Board Reports

[Cpt.Caveman]

I don't know whether this thread will take off, but I think there is some merit in standardising board reports a little more so that people can learn more from other peoples surfing. My thinking is, everyone writes board reports from their own perspective and subjective experience of the board, meaning every report is going to pretty subjective and hard to relate to yourself... Unless, there is certain key background info included:

- The board specifics (of course).

- Years surfing and skill level (just years surfing if you're uncomfortable with tooting your own horn).
(Beginner - starting to learn the ropes)

(Intermediate - knows the basics and has some degree of confidence surfing, however can be very inconsistent with linking and making turns, maintaining speed, and keeping cool in waves of consequence)

(Advanced - starting to master the ability to link turns with power while maintaining speed, surfs close to the pocket with full wrap around carves, confident in waves of consequence, starting to toy with progressive turns requiring tail-release and other difficult elements).

(Expert - might not look out of place next to a WQS surfer at times, big wave surfing is not a problem).

- What type of waves and surfing you wanted it for, and where it sits in your quiver.

- What is has done for your surfing.


Whatever else you write is up to you (e.g. how it behaved in waves x, y and z, and memorable moments that blew you away or disappointed you, etc.). Seeing as the background information is there, its easier to interpret this information and understand where you are coming from.

For example, an advanced surfer might evaluate a board for its ability to make very tight radius turns and have that as important, where an intermediate surfer might rate the same board poorly because it doesn't float very well and feels too twitchy and unstable. If the background information is there its a lot easier to understand what the board means to YOU, not what it is/does in general.

Seeing as posting this used a lot of brain power and time I'll chime back in later to write a board report with this background info there as an example...

If noone is interested then boo to you all

[Cpt.Caveman]

Okay, here we go, hopefully people get a lot from this board report

MORE Surfboards, Swinger model 5'11" x 20 1/2" (18 1/2" after the stinger) x 2 1/2". Single to deepish double concave, low entry rocker to flat planing area, to medium tail rocker. McKee quad fins riding PC3 and G1000. The rail before the stinger is a typical low-boxy performance rail, the rail after the stinger is blocky with a hard edge all the way to the tail, getting less blocky and more foiled as it approaches the fins.

I'm 85kg, 5'11" and have been surfing around 12 years now.

I purchased the Swinger because I felt like I needed a board with more volume than a typical HPS that doesn't need as much work to generate and keep speed in smaller waves. I was mostly surfing a 6'0" Quadfather at the time, pretty much a foiled out HPS with more generous dimensions and McKee quad fins. The Quadfather was my go-to board for Sydney waves.

What the Swinger has done for my surfing is pretty remarkable to be honest. It allowed me the tight turning radius and response so very close to a HPS, however with the forward planing area, volume and stability that you get with alternative shapes. This meant I started to find speed a lot easier, and could use that speed to surf in and around the pocket so much more easily because the tail lets you turn so tight. It also lets you release the tail, seeing as the tail has so much inherent lift from the blocky rails and volume, something I had missed since riding quads all the time. It has pretty much matured my surfing and let me hit a level of performance I hadn't been to yet. Since getting used to the freedom in provides with the speed plus responsiveness, I've been surfing it as my go-to board in just about any Sydney waves. The Quadfather is now only used for powerful and solid surf, and I have a different board for tiny junk.

The most memorable surfs I have had were in 3-4ft wedging beachbreak waves, just getting in super early and having all the speed I needed to go where I wanted to on the wave, and to connect one turn to the next without much loss of speed at all.

The main downside with board is that it provides so much inherent lift from the blocky rails and volume that when the surf gets really powerful, and you need to board to harness that power by digging into the wave some more, it starts to get skatey and hard to engage in the wave. The limit seems to be groundswell type overhead barreling waves, getting over 5-6ft. The other downside is the pulled in tail and curvey rocker make you lose a bit of speed when turning in complete junk. In 1-2ft junk a wide-tailed fishy style board like a mini-simmons would go a lot better.



Anyhow, there we go. Was that better than a usual board report? More useful because it was more about MY experience with the board?

[Trev]

Good stuff Cap.
Interesting read.

[gibber]

Ok, i'll havea go at this as i haven't really said much about the composite board Tiger shaped me, so here goes;

Surfing Ex:- I've been surfing since i was a grom and i'm now just a few days over 41. Not sure where i sit on the Captn's scale of things but some days i feel like a kook and on others i definitely am a kook! I guess if i had to catagorise myself i'd be in the advanced section but thats by default.

Age/Weight/Height:- Well as I said, i'm an older prick. I weigh in at a hefty 91kegs these days and am a cnut hair under 6'. The extra weight was a godsend when i started to put it on but i wished i stopped gaining when i hit 85. At the rate things are growing (re: stomache) i reckon i will be ordering my next board at 3" thick (or maybe i'll just build a boat)

New Board:- 6'2" x 19 x 2 1/4 I think...no dims on it *shrugs shoulders*

So, I picked up this board from the tiger den a couple of days prior to embarking on my journey south to sydney. I was heading down to hook up with some mates and fly to indonesia for a month. On the way down i had a quick wave at break wall on the northern side of a river and the waves were your typical breakwall peak, around 3' and breaking reasonably well. I screwed in a set of the blue FCS fins, PC5's i think they are, and ran down for a few. Paddling out I was starting to regret not bringing my other 6'2" as well in case this one turned out to be too thin. Thats probably why i had an uninspiring first surf. In hindsight, I'm glad i had that first surf as the board did show its true self, albeit as glimpses or flashes of its potential even though i was too caught up in the deepening spiral of doubt and loathing the descision of leaving the tried and true board behind but i was already maxed out with four boards and taking another 6'2" wasn't really an option.

Next surf i had on here was in 2-3'ers on a predominantly righthand reef. The wave has an indicater 2kms outside which gives you an idea of when sets were aproaching and a set of clearly defined line up markers on the hills behind so being position there is a piece of cake. This comes in handy as the lineup has swelled in the last few years and knowing where to sit and when meant i scored a number of the better sets that session. The wave starts as a wedging peak and bowls its way through to the inside and ends in a closeout on ankle deep reef. Its about 50-70m long and barrels on the right tide and direction. The board felt good in the warm water, strange you may think but I find some boards feel better in different temp water (also with rubber on which adds a few kilo's). Paddling was really easy given its thickness or lack there of. The waves jacks on take off and being a natural i found the drop easy to negotiate and get to the bottom for a bottom turn and run down the line. The board handled the take offs will little paddling and felt lively under foot. Bottom turns to top turn/carves were strange at first as the tail is very thin and I found that I had to watch how much weight i was putting on my back foot as too much and the board would slow and bury. After three hours things were looking ok for the newy.

Second surf was at a lefthand reef with the waves ranging from 3' to 5' with the odd bigger one coming through every half hour or so (nb. 3' being head height, 6' being double over head). This wave was your typical indo dry season left though we were there in the wet... Anyway, this place has a horrible current feeding out from the lagoon so staying in position was a mission and on more than one occasion we found ourselves paddling towards shore as a set passed under us. We amussed ourselves watching a german dude float out past us on his way to Ashmore Reef paddling with two foot of board sticking up at 45degrees in front of him. This wave was the clincher for me on the viability of this board for the trip, she went perfectly. After a few good waves i was on the button for one of the bigger ones to come through this day, I paddled hard and the wave kept jacking and I was worried i would be caught on top of the bump as it moved up the face. A few more paddles and i was looking down the face and dropped dragging my feet under me as I fell. It felt like ages getting to the bottom as i dropped straight down and kept my eyes on the flat section at the base of the wave, once there i looked down the line and she was bending in and she was long. The board layed over and with most weight on my forward heel she held her turn extremely well and it was a long drawn out turn too which surprised me cause i came off the bottom with a lot of speed, more than i thought possible given the board is more of a small wave type board. Coming off the bottom I aimed her towards the face and watched the lip starting to throw ahead so half way up the face i lshifted weight to my front toes and turned her down while concentrating on where the lip was. It was here that i focused on the lip as it was throwing out ahead of me and i was standing in the pit in a semi standing posi and the board was doing its thing as an extension of my feet. I'm not sure what i did with regards to trimming or turning at this point as my attention was on the wave and making the barrel so in this regard i reckon the board performed perfectly, it just did what i need it to do via a few tweeks and shifts of weight that my brain filtered through from my eyes, perfect connection of board and rider. I made the barrel and our indo mate Eang was hooting "best wave! Best barrel!!" I was stoked!

Lastly, another session i had on her over there was on a righthand reef at 3-4'. The wave barrels in sections and has nice whackable sections along its 150 odd long wall. Its here that i was able to perfect the two stage bottom turn to vert reo with a couple of fins free snaps. This wave was perfect for the board, take off>fade bottom turn to tighter turn straight up>eyes on the lip and turn>straight back down and repeat>>>> The board loved it and so did I. Transitioning weight from back foot to front and then back again is so easy on this board, I reckon my surfing progressed in huge leaps (or i was surfing like I was 15years younger )


So all in all, this board is an exceptional small to medium wave board, excellent feel through the feet and flex characteristics of a PU board but with the longevity of flex due to being of composite construction. It'll definitely outlive a standard PU in terms of perfomance as well as its durability in terms of damage resistance. I'm not sure what Tiger is selling these types of boards for yet but it is definitely worth spending alot more than what your standard PU board is selling for, I'd hazzard a guess and say she is worth double that which you would spend on a rack board.
If you do order one of Tim, tell him gibber sent ya!

[Cpt.Caveman]

Whoah! Now that was a good board report, I felt like I was in your shoes riding that board. Great stuff mate

[alakaboo]

Don't want to make this a composite-only thread, but I've finally managed to write up something about the board Huie made me. Sorry for the length.

About me:
I’m 6 foot, 72kgs. By the Captain’s guide I’d be intermediate. Been (standup) surfing consistently for 5 years, since I moved to the coast(s), but been on waves in some form for 22 years. My style is best described as lazy and backfooted. I’m not a top-to-bottom surfer and would typically do 1 turn in the space a more advanced (and active) surfer would do 3.

About the board:
Huieshapes 5’10” by 12 ½” by 19 5/16” by 15 1/16” by 2 ½”.
29 litres for those who are getting into the volume aspect. I think that’s about my ideal, I could go down a couple of litres but wouldn’t go up much for this type of board.
Centre of mass is at 2’10” from the tail.

The board is best displayed here, click on the thumbnails.
http://www.quivermag.com/boards/huie-2010
There are also some more pics in the New Board Porn thread on pgs 6 and 7. I don't have pics on this computer.
Wooden skins are bookmatched Qld maple on a foam core that is lightweight but strong.
Rails are S-glass,whatever that is!

The bottom contour and tail shape is based on some high-falutin boat hull design by technically-minded Dutchmen with too much time on their hands. I tried to take some pics and get some descriptions about the board for the more technically minded, but essentially it looks like a subtle single concave starting a bit further forward than most boards I’ve handled and running through the fins.
The nose is quite foiled out and feels ‘flat’ with fine-ish pinched rails, the tail has a late kick and retains the planing “pod”. Rails are kind of rolled, with a defined flat edge from the fins back.

Fins are a composite of carbon fibre and silky oak, and I also have a set of hand foiled glass fins in similar template. Don’t ask me for a description of the template as I am still learning about fins, just check out the pics.
Huie cannot stop sending me fins, he emails me weekly about how the board is going and sends me new prototypes. I’ve learnt so much about fins with this board.

Don’t ask me any more tech questions as I’m out of my depth. Huie might tell you more, but probably not!

Designed for:
smallish waves with shape but flat sections. I essentially gave Huie my details and told him it was for summertime waves at 2-3 foot Maroubra and let him do the rest. Probably 10 emails and a couple of phone calls and Huie knew what he was going to do, then I just had to wait impatiently.
I initially ordered a 6 foot refined quad swallow tail. Huie slowly and somewhat cryptically talked me around to the final design of this board.

How it goes:
This is the most important part. No doubt it is a gorgeous piece of craftsmanship, but if it was a wallhanger I would have sold it already.
I held off on the review until the initial stoke had worn off, because I get too excited about new boards to be objective. I’ve had the board for about 6 months now, because I wanted to give it a thorough test in a range of conditions. Initial rides were in mainly reasonable surf on my forehand, which is atypical for my normal surfing, so I was a bit unsure whether it was the board or the waves.

This board is just unreal. I finally understand what people mean by a magic board. This board can do anything I want it to, and far more than that. It’s a perfect match to my surfing development, as it can either cruise or be driven a bit harder like a more HP shortboard.It is encouraging me to surf more critically, and also to get more from smaller sectiony waves. I don’t normally do floaters or foam/lip rides on closeouts, but this board seems to like doing them, and I get to go along for the ride.

The amazing thing for me is the range of this board. I’ve sold 1 board already and am selling 2 more because this one covers all their niches.
In really marginal waves (knee high windswell) it struggles a bit, but anything bigger and it is golden. And I mean anything, I haven’t found the top of the board’s range yet, and I’ve had it out in double overhead long period barrels. I only made about 5 of 15 waves from deep, due to my own deficiencies, but they were some of the most exhilarating moments of my life. It is a humbling and frightening experience dropping into a solid wave on a short board, but the rails and rocker allow you to make waves from places you would never normally attempt. No skaty or tracking feeling either. The only limitation in larger waves seems to be the ability to cover ground in situations with a lot of water movement and the ability to compete with all the other clowns. Hence the next board I have on order from Huie…

Regarding the technology involved:
It’s my first experience with this sort of stuff, so I don’t have a good reference point. I’ve ridden tufflites and epoxies and this doesn’t have the stiffness. The board has a resonance (makes me sound New Agey) which sounds like a fibreglass boat hull when struck, and is lively in the water. It feels like it absorbs chop, but when you really lay it over or when you take a late drop or land a floater it gives a flexy sort of response which is amazing.
It’s certainly taken a lot more punishment than a lightly glassed PU board would have, and it is pretty much pristine.

Being super critical:
If you were an advanced surfer doing the more technical moves right in the pocket, you might miss the hard edges in the tail, or want it to be more pulled in. You’d probably feel like there was a bit of a lack of rider feedback if you were as analytical as NC etc.

I wouldn’t change a thing. Thanks Huie.

p.s. The majority of the payment for this board went no to Huie at all but to Steve Shearer to support his initial citizen-journalism sojourn to Tahiti. It was an incredibly generous gesture, and one I think Huie deserves massive credit for. If you want to know the back story, check out the Instant Coffee thread.

[diggerdickson]

excellent review, ive been waiting on a review on this board, great job done huei

[Natho]

Ive just started riding a Chilli - CN Curve.
6'0 x 18 1/4 x 2 3/16 squash tail. So far Ive ridden the board 3 times in 3-4 foot average waves.
First experience was that the board was super fast due to the flatter belly rocker. The board also has that 'floaty feeling' like the board is moving on top of the water at speed. I put this down to the fair depth of single that runs right through the board relative to what I am used to. At speed the board has a slight 'twitch' rail to rail which says to me that the concave may be a bit too deep. Im thinking that this board needs a slight double or V off the tail to break the single up a little.
The board still lays over on the rail easiy at speed, however Ive noticed it tends to draw more of a drawn out arc which suprised me, rather than the quick directional change I am used to with my normal single to double concaved boards. I have found this improves once the waves are steeper and a bit more powerfull. I also put this down to a slightly straighter plan shape than some of my normal small wave boards. I like a board that draws its turns for good waves, however when surfing smaller short peaky waves like we get in Sydney, I think a board that can change direction quickly is an advantage. So Im not saying this is a bad thing with this board, just that it may be better suited to good waves. If I ordered a custom I would probably go about 1/4 wider and get some double concave in the back end if possible, or even a slight V off the tail.

The more I surf this board the more I like it, however it has taken a bit of getting used to, I think mainly due to the deeper single all the way through. Even though the belly rocker is flatter, there is enough Tail curve to allow the board to still take a more vertical approach through top to bottom turns. Ive tended to like the board more when the waves have a bit more steepness as Im finding the board breaks direction much better with a little speed and power.
The foil of the board is spot on with foam distributed only where it is needed and the rails have a softness which makes them user friendly in all waves. This board is marketed as an all rounder. I can see why due to the all round rocker and soft mid rails, though Im liking it more in slightly better waves. I think this board is still more suited to an above average surfer due to the speedy rocker and relatively refined foil (even though the rails are forgiving enough).
Downside is that the blank is super soft and Im not sure if this board would last very long for the average punter. Still a nice board in general, but I think I need to ride it more in a greater variety of waves.

[Natho]

Got another board recently to try out from a mate, which I thought I would report on.

Board was shaped by Peter Deniel at Division in Mona Vale for a former WQS surfer who has been riding Pete's boards forever.
Until now I had never ridden one of Pete's boards.

5'10 1/2 x 18 3/8 x 2 1/8 rounded square.
Single - double - Vee
EPS/ Epoxy construction.
Lower rocker throughout. Thruster set up.
Very refined board compared to Pete's stock boards.

My first thoughts when I saw this board was that it would be too thin and may not float me ( I normaly ride 2 3/16 - 2 1/4 thickness). The board is super refined and has very fine rails.

Anyway the lesson is don't always judge a book by its cover, and don't always just go off the dimensions. Im loving the board and its going unreal for me.

The board is super fast, drivey and responsive. The rocker is fairly flat throughout, however despite this the board still pivots on a dime with quick transition from bottom turns into a more verticle approach. I put this down to the Vee off the tail as well as the extra spring and flex from the epoxy construction. I never saw much point in running Vee behind a double, however it seems to assist the straighter tail rocker in quick directional changes and pivot. So Im thinking the Vee off the tail is very handy in balancing the aspects of an otherwise straighter tail rocker. The board still keeps a straighter stringer line, but the Vee is adding a bit more curve into the back rail line. So kinda the best of both worlds.

The EPS/ Epoxy construction is lively with a little extra 'spring' through turns. I think this is part of the reason why Im liking this board despite the thinner dimensions. The downside of the Epoxy construction is that the board tends to be more sensative in windy/ bumpy conditions. The fine rail profile still seems to recover and 'pop' from turns, and I would say that again this is due to the extra float and pop you get with epoxy.

The board just goes straiight out of the gates thanks to the lower rock profile, yet still does whatever I want it to.

No doubt Pete is a very good shaper, and his boards appear nice and clean with no extremes of anything. Nice subtle concaves, and nice clean foil with foam balanced where you need it, and refined where its not needed.
I wouldn't hesitate in getting a board from him after this experience. In fact I think I will be holding onto this board for a bit longer

[diggerdickson]

good post natho, pete made me my best board I have ever had, a great shaper, but that was way back in the 80s when he was at thornleigh.

[Beerfan]

I have a semi fish im nearly finished shaping in EPS. Lowest volume board i've made ( i've surfed one or two thrusters in PU/PE ), roughly 6'2'' x 19 3/4 x 2 5/8 . Im hanging to try it. I was told by a few people in the know with EPS/Epoxy that 6x64 is similar in weight to a 4x44 on poly. Can't get my head around it, but the blank is so bloody light it isn't funny. Just need the time to shape the rails and glass the mofo. For head high n under i think it'll be nice.

[Natho]

Beerfan, I would not be suprised if the 6x6x4 EPS/Epoxy is similar in weight to a 4x4x4 PU as you have suggested. The only thing to be mindful of is that once you start adding a heavier glass job you do start to slightly alter the positive flex pattern of the EPS/ Epoxy board, in my own experinece anyway. So a 4x4x4 version of the EPS/Epoxy will tend to have a bit more flex and spring than the 6x6x4. Only slight, but still noticable.

[Cpt.Caveman]

MORE Surfboards semi-finless Fish Finger:

5'10 1/2" x 20 1/2" x 2 3/4"
Forward widepoint into quite a parallel rail profile and a rounded square.
Very subtle concave at the wide point gradually deepening into around 1/2" through tail.
Soft full rail forward near the widepoint gradually going onto a bevel edge about in inch from the rail, and a blocky hard edged rail.
Two tiny keels roughly an inch and a bit tall.

I purchased this board because I was interested in trying a completely different type of surfing after watching Derek Hynd, Ryan Burch, Mark Pridmore and others sliding around the place with amazing speed. It just looked like a ton of fun and everyone whos into finless surfing seem to talk or write about how much fun it is. It took some guts, but I bit the bullet and decided all on my own accord. Mark had been encouraging me to try it for ages but I never did, I just couldn't see how it would be worth missing a good surf on a normal board.

The first couple of surfs reminded me of when I first started surfing close to 13 years ago. Nervous anticipation on the way to the beach, "am I going to be total crap at this?", "am I going to look like an idiot and then will everyone start dropping in on me?", "will it be impossible?". I quickly snapped myself out of it and reminded myself why I bought it - to have some FUN! Who cares about all of that really, I'm here to enjoy the ocean. Watching "Under The Sun" by Cyrus Sutton reminded me of how so many surfers can get stuck thinking that high performance surfing is the beez neez, that the surfing populus is evolving the culture more into sport than art or pursuit of pure fun.

Now, to where I'm at now:

I've been having an absolute ball on this board. Its a totally different type of surfing to regular finned surfing. Its another offshoot of surfing entirely, much like logging vs. high performance shortboards vs. alaias vs. traditional fish, etc. It has been very fun and addictive for me already, it has really helped me get back to the core of surfing, why I started in the first place - the thrill and fun of it all!

Even though it seems to have some fin area, the depth of the fins is roughly one inch or just slightly more. I'll measure it if anyone thinks they want the exact number (with pridmore's permission of course). I have tried it totally finless and what the fin does is take it from very hard to find an initial trim, to giving just a tiny little bit of bite so you can set a rail on the drop-in. Backhand is VERY hard totally finless and these tiny little fins give just enough control to set a trim backhand, but thats about it. Gentle and gradual movement of weight onto the rail can lead into a gradual turn (e.g. a gradual bottom turn, or a slow cutback), but any more pressure starts to slide the the board sideways which is where the fun starts. If you've ever watched Derek Hynd playing around on his finless board, the same sort of surfing is very much achievable with this semi-finless board. I can imagine with a little time I'll give the fully finless surfing a regular go in certain conditions.

Its very very fast to ride, but its also designed with a lot of volume for my weight plus a lot of simmons'esque characteristics, so theres stacks of planshape lift already. I tend to surf more forward on this board to utilise a lot of the rail, so theres a lot of lift and planing area into play all the time. Its a different type of surfing, this is the best way I can describe it so far: On the takeoff the main goal is to try to get your drop-in angle, stance and foot placement just right so that you can set a trim and project down the wave in a clean fish-like drive. If you get it right, you can project yourself into a gradual bottom turn and shoot down the wave with amazing speed. Its a very fast and free feeling, feeling kind of similar to gliding over the wave.

Once you've set up that initial trim and gradual bottom turn, the rest is totally up to you and wave. You can immediately pressure the rail to start into a slide, you can transition into a weightless high-line trim and drop back down, you can shift onto the rear rail and do a part slide and part cutback (kind of like a skid). Once you start sliding you can just go sideways for a little then back into a forwards trim, you can slide into a 180 and go backwards, you can keep the slide going into a 360. Thats just the basic stuff on the face too, I haven't even started trying things near or on top of the lip. Seeing as its so quick to slide, a lot of its dictated by the wave and where you end up on the wave, you just have to do your best to work with wherever that is and make something up when you get there. Learning how to surf the wave very deliberately similar to regular surfing, now that will take quite a bit of practice for me, mainly just because its so different.

Theres a lot of falling, wiping out and making it enough of a challenge to really appreciate when it all comes together nicely. It took me a few surfs to get the hang of the set-up into the initial trim-line, and I'd predict most people will find that part quite easy with the tiny keels helping out. There are four different fin combinations available due to the 3 FCS plugs and being able to reverse the fins, so you can dial the amount of hold you like based on that. Even the option with the most hold is pretty slippery though!

It hasn't had any detriment for my regular finned surfing on more typical HPS design so far at all. If anything its training me to be more sensitive to the rail and interaction between the board and water, so I noticed when I jumped back on a regular finned board it felt quite easy because the board behaves so predictably and in a fixed direction. The only detriment is that I'm finding myself preferring the (semi) finless surfing for the moment, even when the waves aren't too bad! Theres something there, something in it thats really really fun, a type of fun that I'm finding difficult to find in regular finned surfing. I'm not quite sure what that is yet, but I'll chime back in later.

I'll take some better photos of the beast too, those iPhone photos are pretty crumby.