RealSurf Surfers' Forum

You've got to hand it to Cheyne though riding those Fcuking things in solid waves.

I've just got rid of those annoying astron zots. Basically I spent about one third of my surf time over the last 2 years fcuking around with them when I could have been on my nuggets or a lot of other boards that click within a few sessions.

It’s worth pointing out that the Stu Nettle review was of an ‘80s tri zap, which is why the subtext is Yikes, this surfboard doesn’t work. By all accounts the current ones are eminently rideable by comparison

I had one of the first tri zaps (a 5'11) around 1983. I loved it and had no problems riding it at all, but riding a 6' single wide tail McCoy for a year in Bali before that probably helped.

That 6'1 was one of Kingsley Looker's boards that he had been competing on (he was in the top 16 for a while). Bought it from their shop in Manly.

godsavethequeen wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 17, 2019 7:00 pm

It’s worth pointing out that the Stu Nettle review was of an ‘80s tri zap, which is why the subtext is Yikes, this surfboard doesn’t work. By all accounts the current ones are eminently rideable by comparison

Stu’s got a charging down-the-line style and drives hard off his front foot. It’s no surprise he felt totally at odds with a zap

Beanpole wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 17, 2019 2:53 pm

You've got to hand it to Cheyne though riding those Fcuking things in solid waves.

He isn't.

The board he won Bells on in 1984 was made by Terry Fitzgerald.

The boards he is riding in the photos above were made by Glen Minami.

All of them are a far cry from those boggy wide tailed pieces of shit he failed to win a world title on.

Nick Carroll wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 17, 2019 8:23 pm

Beanpole wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 17, 2019 2:53 pm

You've got to hand it to Cheyne though riding those Fcuking things in solid waves.

He isn't.

The board he won Bells on in 1984 was made by Terry Fitzgerald.

The boards he is riding in the photos above were made by Glen Minami.

All of them are a far cry from those boggy wide tailed pieces of shit he failed to win a world title on.

FFS Nick, he came second four times so his boards went better for him than anyone else except for just one person for four years. If his were so bad what does that say about the boards everyone else were riding?

Hatchnam wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 17, 2019 7:48 pm

godsavethequeen wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 17, 2019 7:00 pm

It’s worth pointing out that the Stu Nettle review was of an ‘80s tri zap, which is why the subtext is Yikes, this surfboard doesn’t work. By all accounts the current ones are eminently rideable by comparison

Stu’s got a charging down-the-line style and drives hard off his front foot. It’s no surprise he felt totally at odds with a zap

Like me

I rode McCoy nuggets for a while. The lazer zap was awful - everything stu wrote, i felt. Smaller nuggets were great fun (sub 5'8). Always wanted an astron zot. Just waiting for a 5'6 to pop up on gumtree.

Nick Carroll wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 17, 2019 8:23 pm

Beanpole wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 17, 2019 2:53 pm

You've got to hand it to Cheyne though riding those Fcuking things in solid waves.

The board he won Bells on in 1984 was made by Terry Fitzgerald.

All of them are a far cry from those boggy wide tailed pieces of shit he failed to win a world title on.

The TF Bells board has an extremely wide tail and narrow nose like the McCoys.

I always thought McCoys backfoot focus inspired Simon to develop the thruster.

Cranked wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 17, 2019 8:41 pm

Nick Carroll wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 17, 2019 8:23 pm

Beanpole wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 17, 2019 2:53 pm

You've got to hand it to Cheyne though riding those Fcuking things in solid waves.

He isn't.

The board he won Bells on in 1984 was made by Terry Fitzgerald.

The boards he is riding in the photos above were made by Glen Minami.

All of them are a far cry from those boggy wide tailed pieces of shit he failed to win a world title on.

FFS Nick, he came second four times so his boards went better for him than anyone else except for just one person for four years. If his were so bad what does that say about the boards everyone else were riding?

Ha ha well I was actually there cranky. I used to surf against Cheyne in contests and shit. Cheyne ripped on many of the boards Geoff made him, specially from 77 through to 79-80. To me that was the pinnacle of the McCoy design era, Geoff made superb and often highly innovative boards for a bunch of great surfers, his twist rocker idea for Larry Blair at Pipe was bold and fantastic and I’m sorta surprised it isn’t still in use, though I guess surfing Pipe has advanced a bit since then. The “no-nose” singlies through that 79-80 period were pretty much the best boards on tour and were an essential precursor to the thruster, Simon adopted the no-nose template and kept it intact when he began sticking on three fins. But when Geoff responded to the thruster by blowing out tail widths and deforming the outline, it was a real hammer blow to Cheyne’s competitiveness, the design just didn’t get anywhere near a standard no-nose outlined thruster and it began to push away Geoff’s team riders, they wanted to believe but they just couldn’t match the performances of their peers on those boards. In the end every one of them moved on and their surfing improved in the process.

Cheyne’s best win on a McCoy was that Coke contest at Bells in 79, after that Lazor Zap he had two more great wins, Bells and the Billabong Pro at Sunset, one was on a TF and the other on a Minami. I know you don’t judge designs purely off contest results but they’re a fcuken good guide nonetheless, especially when they are big wins.

Beanpole wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 17, 2019 9:54 pm

I always thought McCoys backfoot focus inspired Simon to develop the thruster.

And that he couldn't ride twinnies but they were winning a lot of the small wave contests.

Beanpole wrote: ↑

Sun Feb 17, 2019 9:54 pm

I always thought McCoys backfoot focus inspired Simon to develop the thruster.

Yeah well as above, the no-nose was an essential piece of the puzzle. Simon's always also claimed McTavish's wide vee bottoms as an early bit of something in his head which carried him toward that outline. It's the core basis of Aussie Modern hi performance. Great surfboard makers are almost always magpies in that way, they see good bits and pieces in others' work and carry those ideas into their own work. But I think some people, often pretty brilliant, un-do themselves a bit by refusing to allow other people's great ideas to come through their doors. I don't really know if Geoff is that sort of person first hand but it sure seems that way from a step removed.

Funny, I saw a McCoy in a shop yesterday.
Could almost fit my hand around the rail.

Nick Carroll wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 18, 2019 10:44 am

But I think some people, often pretty brilliant, un-do themselves a bit by refusing to allow other people's great ideas to come through their doors. I don't really know if Geoff is that sort of person first hand but it sure seems that way from a step removed.

I thought you could be referring to 2 shapers recently bickering over on Swellnet.