review of Mccoy Astron Zot

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JaM71
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Re: review of Mccoy Astron Zot

Post by JaM71 » Tue Dec 04, 2012 1:56 pm

I am not sure if its the heat or endless run of 1ft northerly wind swell but i ve been wondering how a little astron zot... say 5"5 - 5"8 would go in these small waves. Plenty of foam to get in early.

My reservations are they are thick, not sure if you can bury a 3 inch thick rail and they re a single fin.

Anyone ridden a small zot and care to share their thoughts.....or even better let me have a go!
Davros: "But it felt a bit long and stiff"

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Re: review of Mccoy Astron Zot

Post by anglesurf » Fri May 24, 2013 5:35 pm

Hi Guys, that McCoy Quad fin I'm pretty sure came from the US. I remember it being for sale through a website over there a year or 2 ago. I'm pretty sure that Geoff didn't shape it. It would have been Greg Pautch I think, as he does the McCoys over there + he was involved with the Newport Echo Beach scene with Danny Kwock, Preston Murray & the other McCoy riders in the early 80s. The color scheme & the fact that it is a quad makes me think it was from that era. The collector who has it now gets boards from all over the place and is pretty well connected so it wouldn't have been an issue to get the board over to Oz. I'm not sure if Geoff has ever made any quads? Maybe? Maybe not. He didn't do many twins either - of the lazor Zap shape anyway, but plenty of thrusters and singles. I'm not sure he liked being labelled the Twin fin King in the early 70s. Love the McCoy threads!! Keep em going guys!

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Re: review of Mccoy Astron Zot

Post by Cuttlefish » Thu Jun 06, 2013 12:17 pm

Always wanted to try an Astron zot.
In a couple of weeks I'll have a 6' x 22" x 3" zot to ride.
Since I've had a 6'4" stumpy and a 6'4" lazor zap before it will be interesting to see how it goes in comparison.
Had a brief ride on Old grom's Astron 6'8" and also his 6'10" thruster nugget.
Both had too much foam for me in so far as I found wave energy passing underneath me when paddling for waves (and consequently not catching them as easily as the amount of foam would indicate) then misiing them.
The zot should have me lower in the water.
We shall see...to be coninued.
Anyone out there riding one with thoughts to throw in about them?
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Re: review of Mccoy Astron Zot

Post by batoes » Thu Jun 06, 2013 9:11 pm

I'll be interested to see what you think Cuttles. This a new one?
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Re: review of Mccoy Astron Zot

Post by Cuttlefish » Fri Jun 07, 2013 4:19 am

Oh no, not that much of a risk taker.
Lightly used (as many zots seem to be, gulp) so trying to minimise any financial hardship. :-D-:
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Re: review of Mccoy Astron Zot

Post by old grom » Fri Jun 07, 2013 8:12 am

Very keen to hear how you find the zot cuttle. I gave my 6"8 a really good go; it was my main board for over a year. While I really enjoyed the experience I found it a bit limiting as an all rounder; but maybe I went a few inches more than I needed. I am currently getting a zot inspired 6'4 but quad snapped by a mate Danny (Deckit surfboard s) as that rounded shape still has me stocked. Keep us up to date with your zot action..

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Re: review of Mccoy Astron Zot

Post by JaM71 » Fri Jun 07, 2013 8:48 pm

I am actually picking up Cuttles Zot for him tomorrow but not delivering it to the Sunny Coast for another 2 weeks so I could post a ride report by the end of the long weekend..........or would that be poor form :-D-:
Davros: "But it felt a bit long and stiff"

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Re: review of Mccoy Astron Zot

Post by MrMik » Fri Jun 07, 2013 11:04 pm

JaM71 wrote:I am actually picking up Cuttles Zot for him tomorrow but not delivering it to the Sunny Coast for another 2 weeks so I could post a ride report by the end of the long weekend..........or would that be poor form :-D-:
These Zot's "are lightly used" because one cannot tell how much they actually have been used...hehe.... :wink:

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Re: review of Mccoy Astron Zot

Post by Cuttlefish » Sat Jun 08, 2013 3:19 am

JaM71 wrote:I am actually picking up Cuttles Zot for him tomorrow but not delivering it to the Sunny Coast for another 2 weeks so I could post a ride report by the end of the long weekend..........or would that be poor form :-D-:
:d
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I'm just popping down to the shops for some bread and milk."
5 hours pass by...
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"What did you do? Drive to the bloody Gold coast to get the milk or something."
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Re: review of Mccoy Astron Zot

Post by JaM71 » Sat Jun 08, 2013 2:22 pm

Ride report: the zot doesn't like air reverses near rocky out crops, I haven't been able to land one (ever in my life) but don't worry I ll keep practising and take a leash next time :-D-:

Cuttlefish will be on the Bruce highway very shortly!!!
Davros: "But it felt a bit long and stiff"

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Re: review of Mccoy Astron Zot

Post by JaM71 » Sat Jun 08, 2013 2:24 pm

MrMik wrote:
JaM71 wrote:I am actually picking up Cuttles Zot for him tomorrow but not delivering it to the Sunny Coast for another 2 weeks so I could post a ride report by the end of the long weekend..........or would that be poor form :-D-:
These Zot's "are lightly used" because one cannot tell how much they actually have been used...hehe.... :wink:
I ve seen mccoy s from 1996 that appear to have been only lightly used so it should be fine :-D-:
Davros: "But it felt a bit long and stiff"

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Re: review of Mccoy Astron Zot

Post by MrMik » Sun Jun 09, 2013 8:48 pm

I got a used 6'2'' Zot today, almost like new. It's one of the shortest boards I have ever tried, and it went pretty well today at Burleigh in 3-4ft choppy windswell. I'm 6'2'' and around 82kg.
Although this board is almost 1ft smaller than my regular Zot (7'1''), it did not tend to throw me off - rather the opposite. I managed to avoid a wipeout on a few occasions because the board is easier to move around then my usual boards. Instead of falling off, I just quickly moved the board to where it needed to be to support me...feels like the shortboard revolution has finally arrived for me :D after 18 years of surfing.

And I can really duck-dive the thing! Yeee-haaa!! :B

I used the snap-in gullwing fin from my 7'1'' Zot, it is brilliant. I kept adjusting it backwards until it was just 1-2cm from the end of the fin box, because the board was so loose. Once I get used to the looseness of the board, I'll probably move it forward a bit again.
The behaviour of the board is very strongly influenced by where you place the fin, something that needs to be tried out. Take a key with you into the water and play around with it.

Despite the looseness, the board never threw me off unexpectedly. The loaded dome is doing it's magic, the board likes to move where it needs to be to stabilise me (rather then catching a rail or something and shooting off in some direction or other and leaving me behind). Coupled with the looseness of a short board, this feels like I can "rescue" myself from wipeouts by moving the board to where it needs to be.

When I got my first Nugget in 1997 (7'2'') I was amazed how it managed to move itself towards my centre of gravity as if by magic. Nowadays I understand a bit better what part I play in that dance and that I need to give the right impulses to the board to stimulate things to move in the right direction, but it remains amazing how the McCoy board reacts so well to just a hint of a push in the right direction. :-D-: :-D-: :-D-:

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Re: review of Mccoy Astron Zot

Post by JaM71 » Mon Jun 10, 2013 5:56 pm

Glad you re stoked Mr Mik. I witnessed Cuttles christen his Zot, we had 3 surfs together just round the corner from you. My best advice to anyone thinking of a Zot is watch how Cheyne Horan surfs his mccoys on YouTube then imitate! Cuttles spent a lot of time watching Cheyne first hand in his youth and it shows.

In the first session we got some good long waves which were more rollers with steep sections popping up and the Zot ran freely. Cuttles just keeps working his tic tacking along and we were both surprised how well the Zot went in these types of waves. Cuttles was able to do some nice cutties and close out re entries.

Second surf was a tricky semi close out beachie. The Zot performed well going off the bottom and off the top......which might be the key to riding the Zot.

Third surf, a crowded beach which had some nice peelers. Again not ideal Zot waves (I would ve thought) but Cuttles picked off some good sets and tic tacked along some sweet walled up sections, hitting the lip then cutting back into the pocket as the shoulder fattened up.

Cuttles is 90+ kg and the 6" ft Zot floated him easily.

Perhaps cuttlefish will post a review and some tips on how to get the most out of this unique design
Davros: "But it felt a bit long and stiff"

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Re: review of Mccoy Astron Zot

Post by old grom » Tue Jun 11, 2013 1:47 pm

Great posts Mr Mike and jam....got me hanging for cuttles review...come on Pete; your fans are waiting....how is the zot

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Re: review of Mccoy Astron Zot

Post by Cuttlefish » Tue Jun 11, 2013 4:54 pm

Ok, ok.
First off it paddles through the flats very well.
Floats me with board level in the water at belly button-lowest rib deep.
Duck diving is easy enough if not too many in a row.
First wave drop down the face and bottom turn with a really nice free feeling coming from underfoot.
Not all singles feel like this.
Experienced the same feel when bottom turning Old grom's zot (but my 6'er is a lot easier for me to catch waves on than your 6'8"....sorry Old grom).
After the bottom turn back up the face into a top turn and still feeling nice and loose.
By then the wave had fattened up. Without even thinking I moved forward on the board since I'm so used to my Takayama acorpion (19" nose) but instead of instantly bogging as a lazor zap would if I did this, it kept on going.
Not gliding, mind you but still going which then allowed me to find another pocket and do another top turn.
Felt good and boded well for the future with this board.
I'd caught the wave easily enough and it hadn't done anything weird and thrown me off.
Since I'd been riding the scorpion as a quad it was habit kicking in again when I angled a takeoff on a steeper one that required speed off the takeoff to beat the first section.
The board didn't allow me to set a rail and so I faceplanted into the wall.
Lesson one: bottom turn rather than angle the take off.
Rather than pumping the board for speed on fuller walls like most other boards the zot worked better with a tick, tacking series of turns (noted by JAM71 already).
The zot likes to be turned and feels at home in the pocket.
Unlike fish and the like that feel great punping up for speed out into the flats for a cutback the zot will bottom to reo with an effortless smoothness.
Had one wave that was a right running into a left and was able to do a really nice reo that hit the oncoming lip and left the wide tail sliding around and then dropping down the whitewater with ease.
Comparing to the zap I had I know its going to be a more forgiving ride with its wider nose.
This board is no modern hpsb by any means.
But its a free feeling, pocket dweller for anyone who misses doing the bottom turn into vertical reo combinations that were the stuff of power surfing in the 80's and can be done with minimal effort from the rider.
It floats me the same as my Takayama 6'8" but I did miss quite a few waves simply because I was so used to sitting further out on the Takayama which has a concave under the nose which helps it plane earlier.
So it's a great compliment to the quad as it puts you back squarely in the pocket.
I look forward to riding it in some 2-4' waves at my local soft arse point where it should go really well regardless of tide.
Mid tide sessions at the beachbreaks should be a lot of fun on it.
If the tide's low I'll ride my scorpion to get me in earlier. If the tide's high I'll take the scorpion again as a outside-inside bank connector.
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Re: review of Mccoy Astron Zot

Post by JaM71 » Tue Jun 11, 2013 9:30 pm

Good work boys, share your McCoy stoke/froth. I do love a good McCoy thread and there hasn't been much going on in this department for a long time.

Old grom, are you still riding yours?
Davros: "But it felt a bit long and stiff"

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Re: review of Mccoy Astron Zot

Post by surfywurfy » Wed Jun 12, 2013 2:49 pm


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Re: review of Mccoy Astron Zot

Post by surfywurfy » Wed Jun 12, 2013 2:58 pm

http://www.tt-project.com/portal/custom ... at=3820010

all round nuggets, ZAPS,double enders and LONGboards....EPS/epoxy

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