riding something more functional, albeit sometimes more difficult to ride. But for the average guy, choosing your board according to what the pros ride isn’t necessarily going to improve your surfing. As I say, it’s personal preference: whatever excites you to get out in the water is a great thing. Sometimes that may mean riding a more challenging board and trying to live up to what your favourite surfers are doing, while at other times it may mean riding something that’s fun and easy. But I would suggest you keep an open mind when it comes to finding the board that suits you best. It may be very different to the one you are currently riding.

IN THE BEGINNING My first board was 5’2”. It had a painting of the Jaws poster on the bottom and

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Old Florida Sunshine is a real slippery eel. He don't say much, but when he talks, people tend to listen. Trouble is the nine times world champ has many stones to sell, much fat to chew, and many different men to see about many different dogs. To put it bluntly getting five minutes of his time is like trying to crack a walnut with your arse cheeks at Christmas. So we sent Bullet over to see him. I can not express the surprise Mr Slater experienced when he woke up one fine sunny morning cuddling Bullet, but let's just say his nanny would have kicked up an awful fuss about the state of the sheets. Anyway, after introductions, and a quick clean up, it turns out that not only do they share the same follicular affliction but are both are aficionados of the popular television series Little Britain. Consequently they get on like a house on the proverbial. Would you Adam an Eve it? Turns out Slater is a bit of diamond geezer. So here for your delectation is his wisdom. Enjoy.

that used to embarrass me a bit because the woman swimming above the shark was naked and you could see her boobs. I was only eight at the time but I secretly thought it made me cool. At that age I was probably about three feet tall. I had no concept of design. I had no idea what went into the making of a surfboard other than an airbrush and, if you were lucky, a team sticker. One interesting thing about my first board was that it had three fin boxes. That was before Simon Anderson invented the thruster, around 1980. But it never occurred to me to set it up as a thruster because a) I couldn't even turn on two fins, and b) no-one knew what a thruster was. And so I rode it with these giant twin fins. Even though the board was way too wide and big for me, it was lighter than my brother’s board, which I thought made it good. The only thing I knew about boards back then was if you had a light board you were killing it! But the equipment the best guys are using in many sports is often not suitable for the average Joe. If you look at tennis or golf, many pros play with tighter wound strings and smaller, forged, less-forgiving clubs than the average player can handle. Similarly, the boards pro surfers are riding probably wouldn’t suit the general population. At the same time, however, these designs feed back and influence what is popularly being ridden. Pro surfers work largely with incremental variations on a standard design that specifically suits the way they, as individuals, ride waves. We’re talking miniscule adjustments in rockers, volume, width, bottom curves and overall foil shapes. The level of surfing these guys are at, and the positions and parts of the waves they’re surfing, require different aspects of design that may not always work for the average surfer. Sometimes what feels easy to ride doesn’t translate to what will be the most radical or will allow the quickest change in direction.

Slater on the second version of his “Sleeve”...he broke it soon after. Doh!

bosko

‘‘

DREAMBOARDS

are so many variables in a board that when a magic one comes along you really will struggle to duplicate it based purely on plan shape.

I’ve always found that good boards are ones that don’t do anything too whacky, but possess a certain quality that almost defies explanation. They may have a little bit more jump in the water or a bit more drive or be a bit looser. Usually, though, there’ll be a standout aspect that gives them that special feel along with doing everything pretty well. I could order 10 of the exact same board and one or two will be quite different to the others. It could be the flex in the blank or something to do with the wood pattern in the stringer. It could be the way the resin and cloth were laid or how much it was sanded. The slightest variation of flex in tail-to-bottom curve can also make a difference. There

Throughout my career there have definitely been a couple of standouts. The board I used the year I won my first world title in 1992 was particularly magic. It was 6’1” x 17 ¾” and it had a graphite cloth down the middle, over the stringer. That board fit my surfing at the time like a glove. When it snapped in Brazil at the end of the year I gave it away and I never saw it again. (If anyone can find this board in Rio I'll pay you handsomely for it.) I also had an amazing orange and green board that I used at the first Quiksilver Pro in '02, that was, from memory, 6'1" 18 1/8" wide squash tail. I'm not sure what it

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was about that board that made it magic. We tried to copy it three or four times, but without success. I ended up breaking it at Teahupo’o. (I don't even know why I was riding it at Teahupo'o!) On the surface, nothing struck me as out of the ordinary, except maybe the bottom curve had quite a lot of vee off the tail. This really loosened up the tail, but then it also had a lot of drive. I don’t know why that board felt so perfectly balanced: it’s a mystery to this day as it sits in Al's shaping room. It’s interesting that two of my favourite boards were such different shapes. But it makes sense that as your body changes and your surfing evolves so too your boards need to change. By that logic alone experimentation should play a much bigger role in modern foam crafting.

DOGS

’’

There’s also something to be said for boards that don’t feel so magic. When you’re on a good board you think you’re a good surfer: on a bad board you can feel the complete opposite. While I don’t think it’s overly constructive to persevere with something that’s not working, I’ve learned certain things about design through riding bad boards. So long as you can clearly understand why a board is a dog, you can move forward. Indeed, the challenge of making it work for you can also foster considerable improvement. For instance, I got a board the other day and after my first turn I knew it was bad. I was all the way out at Greenmount and I thought, “I can’t be bothered going all the way in, back to the car, changing boards and coming back out”. So I thought I’d stick with it for a while. I got three or

will bailey

Lloyd Cole having fun at La Grav.

four waves, after which I was starting to understand what was wrong with the board and how I could adjust my surfing to make it work for me. This can be a really good tool. Some pros are particularly fussy about not wasting time on boards that don’t work. They will literally surf a wave straight to the beach if they don’t like the feel of it under their feet right after take off. I've done that myself. It’s not great info for your board maker necessarily and I’m sure the guy buying it afterwards is wondering why it only had one or two pressure dings in it. It’s a luxury that pros sometimes take for granted, but it all pays off with that gem you get in between. If you’re on something that doesn’t feel good, get what you need from it then move on. Hey, maybe you're not the

rightful owner anyway!

THE CRAFTSMAN The catalyst for radical change in my boards happened about a 18 months ago. I was watching some footage of the top guys on tour and everyone’s boards looked a little long, particularly in the pocket of a small wave. And it hit me: there has to be a way I can go a little bit shorter without sacrificing drive for maneuverability. Any shaper will tell you that creating surfboards is about finding balance. Increasing maneuverability, for example, tends shut down your drive and vice versa when you're messing with rockers and widths. But there are ways to sneak around that with how you combine the elements. I had become increasingly bored with

the standard plan shape and what we’ve pasteurised it down to. On tour everyone’s boards are relatively similar. Often it felt like I'd been surfing the same board for years and maybe I wasn’t advancing and progressing. If you look at the late ‘70s and early ‘80s – certainly an important era in my evolution - so many different types of boards were being ridden on tour. Take Cheyne Horan’s boards: their wide point was probably a foot or two from the tail. A lot of guys were still on big, huge singles. Ben Aipa and Reno Abellera were working on designs that heavily influenced MR and Dane Kealoha. Simon had the thruster. I saw a video of Shaun Tomson from that era and he was saying, “On small days I ride twins, from four to eight feet I ride a thruster and anything

over eight feet I ride a single fin.” That approach is a million miles from where we are today. The fact that nobody on tour shapes their own boards these days is definitely part of the stagnation we’re experiencing at an elite level. So for me it’s a challenge to see if I can translate ideas from my mind into the blank. Al and I talk about this a lot and I know I have ideas that work because he's able to put them on foam. Consequently, he has been encouraging me to shape my own boards and ride them in contests. So far it has been incredibly fun for me. It’d be easy to play it safe and ride a standard board in heats, but I think there are breakthroughs to be made that are worth the risk. But it’s not a risk everyone is willing to take. After Pipe in 08 everybody seemed stoked that I was

carve surfing magazine 81

jason reposar

82 carve surfing magazine

riding something so completely different. Then at the following event, the Quiksilver Pro, I was on a 5'4", experimenting with something I thought would work. When I lost, however, everyone was quick to point out my error. One message from a person online said: “Kelly, please no more experimenting ‘til after you win your 10th.” That was hilarious.

‘‘

I’m not in denial about the things I need to work on, but I watched footage of the heat I lost and I actually thought the board looked pretty good. To the naked

eye the 5'4" looks a little short because people aren’t used to it, but the board has incredible flow, it’s quick through the rail and super maneuverable. Admittedly, on a mushy wave it's not great, but the board has plenty of advantages that haven’t been acknowledged. Everyone is entitled to their opinion: in fact, I often see people surfing heats on boards I don’t like the look of. But I wonder if I’d somehow won at Snapper, what affect that would have had on popular opinion. It seems like a lot of people were wanting to see that board fail.

THE 5’4” My 5'4" is often described as a fish, but I almost take offense to that because I don’t see it as a fish at all. It’s not big and wide, and it’s not just a fun board to play around on. It actually has a lot of the same plan shape as my normal board template only with less rocker and shortened nose. Flatter rockers can make a really short board glide longer, depending on how you widen it up and what sort of outline you have. If you offset certain factors in the right way you can fit

I’d been planning for a couple of years to go a lot shorter. I wanted to make a 5’4” that was set up like a 6’0”, so that’s what I did.

’’

all the right elements of design into any board and maybe create better lines on the wave. The 5'4" I’ve got now is a copy of the first one I shaped back in November 08. I was so stoked because I’d been thinking about making it for a long time. I’d been planning for a couple of years to go a lot shorter. I wanted to make a 5'4" that was set up like a 6'0", so that’s what I did. I first rode it at Upper Trestles last winter in California. Despite the mushy surf, there were some encouraging signs with top to bottom flow. Then, a couple of days later, I went up to the Ranch and surfed it again. It was head high, really clean and no-one out. The waves were nice and steep, so it was an ideal testing platform. Straight away it felt good climbing, getting up the face and cutting back. I thought: “Wow, there could be something here.” But I had this funny headspace going on: I didn’t want to push the board too much because I didn’t want to discover its weak points. Then I was coming off the bottom on this one wave when I saw that it had a nice lip that was all crumbly, with another little lip just above it. I came vertically off the bottom and punched it, pushing the tail until it released; I slid it out sideways and backwards before it connected again, and suddenly I found myself back on the wave with more speed than I’d gone into the turn with. I was amazed - I’d never had that sensation on a thruster. This was a 5’4” quad, so obviously there were substantial design differences, but I felt my ideas were validated and that going shorter was paying off.

SHORTBOARD REVOLUTION X2?

Reuben Ash busting one his myriad of airs.

Last year on the Gold Coast I was riding a 5’10” instead of a 6’1” and a lot of people thought that was a pretty big change, myself included. Now I’ve chopped six inches off and added another fin. I wouldn’t call it the second shortboard revolution because a lot of guys are riding 5’5”s now and having a lot of fun. There are a bunch of guys in California riding

really short boards – they call wave skates – which allow them to more easily pull all sorts of crazy airs. But in general today there is a whole generation of surfers who have ridden nothing but thrusters, and who have never experienced the excitement of radical changes in design except for finding an old board to take for a spin. What I am discovering about experimenting, especially through shaping, is that riding a board based on your own concepts is so much more rewarding than simply taking what’s there. You really take your time to feel out a board when your approach is based on profound curiosity. “Well… how’s it gonna go?” I also enjoy other people’s boards more, since I have a deeper understanding and respect for shapers and their process, starting in the shaping bay and going all the way through to the glassers and sanders. It makes me think about how many people are involved in making a board. I plan to continue shaping because, apart from the fun of making boards, I feel I can make a worthwhile contribution to the perception of what people are riding, and not just for the guys on tour, but for anyone out in the water. For years I’ve felt that surfboards have been stale, boring, and safe. The World Tour has played a role in that because, generally speaking, you have to surf safe to win heats and contests. Instead of becoming experimental, your surfing becomes more refined, an approach that is in turn reflected in wider surfboard design. I think everyone should go out there and ride something weird or something they're not used to, just for the sake of it. Right now, if you want to shred you’ll end up refining your equipment. If you want to have fun, you’ll lean towards something easy. If you want to have fun while you shred you have to design something different and then refine it. That’s where I’m at right now. For the first time in a long time, I’m finding that surfboards are exciting again.

carve surfing magazine 83

most wanted Okay, let’s sort the buyers from the spyers, the needy from the greedy, and those who want a pocket rocket from the ones who don’t, because if you can’t see value here today, you’re not up for shopping. You’re up for shoplifting. You see these goods? Never seen daylight, moonlight, Israelite or Fanny by gaslight. Take a butchers, c’mon take a gander. Biscuits, Fishcuits, Quads, Squads, Pods and Robbers. I took a dominator home last night. Was a lot less curvy and cost me a lot more than fibreglass variety, I can tell you. Didn’t go as fast either. Handmade around the globe, hand-stolen on the A30. Feast your pies!

Cyborg Specifications:

5'10" x 19" x 2-¼" Shaper:

Luke Young The high performance follow on from the popular Robot model, with a full deck and pinched rails over a low 'Flyte Path' rocker. The Cyborg can be ridden in a wide range of surf, but comes into its own in less punchy waves when your shortboard tends to ‘push water’. Telephone:

07789663693 Email:

Luke@lukeyoungshapes. co.uk Website:

www.Lukeyoungshapes. co.uk

Model:

Specifications:

6'1” x 21 ½” x 2 5/8” Shaper:

JS Parko model Specifications:

6'2” x 18 5/8” x 2 5/16” Shaper:

Rob Vaughan

A perfect blend of fish and shortboard with the wide point well forward, but with shortboard rails. The concave and vee gives the Speculoos heaps of drive, plus it picks up waves like a fish, surfs from the tail and turns super-tight in the pocket.

The Parko Signature model is built around Joel Parkinson's progressive manoeuvres and seamless flow that continues to push surfing boundaries each year. If it’s good enough for Joel, what more do you wanna know?!

For stockist details email: bbg.surfboards@

billabong.tm.fr Website:

www.billabongsurfboards. com (then go to Europe)

kirstin prisk

Model:

billabong Billabong Speculoos

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Luke Young

billabong.tm.fr Website:

www.billabongsurfboards. com (then go to Europe)

Channel Islands

Model:

Dumpster Diver

The Gravy

The Robber

Specifications:

5'6" x 19-1/4" x 2-1/4"

5'3-1/2" x 19-1/4" x 2-1/4"

5'9" x 19" x 2-1/4"

Shaper:

Al Merrick

When Dane Reynolds wanted a short wide epoxy board with single concave and a square tail to make the summer bearable, the Dumpster Diver was born. When he came back and wanted one with a narrower nose and a Rookie tail template for the Trestles contest, the 2nd Generation Dumpster Diver was created. The Dumpster Diver flies and still has enough kick in the tail to carve in the pocket. And it took him to the final at Trestles...

Reminiscent of Rob’s Biscuit model, The Gravy is shorter and wider than a normal shortboard, but has a more foiled and slightly narrower outline with a touch more rocker and a fresh new look. A great small wave board that should be ridden 4" to 6" shorter, 1/8" thicker, and about an inch wider than your normal shortboard.

From the mind of Rob Machado comes the Robber. A fun short and wide boards that simply flies. Full and flat in front, thin and narrow in the back. The tail is a winged swallow with spiral vee out the back, and the board comes as standard with hand laid Twin Finner Future Fins but also works well as a thruster.

Tel:

Website:

+33 558 489 919

Tel: Tel:

+33 558 489 919

For stockist details:

info@cisurfboards.eu

Website:

www.cisurfboards.com

For stockist details:

info@cisurfboards.eu Website:

www.cisurfboards.com

beach beat

Model:

Round Tail

Square Tail

Squash Tail

Specifications:

6'2" x 18-1/2" x 2-1/2"

5'11" x 18-1/4" x 2-3/16"

5'4" x 18-7/8" x 2-5/16"

Shaper:

Chops Lascelles

This round tail is designed for high speed rail to rail transitions. A great travel short board that comes alive in fast clean waves. Single to double concave.

This is Skippys favourite contest board for all conditions. It has a curvey template and works best in punchy fast reaction surf. This board can handle Skippys power surfing but is also excellent at busting out the tail. Single concave.

We worked with Josh Piper over the winter to develop the new high performance model for 2010. It has the same volume as the 5’11” but a much shorter rail line. It is designed for modern high performance rotational surfing. Single concave.

Telephone:

01872 553918

Website:

www.laminations.co.uk

Telephone:

01872 553918 Website:

www.laminations.co.uk

carve surfing magazine 85

NS Surfboards

Model:

Apache

B22

The Badger

Specifications:

6'0" x 19" x 2-5/16"

5'10" x 20" x 2-1/2"

6'2" x 20-1/2" x 2-1/2"

Shaper:

Nigel Semmens

This board has a lower entry nose rocker and is a fuller template all round. Concaves or vee bottoms. You can ride this board 2'' shorter than your normal board but ¼'' to ½'' wider. A great small wave board for smaller guys or it also goes great for big guys in small to medium surf. A good all-round board with good performance levels

A mixture of modern design and retro philosophies. Put together and you get an animal of a board that puts the fun back into your surfing. Lower entry and tail rockers make for a fast board that catches waves well, whilst the concave bottom and tripple wings increase the acceleration and decrease turning arcs. A fast loose fun board that is great to ride in a wide range of conditions.

Great summer board for surfers who want to catch waves and glide. Lots of planing area, exceptional acceleration, and good rail to rail turning ability. 2+1 fin set up.

Telephone:

01637 880421

Telephone:

01637 880421 Website:

www.nsboards.co.uk

Website:

www.nsboards.co.uk

Telephone:

01637 880421 Website:

www.nsboards.co.uk

NS Surfboards

hawaiian soul

Model:

F16

Flying Fish

Specifications:

6'1" x 18-1/2" x 2-1/4"

6'0" x 19" x 23/8"

Shaper:

Nigel Semmens

Our high performance shortboard developed with our team riders for all round surfing in a wide variety of conditions. Ideal for the performance and manoevre oriented surfer who has advanced boardriding skills. Soft entry rails for easy turning available with a variety of bottom configurations. Our favorite combination is single to double concaves for speed and lift. A highly manoeuvrable board with lots of down the line drive.

A typical fish with a few twists make this board ideal for the smaller and slower waves of the UK or for surfers looking for something with greater wave catching ability and stability when up and riding. The board has soft entry rails becoming really hard through the tail. Concave or vee if you prefer. Plains very well, and combined with the wide tail helps get you into waves more easily and earlier. This is a great all rounder for novices and experts alike.

Telephone:

01637 880421 Website:

Telephone:

www.nsboards.co.uk

01637 880421 Website:

www.nsboards.co.uk

86 carve surfing magazine

Cat Specifications:

5'11", 6'1", 6'3" The most versatile board in the HS quiver to date, the Cat will take your surfing up a level. It rides free and easy, and catches any wave that crosses its path... Ride it a couple of inches shorter than your normal board. Telephone:

01566 783444 For stockist details email: info@

aldersportswear.com Website:

www.aldersportswear.com

Tomas Technologies

Model:

The Bumble Bee

The FWN

The Tomahawk

Specifications:

5'10” x 18-3/4" x 2-1/4"

5'5" x 18-7/8" x 2-5/16"

6'0" x 18-1/4" x 2-3/16”

Shaper:

Tomas

Low entry and tail rocker provide massive amounts of acceleration and speed, and the single to double concave configuration – along with the vee out the tail – gives the Bumble Bee extra speed, grip and rail to rail response. Buzzing.

Inspired by the 5'4 snub noses that Kelly was riding at the beginning of 2009, the FWN is a short flat board with super-flat rocker. Shown here with Carbon Fibre Deck Technology. A lethal summertime weapon.

The Tomahawk is the performance pinnacle of the Tomas Technologies surfboard range. It is in a constant state of evolution and this is the 13th generation model. Perfect for high performance top-tobottom surfing.

Fins: Fins:

Thruster, Quad or Five Finner.

Telephone:

For stockist details email:

Telephone:

+61 (0) 412 081 546

For stockist details email:

aps3000profiles@gmail. com Website:

www.tomastechnologies. com

aps3000profiles@gmail. com Website:

www.tomastechnologies. com

+61 (0) 412 081 546 aps3000profiles@gmail. com Website:

www.tomastechnologies. com

Pro Liberty Surfboards

Model:

Retro Quinn

‘The Patriot’

Y2K Twinny

Specifications:

5'8"- 6'4" x 20"-21"

6'0"- 6'8"

5'8" - 6'4"

Shaper:

Martin McQueenie

Catches everything and goes where you want it to.... and gets there fast! All the best bits of old and new in one board! Quad or thruster options, and with bottom contours to suit your style.

The ultimate all round thruster. Perfect for beachies, reefs and points the world over. With double concave for that little bit of extra squirt out of your turns!

Made from bio foam and with handmade wooden glass on fins, the Twinny is loose and extremely fast. Available in various tail widths and perfect if you want to Hang 5 (or 10!) on a shorter board.

Telephone: Telephone:

07796561615

Telephone:

07796561615

Email:

07796561615

Email:

post@prolibertysurfboards. co.uk Website:

www.prolibertysurfboards. co.uk

post@prolibertysurfboards. co.uk Website:

www.prolibertysurfboards. co.uk

Email:

post@prolibertysurfboards. co.uk Website:

www.prolibertysurfboards. co.uk

carve surfing magazine 87

sawn offs

Jez Browning is not a man to be underestimated. You’ve got to look past the hair and the cute, cuddly thing he’s got going on - it’s all a deceptive facade. He knows his fruit and veg. Now I know these boards look like a fat f##kers... well, they are in technical parlance fat f##kers...but like a midget with an Ouzi they got a deadly kick. So don't turn your nose up, and have little dig. By Jez Browning

“What the hell is that?” Is a common question I hear as I unzip and whip out my stick. I don’t ride anything over 5'9" at the moment, in fact I haven't for a few years now. I’m not a pre-pubescent grom, or a tubby midget. I’m 6'2", a huggable 14 stone and yet I can still paddle and surf a 5"8" x 18" 7/8" x 2 1/4" micro board without the aid of diving apparatus or floatation devices. The said board is a Lost Rocket. Described as “A small to average wave all-rounder that can be effectively ridden 4" to 6" shorter, 1/8" thinner, and just slightly wider than your normal short board without sacrificing any carve or drive” They’re not lying either..... That basically translates to the most versatile, manoeuvrable, and fastest board I’ve ever placed my feet on and no this isn’t a CARVE promotion for Lost. Every shaper worth their planer is churning out these short n stubby rip sticks! The more famous ones are the Wizard Sleeve and the Dumpster Diver from the CI stable, Firewire´s Dominator, Pete Daniel´s Fang, Teqoph´s Module, Rusty Dwart, etc. So What´s Occurin? The idea is to hide volume, by marrying two templates, one long and gunny, the other short and loose. Flatten out and tweak the rocker, refine the concaves for maximum lift and the rails for drive and forgiveness. Hey presto, you have yourself a sweet little micro stub (I've yet to find a name, and this one's growing on me) with all the drive, speed and manoeuvrability you could possibly want. Plus it’s sub six foot so will go through BA’s barmy board system! If I’ve lost you during that shaper drivel then we’ll look at the car world as an example. Take a good, fast car, the Lotus Elise. That’s the equivalent of a high performance thruster. We then takeaway any unnecessary parts, refine it’s aerodynamics, get it race ready, and voila a Lotus Exige is born. Boom- that’s what we’re talking about. These stubby wide-ish boards

88 carve surfing magazine

are hi-performance thrusters with all the unnecessary shit cut out! However to make them more versatile we can offer them with all the modern 5,4,3 or 2 fin options, plus we can give it some rad new, performance suggestive name. Not too sure what the Wizards Sleeve suggests though?! Okay so I understand that, but how do you hide volume in something that is 6-18 inches shorter? Well you can’t, but you can increase its planing characteristics. Your board might seem like a small bit of foam, but it’s very clever. It’s a foil like an aeroplane wing. Whenever you sit on it acts as a displacement hull, it keeps you afloat. However as soon as water passes underneath it creates lift. Which is why you can stand on it when riding a wave but not when waiting for a set! So these micro stubs have tons of planing area up front to help you paddle and catch waves. They have something I call ‘planing volume.’ Where the board lacks foam, it makes up with lift through hull design i.e. concaves. Is this concept new? Some say it all started with Slater at the end of 2008, others say it’s nothing newthey’re just fish right? Well, yes they’re both right. Slater definitely woke the surfing world up with his impressive demonstration at the ‘08 Pipe Masters on a 5'11" Deep Six. He said he just played around with his 7'0" K-Step and 6'0" K-Board templates to create a little board that would fit better in barrels. The fact that he could paddle into solid six to eight foot Pipe bombs without falling out the sky was impressive enough. The true outcome was that he left his opponents for dust, and the surfing world confused and questioning whether their 6'10" step-ups are the right choice. Knowingly or by sheer accident this concept has been around since 1950’s. Bob Simmons and Tom Blake, some of the earliest pioneers, were always cutting boards down to the minimum. The mini Simmons seems to be making a come back. However it looks and surfs a little like a door with twin fins in, so it's only going to be a novelty. Mr Biolos, your

‘‘

Take a good, fast car, the Lotus Elise. That’s the equivalent of a high performance thruster. We then takeaway any unnecessary parts, refine it’s aerodynamics, get it race ready, and voila a Lotus Exige is born.

’’

Ry Craike throwing about a stubby thing. Made it too.

bosko

Alan Stokes on his Stok-o-pop.

boards are amazing, but please “The Plank” you serious? Ok, but Slater was the first to use in competition? Nope, once again, Slater has just followed the path of his mentor and idol, Tom Curren. Any 16 year olds who are asking “who?” put this article down, NOW, go into YouTube, type in “Tom Curren – fish hunt” and watch how a bottom turn should be done. Plus it’ll make you think Fish aren’t just for junk waves, and you can see where Slater adopted his style from too. TC has been pushing the boundaries since the late 80´s and definitely into the early 90’s with his alternative boards. He was the first to ride huge Indo reefs on nothing but a 5'7" Fireball channel step bottom fish by Tommy Peterson. In fact he turned up to the Rip Curl Pro in Hossegor in the mid 90’s, with a second hand 70s fish he found in New Jersey, surfed it and kicked ass. So where Slater seems to be pushing things, he’s merely just carrying on what Curren started. All the top air freaks such as Ozzie Wright, Nathan Fletcher on his Stretch quad, even his brother Christian in late 80’s, Ratboy on his M10's, Cory Lopez, Chris Ward, and the rest of the Lost boys on their 5'5" x 191/4" fishes. They’ve all been part of what we’re seeing now. Rasta’s been a major contributor too but in a slightly more pure, zen like way. What I’m saying is the quest for a skatey little board to stay under your feet has been in the running for decades now. What were seeing with the likes of Dane’s and Kelly’s are just the more refined and versatile versions. Which brings me onto Dane’s Dumpster Diver. He’s an aerialist, a powerhouse, and general freak of nature.

90 carve surfing magazine

His DD is a different beast. It still has this hidden volume concept, but a lot subtler. Compare it to Kelly’s nosey boards and you’ll see what I mean. I think the Dumpster Diver is just the start of things to come. It’s an 80’s style board with a very modern twist. Shapers will probably do to it, what they did to the 70s fish. It’s hard to say as there are a lot of sceptics stating his surfing looks messy and the spray off his turns aren’t as good. Anyone who saw him riding it at Snapper this year can make up their own minds up. But come on! I thought Fanning had the fastest and tightest hacks, then Dane paddled out for a few! So after reading this we should all have them right? Whoa there Johnny... Put your credit card away! These boards are not for your average Joe, not yet anyway. If you can’t surf a standard shortboard well, as in pump effectively and generate your own speed, not flap and bounce. Then yes, check out your favourite shapers site and get on one. They are the future and you won’t be disappointed. They have to plane, so you need to be able move them to generate speed effectively. They seem to be one of those rare boards that wherever you want to go, they’ll come with you. When you turn, they just come along, they don’t get dragged behind. If you haven’t felt or understood what I just wrote there, then they’re not for you. I’m not trying to be condescending, just truthful. If you’re not at a competent shortboard level, buying one is going to be a harmful. Firstly to your performance and style and finally to your wallet. You will look a little cooler walking around in the car park though! So for those of you who still apply, don't get

confused. These are not small wave boards. You need something with lots of width for that and these aren’t them. There are a few exceptions in this style but you still can’t beat something fishy. They are, however, your true all rounder board. Waist high to overhead, maybe even double overhead are in their general range. Fin changes can dial them in even more, so quad for hold and drive, tri for general and twin it for fun. These boards are about to dominate the line-ups, probably not on sloppy days, but definitely the perfect travel board. A one-board quiver may have arrived, finally. Lets just hope you don’t snap it on your first wave!

‘‘

Rasta’s been a major contributor too but in a slightly more pure, zen like way. What I’m saying is the quest for a skatey little board to stay under your feet has been in the running for decades now.

’’

MCCALLUM CUSTOM SURFBOARDS

View the exclusive range of Mccallum surfboards at the Backyards Surf Shop showroom & Join the old skool/new skool revolution,looking back at old shapes for inspiration for the present and future.

For further information and orders call: Mat Grunger 07515 568207 or Guy Penwarden 07749 210094

BACKYARDS SURF SHOP email: info@backyardsshop.com tel: 01202 555 455 8a St Michaels Road, Bournemouth, BH2 5DX

carve surfing magazine 91

Gunther Rohn

Model:

All Round Shortboard

Rounded Pin Shortboard

Specifications:

6'2" x 18-5/16" x 2-3/16"

Shaper:

Gunther Rohn

Shaped under license by Skindog surfboards, this thruster is a great all round board. It’s well suited to conditions in the UK and has already had a good workout from team rider Oli Adams – the new face of Gunther Rohn Europe. This is his all round board. What more do you need to know?!

Shaped under license by Skindog surfboards. It’s well suited to faster, hollower conditions in the UK and has already had a good workout from team rider Oli Adams – the new face of Gunther Rohn Europe. What more do you need to know?!

Telephone:

Website:

07584045153 Website:

Telephone:

07584045153

DHD Model:

Tokoro Eighty 8 Specifications:

5'10" x 20-1/4" x 2-3/8" Shaper:

Wade Tokoro Jump in the time machine and grab yourself an eighty8. A super fun retro board that works well as both a twin fin and a quad. This model is based on the best parts of designs from a few decades ago, and guarantees a blast from the past in all kinds of surf. Telephone:

0871 277 808 Website:

www.ripcurl.com

www.skindogsurfboards. co.uk

Diplock Phoenix Model:

Shorty Specifications:

6’1” x 18-½” x 2-1/4" Shaper:

Diplock Phoenix A smooth rocker coupled with a fuller foiled rail makes this board easy to paddle and forgiving to ride. A deep single concave for lift and drive also creates a curvy rail rocker which makes the Shorty super fast. Ride it an inch or two shorter than normal. Telephone:

01208 816095 Email:

orders@diplockphoenix. co.uk Website:

www.diplockphoenix.co.uk

92 carve surfing magazine

tiki

Model:

McKee Retrolution

Carbon Shortboard

Specifications:

5'10: x 19-1/2" x 2-3/8"

6'1" x 19" x 2-3/8"

Shaper:

Bruce McKee

Tiki

The McKee Retrolution is a Slater inspired high performance, high volume, short length masterpiece. Unlike many other interpretations of this model, the McKee comes with 20 years of quad know-how. This really is a one board quiver.

The Carbon Shortboard takes our proven all round shortboard shape – which at 19" wide on a 6'1" and with low-ish rocker surfs well in most conditions – and builds it with EPS foam, epoxy resins and high grade carbon. The result is that the 6'1" comes in at 29.2 litres volume but weighs just 2.96 kg. And is practically bomb proof!

Telephone:

01271 816462 Email:

info@tikisurf.co.uk Website:

www.tikisurf.co.uk

Telephone:

01271 816462 Email:

info@tikisurf.co.uk Website:

www.tikisurf.co.uk

DHD

byrne

DHD

Model:

Mick Fanning Pro model

Owen Wright Byrne

Mick Fanning SWIVEL

Specifications:

6'1" x 18-1/4"x 2-1/4"

6'0"× 18-½” × 2-5/16”

5'11" x 18-1/2" x 2-3/16"

Shaper:

Darren Handley (DHD)

Phil Byrne

Darren Handley

This year the Mick Pro is a touch fuller in the nose and has more volume in the rails and tail – making it more user-friendly for all those surfers who want to feel what it’s like to surf one of Mick’s boards. ASP World Title not included.

One of the most dynamic young surfers in the word today, Owen Wright’s board reflects his new school aerial driven approach. It’s got a full concave bottom through to a gently increasing bottom curve. The rails are soft up front and get blockier as you go back – giving a bit more leeway for when you’re landing moves...

This is Mick’s ‘round nose’ fun board. It’s perfect in anything from a foot up to around four feet. When Mick’s not competing and the waves are small, this is the board he takes out to have some cruisey fun. Best suited to a swallow tail.

Telephone:

0871 277 808 Website:

www.ripcurl.com

Telephone:

0871 277 808 Website:

Telephone:

www.ripcurl.com

0871 277 808 Website:

www.ripcurl.com

Unsung hero

Hydro flex

Model:

Diamond Tail Quad Fish Specifications:

6'2" x 21-½" x 2-½" Shaper:

Grant Pratt The Quad Fish has an epoxy and S-glass construction with custom balsa wood inlay. The extra width of this quad helps you to get into waves earlier, and the flat to vee bottom contour gives a super-stable and consistent ride.

Balsa Performance Shortboard Specifications:

6'4" x 18-½" x 2-5/8" Shaper:

Grant Pratt Taking the best from old and new technologies, this shortboard utilises balsa wood and epoxy laminate to produce a super-strong stick. It’s got a deep single to double concave bottom contour, and its narrow width gives it a nice highperformance feel.

Telephone:

07799 626779 Email:

grant@unsunghero.eu Website:

www.unsunghero.eu

Telephone:

07799 626779

Lost Rocket Specifications:

5'8"x 19-5/8"x 2-5/8" Shaper:

Matt Biolos The Rocket features a wide forward outline with round forgiving rails, a flat deck and a wide “rocket” tail. The rocker is extremely low in the entry, for instant speed, with an exaggerated kick in the tail for tight arcs out of turns. The Rocket is a small to average wave all-rounder that can be ridden 4" to 8" shorter without sacrificing any carve or drive.

Email:

grant@unsunghero.eu Website:

www.unsunghero.eu

Telephone:

07942 481152 Website:

www.hydroflex-surfboards. com

carve surfing magazine 93

Firewire

Model:

Spitfire

ADDvance

Dominator

Specifications:

6'2" x 20-¾" x 2-5/8"

6'10" x 22-5/8" x 3-1/8"

6' x 20-½" x 2-½"

Shaper:

Nev Hyman

The Spitfire combines a diamond tail and ‘step down tail rail’ – giving it the bite of a much thinner board without losing the Dominator’s speed and float. Plus it’s got a low entry rocker for easy paddling.

Developed in collaboration with Taj's father Vance Burrow, the ADDvance offers extreme flotation, and combines the buoyancy of a longboard with a contemporary outline. The ADDvance Series opens up new possibilities for fun and performance. ADDvance your surfing!

The incredibly versatile Dominator combines a full outline with a thick foil from nose to tail. The Dominator paddles like it's turbo charged and doesn’t track like heavier PU boards with similar dimensions.

Fins: 3, 4 or 5 Telephone:

Telephone:

0845 3019800

For stockist details email: www.firewiresurf-

boards.com/dealers.php

Website:

www.firewiresurfboards. com

Firewire

Model:

El Fuego

Fishtail

TAJ Pro

Specifications:

5'11" x 20" x 2-3/8"

5’10” x 21” x 2-½”

6' x 18-5/16" x 2-¼"

Shaper:

Nev Hyman

The El Fuego combines a thicker foil from nose to tail with the outline of a performance surfboard. With a wide swallow tail the El Fuego promises small wave fun without sacrificing performance.

The TAJ Pro Model is built to Taj’s exact specs, incorporating the identical rail volumes, bottom contours, SPRINGER and increased rocker that are a trademark of his equipment. They’re lightning fast boards with an incredibly tight turning radius. Fly like Taj!

0845 3019800

Taking its cue from some of the most innovative design thinking of the past, the FISHTAIL Series is a true hybrid with one design foot in the past and the other firmly planted in the future of surfboard materials. With thinner foils the Fishtail is 30% old and 70% new. Old is new and speed rules!

For stockist details email: www.firewiresurf-

Telephone:

0845 3019800

For stockist details email: www.firewiresurf-

Fins: 3, 4 or 5 Telephone:

boards.com/dealers.php Website:

www.firewiresurfboards. com

boards.com/dealers.php

Telephone:

For stockist details email: www.firewiresurf-

boards.com/dealers.php

Website:

www.firewiresurfboards. com

94 carve surfing magazine

Fins: 3, 4 or 5 Telephone:

SIMON ANDERSON >

DARREN HANDLEY - DHD>

Market Square Arcade, Copperhouse, Hayle, Cornwall TR27 4EA Email: downthelinesurf@btconnect.com • Tel: 01736 757025

www.downthelinesurf.co.uk

BOARDRIDERS • HAYLE • CORNWALL

MURRAY BOURTON >

PHOTOS COURTESY BASE SURFBOARDS • WWW.BASESURFBOARDS.COM

DICK VAN STRAALEN SIMON ANDERSON DHD • JIM BANKS WEBBER • CHILLI MORNING OF THE EARTH MURRAY BOURTON BEAR • McCOY PIPEDREAMS FIREWIRE

NEW CONTAINER OF BOARDS HAS NOW LANDED!

carve surfing magazine 95

simon anderson Model:

sxe2 Specifications:

6'1" x 18-1/4" x 2-1/4" Shaper:

Simon Anderson Simon Anderson’s SXE shortboard is inspired by the world’s best surfers. The 2010 SXE is based on the best bits of the boards that Simon has shaped for the ASP Elite. It’s got extra tail lift and a curvy outline which, combined with a deep single concave, makes it extremely fast and manoeuvrable. Telephone:

01736 757025 Email:

info@downthelinesurf.co.uk Website:

www.downthelinesurf.co.uk

DHD Model:

Bobby Martinez Monster Specifications:

5'10" x 18-1/2" x 2-5/16" Shaper:

Darren Handley (DHD) The Monster is a small wave board designed so Bobby could have some fun in conditions he wouldn’t normally bother surfing. Wider in the nose and tail with a rounded pin and a little more thickness in the rail, the Bobby Monster is a perfect board for those small days, and can be ridden as a thruster or a quad. Telephone:

01736 757025 Email:

info@downthelinesurf. co.uk Website:

www.downthelinesurf. co.uk

murray Bourton Model:

Fat Bullet Shortboard Specifications:

6'0" X 20-1/2" X 2-9/16" Shaper:

Murray Bourton Following on from the success of the Brooko round tail quad, Murray has come up with a quirkier model in the guise of the Fat Bullet shortboard. Designed for those who want a fishier version (or just want an easier paddle!). The nose is narrower, and the tail rounder, which makes the board more vertical and responsive than the bats and swallows. Definitely Muzza’s zippiest fish yet. Telephone:

01736 757025 Email:

info@downthelinesurf. co.uk Website:

www.downthelinesurf. co.uk

Simon Anderson

Model:

Mollusc Specifications:

6'4" x 20-3/4" x 2-3/4" Shaper:

DSC Specifications:

6'4" x 18-1/4" x 2-1/4" Shaper:

Simon Anderson

A hybrid with the performance aspects of a short board. The Mollusc can be ridden with a swallow or a round tail — Simon recommends a round tail for connecting deep carving turns on the face. For the larger size boards (6’5” and above or wider than 20 1/4”) there’s an added vee through the bottom half to help with rail-to-rail transitions. An ideal board for anything up to around 5ft.

The DSC (Deep to Shallow Concave) model creates immense speed and hold through turns. It has a slight single to double concave with a smooth rocker, low soft rails and rounded pintail to help you handle the extra power and speed. A perfect step-up board for surf in the five-to-eight feet range.

Telephone:

www.downthelinesurf.co.uk

01736 757025 Email:

info@downthelinesurf.co.uk Website:

www.downthelinesurf.co.uk

96 carve surfing magazine

Telephone:

01736 757025 Email:

info@downthelinesurf.co.uk Website:

dhd Model:

Mick Fanning Pro Specifications:

6'2" x 18-1/4" x 2-1/4" Shaper:

Darren Handley (DHD) This year the Mick Pro is a touch fuller in the nose and has more volume in the rails and tail — making it more user-friendly for all those surfers who want to feel what it’s like to surf one of Mick’s boards. ASP World Title not included. Telephone:

01736 757025 Email:

info@downthelinesurf. co.uk Website: www. downthelinesurf.co.uk

Simon Anderson

geoff McCoy

Model:

Interceptor

Astron Zot Shortboard

Specifications:

6'2" x 18-3/4" x 2-5/16"

5'6" x 21-1/2" x 3-1/8"

Stumpy Nugget Shortboard

Shaper:

Simon Anderson

Geoff McCoy

The Interceptor is one of Simon’s most popular boards due to its smallwave performance. Extra width and a deep single concave help the Interceptor to carry over dead sections, while still fitting securely into the pocket. Best ridden one to two inches shorter and ¼” to ½” wider than your normal board.

The McCoy Astron Zot Surfboard is, in Geoff’s own words: “the best surfboard I’ve ever made!’ It’s faster, looser and more responsive, and a class act in all of its single fin glory. It’s shorter and wider than the Nugget, so go a couple of inches shorter.

Specifications:

6'4" x 19" x 2-3/4" Shaper:

Geoff McCoy

Telephone:

01736 757025 Email:

Telephone:

01736 757025

info@downthelinesurf. co.uk

With more tail and less nose, the Stumpy Nugget offers tremendous speed and support. It loves to go vertical and manoeuvre, and has drive and speed to burn. It’s designed to be surfed off the back foot, and Geoff’s unique bottom curve – the loaded dome – gives more control and stability: so pretty much anyone can get hop on and charge.

Email:

Website:

Telephone:

info@downthelinesurf.co.uk

www.downthelinesurf. co.uk

01736 757025

Website:

www.downthelinesurf.co.uk

Email:

info@downthelinesurf. co.uk Website:

www.downthelinesurf. co.uk

Simon Anderson Model:

XFC Specifications:

6'2" x 18-5/8" x 2-5/16" Shaper:

Simon Anderson The X-Factor Concave is the fastest board in the Simon Anderson range. It has smooth nose entry, extra tail rocker and is available either with a deep single concave, or a deep single to double. WCT and WQS tour-proven for speed when carving on the face or busting your fins out of the top. Telephone:

01736 757025 Email:

info@downthelinesurf.co.uk Website:

www.downthelinesurf.co.uk

Chilli

Model:

Step Down

CN Curve

Specifications:

6'1" x 18-3/4" x 2-3/8"

6'0" x 18-1/4" x 2-3/16"

Shaper:

Chilli

Not a fish, yet not a regular shortboard; the Step Down is based on the CN Curve but with a lower and faster entry, slightly more concave and a straighter tail curve. It has a flatter deck and more volume in the front half to help with paddling and small-wave surfing. Add defined hips, a wider, hard square tail, and a single to double concave and you’ve got a winning speed and release combination.

Chilli’s original Curve has had a few slight modifications over the years, and is always a popular model. Designed with the everyday surfer in mind, it has a slightly fuller outline with a smooth hip, flat rocker (generating natural speed) and a deep single to double concave for easy rail-to-rail surfing. A favourite of the WQS guys as part of their travelling quiver. Perfect in waves up to six feet.

Telephone:

01736 757025

Email:

info@downthelinesurf. co.uk

Website:

www.downthelinesurf. co.uk

carve surfing magazine 97

resin8

cortez

Oxbow

Model:

Sam Egan Fish

Fish

Hydro Fish

Size:

Specifications:

6'2"

6', 6'3", 6'6" & 6'9"

6'0" x 20-1/4" x 2/6"

Shaper:

Sam Egan Sam Egan’s Fish is wide and thick, but has a more performance oriented rocker, single to double concave and a thruster setup that works well anywhere that your shortboard would. Equally fun in small weak surf as when it gets head high – it really does feel like it’s power assisted when other boards simply won’t go.

Peter Hosking

Cortez surfboards are designed for maximum floatation and durability for great all-year-round fun. Fast and forgiving, if you’re looking for a board that excels where your shortboard seems to bog, this is the stick for you.

Unbeatable versatility in a wide range of wave sizes, the Hydro Fish range is aimed at surfers looking to move down from bigger boards yet want the confidence of a little more foam. Loads of volume where it counts for easy paddling and wave entry but with a performance based rocker and outline to allow surfers to really take it to the next level. Maximum versatility with a 5 fin set up for surfing as a thruster or quad. Pick your size based on your weight. Bigger sizes for bigger riders. Smaller sizes for smaller riders.

Telephone:

01637 878074 Website:

Telephone:

01566 783444 For stockist details email: info@

aldersportswear.com Website:

www.aldersportswear.com

www.orcashop.co.uk

Telephone:

+44 (0) 1332 813 150 Website:

www.ultrasporteu.com

Quiver

Model:

Pavel Quad

W.O.C (Weapon of Choice)

Specifications:

5'10"

6'1" x 18 1/4" x 2 1/4"

Shaper:

Luke Hart

Mark Neville

Luke Hart

New school approach to progressive surfing. Loads of speed with maximum control, flat entry, loads of kick in the tail and a deep single concave. Ride it 4-6 inches shorter than your normal board.

The Quiver Pavel Quad is the evolution of the classic fish. With its wide point forward of the middle, and the flat entry rocker, the Quiver Pavel Quad paddles and planes with speed. Join the quad revolution!

A High performance shortboard for fast responsive rail to rail surfing. Built for powerful surf in the 2-6 foot range. The W.O.C is the team guy’s favourite board...

Stoke-a-pop Specifications:

5'8" x 19-1/2" x 2-3/16" Shaper:

For stockist details email: info@seabase.eu Telephone:

01637 875 811

For stockist details email: info@seabase.eu Telephone:

Website:

01637 875 811

www.seabase.eu/ surfboards/Quiver

Website:

98 carve surfing magazine

www.seabase.eu/ surfboards/Quiver

For stockist details email: info@seabase.eu Telephone:

01637 875 811 Website:

www.seabase.eu/ surfboards/Quiver

Photo: Gerhard Engelbrecht

Progressive boards for progressive surfers www.tomastechnologies.com RIDERS: STUART CAMPBELL, BEAU BROMHAM, TASSY SWALLOW, PADDY DANIEL AND ZAK LAWTON

carve surfing magazine 99

the mole

Garth Gibbons is our man on the inside. What and who he hasn’t shaped for is no man’s business. He has rubbed shoulders with some right sorts. Celebs and that, of artistic and athletic fame. He knows the business. When it comes down to shin digs, the Gold Coast’s Quik Pro is the ping pong tiddly. So off he went to hobnob and have sneaky butchers at what vehicles the Lords and Ladies were presiding over. By Garth Gibbons

Some of the biggest changes in surfboard design for over a decade are on us now, for those of us who can remember back to a WT final at Hossegor in the early ninties, where Tom Curren Paddled out against Matt Hoyo on a 5'4" twin fin, carving the 1-2ft conditions to a mesmorized crowd, rattling Hoyo and winning the final easily! Well these style boards are now the future, brought back to competitive surfing by the 9 times champ Mr Slater. The Hurley CT comp at Trestles last year was the turning point; Dane rode his ‘Dumpster’ model to the semi finals, Kelly was on the Wizard Sleeve, and Rob Machado on the ‘Robber’. The slower fuller waves this allowed these boards to shine. The most common trait I could see was that they were about six inches shorter and that the widest point in the planshape was clearly forward of half way. Kelly’s ‘wizard sleeve’ carries an even blend of concave and vee, Dane’s ‘Dumpster’; a deep single concave and Machado’s ‘Robber’ was mainly concave with a slight vee out the tail. The only thing these boards couldn’t stop was a storming Mick Fanning on a board he nick named ‘The Money Maker’, which was two inches shorter and a quarter inch wider than his normal board . Now, two WT’s into the 2010 season, most of the surfers are carrying a new design that they worked on with their shaper during the break. And these designs are filtering out to the surfing population everywhere. It’s an exciting time for a shaper and the evolution of boards. Bede Durbridge is a tall solid guy, but he’s been riding a 5'9" x 19" x 2-3/8", rounded square, wide point really forward but still having a pointed nose. This creates a lot of curve in the planshape forward but it’s relatively straight through the tail area. The nose rocker slightly lower and tail rocker really flat with

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concave through the middle and vee out the tail. He gained speed quickly with a pump and the boards turning arc is really sharp. Josh Kerr had a couple of different models on show. One was very similar to his standard board, just two inches shorter with a wider nose. He’s also got a 5'6" x 18-3/4" x 2-1/8" swallow tail. It’s got a wide rounded nose with a flat rocker and concave through the whole board. This board struggled to flow through the turns Josh was doing , but its ability to boost and produce instant speed gives him an edge with the new school manouvres. Taj Burrow has been riding one of his regular boards and through freakish ability was still the fastest surfer in the water. He is one of the few guys riding epoxy brds on tour; a 5'11" x 18-1/8" x 2-3/16" rounded square with a single concave deepest in front of the fins. The nose and tail are pulled in slightly more in the planshape and the rocker was normal for this size board. Epoxies normally have a lot more flex, but his board has been stiffened through the middle. Taj has been training and with a little extra weight his surfing has lost a bit of the flick and gained a lot more flow while retaining his incredible array of aerials. At the start of the WT at Snapper the level of surfing was the highest I’ve seen, there was a statement being made and in the competitor’s stand the vibe was intense. You could feel there was a world title battle on from the first heat. Mick Fanning has gone up an inch from the 5'11" Money Maker that won him three finals last year. He’s riding a 6'0" x 18-3/8" x 2-3/16" rounded square, a deep single to double concave, with a lot of kick out of the tail in the rocker. As always he uses a large fin set to generate the speed and hold through critical parts of the wave. Dane is surprisingly still using more volume then his competitors. His all round board at 6'1" x 18-1/2" x 2-5/16",

‘‘

Parko is really pumped this year his been training really hard, big change in his syc. He always rides a 6'1" x 18-3/8" x 2-1/4" rounded square with a low rail and a deep single concave.

’’

rounded square, a deep single concave continuing through the fins with a really smooth even rocker. Parko is really pumped this year his been training really hard, big change in his syc. He always rides a 6'1" x 18-3/8" x 2-1/4" rounded square with a low rail and a deep single concave. Jordy has been really mixed up with his boards. He has finally settled with JS, but previously was riding several designs from different shapers. As he maturing his body has filled out, I think he’ll find it easier working with one shaper. Owen Wright has been riding 6'1" with rounded pin and rounded square tails. His shaper Al Byrne is using a

different fin placement, pushing the fins forward and pulling them in from the rail. Garth Gibbon was part of the Maurice Cole team when the MC Boards brand rocketed to the top of the industry with surfers Taj and Margo, and Maurice himself nicknamed Shaper to the Stars. He also managed Simon Andersons managing his label during the period Simon was shaping for Kelly Slater and Andy Irons. He’s now started his own label, shaping for many of the WT and WQS surfers and doing regular shaping trips to France. Check them out at www. garthshapes.com

carve surfing magazine 101

bosko

Parko, ever stylish and one of the few pros to stay on fairly standard equipment.

jason childs

Sam Lamiroy, not a small bloke by any means, but his surfboards are dialled for all occasions.

wise guys

Do you know what a moissanite is? It is an artificial diamond. It’s Mickey Mouse, mate. Spurious. Not genuine. And it’s worth... F##k-all. A bit like a 6 foot wafer under the hooves of 15 stone bloke. But how does a man of build part the sea of Galilee to find his little tasty oyster? And how does a geez trying to educate himself in the ways of the world avail himself of bona-fide information? Well, you got to have connections. You got to have a fence. Now old Nigel Semmens is like the Don Corleone of the surfing world. What he ain’t done, you don’t want to f##ken know about. And as for Trev the Turk, well once you get past the fact he supports the West Ham, the man can talk a lot of sense. If the milk turns out to be sour, these ain't the kinda pussies to drink it, and they got more pearls than Queen Elizabeth’s sunday necklace. So we sat them down for a bit of a chat. By Garth Gibbons

Pages and pages of lovely boards – beautiful curves, Colgate white foam and tight little tails. But as an intermediate surfer or a bigger guy, what stick would be good for you? Surely most of these flash new beauties will be like trying to paddle a lolly stick? The only joke on that stick will be the intermediate guy, paddling like an egg whisk or the big dude that needs to wear a snorkel in order to breath as the board is on the ocean floor. We went straight to the top for the answers. Ex-European champion and British shaping legend Nigel Semmens of Ocean Magic and Aussie board import specialist and retail sensai Trevor Clayton of Down the Line were hauled in to the office for a few choice words.

Horses for Courses With the constant bombardment of surfing imagery of guys riding sleek, slim, pointy sticks, many recreational surfers are sucked onto the path of downsizing too fast and stunting their surfing progress. “Apart from your Sam Lamiroys or your Alan Stokes, the top 5 % of surfers, it comes down to riding a board that is going to increase the fun you have in the water,” states Trev matter of factly. Big Nige is straight talking enough to get his clients on the right boards quickly: “How often do you surf? That dictates what board you should be riding. If you are surfing every night and living on the coast and can accept a bit of a challenge then you will learn faster to deal with a shorter boards characteristics. If you surf once a month then you need a lot of help from the board.” After years of working with the best shapers in the world to get the best boards to the UK Trevor echoes Semmen’s; “As Jeff McCoy said to me – If you’re not stood up on your board then you’re swimming! – So you’re only surfing when you’re stood up. It’s all very well looking cool walking down the beach but if you’re catching five waves in a session and your mate is catching 20 waves then he is the guy having the most fun – be

honest about your ability and you will get on the right kit faster”.

Bigger, Wider, More Buoyant So the big question is when to move down from a longer board, Trev deals with this question on a daily basis; “I would say to a lot of people, especially those stepping off a mini-mal that they need to be able to cut across a wave and be able to go up and down in both directions consistently. Until then you aren’t really ready for a change. When a surfer does change then the nose of the board will be narrower but they need to keep some width through the shoulders of the board”. The balance needs to be addressed of having a board that is buoyant and stable but you can still duck dive. Clayton continues “There’s no real easy way to make it happen, surfing British beach breaks involves a lot of duck diving, no two ways about it and the higher volume boards aren’t the easiest to duck dive but they do have better paddling speed so that always helps to get through waves, over waves or make the most out of channels”. Semmens continues, “again, It’s very important with buoyancy for people to be honest about their surfing ability, some guys need buoyancy and they need a bit of stability. That’s the trade off. They need the buoyancy in the stringer of the board down the middle, but they also need quite chunky rails as well. It needs to paddle well and be stable.”

Fins for Fun So we’re all beginning to get the idea, you need to be honest about your surfing ability and then shop around for a board with suitable volume and float. But what about the underneath of the board, particularly towards the back, what fin set up works best? Nigel has the answers, “again that’s a really open question, as a bigger guy or an intermediate surfer I would definitely be looking for a thruster which has stability, if you want speed and manoeuvrability in fun waves this summer then definitely look at 4 fins. But the fins

have to be set up correctly because there’s a crazy amount of different ways to set the fins up and it’s important that you have them the way that you like them to feel.” Trevor backs Nige up “ Learn what you are doing on a thruster first, get the basics off-pat before you start playing around with your fins”.

In Short (and Fat) The market place appears to be getting more educated. Nigel’s best selling board, the B52 has width and thickness and caters for the intermediate surfer or the bigger guy perfectly. The majority of surfers are recognising that the most functional board for their size and ability will serve up the best ride, just because Kelly rides it, it doesn’t mean that it will work for ‘Big Dave’ from Plymouth. Nigel comments, “the surfers are coming back to polyethylene boards, they’re getting a better ride from them and also accepting that they can’t all ride boards that are 6’/18’’/ 2’’ and an eighth. More retro boards and wider boards are popular all round. That’s what’s really helping the general surfer.” He continues, “in my opinion people are finding that width is important, especially towards the tail of the board because it helps you catch the wave and then when you’ve caught the wave it keeps you going.” Final words from Trevor – “people should be aware of where their boards are made as well. There are some great boards been made in the UK at the moment and there are some great boards being made in Australia. But just because you are riding a board with an American or Australian shapers stamp on it doesn’t mean that they have come from that place. With the increase of boards made in China and Thailand there is a difference between them so be aware of that.” Both Nige and Trevor echoed the same theory with their final words- “The best surfer in the water is the one having the most fun!” Don’t make life too difficult for yourself, the more waves that you catch, the more fun you have and the quicker that you will improve!

surftech

Model:

Channel Islands - Biscuit

Ultraflx H20 SK8R Series

Stretch

Specifications:

5'11" x 21" x 2-1/2"

5'10" x 19-1/2” x 2-1/4”

6'1" x 19-1/8" x 2-½"

Shaper:

Al Merrick

Randy French

William Riedel

A short and stubby tri-fin, the Biscuit design has been developed with the legendary Rob Machado and – like Rob – the Biscuit rides free and easy in the smallest surf. It’s fun to ride, you can bust some serious moves, and it catches waves like a board a foot longer.

Ultraflx: the future of surfboards? With biaxial cloth and hi-density rails to adjust the flex of the boards, Ultraflx feels almost exactly like a new poly board for its entire life... The H20’s a sick Ultraflx board that has that ‘new board feel’ everyday and has gone down a storm with the pros.

The Stretch is designed by world-class aerialist, Nathan Fletcher. The design of the nose and tail is fuller, which straightens out the mid-section and gives more speed. The fuller template also lets you go about 2" shorter than normal, and the shape’s quick turning, ultraresponsive, and fast: perfect for boosting!

Telephone:

01205 722745

Telephone:

For stockist details email:

01205 722745

info@surfcommission.co.uk

For stockist details email:

Website:

www.SurfCom.co.uk

info@surfcommission.co.uk Website:

www.SurfCom.co.uk

surftech

takeoff

Model:

Surf Prescriptions - New Toy

SurfTech Piranha

Specifications:

5'8" x 19" x 2-¼"

6'4”x 19-1/4" x 2-½"

Shaper:

Jeff Lausch

Rusty

The New Toy’s a double bump round tail quad. Perfect for ‘less than perfect’ conditions, it’s incredibly fast and loose. You'll fit three manoeuvres where you used to do one and will glide through flat sections. Go 4"-6" shorter than your everyday shortboard.

From the legendary Rusty himself, the Piranha’s packing a deep single concave between the feet, relaxed rocker and the rails are proportionately a bit fuller. Great for aggressive surfing with a little extra buoyancy. Telephone:

Telephone:

01205 722745

For stockist details email:

info@surfcommission.co.uk Website:

www.SurfCom.co.uk

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info@surfcommission.co.uk Website:

www.SurfCom.co.uk

Fish (Swallow Tail) Specifications:

6'4" x 20-1/2" x 2-1/2" An ideal shortboard for small to medium size summer waves. A wide centre point means that these boards fly in smaller more frustrating summer surf, which – let’s face it – is what we can expect! Telephone:

01208 78845 Email:

info@cjb.co.uk Website:

www.cjbsurf.co.uk

The tail

Now old Bullet here can strip down a Berreta in ten seconds flat. Truth be known he could have the kit off you mum even quicker, but that’s another story. The thing is when it comes to matters of mechanics ie wot makes things work and why, he knows his onions. If you aspire to his level of expertise you got to know your tools otherwise you’re going to get yourself in a two and eight and look like a right mug. So here is the lowdown on tails.

Pintails

smoother, more drawn out turns.

Most commonly seen on big wave guns, these bad boys are for holding in tight and tracking across decent sized clean waves, usually 8ft+. As the design is low in volume and width the lift that it creates is minimal, allowing the extra length of rail to draw a groove that will offer maximum control but less manoeuvrability.

Round tail

Rounded Pin A more versatile version of the pintail. The added curve and width offers versatility and is the halfway point between round tails and pintails. The preferred tail for waves that are between three to six feet. Rounded pin tails have more surface area than pin tails so have less release and create

The round tail offers great manoeuvrability due to the increased surface area and smooth rounded shape. The surface area gives the board lift and also releases well off the top turns. A drawback of this design is that square turns off the bottom or mid face are a bit more difficult without a corner to pivot off (like you have on a squash or swallow tail). In hollow or fast surf the round tail offers stability through directing water around the end of the board.

Squash tail The most common tail for a shortboard, this tail relies on a thruster

set up to maintain control. Not as good as a round tail for turning off the top but it makes up for this with the square end allowing good bite and control and also speed through flatter sections. The rounded corners allow for a more vertical attack from the bottom of the wave or mid face.

Swallow-tail The swallow-tail curves down to two points just like a squash. The two points have a vee cut between them. The design provides more bite and control during radical moves and when going in to and out of turns. The design is generally best for small waves and is most commonly seen on fish.

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Model:

JP RX

Hybrid

JP SX

Specifications:

Range from 5'8" to 6'10"

Range from 5'4" to 7'4"

Range from 5'4" to 6'2"

Shaper:

John Purton

This board is for the small to medium waves and surfers looking for something with float, manuvrabilty and speed in smaller conditons. It is great for the heavier surfer who struggles in these type of waves. (Where some will use fish / longer boards) This board has the same concept as the SX model but has a wider plan shape more akin to the original 80's thruster and has a bump wing alowing a more parallel plan/rail line which gives more projection and better rail to rail transition. Fin positions have been adjusted accorrdingly to maintain the performance aspect. Can be set up as a 5 fin optoin but 3 is preferable.

Our hybrid surfboards range from 5'4" to 7'4". Theses incorporate fuller plan shapes and more volume distribution, meaning the boards are proportionally wider and thicker in certain areas compared to the high performance boards. However they still incorporate aspects of the high performance boards such as concaves and rail shapes, allowing the board to be more forgiving in smaller less powerful conditions.

This board is specifically designed for the guys who are competent with their performance surfing and are looking for a board that will perform in the smaller, less powerful waves. It has a fuller plan shape similar to the hybrid, performance board characteristics, concaves and rail shapes, but with a more relaxed rocker and a different bottom contour in the front third of the board. It catches waves easily and allows acute turns making the board feel narrower than it actually is whilst maintaining full speed. This board comes with a square or swallow tail as standard.

Telephone:

01792851759 Website:

www.jpsurfboards.co.uk

Telephone:

01792851759 Website:

www.jpsurfboards.co.uk

Telephone:

01792851759 Website:

www.jpsurfboards.co.uk

Model:

The Razor

T4s - Quadfin

The Spooner

Specifications:

Sizes from 6'8" to 7'6"

Available from 5'5" to 7'6"

Sizes from 6'8'' to 7'6''

Shaper:

John Purton

This board is a cross between the hybrid and T4 models, it incorporates a wide point forward of centre like the T4 but has a mid performance rocker like the hybrid. This allows the board to catch waves easily, give down the line projection and with the advantage of the performance rocker it allows it to surf tighter in the pocket. It also has the added advantage of a five fin setup which allows you to surf it as a thruster of quad fin setup. This board comes in either a swallow or diamond tail

The T4' is a big crowd buster the ' T ' standing for TURBO! It comes with a double wing and swallow or Bat tail. It is a very fast board due to the very deep single concave running throughout the board with a double concave inside it, between the fins. It also has slightly more tail flick and nose flick, unlike fish boards, increasing performance aspects i.e. bottom turning accuracy, re-entries, cutbacks, and floaters. Extra tail width and four fin set-up gives you the extra control in the suckier part of the wave, maintaining ultimate speed.

This board is great for those style master surfers who want smooth transitions and loads of glide in a shorter board. Rolled v bottom, single fin only.

Telephone:

01792851759 Website:

www.jpsurfboards.co.uk

Telephone:

01792851759 Website:

www.jpsurfboards.co.uk

106 carve surfing magazine

Telephone:

01792851759 Website:

www.jpsurfboards.co.uk

choosing your first propa

shooter

kirstin prisk

Okay me old Mucker, so you’re about to pop your cherry and go and get yourself a shiny new weapon? Well ere's some top tips to make sure you don't stray off the straight 'n' narra Buying a new board is an important decision for the surfer. Retailers now carry a massive range of shortboards so it’s mainly a question of matching the surfer to the right board. Ability, type of surf, height and weight all come into the equation, but the main thing is honesty on your part. Try as many boards as possible. Borrow your mates, find a test centre and ask to try as many shapes as you can. These days there are hundreds of options and it's really fun trying them out. Keep your mind open as you never know a random shape may prove your magic stick. In your testing and research phase pop along to a few ‘proper’ surf shops ie ones with a large range surfboards in them, or better still look up your local shaper. Tell the shaper/salesman where you live, how long you’ve been surfing, and how often you surf. Be honest about your ability and realistic about the waves you are going to catch and the way you are going to surf them. No point fooling yourself, or trying to fool them. The first job of the board is to get you into as many waves as possible. It's second is to act as a stepping stone from your last board to possible pro status, or cutbacks...whichever comes first. Remember to take along your old board to the shop (or factory) with you. Salesman and shapers can get a lot of information from looking at your old board and listening to you talking about how it performs, what you like and what you don’t like about it. Identify the size / volume of board you need. You have to be honest about your weight and let the salesman/shaper do their job. No good sinking now is it? Boards of the same size may have different volumes hidden in the rails, under the chest and in the planshape so take advice. Trying to find a magic stick is a lifelong job, there’s always a better one around the corner. The most important thing is getting a board that you are stoked to ride day in day out and have fun.

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Circle One

Model:

6’4 Wing Swallow Tail

6'7" Double Wing

5’10 Bullet

Specifications:

6’4 x 20-1/4 x 2-1/4"

6'7" x 21-3/4" x 2-1/4"

5’10 x 21-1/2" x 2-1/4"

Shaper:

Jeff Townsley

Full plan shape with plenty of volume to catch waves easily in all conditions. Increased width makes for a forgiving board that is still responsive and loose through the turns, giving your surfing an explosive edge.

Telephone:

01363 773005

Website:

www.circle-one.co.uk

Full plan shape with plenty of volume to catch waves easily and surf fast, even in marginal conditions. The round tail with a wing makes for high manoeuvrability as well as holding a line well for maximum speed. A great fun all round channel bottom thruster, hand shaped from EPS foam and innovative sandwich construction Epoxy resin and fibreglass with multiple layers of nerocross link honeycomb material. Telephone:

01363 773005 Website:

www.circle-one.co.uk

Local Hero Model:

garth gibbons

Specifications:

Model:

Garth Gibbons G2

Sniper

Shaper:

Sizes:

Graeme Bunt

6'2" – 6'10"

5'4" – 6'4"

Shaper:

Graeme Bunt’s latest shape – The Squad – has a quad fin set-up with a double wing. It’s got a rounded pin to keep you locked in, and a triple concave for heaps of speed. A fast and furious board that’ll comfortably take you up to well overhead.

Garth Gibbons This classic all-rounder has a bit less rocker and concave than the G1. It’s still highly responsive, with a bit more drive and is smoother through turns. From smaller onshore days through to perfect solid swells, the G2 handles it all...

Garth Gibbons The Sniper has evolved to meet the new craze for shorter, wider boards. With the width in the nose you can ride it 4 inches shorter than your normal board. It has a single concave under your front foot, changing to a deep vee out of the tail which allows it to pivot quickly. The Sniper’s an extremely fast board that works well as a quad or a thruster and with various tail shapes.

The Squad 6'4" x 20" x 2-3/8"

Telephone:

01208 814282 Email:

Localherosurfboards@ hotmail.com Website:

www.localhero.co.uk

Telephone:

00 335 58 72 16 99 Website:

www.garthshapes.com

Telephone:

00 335 58 72 16 99 Website:

www.garthshapes.com

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surfboard retailers guide Want to test ride or browse, then these are your guys.

devon

Tiki Surf Shop (Tiki International Plastics Ltd) We are proud to supply some of the world’s best surfboard brands – Webber, Walden, McTavish, Aloha, NSP, SouthPoint and more, 13 quality brands in total for every surfer and every price. Take a look around the site for the UK’s best range of surfing hardware. Web: www.tikisurf.co.uk Tel: +44 (0) 1271 812442 Address: Velator Industrial Estate, Braunton, North Devon EX33 2DX wales

JP Surfboards Sometimes it isn't easy to decide between one board and another, so to help you we've put together a selection of boards from each of our ranges that you can borrow to see how they feel, give us a call or drop us an email to check availability. There is a deposit required but we can talk about that when you get here. Web: www.jpsurfboards.co.uk Email: JPsurfboards@btconnect.com Address: Unit 7a Crofty Industrial Estate, Penclawdd, Swansea SA4 3RS Tel: 01792 851 759

Odd Surfboards With 40+ years experience we offer hand shaped boards fine-tuned to your local break including our new 2010 Performance Mal. web: www.oddsurfboards.net address: Odd Surfboards, Unit 9, South Cornelly Trading Estate, Porthcawl CF33 4RE tel: 01656 744691

Ma simes surf hut Wales’ premier online surf shop with quality boards, wetsuits and hardware, fast efficient service, and solid advice. Call us – we answer the phone! Web: www.masimes.co.uk Email: info@masimes.co.uk Address: 28 High Street, St. David’s, Pembrokeshire SA62 6SD Tel: 01437 720433

8 9 7

11 12

cornwall

Down the Line Surf We stock a huge selection of surfboards made in and imported from Australia including surfboards by Dick Van Straalen (DVS), Jim Banks, Simon Anderson, Greg Webber, Chill, Murray Bourton, Firewire, plus Geoff McCoy, Morning of the Earth as well as many more surf boards you've come to know and love imported from Oz by Down The Line. Web: www.downthelinesurf.co.uk Email: info@downthelinesurf.co.uk Address: Market Square Arcade, Copperhouse, Hayle, Cornwall TR27 4EA Tel: 01736 757025 Foam Asylum A true surfers surf shop with purely hardware for the hardcore surfer. With over 250 boards in stock and some of the best names in the business including Chilli, JS, DHD, LSD, NS, Adams, Santa Cruz, Surftech and our own SP boards on display, you'll be spoilt for choice. Web: foamasylum.blogspot.com Address: 64 Tower Road, Newquay, Cornwall Tel: 01637 877373 Beach Beat surf shop Need some advice? Then check out our “How to Buy” pages for some impartial advice. If you need to talk to us then give us a call, you'll get a reply from Chops or one of the guys from the factory with extensive experience in board construction. Web: www.beachbeatsurfboards.co.uk Email: orders@beachbeatsurf.co.uk Address: Peterville, St Agnes, Cornwall Tel: 01872 552574 ireland

Incide Surf hop Honesty and Integrity... Oh, and we actually surf! Web: www.facebook.com/incide Email: jason@incide.ie Address: Bridge Street, Cork Tel: 021 4505077

Bundoran Surf Co

Boards from Powersource, DHD, Simon Anderson, LSD, Murray Bourton, Circle One, Escape, NSP, Hi-Fly. Web: www.bundoransurfco.com Email: info@bundoransurfco.com Address: Main Street, Bundoran, Co.Donegal, Ireland Tel: 071-9841968 London

ocean leisure

Ocean Leisure is London’s premier marine and water sports super store. We stock NSP surfboards, Rip Curl, O’Neill, bodyboards. Web: www.oceanleisure.co.uk Email: internetsales@oceanleisure.co.uk Address: 11-14 Northumberland Avenue, London WC2N 5AQ Tel: 0207 9305050

east sussesx

back yard surf shop Quad, Single, Long, Short, Keel, Fish, Twinny and Strange!! Find your style by tuning any of our custom demo boards. Web: www.backyardsshop.com email: info@backyardsshop.com address: 8a St Michaels Road, Bournemouth, BH2 5DX tel: 01202 555455

Sorted Surf Shop One of the largest ranges of boards and wetsuits in the country. All major brands stocked. Web: www.sortedsurfshop.co.uk Email: shaun@sortedsurfshop.co.uk Address: 42 Sea Road, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset BH5 1BQ Tel: 01202 399099 scotland

granite reef surf shop Granite Reef, the UK’s original independent Surfboard, Snowboard and Skateboard specialist store, we take pride in the products that we sell and only stock the best brands. Tried and tested by our team and staff. Web: www.granitereef.com Email: info@granitereef.com Address: 45 The Green, Aberdeen, Scotland AB11 6NY Tel: 01224 252752 national

Firewire test centres Demo Boards can be tracked on Facebook (Firewire Europe) & Twitter (@ firewireeurope) / some stores have demo boards 24/7 (check website) Web: www.firewiresurfboards.com Tel: +44 (0) 845 301 9800

Surftech demo centres Try and test our shapes before you buy. Test centres around the country. Tel: 01205 722745 Web: www.surfcom.co.uk

carve surfing magazine 109

Nutz Surfboards

Nutz Nutz Surfboards Surfboards

Model:

The Flexer

The Bean Pod

The Semi

Specifications:

6'0" x 18-7/8" x 2-3/8"

5'8" x 20-1/2" x 2-1/2"

6'6" x 18-5/8" x 2-3/8"

Shaper:

Ryan Hervé

The Flexer has a slightly wider nose then average for good projection off the bottom. A single concave runs all the way through the bottom – deepest in front of the fins – with the apex of the rocker pushed further back and carbon rails with diagonal glassing giving it extra flex to really let loose in the pocket.

A wide curvy outline that fits well into small waves. The entry has a single concave into a flat section under the front foot leading into vee with a double concave between the fins and through the tail. The Bean Pod catches waves so easily and whips around very quickly – a summertime favourite.

The Semi is a seriously tried and tested semi gun. It’s been proven to work well with James Hick at Backdoor and at Pipeline, The Semi’s even seen some action paddling in on smaller days at Shipstern’s Bluff in Tazmania. How well tested do you want?!

Telephone:

07797 771930

Website:

www.nutzsurfboards.co.uk

Nutz Surfboards

Model:

The Moule

The Pocket Rocket

The Big Nutz:

Specifications:

Specification:

5'10'' x 20" x 2-7/16"

6'2" x 18-5/8" x 2-5/16"

9'8" x 21-1/4" x 3-1/4"

Shaper:

Ryan Hervé

The Moule has a full curve outline through to a wider tail. It’s got the same bottom contour as The Bean Pod, but has slightly less curve in the tail which, with the wider tail pod and straighter rocker, makes it incredibly fast in small waves.

The Pocket Rocket has been my ‘project’ over the last ten years, and I can now say: I’ve got the formula for that magic board! Without giving away too much this board has a wider nose and slightly more drawn in tail than your average board, a deep single concave through the fins with the apex of the rocker just under the front foot. Absolute magic!

This is a serious board for serious waves. It’s been designed for James Hick to paddle into big Waimea. Perfect for Hawaii but also a great choice for other big wave spots around the UK and Europe. Designed for 15 foot plus waves.

Telephone:

07797 771930 Website:

www.nutzsurfboards.co.uk

Telephone:

07797 771930 Website:

www.nutzsurfboards.co.uk

110 carve surfing magazine

Telephone:

07797 771930 Website:

www.nutzsurfboards.co.uk

rusty

resin8

Model:

Bat Tail Quad

Kompressor

Sam Egan Squash

Specifications:

6'0" x 18-1/2" x 2-1/4"

6'0" x 19" x 2-1/4

6'1" x 18-5/16" x 2-3/8"

Shaper:

Rusty

Fins:

Quad

Tri

If you’ ve never ridden a quad the frist thing you’ll feel is the speed out of the gate and no apparent top end. Quads also accelerate through cutbacks and redirect on a dime. This board has moderate concave through the drive area with a light vee spine apparent in the last 6 inches off the tail. Semi relaxed entry rocker with an average overall curve. Available 5’’8 to 6’’2

Designed for small weaker surf The Kompressor utilizes a subtle venture concave to generate lift and speed. It’s a great alternative choice from a performance shortboardand a fish. A 'Venturi' concave that exits behind the fronts fins creates a slight vee off the corners. Relaxed rocker and just a touch wider overall. Available 5’’8 to 6’’2.

Sam Egan Resin8’s game plan with the Sam Egan squash was to produce the highest possible performance product using the latest materials. With slightly fuller rails, this board can be ridden by a wide range of surfers, and in a wide range of conditions and wave sizes. A seriously high performance board that’ll take on anything, and gets loose when you need it. Telephone:

Website:

www.rusty-europe.com

Website:

www.rusty-europe.com

01637 878074 Website:

www.orcashop.co.uk

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carve surfing magazine 111

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