Ask Carroll

[Karlos]

Oh yeah, if you ever need the opinion of a bog-average surfer, I'd be happy to tag along to Indo with you lot.

[steve shearer]

I will shut the fcuk up about this I promise.

BUt the board test/bible was trumpeted as a summer board range test and then they tested them in perfect waves-moreorless- in the Telos........about as far from typical summer conditions as you can get.

Here's Hog riding a board being spruiked as a go-to board in average surf. In perfect six foot bowls.

How...is that relevant?

http://www.surfinglifeessentials.com.au ... ton-shapes

And Soli....godblesshim.....with his commentary: "I rode this with a really trippy fin set-up – a quad, but with a little spiny keel in the middle. The board felt good, but the fin set-up was so loose it threw me a bit. I pushed it out the back of a couple of waves. I felt like it needed a bit more fin in the back end and I let Hog know".


Does anyone out there really, truly think that board will go them in average surf like it went for Hog in perfect surf in Indonesia?

btw.....love Hog's lines in that vid. That to me is perfect backhand surfing.

[Beanpole]

Agreed re: how good was his backhand attack.
I found watching that old bloke they had on there quite useful.
You could go okay, well I can do that but probably not that one.
Wouldn't probably make them all but you could see the board in action
on a few. Its funny with all the progress in surfing how constant some basic surfing styles remain.
You may surf a wave with a similar approach to someone without being anywhere near as good or bad so a board that works for them may be a possibility. That my two cents worth anyway.

[steve shearer]

btw NIck..I'll be the one wearing the groucho marx 'stache at the QuikPro if you're looking for me.

[el rancho]

the real conspiracy here is in the board short reviews

http://www.surfinglifeessentials.com.au ... k-fuse-2-0

JULIAN’S COMMENTS

“I’m more and more impressed with every update Hurley does of the Fuse boardshorts. The Dalek Fuse 2.0 is a pleasure to wear it’s also got some pop for the walk to and from the line-up!”

Hurley Dalek fuse: $189.99




where the fuck is sunstroke?

[steve shearer]

at two for thirty that's more than ten pairs of boardies from Bylsey's surf shop.

[pinhead]

I will shut the fcuk up about this I promise.

BUt the board test/bible was trumpeted as a summer board range test and then they tested them in perfect waves-moreorless- in the Telos........about as far from typical summer conditions as you can get.

Here's Hog riding a board being spruiked as a go-to board in average surf. In perfect six foot bowls.

How...is that relevant?

http://www.surfinglifeessentials.com.au ... ton-shapes

And Soli....godblesshim.....with his commentary: "I rode this with a really trippy fin set-up – a quad, but with a little spiny keel in the middle. The board felt good, but the fin set-up was so loose it threw me a bit. I pushed it out the back of a couple of waves. I felt like it needed a bit more fin in the back end and I let Hog know".


Does anyone out there really, truly think that board will go them in average surf like it went for Hog in perfect surf in Indonesia?

btw.....love Hog's lines in that vid. That to me is perfect backhand surfing.

Yeah Hog put on a backhand clinic.

For a meaningful board test - I'd get three blokes of differing abilities that all ride the same volume. Shapers would shape to that volume. Then all the testers would be on the right sizing. You then test the boards in the waves they were designed for and show the surfers riding the same waves on their fav all rounder, so viewers can benchmark the shapes against a constant.

[Nick Carroll]

Nick would you give Lewis a job and post his Power Rankings on ASL...

It's not my deal. SL's editor Wade Davis is the one making that sorta call.

But if I were editor of a site or mag in charge of deep dish coverage of the pro tour I'd definitely give Lewis a gig. It might not be one he was keen to take on though.

Wade doesn't like Lewis's Power Rankings... "to negative"
Sorry, I haven't brought a surf mag in years but somehow thought you had worked your way up the ladder to editor...

Dude being editor of a surf mag to me would not be a step up the ladder. I've done that quite a bit and have no interest in doing it again. I do a lot of stuff outside the surf market and I'm of more value in surfing just doing things I'm interested in.

[andy2476]

$200 fucking dollars for a pair of boardshorts ?????

Is that for real ?

Yet Braithy and his coterie of sycophantic watertards are trying to score pathetic points over people owning expensive bikes ?


Thats just too much.

[Nick Carroll]

[For a meaningful board test - I'd get three blokes of differing abilities that all ride the same volume. Shapers would shape to that volume. Then all the testers would be on the right sizing. You then test the boards in the waves they were designed for and show the surfers riding the same waves on their fav all rounder, so viewers can benchmark the shapes against a constant.

Thanks mate. As you can imagine I have thought about this.

What I want the shapers to do is make us a board that reflects what they want to show us and by extension everyone else. I provide them with guidelines to height and weight etc but I really feel after that it is up to the board maker. Naturally there are some variations and once we are on site, we pick boards to focus on that fit our sizes best, then move beyond that as needed.

Differing abilities sound good but I think it's a bit of a red herring, I've tried it and it doesn't work either visually or insight-wise.

We've been doing the Telo run for a couple of years after six or eight years of testing in typical Australian beachies, frankly I think you find out a fair bit more about a board in slightly better waves, Telo is fun but it's not that far removed from normal surf conditions and there's a lot of different little waves up there which aren't a challenge to normal surfers. So it doesn't feel like we are going out on a limb.

[Beanpole]

Well I for one will be willing to volunteer for the role of unco super average old kook if it involves a board testing trip to Telos
I am prepared to attempt late take offs with little chance of making it other than the magic boards provided by the shapers.

[Karlos]

Back off Beany, I've already put my hand up for that role. I'm expecting a PM sometime soon.

NC, do not write-off the differing abilities thing. Stick with it & make it work. It might even shut Shearer up once & for all. Like I said, I'm waiting on the call-up.

[steve shearer]

Sorry Karlos but the average Joe is just not as good copy as an ex pro or aspiring pro.

there's no money in it.

But it would make way more sense as far as an actual credible board test goes.

[Battery]

I will shut the fcuk up about this I promise.

BUt the board test/bible was trumpeted as a summer board range test and then they tested them in perfect waves-moreorless- in the Telos........about as far from typical summer conditions as you can get.

Here's Hog riding a board being spruiked as a go-to board in average surf. In perfect six foot bowls.

How...is that relevant?

http://www.surfinglifeessentials.com.au ... ton-shapes

And Soli....godblesshim.....with his commentary: "I rode this with a really trippy fin set-up – a quad, but with a little spiny keel in the middle. The board felt good, but the fin set-up was so loose it threw me a bit. I pushed it out the back of a couple of waves. I felt like it needed a bit more fin in the back end and I let Hog know".


Does anyone out there really, truly think that board will go them in average surf like it went for Hog in perfect surf in Indonesia?

btw.....love Hog's lines in that vid. That to me is perfect backhand surfing.

Christ! You're like a dog with a bone...

[Natho]

To do a board test I think you need surfers who have ridden a lot of different boards and importantly can explain what they are feeling and what different elements of the board are contributing to the overall ride. The average punter more often then not will struggle with this. To put it into words that is. Other than " yeh it was sick coz it went real fast". So I get why experienced surfers are often used in the tests. I just find it hard to work out what the better boards of the tests are in the opinion of the testers when they are all rated within coo eee of each other and all seem to go 'sick'.
That said I completely understand that without the 'sponsorship' of the board makers the test wouldn't happen in the first place so there would be no board issue. All mags do it. You would have to be pretty naive to read those reviews thinking it was fully funded by the magazine out of the goodness of their heart. You read these things knowing what they are and take what you can from them. For me it's more about the pics of the boards and what looks like it could be a nice shape. Then I will do my own research.

[Natho]

Steve that Hedgehog clip was a bit more relevant than you give it credit for. At least he gave you a good look at the bottom contours of the board and explained them a little. He also contributed the board slingshoting off the bottom to the vee in the back end. So he explained some basic design influence on what he was feeling. Would be good to hear and see more of that.

Also love watching the Hedgehog surf. Bastard got almost a perfect 10 in surf tag a couple of weekends ago and shattered the dreams of some. Pr!ck!

[steve shearer]

yeah, but I reckon he was dead wrong on that.

And a lot of cradle to grave sponno surfers are clueless about board design. They can surf at a very high level but don't have a clue what does what and why.

Take Hog for eg: it was obvious the slingshot was coming from the lift generated during those extended full rail bottom turns in the forward concaves. His low slung technique was able to harness that lift and generate tremendous centrifugal force as he released the pressure.
The vee was just allowing him to transition smoothly from inside to outside aft rail in the high hook in the bowl. It was releasing/controlling speed not generating it.

My Board Test Dream Team: TC, Ryan Burch, Harrison Roach, Captain Caveman, Andy, Braithy, Karlos, Roy.

I bet the feedback would be detailed, accurate and relevant.

[Davros]

On the board test, you need to see how far you can push these boards and with average joes you won't get a sense on what can be done so to have unknowns ain't going to prove much.I'd like to see very good surfers riding a range of medium to super refined boards in the major surf spots in Australia where most of us poor bastards have to battle and in decent crowds, not crazy like but real life conditions.