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.

I started shaping in high school, around 1970….Worked for “Da Surf Hut” w/Jim McKinney. Got boards from Bob McTavish (the original egg) I designed a tri fin and thruster with concave bottoms which I was regularly teased about. Tried selling the idea to a few “reputable” shops with no avail….It was logical to me that the three fins would work better than one or two….The idea came to me after Joey Cabel won the Duke on a concave bottomed gun board. Shortly after, two Aussie’s went out on their twin fins and literally ate shit at Sunset. I give them credit for trying. I combined the twin with the gun and..well, there were two different three fined set ups. One with a larger center fin actually forward of the twins, and one that was like the current thruster…

Worked at the UH Look Lab during my Jr/Sr year and learned a lot about oceanography reducing and plotting data for the Haleiwa Harbor Project.

I got into the HFD in 1975, got into construction, and eventually got my Science Degree. I lost touch with shaping, but hooked up with Tom Parrish who shaped my boards until he left for law school…I went through a few shapers, and learned a little from all of them. Dennis Pang, Glenn Pang, D.Beckmeier, and Brewer….and started back shaping around 1982….registered Hawaiian Surf Designs in 1983 and shaped for Lightning Bolt, Seawind Challenge, Hobie Maui, and myself, HSD…

Designed the first generation of inverted vee hybrid boards(ask AM and Rusty P), and got into longboards when Quicksilver recruited me at Bill Barnfield’s Raging Isle Shop for Russ K Makaha, which lasted about 15-17 years until Rusty K left Quicksilver….

I’ve done HIC, Island Classics, Blue Hawaii, Downing, and a few other labels along the way….I still enjoy shaping and surfing….my wife and I go SUP paddling usually twice a week…Something we both really enjoy doing together besides swimming.

I’ve been fortunate enough to be in the HFD, going on 35 years…I’ve also worked for several contractor’s along the way in construction, and have been able to put two Son’s through private school and one thru collage….my third Son is autistic, and remains my best friend…aloha George

Website: www.hawaiiansurfdesigns.com

Phone: (808) 372-2073

I know this isn’t really a surf product but I know a number of surfers suffer from neck pain, especially those paddling small boards, myself included. There have been times this year when my neck has been so sore that it would wake me up at night. Most of this pain originated from paddling tiny boards which required me to arch my back and neck (probably didn’t arch my back enough) and surfing way too long and every single day. That’s when I started getting some pretty bad neck pain.

My mom had a Phiten necklace and decided to try it with a very skeptical outlook that it would help with the pain. I definitely wasn’t going to pay for a new one but luckily I was able to try one for free. I’m probably one of the most skeptical people when it comes to necklaces, bracelets, magnets, titanium, and all these other gadgets that supposedly reduce pain and increase motion but after wearing the Phiten necklace for a few days, I noticed my neck pain slowly subdued and then went away.

I wear my Phiten necklace everyday and it has kept my neck feeling great. My neck still gets a bit stiff when I surf long sessions several days in a row but I don’t experience the discomfort I did before wearing it. I recommend the Phiten necklace for surfers experiencing neck pain. You have to try it to believe it.

Price: Starts around $22 depending on which model you choose

Website: http://www.phitenusa.com

The cool guys at GoPro Camera were cool enough to send me their new wide angle GoPro Surf Hero digital camera. These are the same guys that made the original GoPro waterproof camera that straps to your wrist. I’ve been using a Pentax WP Optio camera for a while now but those only work when someone’s willing to take photos of you It took a while before the Surf Hero was released but it was well worth the wait.

website: www.goprocamera.com

I stuck the GoPro camera base plate on my 9′2 Kimo Greene longboard and surfed in tiny knee high waves in onshore conditions (see video above). Definitely not the most idea conditions for photos/video by any means but I was dying to try the camera out. I got home and downloaded all of the video and I was stoked to see how good the quality of the videos came out. For a tiny little camera that’s reasonably priced ($150), I wasn’t expecting a whole lot in video quality but was impressed for what the GoPro camera could do. I have to say that the video quality is better than my Pentax WP Optio which always turns out cloudy/blurry in the water.

Purchase the Surf Hero online

Screen grab of GoPro with suction mount

Here are a few specs of the GoPro Surf Hero Camera:

• 170 degree wide angle lens
• 5 Megapixels
• Comes with stick-on base plate and FCS plug mounting system
• Takes 56 minutes of video or 5 megapixel photos every 2 seconds for 65 minutes (with 2 GB SD card)
• Waterproof housing
• USB cable
• Works on both longboards and shortboards
• You can purchase extra base plates for other boards

GoPro Tips:

1. Make sure you scrape all the wax off your board and clean the surface where your mount will be with acetone…any residual wax will weaken the adhesive.
2. On longboards (9′0+), you can position the base plate anywhere from the tip of your nose to a foot below. I made the mistake of sticking the base plate 2.5 feet below the nose on my other longboard and while the shots/video came out fine, the camera ended up being directly under my chin while paddling.
3. I would stick the base plate as close to the nose as possible (needs to be wide enough to completely adhere to the deck on standard shortboards). The camera also works on fishes (I used it with my 5′10 fish). Again, the shorter the board, the better it is to position the baseplate as close to the nose of the board as possible. You want to make sure the camera can fit your entire body in the frame as well as the wave.
4. The camera works best in larger and steeper surf. I think it’s best to take a straight line and try for the barrel. Any type of pumping or aggressive turning looks weird (when the camera is facing you) and makes for dizzying video. If you look at the GoPro website, you’ll notice that barrels make for the best shots.
5. Be sure to buy rechargeable NiMN or Lithium batteries (costs around $30 for batteries and charger) as GoPro advises against using alkaline. The camera takes 2 AAA batteries and you also need to buy your own SD card (2GB max).
6. You can also use RainX on the housing lens to keep water drops to a minimum.
7. For Mac users, when deleting video/photos off your SD card, be sure to empty your trash can. If you don’t, your camera will think it’s SD card is full and stop taking photos or videos. I struggled with this for 3 days thinking my camera was broken or something was wrong with the batteries.
8. Be sure to keep the rubber seal in the housing free of dust, hair, particles, etc to keep it waterproof. GoPro doesn’t warranty against leakage so you’ll want to pay extra attention. You can remove the rubber seal and wash it with water to clean it but be sure to fit the seal back properly.

Improvements:

This camera is definitely worth the money but it would be nice if GoPro could add a few more features:

• Provide SD card and increase storage space
• Provide rechargeable battery pack
• Provide preview screen so you can playback video while you’re surfing to check the angle of your shots

I know I’m being super picky with the requests above. On the whole I highly recommend photo enthusiasts to get a Surf Hero camera. GoPro will be selling a helmet cam attachment soon. You’ll be able to strap your GoPro to a helmet and take video or photos of your friends from all different angles. I’ll be sure to write more about that when I receive my helmet expansion kit.

I’m planning to move my base plate to the rear of my board and see how that angle looks. Hopefully removing the base plate won’t be too difficult.

Stay tuned for more video/photos in better surf!

If you watched the finals of the Vans Triple Crown 2008 Pipeline Masters contest, then you probably saw Kelly Slater’s stubby looking Al Merrick surfboard. I had heard the commentators talking about Kelly’s board, dubbed ‘Deep Six’, and how unique it was compared to most Pipe boards. His board reminded me of the boards I normally ride; flatter rocker, stubby nose, and slightly thicker and wider. Another odd part about his board was its round pin tail.

Surfline.com was lucky enough to get their hands on the board and talk to Kelly about his new hybrid board. According to Kelly, he actually shaped his 5′11 x 18.5 x 2.5 Pipeline Masters winning board and did it while experimenting on the computer. He laid his Channel Islands 7′0 Step-up and 6′0 K-board on top of each other and blended the two together. The wide nose was the result of pushing the wide point forward which he claims helps him with late drops and helped him maneuver in the constantly shifting barrel at Pipe. He also added a bit more thickness and width to compensate for shorter length which helped him get into waves earlier and maneuver the board as only a smaller board could.

Another interesting aspect about this board was he pushed the fin placement up on his 5′11 like he would on a longer board while utilizing fins with more flex. According to Kelly, larger waves accommodate fins with more flex because the turns are longer whereas small waves require stiffer fins because you don’t have as much time to turn.

The amazing thing to me is that Kelly shaped this board by himself and actually one the biggest contest of the year on his prototype. He was actually planning to ride a 5′3 he shaped but broke that board a week before surfing in Micronesia! I would have loved to see him surf 8 foot Pipe on a 5′3! It’s a coincidence that I read somewhere that Al Merrick had been trying to push Kelly to start shaping boards…probably because Kelly has given Al a ton of feedback over the years and is very keen on details. Slater says he plans to keep working on his new boards all winter…who knows, we may see that board in surf shops next year. Congrats to Kelly, the greatest surfer of all time and future master surfboard shaper?

Ewa Beach shaper Mitch of Sasquatch Surfboards was cool enough to make me an awesome 5′7 retro quad fin fish (5′7 x 20.5″ x 2.5″). I wanted a board for the crowded waves in town and Mitch delivered the perfect board. I tested the board out on a smaller day at Kewalos a couple months ago (sorry for the late post!). The board looked pretty short but paddling out was a breeze and I had a feeling it would perform well in the small surf.

It’s always interesting when you ride these retro shapes. They always look like they may be hard to turn but when you actually get on the wave, these boards absolutely fly and can turn on a dime. There is quite a bit of thickness just forward of center on this board which makes it easy to get into waves early. This board had a slightly different feel from some of the other retro fishes I’ve tried…I would say it feels pretty skatey…almost like surfing on a man hole cover. It’s like you’re on a flying disk and the short length of the board takes you where you want to go. I think you should ride these types of boards as short as possible so you get the maneuverability and the fullness of the rails and wide tail will make up for the decrease in length.

As far as fins go, the quad fins definitely hold better than twin fins yet still provide similar top end speed. I think in small waves both quad and twin fins work just as well but you don’t really get the benefits of the quad’s ability to hold better. If you like to surf your fishes in bigger waves (head high +) you may want to try the quad fins out.

Website: http://www.sasquatchsurfboards.com
Email: ewafish@gmail.com
Phone: 808-271-2463

You get a cool Sasquatch board bag when you order your board(s) too!

Surfboards by Sasquatch swag:

Surfboards by Sasquatch surf tees:

The good guys at Sea Specs were nice enough to send me one of their surf sunglasses for me to try. I surf here in Hawaii during the middle of the day and for me, those surf sessions have always been extremely painful on my eyes. I really hate squinting and was excited to try these surf shades out on my next surf.

Surprisingly I tried my new Sea Specs during a mid-day stand up paddle board session. The surf shades fit comfortably on my face and the convenient non-removable strap secured my Sea Specs in place. The smoke tint was perfect for our strong sun and the polarized lens significantly reduced the glare. These surf shades worked really well stand up paddling and I could see fish, reef, sand bars, and every crevice with amazing detail. I can’t believe what I had been missing this whole time without shades! Best of all, I got great UVA & UVB protection as long exposure to sunlight can cause serious eye problems like glaucoma (which leads to certain blindness). Most of us put sunscreen on to protect our skin from the sun…why not protect your eyes? You only got two of them!

These may even be better than the Oakley surf shades as they’re 1/5 of the price ($49.99 vs $250)! Sea Specs block out all the bad rays, reduce glare, and stay stuck on your face. If you’re one of those surfers like me who hates glare or want to protect your eyes, I really recommend Sea Specs.

Buy these for only $49.95 at www.seaspecs.com

Here are a few details on these surfing sunglasses:

• Non-removable secure strap
• A variety of lense shades/tints
• Prescription lenses available
• Full wrap around frames
• Ventilated frames
• Sea Specs float
• Variety of frame colors
• Soft nose bridge
• Free shipping world wide
• Buy 2 get 1 FREE
• $49.95

I’ve been procrastinating on this post for a while but finally got around to writing it. I tried Surftech’s 5′6 Xanadu Rocket Fish many months ago thanks to the good guys at Surftech Hawaii. I had seen this board out in the line-ups of Oahu’s popular surf spots e.g. Diamond Head Cliffs, Kewalos, Bowls, Rockpiles, etc and it seemed like the most consistent Surftech board out there in the surf. After a few unsuccessful tries, I was able to borrow the Xanadu Rocket Fish just in time for tiny waves! Bummer. Regardless, I took the board out to see how it would do in crap surf and after the first three sessions I thought this board was a total tool. The deck seemed way to flat and I couldn’t seem to get this board to work…probably because of the poor surf more than anything.

I was about to give up on this board and return it to Surftech when I decided to take it out to Diamond Head during a small swell. With low expectations, I paddled out and caught a few in between waves. Amazingly, this board turned on with speed and tight turns coming with ease. It seemed like a completely different board from the first few sessions and the more I rode this board the more I liked it.

After that fateful Diamond Head session, I rode the board almost every day for a month. This board was simply magic for the typical waves we have in town (weak and fatter on most days). The board paddled easy despite it’s short length (5′6 x 21″ 3/16 x 2″ 1/4) and this board paddled into waves better than any board I’ve ever rode which I attribute to a perfect entry rocker. This board is blazing fast down the line and with each pump on an open face the speed you can generate is mind boggling. Even with all that speed, the board is still very maneuverable with loads of drive off the bottom but just loose enough for tight turns in the pocket.

I’m not sure if Surftech has discontinued making this board as it’s no longer on their website but you can still find them in most surf shops. Here’s tip for those looking to buy one. The most common thing I hear from people who own Rocket Fishes is they always wish they got the next smallest model (board comes in lengths of 5′6, 5′8, 5′10, 6′0). At first glance you’ll probably want to err on the safe side and get more than enough board but the rails are boxy and full making for a full volume board and the Tuflite skin make these boards extremely buoyant. So if you’re thinking of getting the 5′10, you should probably get the 5′8.

A few more notes, I did try a friend’s 5′8 and there was a pretty big difference in volume…I can see why you’d want to get the smaller board. The 5′8 for me was too buoyant and thick for me and made the board feel more like a funboard…easy wave catching but less responsive.

Future Rasta Keel Fins

The Xanadu Rocket Fish also comes with Future keel fins which work ok for stock fins but I’ve heard that the Future Rasta Keel Sea Shepard fins work insane on the Rocket Fish. I hope to get a pair of those fins and try it out and I’ll be sure to report back when I get them.

Guest Post by Oliver Irwin

Most people who surf have a friend of a friend who knows someone who has heard of a guy who is a shaper. Weather they are a casual tinkerer who does a couple boards in their garage or professional shaper who makes boards day in and day out, in my experience, it has been pretty easy to cell them up and find out what they’re about and what they think the next board you should get should be. It is my dream to find a shaper who I can go out and surf with, who understands my ability and has the foresight to think about what would work well for me, who would also give me free boards, dinner,chicks and financial advice. I haven’t found that dream, but getting somewhere close to it is worth fighting for.

Eric Streufert is the guy who I have found works really well with me. He works for Patagonia and shapes boards everyday. He is lucky enough that Patagonia allows him to use their shop to produce boards in their shop on his personal time. His line is appropriately called S-Turn. Everyone I know who has ridden one of his boards has been totally satisfied with the quality and craftsmanship including me. Eric listens to me carefully and always gives me insightful feedback that refines what I am want in a board. I also enjoy hearing what he has to say about what hes doing in the world of shaping.

The following is an edited transcript of an interview I had with Eric in February 2008.

What kinda boards are you making now?

Fishes are the hottest selling board right now. They work really well at Pipe in Ventura. There’s two different kinds of fishes I’m making. The hybrid fish I make is a modern twin fin with a small trailer fin. This board is more high performance than the other type of fish I’ve been making - which is basically a stand up knee board with a big fat swallowtail. This is a more retro board with at least 7″ base twin fins on it. It’s really fast down the line and you get big long arcing cutbacks. You ride them really short too, basically like if you ride a 6′2″ shortboard, the fish you would ride would be about 5′6″ to 5′8″. For a hybrid fish go up another inch.

Dimensions go from about 20.5 inches wide and 2.5 thick —older guys up Ill make the boards up to 6′6″ and 2 ¾ to 3 inches for the big fat dudes.

What do you do at Patagonia?

Technically I’m a sander in the glassing manufacturing part. But I’m familiar with all the steps of building boards.

Are the boards you’re making similar to the boards you make at Patagonia?

The practice is different, they use epoxy with a closed cell EPS board. My boards are built with regular foam and covered with epoxy resin. I glass the boards differently. I find that the flex in the regular kind of foam is better. It’s also easier to shape. Plus if you get a ding with a closed cell eps board you have to fix it immediately, and if you fix it with anything but epoxy, it will ruin the board and dissolve the foam. Glassing epoxy over normal foam has the advantage that you can patch a ding with poly or epoxy and you will still maintain the integrity of the board.

How many boards are you making for S-Turn?

I generally make about 2-4 boards a month just taking orders out of the water at California Street. I have a good niche market down at the point. I also make shortboads, funshapes and longboards.

Can you talk about shortboard vs fish?

Fishes are good all around board, great at point breaks, but shortboards are good for good waves. Waves which have power or whatnot. That kneeboard Im making — people think they’d be too loose, but they’re actually more drivey and won’t spin out the way you might think they would.

When the surf gets softer — get into the shorter fishy boards. The shorter your board, the easier it is to fit your board into a smaller faced wave.

How about riding a fish in bigger more powerful surf?

I like it Ive done it. It’s challenging. It’s a really fast free feeling. You’re just flying. But with a fish its more challenging catching waves, and holding into your bottom rail. With a fish you’ve gotta be right under it and have better wave knowledge. A longer board can glide and you might get a wave that you can’t on a fish.

Can you expand on that? What is really happening with the rail and fin when riding a fish?

When riding a fish you kind of use your rail the way a boogie boarder would use their rail — boogie boarders don’t even have fins, so instead of just turning off the tail as you would with a tri fin thruster board, you’re using one of your twin fins plus your forward part of your front foot rail. You’re essentially holding in with the rail.

With a tri-fin going into a bottom turn you still have two fins in the water, on a twin fin you have only one fin in the water, along with your rail. It all has to do with the fact that the wide point is forward of center on most fishes.

Fishes have the wide point forward of center by the front foot. On shortboards and funboards you’re driving off of your back foot where the wide point is back of center — creating the driving point off your back foot. If thrusters are rear wheel drive, then fishes are front wheel drive.

Any ideas on the next trend in boards?

The quad craze in full swing. Quad fishes, and regular shortboards are going quad. Ive never liked them myself. They originally came out in the early 80s. In and out. In the single fin era to twin fin era the quads came for a sec and then the thruster took over. Today, they’re more popular than when they first came out. Quads are more drivey than a twin fin. In my experience, when doing a big roundhouse cutback, there’s a certain point in the cutback where the fins sort of release. Mid way through your roundhouse cutback, it kinda pops out and slides, where if you had a thruster that wouldn’t happen.

What do you think will happen with quads the way they are progressing?

I’ve seen what they’re doing on quads — they keep bringing the trailing fins closer to the stringer. They’re going to keep bringing them in and you’re going to have a thruster.

When did u first shape?

I was around it when I was a grommet. My brother who is 6 years older was shaping in Santa Barbara for Clyde Beaty and the like. I think it was in 1997 I shaped my first board.

You only have a MySpace page, right? I think you want to stay underground? Why?

I’m really busy with helping everyone else out, I’m actually kinda afraid to get all kinds of orders in. One of these days ill have to get my own show going. But Ive got a pretty good gig where people let me do boards under their roof. If I were to go production it might not work.

It’s kinda a hard transition to go from a steady paycheck to all on your own. Right now it doesn’t matter cause I have plenty of other work.

People will come up to me and ask wow what is that thing that youre riding. How long is that board? Is that a kneeboard? All the people in the water just kinda found out that I make them and then they ask and I do.

You know, I haven’t heard of kneeboards so much. Is a kneeboard the same thing as a fish?

I use the old school templates off of kneeboards from the 70s and put modern concave bottoms (like single to double barrel concaves) which help them plane better. Those old style boards were more v-bottom which turn really nice, but when the waters coming across the bottom of the board, its being slowed down by the v-shape in the board vs a concave you actually plaing off the surface of the water and you almost have an air pocket. it’s less drag which is faster. Its kinda like a hovercraft.

What do you think about when u are talking to someone new about making them a board?

If you’re out in the water its really good to see their ability. If they’re not a great surfer, you tend to make them a wider thicker board so it’s easier to catch waves. If they’re better you’d tend to thin out their board more. Generally because they’re able to generate more speed.

I truly believe in flex patterns. Really thick boards wont flex as much and wont bend into the wave.

What do u think of off the rack boards? Compared with having someone shape you a board with your body weight and ability in mind.

Off the rack is generally more pop-out. The boards not customized. There’s not anything wrong with them. But I’m pretty anti china because a lot of the people that are big in the business are having their boards made in china which means that people are actually having to close down their shops. So people like me in the glass factories are actually losing their jobs. And the quality is terrible cause they dont know what they’re doing really. But thats whats happening — people are selling out.

Ever made aboard that didn’t ride well?

Al Merrick has made boards that I didn’t like - but has also made some that I thought were amazing. Every board is different.

Are you interested in experimenting with strange shapes?

I’ve made flex tails gimmick off of George Greenough where I’ve ground out all the foam in the tail to where its just glass— you glass multiple layers in the tail so that the back 2 inches of the tail is just pure glass. You can actually push on it with your thumb and it bends. As George Greenough says, it allows you to create a variable rocker.

Fin placement moving stuff around. Extreme rockers and extreme flat rockers. Everything works good— it just depends on what waves you’re riding. Curvy-er the wave curvy-er the board. Flater the wave flatter the board.

Have you seen board shapes/designs that have inspired you, or influenced the way you look at boards?

Yeah I think everybody looks at everybody’s stuff. Everybody copies everybody. Even Al Merrick brings his old designs and bring them back to life. I remember somewhere in the bible there’s a passage that really says that there’s nothing new.

Malcomb Campbell’s got a pretty unique thing: The bonzer. I’d give him credit for having the 1st thruster. Not Simon Anderson who got credit.

What do you think of Bonzers?

I haven’t really ridden them. I have a few that I have to fix up, but Im planning on riding them. I got 3 of them in my garage.

Do you ride different kinds of boards a lot?

Sometimes you feel like you’re surfing stagnant – I can get kinda board with what I ride so I like to mix it up a lot.

When I get bored I like to ride something different. Some people get really screwed up if they mix up their equipment, but some people like Tom Curren can just jump on any thing and just rip up on it.

Being in the business - are there funny stories where you would notice something that someone who doesn’t work with surfboards wouldn’t?

(after thinking about this one for a bit) Oh yeah…You know, if you look at the bottom of pelicans when you see them flying low over the water? I’ve noticed the contour in their wingspan and their body. If you watch them glide you see how the concave in their wings creates lift and allows them to glide. Each of their wings — if you were to put a flat surface beneath their wings — you’d see a concave on each side of the wing. And their body is the v part — which cuts the air or what not. I look at that contour and see the double barrel concave which is a really popular design in a lot of surfboards.

What’s the best way for people to get in touch with you?

S-Turn’s cell number is 805-815-8274. Or I can be reached by email at thestreuferts@yahoo.com

http://www.myspace.com/sturnsurfboards

I normally ride nothing but twin fins but recently I’ve had the opportunity to try a bunch of quad fin boards. I’ve been pondering the question which works better: twin fins or quad fins? We can all agree that they both generate more speed than a thruster in average surf, but their turning is noticeably different. I’ve noticed that twin fins generally feel a bit looser than quad fins. While the quad fins have more drive and hold better than their twin fin counterparts, they seem to feel more ’sticky’ in the lip and harder to release than twins or thrusters. I’m still on the fence whether I prefer twins over quads but I’m very curious to hear what other surfers have to say about the topic. Please vote for your favorite fin set-up below!