I recently had a chance to try Aviso’s Lost Round Nose Fish. This was truly one of the most interesting boards I’ve laid my eyes on. For those who don’t know, Aviso boards are hollow and comprised of carbon fiber and epoxy. According to Aviso, because the deck is not connected to the bottom, the deck absorbs and stores potential energy thus kinetically propelling the surfer in and out of turns. The hollow construction works as a sort of suspension system for surfers launching the surfer into turns and creating constant acceleration while still maintaining fluid control. The board offers an ideal coefficient of restitution (COR) which interestingly enough is used a lot in the golf world. COR is a property inherent to a rigid structure which allows it to return to its normal state after a force has been applied to it (flexing and un-flexing). Most people would read this stuff and immediately write it off…I admit that I thought most of this was marketing fluff, especially since the board retails for over $1200!

However, a friend of mine got a great deal on a used Aviso RNF and we traded boards during a surf session that featured small but nicely lined up waves. Upon first paddling this board, I noticed that it made quite a bit of noise when paddling…similar to that of an epoxy longboard (when water splashes beneath the nose while paddling) but other than that minor annoyance, the board paddle very well with a similar buoyancy to epoxy. This particular RNF featured dimensions of 5′7 x 19″ 3/4 x 2″ 1/4 with a quad fin setup. During this particular session, I rode the board as a twin with two MR tx twin fins.

I immediately caught a few decent waist high waves and was very surprised by the flex and speed of the Aviso. I had assumed the board would feel really stiff due to the hollow boat-like construction and foreign materials but that was far from reality. The board had a really nice flex…perhaps more than a Firewire board and speed generation was instant. This particular Aviso absolutely flew in the small knee to waist high surf and turns/cutbacks were so smooth. I’m totally turned onto these boards and I’m going to try and test drive a few more.

I’m not sure if I can recommend paying $1200+ for a brand new Aviso (I’ll need to try these boards a bit more), but I sure like what I see so far. If you find a good deal on a used Aviso, you should really consider taking that person up on the offer. These boards are also 3-4x stronger than polyester boards which means they’ll last a lot longer and you can use epoxy resin to patch them.

Aviso Surfboards

Jon B. Mar, another avid local surfer and surfboard shaper, sells his customized hand-shaped surfboards online on his self-named website. Mar offers longboards, shortboards and fun boards in a variety of dimensions and specifications to provide the perfect ride for any surf aficionado. New boards and used boards are available for viewing on the website, along with easy-to-read charts with each board’s measurements to be ascetically pleasing to the eye, as well as useful for surfboard shoppers. With over 20 years of surfboard shaping experience, Mar’s boards are influenced by many of the other great local shapers who have made their mark on the surf scene. The website also includes an online form to create custom surfboards made to a surfer’s personalized needs and styles. On this form are unique questions like “What do you like/dislike about your current board?” and “What are you trying to accomplish in surfing?” that help Mar to shape a board in a very personal way for each individual’s preferences.

Jon B. Mar Surfboards
(808) 277-0800
www.jmarsurf.com

TORE Wide Nose Rocket Fish: 5′5 x 19″ 1/2 x 2″ 3/8
www.toresurfboards.com

It’s funny how influential pro surfers can be, especially the greatest surfer of all time. The recent surfboard trend has been towards shorter, wider, thicker, flatter boards with quad fins thanks in large part to the funky/stubby boards Kelly Slater rode at the beginning of the year in Australia. While fishes and alternative designs have become increasing popular over the past few years, Kelly’s extreme change in equipment from flip tail potato chip to stubby quad has influenced stubborn elite level surfers open their minds and their equipment and thus has helped all the rest of us.

Wider, slightly thicker, and flatter rocker boards help all surfers who aren’t on surfing elite CT tour surf better day in and day out. As Rusty put it in his recent design article, most surfers ride potato chip boards which only work in 10% of the time. Why not ride a board made for the average surfer’s home break which probably isn’t a roping overhead machine like right/left in the Mentawais or Indo. The majority of us surf garbage waves more often than not, side/on-shore, knee to waist high, less than perfect shape, and not much power. Why do we still surf a stock 6′0 x 18″ 1/4 x 2″ 1/4 shortboard when only pros can actually ride these boards in these conditions? Probably because we always see our favorite surfers riding these types of boards which is why it’s great that Kelly broke the thruster trend and helped a bunch of us out by showing us that even the best surfer in the world can have a crap load of fun and draw new lines on something other than thruster.

As I always complain, the waves I surf everyday on the south shore of Oahu typically consist of strong side shore winds, weak waist high waves, below average shape (semi mush), and very short wall. I’ve only seen a few surfers ride stock shortboards really well there and most everyone rides some type of fish. I’ve been experimenting a lot with equipment this year and being that I really liked my TORE Rocket Fish, I decided to tweak it by widening the nose and overall width to help this board work better in mush burger surf. The original Rocket Fish worked great in good waist to overhead surf, but it didn’t have quite enough volume to power through the flat spots in the weak stuff.

We shortened the Rocket Fish from 5′9 to 5′5, widened it from 19″ 3/8 to 19″ 1/2, increased the tail rocker slightly, added a pair of wings to narrow the tail, and widened the nose area. I could instantly tell the difference in the changes we made on the first session out with the board as it planed and carried better speed in mushy surf and the board maintained enough speed for the slow sections and when it found a little wall it accelerated with one quick pump. I would bet that a lot of it had to do with the increased nose area. The minimal length also helped the board fit in the pocket better which is ideal for short waves where quick maneuvering is critical. All these changes combined with quad fins made this a super fun small wave destroyer.

This board is perfect for the surfer looking for a high performance fish for less than ideal surf…especially those who don’t like riding retro fishes when the surf gets better. It handles well in waist to head high and works way better backside than even your best retro board. We’re currently tweaking this design with thoughts on increasing the nose area a tad more and adding a bit more volume for those really crappy days. I’ll update this post when I get my new board.

The Mule Surfboard Transport is a simple yet useful accessory to help transport your longboard or stand up paddle board using your bike or by towing it yourself. The Mule consists of a durable fabric for nose and tail pieces which strap your board to the two tube tires. Assembly takes about 5-10 minutes (I did have a little accident **see below) and it took me a bit to figure out how to assemble it the first time but once you figure it out, it should only take a couple minutes to strap your board in the future.

The Mule Transport is perfect for people who bike to the beach and works best with larger longboards. I think a stand up paddle board would be too bulky and heavy for bike racks and if you live a ways from the beach, the Mule is perfect. We all know how heavy those stand up boards can be…I dread carrying my SUP from the parking lot into the water let alone carrying it on my shoulder for several blocks and windy days are a whole different story here in Hawaii. You’d be surprised how much easier it is being able to tow a heavy board compared to carrying it over your shoulder and having to stop every five minutes to rest and let the blood flow back into your arm.

You’ll want to be aware of where you take your Mule as you won’t have anyone watching it when you’re in the water. I’m not sure how it is where you surf but here in Hawaii, people will steal anything you leave on the beach even in popular areas like Ala Moana and Waikiki. I’ve had people steal my shirts, $3 rubber slippers (flip flops), and I’m sure if they had a chance they would steal the Mule. If you live in an area like this, make sure you have a good hiding place or as an extreme you can try locking up the Mule with a bike cable lock.

Caution: Problems Assembling the Mule

I ran into some problems when I tried to add the nose and tail straps to the axle bar. I didn’t know it at the time, but the axle bar is made of fiberglass and for some reason the wheels were stuck and I couldn’t get one of them onto the bar to lock it in place. I kept trying to push the wheel on the bar and before I knew it I had a hundred fiberglass splinters in my hand. Ouch! As I was pushing the wheel, it had scraped the end of the bar and began shaving off the edges of the bar. It didn’t take much for those splinters to become lodged into my hand and I spent the next three hours trying to get all of them out. Mule Transport told me this had never happened but be careful not to jam the wheel on if it isn’t fitting properly. If you do get splinters, use duck tape to gently remove loose splinters. You can also use Elmers glue (wait for the glue to solidify and peel the glue from your hand) and use tweezers for the ones that don’t come out. Be careful not to lodge them into your skin.

The Mule is a cool and nifty surf accessory but I would recommend they change the material of the axle bar to heavy duty plastic or anything that doesn’t have the potential to splinter.

You can buy the Mule Surf Transport online for $89.

9′6 Surftech Takayama Model T Dimensions: 9′6 x 22.875″ x 3.06″

I gave the Surftech Takayama Model T board a spin during a recent swell. This was the first time I had really tried a traditional noserider and found out quick that they don’t handle very well in larger surf. I took it out to Pops off Waikiki in overhead surf and right off the bat found that these boards get quite skittery on waves with speed. The large single fin combined with 50/50 type rails made the Model T very difficult to manage in the overhead waves and its slow speed made it nearly impossible to make sections.

After my hard learned lesson, I waited for the swell to die and proceeded to surf it in perfect waist high 3’s. The board features moderate thickness (though it didn’t feel too bulky) and very flat rocker. Paddling was very easy and I was able to glide into each wave giving myself more than enough time to setup for each noseride. The concave in the nose made nose riding easy and the 50/50 rails helped the board to stay in the pocket.

The board is a great choice for cruisers looking for pure noseriding with minimal turning. I recommend you surf this board in anything with nice shape under chest high. These type of boards don’t do well with quick adjustments mid-face which is why you need long and perfectly peeling waves to have fun…an attribute true with most noseriders.

6′0 Joel Tudor Good Karma Dimensions: 6′0 x 21″ 1/8 x 2″ 1/2

All I can say is I give a lot of credit to the surfers of the past who rode boards with half the performance (if that) of today’s boards. Those included the chunky single and twin fins of the 70’s where surfers were pushing the evolution of performance surfing to new levels. To truly appreciate how good today’s surfboards are, you really need to step back in the past and ride any of those boards. The Joel Tudor Good Karma is a total retro shape…wide point forward, full volume from rail to rail, and a single fin setup.

I was actually pretty excited to give this board a try as it was my first time riding a single fin shortboard. I took it out at one of the better town spots on a slightly onshore day in head high surf. The board paddled pretty good but once on the wave it took a lot of effort to generate any type of speed. I ended up getting stuffed behind a number of sections that normally would have flown by…it was a lot of work.

Turn was typical of a board with only one fin…you really had to utilize all of your rail and force the board to turn. Turns were long and drawn out but I can see how these boards teach you how to use your rail…you really need to if you want any chance of completing a full turn.

I was pretty disappointed with this board…just too much work and too slow. I’m assuming the onshore waves had a little bit to do with the board’s performance but the waves were still very surf-able.

I assume this board would work well on a long point break with a big wall and lots of water behind the face. You really need a big open face and long wall to generate sufficient speed (imagine your mom’s 70’s station wagon and how much time it needs to get to top cruising speed).

Some people are into riding old school shapes and drawing rather straight lines at minimal speeds. If cruiser surfing is your style then Surftech’s Good Karma may be worth a try.

9′0 TORE Baby D Dimensions: 9′0 x 22″ x 2″ 7/8

This board is by far the best longboard I’ve ever ridden. I’ve tried boards from Takayama, Aipa, Pearson, Griffin, Infinity, Tanaka, Schaper, and countless others and can honestly say nothing is faster, more maneuverable, and noserides better than the Baby D. Believe me, I’m not writing this to hype the board but you really need to give it a try. If you’re looking for a cruiser/log type board, you’re probably better off getting a Takayama. However, if you’re looking for a high performance longboard that still allows for insane noserides, this is the only board you’ll ever want.

TORE Surfboards Baby D Longboard

I originally rode this board in a 2+1 setup and it rode great but for some strange reason, I put in an FCS thruster converter in the center box and turned it into a tri fin. I was skeptical as to whether the board would hold in larger surf and have enough drive off the bottom but after a few rides, the board’s performance answered my doubts. I was able to get a number of solid hang five noserides without the tail slipping.

The TORE Baby D is a very unique shape and at first glance it might not look like your conventional longboard. It has moderate nose and high tail rocker with vee off the tail. The fins are positioned way forward compared to your stock longboard and although this may look a bit odd, its performance will definitely make up for it. The nose features a very deep concave going way back through the first quarter of the board allowing for insane noseriding. It noserides just as good as a traditional noserider…you can set a high line and lock the board in for a hang 5…10 if you really try for it. It’s just unbelievable that a board can turn and race down the line yet still noseride like a plank.

The outline of the Baby D is pulled in dramatically ending in a baby diamond tail, hence its name. The pulled in outline combined with flipped tail allows for incredible turning ability where you can pump it from the tail, just like a shortboard. Round house cut backs, foam bounces, off the lips, and re-entries are all within easy reach. While the board works great in small piddly surf, the board excels in long overhead walls. It grips the open face with tons of traction allowing you to take a very high line and pump down the transition of the wave allowing for insane down the line speed.

The noseriding capability of this board is unmatched. You can easily stall in the pocket, set your high line, and hang five with ease…10 isn’t out of the question either. I know ‘best board’ is way overused, but this board is just that. It has incredible turning ability, tons of speed to burn, easy paddling, and insane noseriding. You seriously need to try this board out for yourself…you will be amazed.

I’ll try to get some video of this board in action. Stay tuned for updates.

Tore Surfboards Hawaii: www.toresurfboards.com
Haleiwa, Hawaii
Phone: (808) 638-0124
Email: toresurf@hawaii.rr.com

7′2 Surftech Al Merrick Water Hog: 7′2 x 21″ x 2.63″

I usually don’t ride fun boards being that I rather surf a shortboard or longboard but I had heard great things about the Channel Islands Water Hog that I decided to give it a go during a recent south swell. I took the Water Hog to one of the better waves in town, Number 3’s.

The wave at 3’s (or Trees as the locals would say) is like a machine spitting outperfect long peeling rights and decent but shorter lefts. It’s a great wave to ride a small board on but because the regulars all ride longboards, you’re forced to ride a longboard or barely catch any waves. The problem with riding a longboard at 3’s is that when its pumping it’s a really fast wave and quite tough to get turns in on that wave as you’re always trying to outrun the wave which is why I thought it would be a perfect chance to try the fun board out.

The Water Hog features a pretty narrow outline for a funboard and pulled in tail featuring a squash tail. It utilizes Merrick’s own FCS templates in a tri fin setup. It’s pretty thin through out the length of the board and felt like a pretty high performance board…unlike most eggy shaped funboards out there.

I scored a bunch of good rights on the Water Hog and was amazed at its speed and maneuverability. It rode down the line like a shortboard, gripping the big walls of each right at 3’s allowing me to take a high line on the steep face and drive down for incredible speed. The turning ability of this board was extremely good allowing for lip smacks and nice full round house cutbacks into foam bounces.

I managed a few lefts at 3’s and the Water Hog surprised me at how well it rode backhand. I was able to drop into the flats making hard backhand bottoms turns followed by nice carves at the top of the face. This board seemed to ride like a shortboard allowing for the best of both worlds; great paddling and remarkable turning for a board of its size.

This board works extremely well on long peeling waves both big and small. I did take it out to another spot which is a quick right and it didn’t perform as well. The board generates heaps of speed as long as you have enough time to generate speed…it didn’t respond as quickly on a shorter waves probably because of its length (7′2). I would recommend the Water Hog for better surfers looking to get more performance out of a bigger board…I think inexperienced surfers will do better with a larger funboard that offers more forgiveness and paddling ability.

The Water Hog is also featured in a 7′10 x 22″ x 2″ 3/4 model for even more paddling ability.

5′8 Surftech New Toy Dimensions: 5′8 x 20 1/8″ x 2″ 5/8

Surftech’s brand spanking new New Toy by Doc Lauch of Surf Prescriptions features a pretty rad checker board paint job in Tuflite construction. The New Toy comes with Future quad fins with real pivots. Overall, the board looks like a wide/fat shortboard with a lot of thickness in the middle…and seemed to be the perfect grovel board.

I took this board out in small mushy waves and surfed it for a week straight. It paddled well and caught waves pretty easy but didn’t quite have a whole lot of speed in the mushy garbage surf as the Xanadu Wave Rocket. The board required you to surf in the pocket as it lost a lot of its speed way out on the shoulder. Some background on the wave I surfed…it’s a right hand wave that has its moments but for the most part is a pretty sub-par wave…quick barrel section (sometimes) and then mushes out until the reform on the inside…you’re basically able to do two maneuvers if you’re lucky and one cutback before the reform.

For most of the week, the waves were pretty small (3-5 ft faces) and slow all of which I struggled to get the board going and gain any kind of speed. I did manage to score a couple of waves that bowled a bit more providing a steeper face and better wall to drive across and the board finally came alive. This board rides more like a wider shortboard than a grovel fish.

The board works great with a longer and steeper wave (doesn’t have to be fully barreling but enough of a face to generate speed). It works great for those who don’t want to fully commit to a retro fish but want some of the benefits that fishes provide (better paddling/wave catching and speed) again when on the right type of wave. It also works for surfers who predominately ride fishes but want to ride more of a shortboard outline but can’t really get a stock high performance shortie to work well. Remember to keep the board close to the pocket…it also works well backside…much better than your average wide tailed fish…obviously due to its rounded tail and pointy nose. I personally rather ride the Wave Rocket in smaller surf.

The only real negative about this board is the black checkered paint job…you’ll find your wax melting within seconds on a hot day so make sure you wax prior to getting to the beach or carry a stick of wax in your pocket and wax in the water.

Channel Islands Biscuit

While visiting in Southern California, I had a chance to test drive a stock 5′2 Channel Island’s Biscuit at Leo Carillo and 1st Point Malibu. The stock 5′2 Biscuit features light glassing with dimensions of 5′2 x 19.75″ x 2.75″ and a three fin configuration. Upon first look, the amount of volume for such a short length is quite staggering but for those unsure of whether they’d be able to surf a board considerably shorter than normal is reassuring. Overall, the Biscuit looks like a thick and stubby disk with the wide point forward of center and the thickest part of the board being forward as well. The rocker is very flat…probably one of the flattest rockers I’ve seen even compared to all the retro fishes out there.

The paddling on this board was pretty easy…similar to a retro fish a few inches bigger though all this considering the 3/2 wetsuit I was in was quite restricting and affecting my paddling due to the fact that we never wear wetsuits in Hawaii. I battled a number of longboarders at 1st Point Malibu and still managed to catch a few.

It seemed that the board took a bit more energy to get it started. The 5′6 Xanadu Wave Rocket seems to generate a burst of speed right off the bat…the Biscuit took a little longer but once you got going she had more than enough. The lack of initial speed could be due to a few reasons:

1. Stiffness I experience in my full wetsuit
2. 3 fin configuration of Biscuit vs speedy twin fin fish
3. Less overall volume compared to Xanadu Wave Rocket

The maneuverability of the Biscuit was average…it felt as though you really needed a decent wave for this board to turn on a dime. Overall, the Biscuit didn’t turn as well as the Xanadu Wave Rocket turns in small mushy surf.

Channel Islands promotes this board as their small wave groveler so I was expecting it to absolutely fly at 1st Point. However, I think the Xanadu Wave Rocket goes faster off the bat and has more overall speed with more maneuverability. I plan to ride the Biscuit in Hawaii and try it backside which is an area where the Wave Rocket lacks tremendously.

Again, the surf in California is quite different than Hawaii…we don’t wear wetsuits and don’t surf point breaks and these observations are just based on two surf sessions in waist to shoulder high surf. I’ll have better insight into the performance of this board when I surf it in waves that I’m more familiar and accustomed to. Stay tuned.