Andy Irons with his Tokoro at the 2006 Pipeline Masters

Wade Tokoro, along with brother Kerry, are probably surfing’s most famous brother/shaper combo today. Wade’s boards are some of the most popular here in Hawaii being ridden by legions of shortboarders and numerous big name touring pros who come to the North Shore every winter season. Some of the bigger names seen riding Tokoro boards include Andy Irons (won 2006 Pipeline Masters on a Tokoro shape), Sunny Garcia, and Jamie O’Brien to name a few. Tokoro, who hails from the East side of Oahu, arguably demonstrates the best surfing ability of all surfboard shapers. You’ll often find him charging 2nd reef Pipe and air dropping into a heaving Teahupoo pit.

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Dimensions: 9’0 x 22″ 1/2 x 3″

Last week we test drove Kimo Greene’s most popular longboard model, the Honolulu. The standard normal Honolulu model is a high performance longboard designed for off the lips and hard turns. Instead, we tested a Honolulu model crowd control board in hopes that we could catch a ton of waves and do a few hard turns as well. The board we tested had a slightly wider nose, flatter rocker, and a little more foam left on the deck for improved paddling and wave catching ability.

We were very surprised to find that not only did this board catch any wave we wanted, it also turned incredibly well for a thicker/wider tanker. It was somewhat easy to pump down the line and floaters over sections were not a problem. The Honolulu model comes with a 2+1 box and O’Fishl fin set up but we rode it as a single. Round house cutbacks were not a problem and while we normally prefer 2+1 or thruster setups, this particular single fin was extremely fun. The extra wide nose and flatter rocker also made nose riding quite easy.

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Dimensions: 5’9″ x 2″ 3/8 x 19″ 1/2

We tested this 5’9 TORE Rocket Fish from TORE Surfboards Hawaii in some fun but weak surf. This PU board definitely looked thinner and cleaner than some of the other clunky hybrid fishes being sold off the rack. However, the 19″ 1/2 width provided more than adequate paddling power. This Rocket fish came equiped with low entry rocker, double barrel system, and an FCS thruster set up. Surprisingly, it provided the best of both worlds; the ability to paddle and catch waves with ease but extremely agile and responsive pumping down the line, drawing out smooth round house cutbacks, and re-entries. The best thing about this board was how much speed you could gain in weak surf…it flies.

This board worked extremely well in gutless surf and it was easy to pump through dead sections and gain enough speed to power a nice cutback at the end. The double barrel system provided tremendous drive and projection off the bottom and out of turns.

Pros: Speed, speed, and more speed. Very good paddling power and very workable off the bottom, off turns and cutbacks, and pumping down the line. We couldn’t believe how smooth this board felt and how responsive it was. If you’re looking for a board that works extremely well in a variety of conditions from gutless surf to workable overhead walls, we highly recommend this board. This board will replace your hybrid/small wave board. Give Kent a call, he’ll help shape your new custom surfboard.
Cons: None

Get it: www.toresurfboards.com

Dimensions: 6’1″ x 2″ 1/4 x 19″ 1/4

Bought this board a while ago during the first epoxy hype. Purchased it brand new for over $600 because it sounded like it was really gonna perform well. Probably the worst board I have ever ridden. The board paddled extremely well and very floaty, but it was just way too light to have any kind of performance on the wave. From my experience, most epoxy boards only work well in clean conditions but this particular M10 did not work in any condition. It almost seemed like you were literally surfing a plastic toy instead of a high performance surfboard. I gave this board more than a few months to live up to my expectations but it disappointed. My criticism for this board is that it never felt like the rail engaged in the wave…almost as though it was skimming the surface the whole time. I went back to my PU board after the M10’s trial run and felt such a huge difference. The PU board felt so much more responsive and solid in the wave. I hear that Surftech has a new type of skin now called the SL2 which is supposed to have better flex patterns. We’ll see if those boards are any good. This one certainly wasn’t.

Pros: Extremely light and very good paddling power

Cons: Bland paint job. Board felt too light…almost skimming the water and I never felt like I could bury the rail on my turns. These Surftech boards are extremely expensive. The one thing that really pissed me off was the fact that these boards weren’t as durable as they claimed. About a month after I bought the M10, I dropped it by accident about a foot off the ground while trying to put the board into its board bag. The paint on the rail chipped off and after that day, the paint continued to slowly chip off.

I would like to try some other models and see if I can provide positive feedback. Stay tuned…

Dimensions: 5’9 x 20 x 2″ 3/8

Twin fin fish shaped by Dave Parmenter (Makaha), wood veneer glassed with epoxy resin by Surfgear Hawaii. Originally tried this board with triple plug FCS wood keel fins. The board ended up being very unresponsive and slow. In an experiment, I installed a small trailer plug and tried the FCS MR twin fins instead. Performance changed dramatically and I could actually pump down the line with speed and turns felt loose but in control. Also tried the trailer fin (comes with MR’s) and made the board feel for like a thruster. I liked the trailer fin for slightly larger and punchy surf. In small surf, the twin fins were exceptional.

Pros: The epoxy glass job by Surfgear Hawaii makes this board nearly indestructible. I dropped this board by accident onto contrete while showering after a surf and no major damage done. I may have scratched it a bit but these boards are rock steady. These type of epoxy boards may be best for surfers who want their boards to last a long time and those that are very careless with their equipment (always banging it around). The other good thing about epoxy is that beacuse they float extremely well, you can get a slightly smaller board than what you normally ride (smaller board means better turning/maneuvering).

Cons: My experience with epoxy boards is that they work well in clean conditions. However, in choppier/windy surf, the board seems to skip on the surface and I feel less in control. I’ve yet to find an epoxy board that has worked well in windy/choppy surf. Epoxy works well in glassy conditions which don’t come often in Hawaii. You should also keep your epoxy board out of cars and in direct sunlight. Exposure to sun will delaminate and kill your board.