Ripping off Dane Reynolds.

[buzzy]

I have to confess I also get annoyed with this "Dane Reynolds invented shorter, wider, thicker boards" or "Kelly invented shorter wider boards".

For myself, I never liked the wafer boards of the 90's. It was a fruitless search to find boards with enough volume. The only thing going in the mid to late nineties was McCoy. If you didn't ride a wafer noodle you weren't considered a "real" surfer which annoyed me no end, but didn't stop me trying to surf equipment which worked for me, rather than equipment which gave me car park cred.

So now we have the mainstream saying wider thicker shorter is great. Which it is, but It's pathetic. The surfing community is so collectively gutless it's too scared to say something is the case unless the best surfers are on to it. In that sense thank god for Joel Tudor, Machado, Rasta etc with the quiver bit, but the contrived posing is a bit tiresome. Anyway, so we have this "alternative" "free thinking" community that on the whole is too scared to say what they think for fear of being labelled a kook.

Nowadays there's a much wider choice, but even still I think too many intermediate ability surfers are steered toward underfoamed boards, because everything is compared to what the pros ride.

Here's the thing. For most surfers in average conditions a refined short board is the wrong stick. Sure, they're great for the better surfers on the beach. But most people aren't the better surfers on the beach. Should an average surfer with the same build as Jordy Smith be riding the same dimensions? No way. Most people are far better off on something with more foam, width and length than what Dane or Kelly or Jordy are riding, relative to their weight. And most people, imho, are definitely better off with less rocker in their day to day board, because mostly we surf beach breaks at 1-3 foot.

[pridmore]

Dane and Kelly have made them popular , they never claim to have invented them, even though some people just get a certain design coz some ripper with cool image rides that design, but even if they buy them originally for the wrong reason, they may end up realising that a shorter , wider and thicker board suits them much more than the wafer HPS they usually ride, so in a way, its a good thing...thats if they dont jump on the next fashioable design that shows up just coz it is cool and even though it does not suit their surfing or ability....
I too have always ridden wider boards and have preffered less rocker too, maybe just coz they worked for me or because I greaw up surfing smallish beachbreaks mostly.....but at the end of the day, there are sooo many design options out there which means there is more great shapes to choose from, but also more that dont suit, a purchaser needs to be aware of what boards will suit him, and best to talk to a shaper and not be sold by marketing or a salesman....

[Dante]

What a pity more surfers, particularly experienced ones, don't look in their own back yard for inspiration and innovation. Guess it's insecurity about acceptance - the "carpark syndrome".

Grant Miller, nth narra local, highly and broadly experienced in board design here and o's.
Spends some serious brainpower 6 years ago addressing these obvious shortcomings in design for non-pro surfers.

Comes up with a quiver of great boards designed and built with integrity.

Maybe some of you gurus could benefit from a visit to his site, if you dare be different.

http://www.waterskatesurfboards.com/default.aspx

[Cpt.Caveman]

They look like good variations on the fuller proportioned and flatter rockered high performance shortboard. I'm sure they would be fun

[bohdidontsurf]

Dante, you ARE Grant Miller arent you. Of course you will deny it but I would bet my left one you are.Shameless plug alert whoop whoop.

[pridmore]

nobody claiming to be a guru, just thoughts and experiences, sharing knowledge coz after all it is a surfing forum and this is what its about....sure his designs are great and he has great rep but dunno bout the guru comment, made it very negative and could have been a positive contribution....

[Trev]

Tom, this isn't the "Tangents" thread.

[Davros]

That is a sus Miller plug

[buzzy]

Grant has been in South Sumatra. I doubt he's plugging himself. He's heading off on a long trip from May so I reckon he'd be busy enough filling orders from regulars when he gets back in the shaping bay, not drumming up business for a year he won't be here.

[Cpt.Caveman]

Just read Miller's website. Hes packing up shop soon and taking off on some traveling around the world for some soul searching after a couple of deaths in his family. He doesn't have any dates set for his return so it looks like hes off the books for a while.

[Davros]

Get in now to avoid dissappointment then

[Cuttlefish]

Dante, you ARE Grant Miller arent you. Of course you will deny it but I would bet my left one you are.Shameless plug alert whoop whoop.

Someone find a rusty old knife.
We're gonna need one.
If you knew Grant then you also know there is now way he'd be the author of that post.

[pridmore]

more ripping off....


5'6" x 19 1/2" x 2 9/16"

[Cpt.Caveman]

Would peel my left nut to have a go on that...

[pridmore]

been doing quite a few of these of late and its becoming bloody popular...will post some pics of recent versions soon.... I gues its due to the Dane factor but they go well, easy to ride for the average punter or can be surfed hard by good surfers....definitely fun in average beachies....

[mustkillmulloway]

i wonder if the orders will drop off now he has ( dane)

[pridmore]

probably, you know the surfing public like to follow the trends, still a FUNctional design ....sometimes the trends are good for board design and some peoples surfing ...the recent trend towards wider and more volume is good for alot , but then there was the many years of too refined and too rockered boards, they definitely didnt help many suf too well most of the time....
will put pics on the "MORE" thread, dont wanna upset the old apple cart

[mustkillmulloway]

i think i've figured pics ( ta trev) so go for it, i'll post my shapers boards too -end the day it doesn't matter who shapes em


its just great looking at surfboards and talking about em


at least for me