Tufflite best as a mal?

[Chillin]

Iv been wondering about this for a while, there is general consensus that the shortboard tufflites are below par compared to the equivalent PU, with a few exceptions (Webber?). The mals seem to me to be far more excepted with many local mal club members choosing the Byrne andTolhurst models and apparently rating em pretty highly, any thoughts?

[Morgan The Moon]

Saw this on a T-shirt which sums it up....

"Friends don't let friends ride Surftechs"

I don't like them as Mals, but I like a Mal for a small wave only and I like them glassed heavy for extra Momentum in the small stuff.

[philw]

had a go on a tuflite mal many years ago in san diego - an early model - it felt too light and 'boaty'. the size of the board just exaggerates all the problems with tuflite. they are hollow and don't carry momentum. dunno if new ones are better but the construction doesn't seem to fit what mals are best for.

i've got a tuflite shortboard now - a phil byrne tom carrol fish - which i like, but it's a fantastic shape. i've never noticed lack of flex being an issue but the lack of momentum is. it doesn't handle any kind of surface chop and i've been blown back up wave faces. it goes really good in clean little beachies though. i'm gonna get a PU one soon as i have the $$$$'s

tuflites are limited. good for the occasional surfer who wants a board that doesn't ding so easily.

[sean--]

I've had a few but went back to glass. It depends on what you want to do on it. If you want to throw it around a bit then they're good for that ( throw onto fire might be an opinion of a few ) .I had the Tolhurst 9'1 and its a good one and on a meatier wave could noseride it. I got a quad off Billy Tolhurst a few years back and he reckons he only rides his tufflite model when he rides a mal which I thought was interesting.
There's been threads on this before way back but the upshot is that heavier glass mals glide and noseride better with more momentum ect. The other thing is its really hard to beat the heavier glass boards in windy and bumpy waves as well. I guess if you wanted to try one you can get hold of a demo. If you do end up trying one then go for something thinner than what you would normally ride because they definately feel different.

[drowningbitbybit]

I've got this fat fish shorty surftech thing, and its hopeless for big waves.

But as a small wave toy, its superb.

[Beanpole]

I'm ambivalent about the floaty bit. I have had the best ever surf on a mal riding a tuflite. It was a Takayama and the thing that made the surf so special was the lightness. I could glide into this outside peak as it crested which set me up for an early takeoff. Right through at Crescent on every wave. Usually that take off is the odd double up bit on the outside but this day with an east swell it stayed vertical till it hit the normal take off and then walled up all the way

Also good at Bunnies for the same reason. My new tuflite although smaller has similar characteristics. The down side is that corky feeling makes them a bastard to get through white water on. It really ends up being all about the shape rather than the weight.

[marcus_h]

Ive ridden a couple. Found them WAY to corky and bouyant for my liking.

It might have been the board but I found it didnt lock in on the nose and couldnt surf it rail to rail like my glassed boards

hated it and will never go back

[Beanpole]

You definitely don't have the momentum of a heavy glassed board. The quality of the shape is probably more important because if the rails can't cut into the wave in a good way and the rockers no good you are really on a cork. My old Takayama was pretty thin and most of Billy Tolhurst's tuflites are as well. Plus his seem to be pretty bladey rail wise.

The good thing is that they can be carried to a few spots that you may not bother to walk to with a heavy log and they're a fair bit more ding proof.

Might get another one when my current glass mal bites the dust.

[ric_vidal]

The good thing is that they can be carried to a few spots that you may not bother to walk to with a heavy log and they're a fair bit more ding proof.

Can't say I have ridden one but they are a pain to fix... more layers than a black forest cake. Go near them with a sander and a small ding ends up in a large mess.

There strength is also their weakness.

[nu boy]

I want to get a cheep old one to ride VooDoo.That place owes me!

[Beanpole]

Be really carefull buying second hand tuflites. Hold them at arms length and get a good reflection from a bright light source to check for signs of repair. Remember a nice gloss paint job can hide a lot more on a tuflite than it ever can on a fibreglass board. Its better if its got a few chips and scratches in the paint. A complete snap can be rendered pretty invisible to the casual observer. If the price is too good to be true it probably is.

[nu boy]

No worries mate Ill keep it in mind.Some time ago now I bought a second hand G&S $700 had it for 8 days took it out VooDoo and busted it right in the middle .The glass job was pretty ordinary but ya should a seen the way the foam had twisted and the stressies f#%^ Ive never seen as many.So Im looking for revenge but cheeper revenge.

[bood]

I have owned tufflite shortboards and ridden borrowed tufflite mals. the shortboards were tuff and lite. the mals were better and because of their lightnes cold be whipped around a bit more than a heavy mal. but, I prefer PU and would not buy another tufflite. I would recommend them for people who once every couple of weeks or big, big guys who want a performance board.

[Longygrom]

I want to get a cheep old one to ride VooDoo.That place owes me!

I want one. Id paint it with a few layers...add soem weights...and go out macking reefs.

anyone got a real bad quality one they wanna sell? maybe a takyama all pulled in for good waves. or a tollhurst h/p??

the byrne tufflite looks revolting.