44

For over a century Kiwi craftsmen have always had a reputation of producing some of the finest and most articulate work that can be found on this planet, from boat

building, construction, engineering and down on into the production of manufacturing surfboards. You would struggle to find any board factory anywhere in the world that

doesn't either have a kiwi working or hasn't been influenced by a a kiwi perfectionist at some point. Our board builders have even developed some of the most influential

design elements of the surfboard as we know it, such as the fibreglass fin to mention only one. Although NZ was a late bloomer in the sport of surfing, once the sport

grabbed the worlds attention and with NZ being a stopover point for surfers travelling between Australia, Hawaii and the USA. Surfing gained over night popularity, local

board manufacturers spawned with direct access to the latest trends and the business of surfboards and the sport we love was born. We scratch the surface of the

evolution of NZ Surfboards from their beginnings to the current designs.

e v o l u t i o n

Jackman Way AllianceLocated: Takapuna, Auckland.Era: 1969-70Dimensions: 6’5” x 20 1/4” Single fin, square tail.Shaper: Peter Way or Dave JackmanBackground: Pioneering board makers Peter Way and Dave Jackman joined forces and at their peak were making 30-40 boards a week.

Surfboards GisborneLocated: GisborneEra: 1969-74Dimensions: 6’8” x 19 1/4” Single fin.Shaper: Bob RasbyBackground: Surfboards Gisborne was launched upon the departure of Bob Davies from Gisborne, with Gary Lidgard, Benny Hutchings and Bill Carson manning the tools.

Atlas WoodsLocated: Customs St, Auckland.Era: 1963-66Dimensions: 9'6" x 21" single skegShaper: Along with Dunlop Surfboards, Atlas Woods boards were two of the early mass pro-duced boards. And the two brands dominated the market until custom board manufacturers began to surface.

Quane SurfboardsLocated: ChristchurchEra: 1961-67Dimensions: 9’ x 20 1/2” single skegShaper: Dennis Quane. Background: One of the first manufactur-ers to offer custom boards and blow their own blanks along with Peter ‘The Original’ Byers, Rodney Davidson, Roger land, Bob Davies and Peter Way.

Bob Davies Surfboards-Alan Byrne ModelLocated: GisborneEra:1965-67Dimensions: 8’5” x 23 3/4” Single fin, stringer-less as popularised by 1963 World Champion Midget Farrelly.Shaper: Bob DaviesBackground: Bob’s designs were influential in bringing down the length and other manufactur-ers followed suit, with teenage sensation Alan Byrne a team rider Bob had the country watch-ing his every move. Other manufacturers of this era- Del Surfboards, Jackman Way, Frank Wilkin, Ted Davidson, Nev Hines.

Bob Davies SurfboardsLocated: Mt Maunganui Era:1967-70Dimensions: 7’8” x 20” S-deck, single fin. Stringer-less board.Shaper: Bob DaviesBackground: Having moved to Mt Maunganui and also opening smaller factories in Auckland, Waihi, Whanga-mata. Bob dominated the market over these years, and was also influential in starting the shaping careers of Alan Byrne and Tony Waterhouse during this period. Nose riding and walking the board had been taken over by surfers wanting to surf more vertically up the wave, hence the move toward finer rails and shorter, narrower boards.

o f n z b oa r d sGaruda Surf DesignsLocated: WhangamataEra: 1973-75Dimensions: 6’0 ” x 21” Single finShaper: Bob Davies factory shaper un-known.Background: Possibly one of the first boards commissioned for a retail store Garuda based in Whangamata, an example of how length were experimentally shortened dramatically over a short period.

Grey Seal SurfboardsLocated: Mt MaunganuiEra: 1974-76Dimensions: 7’10” x 19 1/2” Single fin double hip pintail.Shaper: Alan Byrne Background: Grey Seal was launched by Tony Waterhouse (who served his apprenticeship under Bob Davie) after Bob left the Mount, Tony did the shaping, yet this board was shaped by Alan Byrne during his days in the airforce when he shaped at a variety of factories around the country. You can see the same shaping traits in this AB model that would flow through his career.

Wilson Surfboards Located: RaglanEra: 1975-79Dimensions: 6’7” x 191/2” Single fin, Stinger hip.Shaper: Don WilsonBackground: Influenced by the Hawaiian Pipeline boards that Jerry Lopez also made famous at G-Land, this design feature dominated this era of boards. Following on from Roger Land and Peter Miller, Don Wilson served the surfers of Raglan.

Seasons SurfboardsLocated: Newmarket, AucklandEra: 1979-82Dimensions: 5’8” x 20 1/2” single flyer swallow tail. Twin fin.Shaper: Brian SmithBackground: The short and wide twin fin gifted surfers an injection of speed and was popu-larised by 4x World Champion Mark Rich-ards, with all NZ manufacturers implementing this design.

Sunshine SurfboardsLocated: Mt MaunganuiEra: 1980-84Dimensions: 5’6” x 19 3/4” Slight hip, swallow tail, three fin thruster.Shaper: Mike MurdenBackground: In 1981 Australian Simon Ander-son rode a three fin board he named ‘The Thruster’ and NZ shapers caught on and it became the base design configuration for the next 30 years.

Saltwater SurfboardsLocated: WhangamataEra: 1982-85Dimensions: 5’10” x 20” Quad fin, Stinger to double flyer, swallow tail.Shaper: B Bob DaviesBackground: An era which saw board designs go from the single fin right through to 5 and 7 fins. The quad was popular and has made a modern day comeback.

Ngaru Toa SurfboardsLocated: GisborneEra: 1990-94Dimensions: 6’2” x 18 1/4” Single flyer, swal-low tail, thrusterShaper: Ralph BlakeBackground: The ultra thin heavily curved boards of the 90’s which Kelly Slater brought to the world. Although toned down slightly these designs are still in use till this day.

Ngaru Toa Surfboard compliments Eddie Daley, Quane, Atlas Woods, Jackman Way Surfboards ℅ Tairawhiti Museum Collection. Many thanks to Mike Murden for his collection.

Atlas Woods- Waynes Parkes Concept Model.Located: Glenfied, AucklandEra:1966-70Dimensions: 6’2” x 20” single fin, diamond tail.Shaper: Wayne ParkesBackground: From 66-70 Wayne Parkes won five consecutive National Titles and was shaping for Atlas Woods on the North Shore of Auckland where till this day he still shapes under his own label. Wayne spent a lot of time in Australia under influential shapers and his progressive designs show through here in this board.

46 47

Kiwis have always had a reputation as do it yourself 'DIY' types, in years gone by most surfers either fixed their own dings or entertained the idea of making their open board either out of necessity or as a one off hobby, some of our greatest shapers careers were even launched by the odd ding repair or sweep out of the local shapers bay. Yet with all this modern day expansion into computer shapes, imported mass produced craft and with society in general stepping back from a hands on approach to life, we could be forgiven for thinking that the ongoing art of surfboard shaping would surely die with those currently at the industries helm. You sure don't hear much these days about young surfers picking up a planer and having a dig! Well after doing a little research we were quietly surprised at the amount of young kiwi surfers still out their with a passion to pick up the tools and create, some of these guys may keep the industry humming in years to come, or simply be satisfied that they crafted something they were gifted so much pleasure in return from. Wherever their future paths lead them, we are stoked to see so many of our younger generation of surfers preserving the art. Here we feature the thoughts and back grounds of five young apprentices of foam.

s h a p i n g t h ef u t u r e

Age: 20

From: Waitara, Taranaki

How many boards have you shaped? Four, gotta start somewhere!

When did you shape your first board and the motivation to do so? I shaped my

first board when I was 19, I saw a few videos of these guys shaping and riding these

finless alaia boards, that kinda got me amped to give it a crack myself, so I did

some research, brought the gear and made a massive mess in my flat shed hahaha

Describe the buzz of creating a board you can surf on or watch others surf on?

Ahhh it’s epic!! I’m lucky enough to have a job glassing and sanding at CSA Surf-

boards, it’s a mad buzz taking finished boards out to the show room and getting to

see the stoked customers!

What are your thoughts on the future of shaping? I think over the next few years

I think shaping machines are going to become more prominent, I just hope the art

of hand shaping isn’t lost.

The shaping machine is a necessary part of shaping these days, your thoughts

on machine vs hand shapes? I think shaping machines are amazing, they save

massive amounts of time, they’re great for making small refined changes to boards

and also knowing the volume of the board also helps a lot with finding the right

board for a specific person. All of the boards that come through CSA are machined

using hand shapes and designs Cain has developed over many years of hand

shaping. I have a massive respect for the guys still hand shaping, it’s mind blowing

to see the accuracy and craftsmanship these guys have, it’s defiantly something

to aspire to! It’s rad getting to meet guys like Robert Walsh still hand shaping after

all these years.

So where do you think this honeymoon with shaping will take you? From what

I’ve seen and been told shaping isn’t just something you learn over night, it takes

years and years to master. So at this stage I’m amped to have a job in the industry

where I can have access to materials and learn and improve as I go, I turn 21 in

august so I’m begging dad to buy me a good planer so I can get into some hand

shaping.

Many young generation surfers do not know

how certain design elements in their boards af-

fect their surfing, has shaping boards improved

your surfing or simply your understanding of de-

sign elements has that made you more aware of

what and how you are surfing? Yeah I think mak-

ing a few boards myself has improved my surfing

lots, rather than always riding standard short boards

in all conditions it’s cool to be able to play round with

some short quads with random tails. Also working

with Cain I’ve learnt lots about how concaves, tail

shapes and rocker affect how a board preforms. I

also learn lots just by listening to him taking orders

from customers, the questions he asks and expla-

nations he gives etc..

Has shaping your own boards given you a whole

new level of respect toward the other estab-

lished NZ Shapers? Definitely! I’ve got massive re-

spect for local kiwi surf shops and shapers. When it

comes to surfboards there really isn’t huge amounts

of money in it, not to mention competition from

chain stores and big overseas board companies. It’s

a hard game! So please please please! support your

local shapers and surf shops.

Which shapers do you draw inspiration from? Cain

Aldridge, Donald Brink, Ryan Burch, Dave Howell

and Josh Hall

Which shapers do you draw inspiration from? Mike Murden has helped me over

my whole life with boards showing me all different techniques and shapes that I

would never of thought of. Which I’m very grateful for. But lately I shaped a new log

for myself. I got a lot of inspiration from this guy called Robin Kegel. He’s next level

in the log shaping scene and has some radical shapes. Even his glassing and finish-

ing is just so different. Also this guy called Jake Bowrey who glasses for Thomas

Bexon is such a perfectionist and super inspirational for me.

Age: 18

From: Mount Maunganui

How many boards have you shaped? I’ve shaped 13 boards so far

When did you shape your first board and the motivation to do so? About three years

ago. I wanted to be able to create a board that no one was really making back then.

Everybody was still on there 6’2” pin tails and I wanted a little disco biscuit that just

went real fast in a straight line. Which was the first board I made. And after that; I

was hooked!

Describe the buzz of creating a board you can surf on or watch others surf on?

When one of your mates comes over after a wave just to tell you how good your

board went for them. And that they had a blast on it. It’s just such a satisfying feeling

after the hard work I’ve put into the boards. It just keeps me frothing on it.

What are your thoughts on the future of shaping? Shit’s gonna get high tech. But

that’s cool. I’m looking forward to seeing, and hopefully try use some of the new

materials that will be coming into the market sooner than later. With the shaping side

of it I actually wouldn’t have clue what’s next it’s already pretty cooked!

The shaping machine is a necessary part of shaping these days, your thoughts

on machine vs hand shapes? I reckon you can’t beat a good old hand shape from

your local shaper. But after getting a few boards off the machine which is just so

efficient. But also almost too easy. For me; I feel I need to just stick to the planer for

a few more years get my skills up to scratch first.

So where do you think this honeymoon with shaping will take you? Well hope-

fully in the near future I’ll be shaping more and selling them off. But if I was ever to

leave my job making coffee and head into the bay full time it surely wont be for the

millions, but more the life style of being your own boss and being able to drop the

tools and go surf the epic swell we always get here in the Mount hahaha.

Many young generation surfers do not know how certain design elements in

their boards affect their surfing, has shaping boards improved your surfing or

simply your understanding of design elements has that made you more aware

of what and how you are surfing? When I was young I would just tell my shaper

(Mike Murden HV) what size board I wanted and left the rest up to him. But now I

look back at that, and I really wish I did know more about the way boards ride from

the shape of them. Now I have a way bigger understanding for the way little changes

in a boards shape makes it ride different.

So for all the super groms out there, get in the bay with your local shaper when he’s

whipping up your next “custom” surfboard and ask him as many questions as pos-

sible. You’ll learn so much! And hopefully your surfing will improve from it.

Has shaping your own boards given you a whole new level of respect toward

the other established NZ Shapers? The thing is I didn’t realise how much hard

labour that went into a board from start to finish. And after making a few for myself

and others, it made me appreciate all the shapers out there so much more.

Respect!

Which shapers do you draw inspiration from? Mike Murden has helped me over

my whole life with boards showing me all different techniques and shapes that I

would never of thought of. Which I’m very grateful for. But lately I shaped a new log

for myself. I got a lot of inspiration from this guy called Robin Kegel. He’s next level in

the log shaping scene and has some radical shapes. Even his glassing and finishing

is just so different. Also this guy called Jake Bowrey who glasses for Thomas Bexon

is such a perfectionist and super inspirational for me.

Age: 18

From: Kerikeri, Northland

How many boards have you shaped? I just finished shaping my 29th last week.

When did you shape your first board and the motivation to do so? I was learning to

surf and I just wanted a cheap board so I made a wooden one that was so bad and

weighed about 20kgs and I only tried to surf it once. A few months later in about

early 2012 my cousin Jesse who had shaped a few boards, helped me to shape and

glass a 6’2” swallow tail with the full yellow rails and a big purple peace sign on the

bottom. It’s a tank but still a pretty fun board.

Describe the buzz of creating a board you can surf on or watch others surf on?

I just love knowing what I want to make In my head then trying to get that out of the

foam, then fearing it smooth, also when you add the rails and all of the angles kind of

come together properly for the first time. That’s a pretty satisfying feeling. It’s pretty

unreal to know that you’re helping give enjoyment to someone while there doing

something they love. It’s a wicked feeling to get positive feedback.

What are your thoughts on the future of shaping? Quads are pretty interesting.

I’m not a huge fan personally, but I reckon for older guys who just need a bit of help

generating speed, they’re the way to go. Also the DMS carbon wrap seem sweet, I

did something similar and it gave me a really flexi tail and it’s so sick. I’m pretty hyped

on flex and carbon fibre in the near future, because it can create so much spring and

speed though turns.

The shaping machine is a necessary part of shaping these days, your thoughts

on machine vs hand shapes? I think it’s a good thing in a production level and for

pros who are getting 50 boards a year because you can get everything so similar

between each board and you can make adjustments so easily on the cnc shapers. I

reckon a hand shaped board is so much more special because you just know there

has been this whole process of having about 4-6 hours of shaping and I think it’s

awesome having a hand shaped board because I just feel like surfing seems that It

was really founded off back yard shapers and its cool to keep that tradition going.

So where do you think this honeymoon with shaping will take you? Shaping and

board repairs have been my only pay for the last few years while I’ve been at school.

It might be cool to try and make a proper label one day and really start pumping a

few out, but I’m a bit worried that it might take my passion away from shaping and

it could become 'just a job'. The main reason is to just keep my love of surfing fresh

and keep me in the water.

Many young generation surfers do not know how certain design elements in

their boards affect their surfing, has shaping boards improved your surfing or

simply your understanding of design elements has that made you more aware

of what and how you are surfing? Yeah definitely there’s no doubt. I used to only

be able to feel a good board from a bad one, but the more shaping I do and the bet-

ter I get at surfing the more I can pin point the problem and feel what works and what

doesn’t, for example I just added a little bit more vee off the tail on my last board

which has a bit of a wider tail and I can just feel it’s a lot easier to slide it around in

and out of turns, also deep single concaves I really enjoy because I can feel the bite

it gives you off the bottom.

Has shaping your own boards given you a whole new level of respect toward

the other established NZ Shapers? Yeah especially Glen Carkeek and the whole

Primal team and also Jamie Scott of Tribal they have all just helped me out so much.

Which shapers do you draw inspiration from? Hamish Clarke- classic Northland

backyard shaper but super onto it with concaves, fins and rockers. Colin McNeil- I

never met him but I was given all of his tools and templates. Then yeah just Glen

Carkeek, Jamie Scott, Mayhem and Tommy Dalton also Tomo has some pretty cool

shapes and ideas. Maurice Coles single concaves are mean too because it gives

really flat rocker through the centre of the board but then you still get heaps of rocker

through the rails.

toM pilKinton: all things Common surfboards

harrY BergMan: dirty harry surfboards

JorDan griffin: soft Carpet surfboards

48

Age: 22

From: Auckland but living and studying in Dunedin

How many boards have you shaped? 12 boards

When did you shape your first board and the motivation to do so? I was 17

when my mate and I decided that we needed “Fishes” to surf the small waves at

Taka so we both went out and made our own boards, it was the best board I had

ever ridden haha.

Describe the buzz of creating a board you can surf on or

watch others surf on? So f*#@en mean! It’s the coolest thing

ever, watching my friends ride them and how much it creates for

them. It’s always nice surfing on your own boards cos they’re al-

ways so different and it is such a learning experience seeing how

changes in design can affect performance.

What are your thoughts on the future of shaping? The future

of shaping will be (unfortunately) more behind the computer rather

than the shaping bay. The integration of new technology that will

help to make the surfboard last longer and less impact of the en-

vironment. But I also think with the design side, there is a consid-

erable amount of discussion regarding asymmetrical boards and

how amazing they feel. This is because of the responsive nature of

the boards design, your body works in synthesis with board move-

ment as you surf a wave.

The shaping machine is a necessary part of shaping these

days, your thoughts on machine vs hand shapes? I think that

it is just the start and the shaping machine will be outdated very

shortly, with new technology that will make board production eas-

ier ,faster and less expensive. But I am not a massive fan as all

the boards I have had from the machines have never been amazing compared to

some of the handmade master pieces I have been lucky enough to surf. I think hand

shaping will never die out because people have too much respect for the art. I think

this is summed up by a quote by Ellis Ericson: “good boards ain’t cheap and cheap

boards ain’t good”.

So where do you think this honeymoon with shaping will take you? Hopefully

somewhere warm overseas, where I can continue learning, experimenting from other

well respected shapers. Or more likely stay cold and in NZ and just help the boys and

stop them from ever having bad boards.

Many young generation surfers do not know how certain design elements in

their boards affect their surfing, has shaping boards improved your surfing or

simply your understanding of design elements has that made you more aware

of what and how you are surfing? Yeah for sure, I have been very lucky as I have

had lots of opportunity’s to surf lots of different boards from 50’s logs to classic 70’s

singles that has open my eyes to the importance of modern concaves and how

important the balances between speed and control is. Shaping has also made me

a much better-rounded surfer. Learning all about what design features do and how

they relate to the line and turns I can draw on a wave.

Has shaping your own boards given you a whole new level of respect toward

the other established NZ Shapers? Yes and No, because I used to think surf-

boards were held together with black magic and witch craft. When I found out that

was not true, shaping definitely lost a bit of its cool. But yes I do have a great respect

for the amount years; effort, trial and error, that master shapers have put into perfect-

ing their art from. Because any average Joe can make a board. But it takes a master

shaper to make the magic board.

Which shapers do you draw inspiration from? There are so many that have in-

fluenced me, but definitely Graham Carse, hands down the best short boards that

I have ever ridden and the best teacher I have had. But also guys such as Wayne

Parkes, Glen Carkeek and Craig Lloyd. And the overseas dudes Ryan Burch, Neal

Purchase JR, Dan Tomson and Derek Hynd.

BlaKe haven: haven surfboardsAge: 18 Yrs

From: Muriwai Beach

How many boards have you shaped? Four boards so far a 9’6” Long board with

Dad, 5’5 ½” Single fin groveller for myself, 5’4” Thruster with Kelly my younger

brother, and another 6’8” short board with dad. In production is a tube riding single

fin with Sam my older brother.

When did you shape your first board and the motivation to do so? First board I

shaped was August 2014, the motivation was my dad snapped two long boards in

a row and said that’s it I am never going to buy another board for myself again. So

dad being a builder we decided to build a shaping bay.

Describe the buzz of creating a board you can surf on or watch others surf on?

The buzz is the coolest feeling because you know there is nothing else like it, people

ask where you got that board from and you have great pleasure in saying you made

it yourself.

What are your thoughts on the future of shaping? I think shaping ma-

chines will play a big role but I hope there will still be backyard shapers giving

it a go.

The shaping machine is a necessary part of shaping these days, your

thoughts on machine vs hand shapes? A shaping machine is great if you are

a big company and want to refine your boards. We have used the shaping

machine once because we wanted to make a tube riding single fin and had

no templates or old boards to work off so we went to the good guys at Primal

Surfboards who helped us out by making a file up on the computer then did

a pre shape on the machine. So now if we want to perfect that it is all on

computer ready to change. Hand shaping takes longer but it’s definitely a

better feeling shaping by hand then riding your own board.

So where do you think this honeymoon with shaping will take you? At

the moment we are only making grovel small wave boards and mals because

there are fewer things that can go wrong but they are always going to be able

to catch a wave. So at the moment it’s just for fun but who knows.

Many young generation surfers do not know how certain design ele-

ments in their boards affect their surfing, has shaping boards improved

your surfing or simply your understanding of design elements has that

made you more aware of what and how you are surfing? When I shaped the

single fin I had to surf it completely differently from my everyday board, I had to slow

down and flow with the wave, which I think has bought a bit more style and flow into

my surfing. To make it easy to make the board it had a low rocker and a flat bottom

with a small v in the tail. I was amazed at how well it went. So this made me realise

by keeping it simple that we could experiment with things like the concave and rail

shapes how it really affected the performance of the boards. This has certainly made

me realise how design can change the way a board works.

Has shaping your own boards given you a whole new level of respect toward

the other established NZ Shapers? Yeah definitely have more respect for NZ

Shapers for the amount of time they spend perfecting their designs.

Which shapers do you draw inspiration from? My first inspiration was an Italian

shaper Matia that I met in NZ while on holiday; he let me take photos and dimensions

off his board and told me to have a go at making one like it. My other inspiration

is watching Steve Hamlyn from Primal getting pitted on boards that he has made.

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il •

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i fin

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ide

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t the

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sual

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rd •

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ash

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usto

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ide

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il,

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erfo

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ollo

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f sur

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w

ww

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ckbo

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oubl

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oney

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re, h

i tec

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rbon

fibr

e tw

ill /

ineg

ra c

ompo

site

con

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ctio

n. D

esig

ned

for p

ower

and

spe

ed.

ww

w.b

lack

boar

ds.c

o.nz

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supe

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Thou

gh s

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er a

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ider

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you

mig

ht b

e us

ed to

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’t be

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he V

apor

s is

on

e of

our

mos

t ver

satil

e bo

ards

and

can

be

ridde

n ju

st a

bout

eve

ry d

ay, f

rom

tiny

w

aves

to h

ead-

high

. It’s

a fa

vour

ite o

f Ry C

raik

e, C

lay M

arzo

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the

rest

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he te

am

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eman

ded

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ds a

t sho

ps w

orld

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e.

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RUST

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999.

00N

oa D

eane

’s la

test

the

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ta B

roth

a” is

dev

elop

ed fr

om h

is fr

ee-s

urfin

g tr

avel

s.

This

per

form

ance

sho

rtbo

ard

exce

ls in

con

ditio

ns fr

om b

each

bre

aks

to p

oint

br

eaks

. The

Sis

ta B

roth

a fe

atur

es a

sin

gle

conc

ave,

mod

erat

e en

try r

ocke

r and

a

low

tail

rock

er w

ith a

fulle

r rai

l mak

ing

this

a li

vely

boa

rd th

at a

llow

s N

oa to

exe

cute

hi

s ar

sena

l of m

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uver

s w

ithou

t thi

nkin

g tw

ice…

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a B

roth

a fro

m N

oa D

eane

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ww

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ty.c

om

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rfec

t wav

e-ha

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eapo

n. It

feat

ures

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ed vo

lum

e, a

n ar

ea-f

orw

ard

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ent

ry ro

cker

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n in

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ondi

tions

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ve b

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nnin

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e fin

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unde

d pi

ntai

l, th

e B

lack

-bi

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elive

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moo

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ansi

tions

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w

ww

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RUST

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Mag

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ell t

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ils a

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e ba

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alf h

as b

een

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ified

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m

ore

tail

flip,

thin

ned

out f

oils

and

a d

oubl

e fly

ered

roun

ded

squa

re p

od e

nabl

ing

you

to tu

rn h

arde

r and

sha

rper

in th

e av

erag

e su

rf. T

he p

lans

hape

has

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n ge

ared

mor

e to

war

ds a

hig

h pe

rfor

man

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rove

ller a

nd yo

u ca

n rid

e it

2-4

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es s

hort

er th

an

mos

t. w

ww

.rus

ty.c

om

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agic

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sica

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ashe

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wn

shor

t boa

rd w

ith a

flat

ter r

ocke

r and

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light

dou

ble

in-

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a d

eep

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le s

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g at

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y givi

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u in

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t hig

h sp

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u m

ovin

g th

roug

h th

e sm

all w

aves

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as a

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r Foi

l thr

ough

the

ches

t and

tail

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u w

ont b

og

as yo

u ca

n rid

e th

e M

agic

Doo

r 3-5

inch

es s

hort

er a

nd m

ost o

f all

enjo

y the

ben

efits

of

wha

t will

feel

like

your

nor

mal

sho

rt b

oard

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ww

.rus

ty.c

om

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thum

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e M

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ucce

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el th

e m

agic

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r, bu

t w

ith a

sm

ooth

roun

d ta

il. T

he s

light

hip

in th

e ta

il as

sist

s in

turn

s an

d ta

kes

out t

hat

full

squa

re ta

il lo

ok g

iving

you

a sm

ooth

er ra

il to

rail

tran

sitio

n. A

ll de

sign

asp

ects

....

Roc

kers

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cave

s an

d ra

ils a

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ll th

e sa

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e M

agic

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r. w

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e R

oost

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som

e of

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team

. It

was

loos

ely b

ased

on

the

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tler.

We

chan

ged

the

outli

ne, r

ocke

r and

vent

uri

confi

gura

tion,

so

that

the

boar

d w

ould

fit b

ette

r in

roun

der w

aves

but

stil

l ret

ain

its

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orm

ance

in e

very

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urf.

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atur

es a

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ne, fl

at ro

cker

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a V

entu

ri bo

t-to

m w

hich

will

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it s

peed

and

man

oeuv

rabi

lity i

n sm

all t

o m

ediu

m w

aves

. w

ww

.rus

ty.c

om

love

boa

t - $

850.

006

‘ 4” x

20

½ x

13

x 15

½ x

2 5

/8 x

36

lt H

igh

volu

me

shor

t boa

rd p

erfo

rman

ce fo

r the

big

ger a

nd o

r old

er g

uys

and

girl

s w

ho w

ant v

olum

e bu

t the

feel

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erfo

rman

ce. F

ull s

ort r

ails

dee

p do

uble

co

ncav

e to

get

it o

n ra

il. B

ring

the

fun

and

love

to th

e be

ach.

ww

w.s

easo

nsur

fboa

rds.

co.n

z

cust

om -

$850

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5 ‘ 1

1” x

19

x 13

x 1

4 ¾

x 2

3/8

Si

ngle

thru

dou

ble

conc

ave

bala

nced

all

roun

d ro

cker

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arie

ty o

f wav

es a

nd c

ondi

-tio

ns m

ediu

m s

oft f

orgi

ving

rails

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oard

for a

ll oc

casi

ons.

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w.s

easo

nsur

fboa

rds.

co.n

z

Farr

out p

erfo

rman

ce -

$850

.00

5 ‘8

” x 1

8 ½

x 2

3/1

6 x

23 lt

Refi

ned

low

rails

for s

ensi

tive

quic

k re

spon

se. V

olum

e co

ncen

trat

ed u

nder

feet

for

high

per

form

ance

tigh

t arc

s an

d ro

tatio

ns. T

wea

ked

rock

er w

ith s

ingl

e th

ru d

oubl

e co

ncav

e.

ww

w.s

easo

nsur

fboa

rds.

co.n

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NZSM 164 final.indd 49 6/23/2015 8:57:07 AM

JS M

onst

a 3

- $92

5.00

5’9

– 6’

4 Th

e M

onst

a 3

is th

e m

ost a

ll ro

und

high

per

form

ance

boa

rd in

the

JS q

uive

r. Th

e M

onst

a w

as c

redi

ted

as th

e 20

13 s

urfb

oard

of t

he ye

ar a

t the

Aus

t Sur

f Ret

aile

rs

Awar

ds &

pla

yed

a m

ajor

par

t in

Park

os W

CT vi

ctor

y. It

slot

s in

the

huge

gap

foun

d be

twee

n pe

rfec

tion

& a

bsol

ute

slop

. Upd

ated

in e

arly

201

5, th

e M

3 is

bui

lt of

f the

bo

ards

that

Joe

l, D

usty

, Ace

, Jul

ian

all r

ode

thro

ugho

ut 2

014

seas

on. N

ow a

vaila

ble

in

roun

d ta

il w

ith 5

plu

g co

nfigu

ratio

n. w

ww

.bac

kdoo

r.co.

nz

JS B

lak

Box

2- $

995.

005’

8 –

6’4

The

BB

2 fro

m J

S In

dust

ries

has

rece

ived

outs

tand

ing

revie

ws

from

our

cu

stom

ers

and

is o

ne o

f Bac

kdoo

r’s b

est s

ellin

g JS

mod

els.

Bor

n fro

m th

e or

igin

al

Bla

k B

ox, i

t has

bee

n up

date

d to

follo

w J

S’s

late

st d

esig

n qu

aliti

es w

ith s

light

ly

narr

owed

nos

e, lo

wer

rail

& re

mov

ed d

oubl

e co

ncav

e. In

all,

the

BB

2 ha

s ex

pand

ed

its ra

nge

of w

ave

type

s w

ithou

t com

prom

isin

g pe

rfor

man

ce in

the

smal

l stu

ff.

ww

w.b

ackd

oor.c

o.nz

Chan

nel I

slan

ds  T

he N

ew Fl

yer

- $94

5.00

5’8

– 6’

2 Th

e N

ew F

lyer

was

vote

d SI

MA

(Sur

f Ind

ustr

y Man

ufac

ture

rs A

ssn)

201

3 oa

rd o

f the

Year

. In

199

9, A

l Mer

rick

desi

gned

the

Flye

r, re

volu

tioni

zing

hig

h pe

rfor

-m

ance

sur

fing

in s

mal

l wav

es. F

or 2

013

CI h

as m

oder

nize

d th

e Fl

yer i

nto

a sh

orte

r an

d w

ider

pac

kage

. Des

igne

d fo

r kne

e w

aist

to h

ead

high

and

it e

xcel

s in

tigh

t or

tric

ky c

ondi

tions

. w

ww

.bac

kdoo

r.co.

nz

JCha

nnel

Isla

nds P

od M

od -

$995

.00

In 2

000

the

orig

inal

Pod

rapi

dly b

ecam

e a

glob

al fa

vour

ite, a

llow

ing

surf

ers

to d

rop

six

inch

es o

ff th

eir s

hort

boar

ds a

nd re

volu

tioni

ze p

untin

g. T

he P

od M

od d

esig

n is

a

heav

ily m

odifi

ed P

od, d

esig

ned

to b

e rid

den

even

sho

rter

and

wid

er th

an th

e or

igin

al,

cate

ring

to t

he s

urfe

r tha

t wan

ts a

littl

e m

ore

volu

me

forw

ard

to c

atch

wav

es b

ut

does

n’t w

ant t

o sa

crifi

ce p

erfo

rman

ce.

ww

w.b

ackd

oor.c

o.nz

Chan

nel I

slan

ds A

vera

ge Jo

e - $

995.

00O

ver t

he la

st s

ix ye

ars

and

hund

reds

of s

tops

on

our d

emo

tour

, CI h

ave

lear

ned

a fe

w

thin

gs. O

ne o

f tho

se is

that

sur

fers

som

etim

es w

ant s

omet

hing

sim

ple,

fun,

and

eas

y to

ride

. The

Joe

can

be

surf

ed o

ff th

e ra

il or

tail

that

has

Al’s

sig

natu

re h

ip ta

il te

mpl

ate

to k

eep

drive

. Ful

l rai

ls k

eep

high

volu

me

in a

sho

rt o

utlin

e. In

crea

se w

ave

coun

t, m

ake

mor

e s

ectio

ns. T

he a

vera

ge J

oe is

gea

red

tow

ards

the

thin

gs th

at m

akes

sur

f-in

g fu

n. w

ww

.bac

kdoo

r.co.

nz

Chan

nel I

slan

ds R

ook

15 -

$975

.00

Firs

t see

n on

the

WCT

tour

in 2

010,

the

Roo

kie

has

been

redi

scov

ered

by o

ur e

ntire

CT

team

thi

s ye

ar; S

eaba

ss, K

elly

, Adr

iano

, Lak

ey, B

ianc

a, S

age

and

Kai a

ll ha

ve w

on

heat

s on

the

new

Roo

k 15

. It h

as b

een

a Te

am fa

vour

ite. R

idde

n sh

orte

r and

wid

er

than

the

orig

inal

, the

Roo

k 15

is th

e ul

timat

e co

ntes

t wor

khor

se.

Sing

le c

onca

ve

thro

ugho

ut, t

he R

ook

15 w

orks

bes

t w

hen

on ra

il. w

ww

.bac

kdoo

r.co.

nz

Funk

y m

onke

y - $

750.

00 n

o fin

s/$7

90.0

0 w

ith

fins

Smal

l wav

e de

sign

1-3

foot

wav

es, h

as ve

ry fl

at ro

cker

with

very

wid

e ou

tline

an

d si

ngle

hip

in th

e ta

il. V

ery f

ast b

oard

, lot

s of

fun

for s

mal

l wav

es.

5’6”

-6’4

” vol

umes

and

dim

ensi

ons

chan

geab

le fo

r cus

tom

ord

ers.

m

ikel

ewin

surf

desi

gn@

face

book

.com

bana

na m

onke

y - $

750.

00 n

o fin

s/$7

90.0

0 w

ith

fins

All-

roun

der,

wav

e ra

nge

3-7

foot

mor

e cu

rvy b

otto

m ro

cker

to h

andl

e su

cky h

ollo

w

wav

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Funky

Funky

65 Cobden Street, Gisborne | p: 0212101708 e: mikelewinsurf@hotmail.com f: mikelewinsurfdesigns@facebook.com

www.backdoor.co.nz

54 55

HoW HAS THe coMpuTer

SHAper HelpeD your buSi-

NeSS?

roger Hall: I spend more time de-

signing surfboards which translates

into better surfboards for my cus-

tomers

Our surfboards are stronger and

more durable than ever before as

a result of the way we have imple-

mented this technology. Our factory

is now able to organise a consistent

production around this technology

which means our customers don’t

have to wait long to get their boards.

It also means I have been able to as-

semble a crack team to help me build

the boards. I have more time to spend working both

in and on the business and my ability to design and

create using these tools means I can offer surfers solu-

tions they would never have dreamed possible.

pete Anderson: I think when I purchased my first

machine 10 years ago it enabled me to keep up with

production, which when I was handshaping I was un-

able to do.

HoW HAS THe coMpuTer SHApe HelpeD THe

cuSToMer AND SurFer oF THoSe boArDS?

pete Anderson: The shaper now has a very accurate

record for every surfboard shaped for every customer

allowing for precise refinements to be made. Now

some of my customers have got at least 10-15 boards

on file, and my team many more. This is a great base

to go forward from, or revisit.

Tommy Dalton: It’s helped heaps as once the cus-

tomer finds a board or boards that they like it is easier

to re-make that magic board or use it as a platform for

other style boards, ie..small wave or step-up boards.

Do you Feel THere HAS beeN ANy progreS-

SioN iN THe perForMANce oF A SurFboArD

SiNce MAcHiNeS becAMe WiDely uSeD?

pete Anderson: Well I think it has allowed the better

shapers in the world that were previously snowed un-

der with production, to spend more time on innovation.

This has to have a flow on effect with increased perfor-

mance and a larger selection of craft to ride.

roger Hall: What I see is that machines are used in

two main ways, one is as a tool to increase production,

the other way is a tool to advance design. There is no

doubt that the latter means significant and on-going

progression in the performance of surfboards.

A MAcHiNe AlloWS THe SHAper More TiMe

For THeir SHApiNg AND A STAble bASe

To MAke MiNor cHANgeS FroM HAS THiS

HelpeD proDuce coNSiSTeNTly Top per-

ForMiNg boArDS?

roger Hall: Yes definitely, when I started in the 1970’s,

shapers didn’t measure much at all, it was mostly a

shape by eye and feel sculpture tech-

nique. That’s when the term “magic

board” was coined because every now

and then there was a board that was

much better than the others. The prob-

lem was how to be able to shape another

one the same given the looseness of the

method. These days most boards made

by experienced builders would qualify as

‘magic’ because the focus is on a meth-

od to reproduce known curves. In 2015,

the best way that we have to do this is by

using computer shaping.

pete Anderson: Machines have defi-

nitely helped create better performing

boards because you are consistently go-

ing forwards from a proven starting point.

MilliMeTreS MAke All THe DiFFereNce iN A

SurFboArDS perForMANce. DoeS SHApiNg

viA A MAcHiNe eNAble THe SHAper To pro-

Duce A perFecT replicA oF A MAgic TiMe

AND TiMe AgAiN, or iS THere STill A coN-

STANT vAriAble?

pete Anderson: You still have to consistently use the

same method to finish-shape the board in the shap-

ing bay; using the same blank, with the same stringer,

the same glassing method, same amount of sanding.

With all these variables thrown in there is always going

to be a small amount of variation, only noticeable to

a very few.

roger Hall: With hand shaping it is much harder to re-

capture an exact shape. With good computer shaping,

a repeat shape comes off the machine the same as the

previous shape. Then it comes down to the shapers

touch in the finishing work as to whether there are any

changes. That comes down to the discipline of each

shaper. There are other variables beyond the shape

c o M p u t e r s h a p i n gM a c h i n e s

When computer shaping machines first burst into the surfboard manufacturing industry in the mid to late 90's, there was an outburst worldwide and more so here

in the NZ market, one which cherished hand made products, that this revolution would destroy the surfboard as we had known it, where shapers would become

redundant and the fine art of hand shaping lost forever. Mass produced boards would flood the world and the quality we had all come to expect would turn the

surfboard into a throw away item. yet 20 years on we have come to accept and realise that our early fears were simply spawned by a lack of education. These

days you'd be hard pressed to find a major manufacturer who doesn't either have their own machine or access to one for their shaping needs. While shaping

machines or profilers had been around since the 70's they were a far cry from the technology available today. For over 50 years our shapers, with orders up to

their eye balls, paced back and forth in their blue room pushing a planer which chewed through the foam blank and settled on the floor in knee deep dust. After

close to an hour per board the shaping would begin, with the shaper refining that blank by millimetres and working in his magic into the finished shape. So once

profilers and machines became available at first they saved all the time chewing through foam so that a shaper who did 20 boards a week, now all of a sudden

found he had 20 more hours up his sleeve for the week, where he could actually start surfing again and at the same time work on design concepts and refine-

ment, or catch up on overdue orders and increase their business turnover. Then as the technology of machines improved, the shaper then had a constant base

element he could measure performance off and began to alter certain elements in search of the ultimate board. The world began to see the shaper as a designer

and realised that millimetres made all the difference, and the shaper was excused of hours of mowing foam. We caught up with three of New Zealand's most

prominent shapers, three guys who have used the computer as part of their business from the early years and whom have the most experience. They shared

their views on what the machine has done for their shaping and for the end product, their customer’s boards.

such as differences in foam blank densities, type of

stringer, variances in the method and materials of all

the other stages of manufacturing. There are a lot of

factors beyond the shape that could affect the perfor-

mance feel of any board.

Are MAcHiNe SHAperS ArouND THe WorlD

SHAriNg FileS THrougH pArTiculAr SurF-

erS or Are THeir SHApeS STill uNique To

eAcH SHAper?

Tommy Dalton: Files are unique to each shaper or

brand. As I make the LOST boards in NZ I work close-

ly with Matt Biolos so that there is performance and

consistency with all Lost Boards here and all over the

world. Matt has two Aku shaping machines which is

the reason I purchased the same machine so that the

files we share are cut exactly the same. With my num-

ber 1 team rider Richard Christie being on tour surfing

all over the world, he may be in the States and damage

his favourite board, then I can send the programme to

Matt and the Lost factory over there can whip one out.

The same applies in reverse, Matt or one of the other

Lost shapers throughout the world could have made

Ric a board that he liked the feel of, once home we

can communicate and share the file to build into new

boards we have been working on here.

pete Anderson: There are companies around the

world franchising their product and by using machines

they can share files which has been a great thing for

them. There are also a lot of shapers out there creating

a business by copying everyone else’s work. This has

been made a lot easier since the advent of machines.

So all in all machines are here to stay, they have

been accepted as vital for the surfboard industry

and while some still feel the soul of a surfboard

was birthed by the hands of their shaper, if that

is the nostalgic feel you are still after then there

are plenty of shapers still out their mowing foam

from the raw blank till the finished product. While

surfing has always had that soul element to it, a

feeling of oneness, where you sat and poured your

heart out to your shaper, where possibly, for the

first time you were honest about your surfing as

you expressed what you’d like to see and expect

in your board. like a psychiatrist your shaper sat

back and listened absorbing your inner feelings

and then when you were finished they suggested a

way forward, scribbled on the order form and then

called you back in a few weeks to either watch the

craft transform under the blades of the planer, or to

check out the final shape sitting their in the racks

before it was dispatched to the glasser. This was

your baby and this was comparable to the 12 week

pregnancy ultrasound scan, where you got a sneak

look at the early stages of its life. Soon you’d have

her under your arm and be paddling out for the first

time to share many experiences together. None of

that process has been completely removed. your

shaper will still sit and listen, still call you in for a

sneak peak, yet instead of a few rough drawings on

the back of an order form, you may be staring at a

computer screen at a myriad of 3D lines and num-

bers. Then instead of throwing on ear muffs and

getting in the shapers way as dust flies around the

room into your eyes, you get to sit back, possibly

on a comfy couch and watch through a window as

the machine cuts your board and the shaper sips

his coffee!

eavo

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www.exitsurf.com

58 59

CARVE_NZ SURFING FP SEPT 2015.indd 1 7/08/2015 9:04 am

w h a t ’ s y o u rv o l u M e

Since the birth of surfboard production the unit of measurement has been stuck on imperial. When the world made the switch to metric, surfboards along with Americans

forgot to change with them. Therefore as surfers we have grown up in an imperial world fluent in both forms of measurement simply through the fondness of knowing our

craft. While many other sports made a push and unification for a few sizes fits all type approach surfing is far more of an individualistic approach, with each participants ideal

skill, physical shape, and range of motion in surfing being far too varied to try and bracket. On top of that waves are constantly changing in form, power and velocity as we

ride them. Take snowboarding for example, most companies make boards within a 10cm length range and have around 15 models and all those boards sold around the

world are exactly the same, yet those riding those same boards will ride completely different. So a few years ago some crazy people decided to rock our boat and suggest

that surfboards should become metric, with only several models available in each brand and the rider simply got use to them, as they do on the mountain. Whoever came

up with that suggestion was obviously quickly laughed off the beach and still we all know how our 6'2" or 7'6" behaves in certain waves. Could you imagine ordering a new

188? Na it just doesn't sound right does it.

By using the Guild Factor ratios, taking two surfers

both weighing 80kg, with one being being a super

fit advanced surfer let's say Maz Quinn in a wetsuit

then he would score 0.36 on the GF therefore the

recommended required volume for Maz would be 29

litres. Then take a total novice surfer who scores 0.50

GF, well by adjusting the sliders they would require a

40 litre board.

Out of all this came one important form of measure-

ment where surfers could fine tune what worked best

for them, and spawned from the inception of com-

puter shapes came the ability to know and replicate

the volume of a board.

While surfers the world over have become familiar

with their favourite lengths, widths and thicknesses,

VOLUME is steadily becoming a more and more

common sought after figure.

voluMe is described as "the precise measure-

ment of the foam iNSiDe your board". Volume

directly translates to how much FloTATioN a board

has. Board Flotation is just as critical of a measure-

ment as any other dimension. Not enough foam and

it will not perform correctly. Too much foam and it will

not perform correctly. The proper amount of foam,

also known as voluMe or FloTATioN is directly

related to a Surfer or Paddlers body weight and abil-

ity level. Novice surfers will use more Volume and ex-

pert surfers will always try to get away with the lowest

amount of Volume that they can.

Let's say you love a certain board, this board may

have been developed on a machine, or have a model

number so therefore the volume measurement may

be readily available from the manufacturer or shaper.

Perhaps this board is very old and it's your favourite

has seen better days and it's time for a trade up,

with most shapers having access to a machine these

days a few precise measurements taken from your

board and entered into the computer you can get a

pretty close volume reading and customise your new

board around that number.

Let’s take another angle, you love your board and

nothing else you've tried comes close, yet once win-

ter rears its head and you have to squeeze into a

4/3 steamer, gloves, boots and a hood and you find

the board no longer goes the same then that's no

surprise. You just added 4-6 kilos of rubber once it

becomes wet for your boards current volume to sup-

port. You love that board the way it holds a rail, the

way it drives through the pit, well don't fear, by tak-

ing the same design elements and dimensions your

shaper can build an extra two litres of foam into your

board while preserving that same feeling you love.

After all you spend half the year surfing cold water

and half warm.

So if you are new to the whole volume dimension or

new to surfing and want to know how to get your

head around all this, then a keen surfer by the name

of Whitney Guild designed a system that many board

manufactures the world over are using, brands such

as Lost Surfboards and SuperBrand, creating a

voluMeTric SySTeM using what he calls a guild

Factor or gF you can utilise along with a simple

formula to indicate the proper volume for your body

weight, ability level and type of board you choose to

ride. Lighter individuals will use lower volumes than

heavier surfers. Obviously, Shortboards, Funboards,

Longboards and SUP boards have different param-

eters to obtain their optimum performance.

recoMMeNDeD gF rATioS:

• Advanced, extremely fit, high performance

surfers: RANGE FROM 0.34gf to 0.36gf

• Typical fitness with average, to above average

skills: RANGE FROM 0.36gf to 0.38gf

• Domesticated, lower fitness, desk jobs, and

Weekend Warrior surfers: RANGE FROM

0.38gf to 0.42gf

• Novice surfers, or surfers with extremely small

surf, thick wetsuits or adverse conditions:

RANGE FROM 0.40gf to 0.50gf (depending on

age, ability and motivation)

*If you’re surfing in warm water and good waves,

the lower end of the scale is recommended. If you’re

surfing in poor conditions, looking for help in crowd-

ed situations, or wearing thick wetsuits, lean towards

the higher end of the range that you fall into.

An important step in choosing the right volume when

using the Guild Factor Calculator is being honest in

your ability, after all surfboards aren't cheap so why

cheat yourself out of getting the best board for your

needs, get your surfing mate to score your GF and

don't be too hard on them when you don't like their

answers, they are more honest than you!

61

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Untitled-1 1 8/26/2015 5:48:33 AM

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f i n s t h e l o n g a n d s h o r t o f i t

Never before in the history of surfing have we had so much choice when it comes to which fins we ride, so which fin is right for you? The answer isn't simple!

When it comes to the performance of fins there is no wrong or right. There are so many variables in the sport of surfing including the constant changing

surface we ride, the biomechanics of each individual surfer and then their very own interpretation or style of surfing that they want to stamp on the waves they

ride. Therefore what could be a complete dog of a fin for one surfer, that same fin for another surfer of similar skill, height and weight may find that fin a magic!

So where do we start? let’s take a look at the his-tory of the fin and how it got to the current popular fin shape: Back when surfboards were constructed of wooden planks or hollow ply chambers and everyone lined up on a wave and rode that whitewater directly toward true shore in a straight line, surfers caught on to this green part of a wave that peeled off, yet couldn’t manage to hold a line to get along the face. Some skilled surfers figured that if they dragged their foot it acted like a rudder of a boat and they were able to steer, yet this took some skill and soon it became easier to fix a keel shaped piece of wood to the board. As surfboard construction moved into the fibreglass era this soon became relatively easy and fins were constructed of fibreglass. Early surfers looked to the evolution of marine life for inspiration figuring out that most fish which swam fast had fins and use these fins to harness and create certain powers. Early fins were developed around the shape of the dolphins dorsal fin, and then with a more narrower tip which flexed based of the Blue fin Tuna. Early pioneers figured why try and reinvent what Mother Nature had created over millions of years of evolution. So the shape of the fin we have all grown up with was born, foiled on the leading and trailing edges. As technology developed surfboard de-signers borrowed the same principles of flight that the aircraft engineers had developed, learning how flats and foiled edges and surface area worked together to create lift and drive.

How Many Fins? As the surfboard design evolu-tion transformed so did the amount of fins we put on boards. The first design, the Single Fin provided speed to burn down the line yet required moving to the curves of the wave and did not like abrupt direction changes. Then came the Twin Fin which was popularised by 4x World Champion Mark Richards in the late 70’s till early 80’s, MR blew minds with his quick directional changes and speed down the line which the twinnies were renowned for. In 1981 Simon Anderson, one of the biggest surfers on the world tour had been working on a way to link the dead spot the twin fins had when changing from one rail to the other and came up with three equal sized fins and on winning the famous Bells Beach comp that year the face of fins was changed

forever and still till this day the thruster is the indus-try standard. Then surfers went on a fin spree adding as many fins as they could, going as far as seven fin set-ups before scaling back to the thruster and four fin quad set-ups, which has made a popular comeback in recent years.

Fin Design Aspects: The size, area, curve, foils and flex of a fin all provide different feels to the performance of a board. While there is no wrong or right fin, gen-erally shorter stockier more powerful surfers that surf with a low centre of gravity and through their hips will perform best on a stiffer fin with a wider base so they are not over powering their fins, skipping out or losing drive. Whereas a more lanky taller surfer whose biome-chanics lend to longer arcs and who may surf through their shoulders and torso will like the feel of narrower more raked back flexy fins which will add a spring to their turns. Most fins on the market are classified by the following characteristics; base, Depth, Area, Sweep and Foil.bASe = the length between the leading and trailing edge where the fin meets the board. Base is primarily linked to drive. Fins with a longer base will offer sub-stantially more drive and acceleration.DepTH = the distance the fin penetrates into the water. Depth directly relates to hold. The greater the depth the more hold, the shorter the depth the more a board will slide and release.AreA = the total surface area of the fin.SWeep/rAke = the angle measuring how far the out-line of the fin is curved backwards; also referred to as rake. Sweep has a direct influence on pivot. Fins with more sweep produce a longer turning arc, less sweep offers a tighter turning arc.Foil: Refers to the shape and geometry of the inside and outside faces of the fin. Foils directly affect the flow of water over the surface of the fin. Different foils cre-ate variations in water flow and have a direct link to the overall performance of the fin and the board.• FlAT Foil: A flat inside face combined with a

convex outside face. The traditional flat sided foil offers an even combination of drive, pivot and hold and provides a very consistent, reliable feel over a wide variety of conditions.

• iNSiDe Foil: A sophisticated hydrodynamic foil consisting of a convex outside face, a rounded leading edge and a concaved inside face. Inside foil increases the efficiency of water flow over the surface of the fin adding lift and reducing drag. The result is a fin with more options through in-creased hold and speed.

• 50/50 Foil: A symmetrical foil used on all cen-tre fins where both sides are convex. Even water flow on both sides creates stability and control.

• 70/30 or 80/20 Foil: Combines the perfor-mance of a centre and side fin offering increased speed, smooth rail-to-rail transitions and a con-sistent feel in a variety of conditions. (Ideal for all board types and rear fin placements on quads)

What Fins Should i ride? Right now as a surfer you are spoiled for choice, never before has there been such a choice of fins. The first option is the Glass on fin and many surfers believe the glassed in solid base with its glassed in curves tapered into the boards bot-tom surface provide the best feel, yet without scientific evidence, this is simply a matter of choice. Then we have Removable Fin Systems which have now been around for some time, the two most popular with the largest range of fins and retail backup support are Fu-ture Fins and FCS. Both these manufacturers provide fins made from plastic to fibreglass to carbon fibre and even alloy specialised fins. These all have their own feel and also price tag. The beauty of a removable fin system is protection while travelling and also the ability to fine tune a board, in the past surfers felt their boards were magic yet the fins just weren’t right so they had to grind them out and re-glass a set, a huge job, which now only takes a few minutes. Both these manufactur-ers have hundreds of different fin models to choose from, a good place to start is to check out what some of your favourite surfers are riding, yes you may not surf as good as them but you may have a similar body shape to let’s say, Mick Fanning or Jordy Smith who both have their own fin models. More than likely there’s a biomechanical reason why they surf that fin and it

could work for you as well.