Dimensions: 5’6 x 20″ 1/4 x 2″ 1/4
Rider Height/Weight: 5’5 140 lbs

I had a chance to ride Greg Griffin’s interesting concoction of a board the Modfish. The Modfish is a pointy nose fish with a flat entry rocker, kick in the tail, and five fins. At first glance five fins seems like there’s no way the board will ever work…just looking at the board made me think there’d be too much drag and I imagined the board surfing slow with stiff turning. Greg, being the imaginative mad scientist that he is assured me that contrary to my own common sense, the characteristics of this particular board (rocker, tail kick, five fins) would actually allow the board to surf faster and be more responsive in the pocket than other fishes.

I reluctantly took his word and surfed this board in small town waves during the middle of summer (2010 was pretty lame for the southern shores of Oahu…no decent swells, lots of wind, and lots of crowd). The first few rides on this board felt pretty weird…the board felt a bit wide and a bit stiff. After a couple of waves, I remembered that Greg told me that unlike most fishes, you needed to ride the ModFish more on the tail…the tail rocker would provide all the turning I needed and the dynamics of the board would keep the board on top of the wave and planing with lots of speed…I have a tendency to ride fishes more towards the middle to generate speed.

After moving back towards the tail, the board came alive and the turning ability for a fish was pretty incredible. This board had a lot of drive and hold off the bottom…in other words, when you pushed on the rail on your bottom turn, the board pushed back giving you lots of drive and projection. The five fins provided a very stable and controlled ride but in the pocket you could snap the board around similar to a shortboard.

One of the more interesting things about this board is it felt like when you pumped it down the line, the board got up above the water…planing instead of bogging on slower sections all while being pumped from the tail. I’ve noticed that other fishes sometimes have a tendency to bog in slow mushy sections where the ModFish pushed and climbed over the slow stuff.

The only downside to this board it’s slightly larger size than I’m used to…at 20″ 1/4 wide and 2″ 1/4 thick, I would have preferred it about 5’4 and an 1/8″ thinner and possibly a bit more narrow. If you want a board for super small and crappy waves, I’d recommend getting this board a bit longer and thicker. Greg also recommends for maximum performance to use his premium hand shaped fins…they are a bit pricey but they work much better with his ModFish model. However, for those looking to save money, he does offer cheaper FCS fins.

Dimensions: 5’6 x 19″ 1/8 x 2″ 1/4
Rider Height/Weight: 5’5 140 lbs

The Monsta is Todd Proctor’s latest small wave creation. It derives its roots from the Rascal family, incorporating flatter rocker, a bit of kick in the tail, full deck, and plenty of speed. The Monsta was designed to provide the same hair raising speed of the Rascal, but with more vertical surfing ability, and more control in better and more hollow waves.

This particular board came with a five fin option and I tried it both as a quad and three fin. We had pretty small surf (waist high) for the first couple weeks I tried the board out and I was surprised at how well it groveled. It generated similar high end speed in small walls just like the Rascal II but with the tighter turning ability of a more performance oriented board.

Todd originally gave me G-AM thruster fins to try out but those fins felt a bit too stiff for me…probably because of my lack of weight. I decided to try the Kelly Slater K2.1 fins and those ended up working really well for me. They loosened up the board quite a bit (K2.1 fins are more upright with a smaller center fin which makes them very responsive for quick changes and vertical surfing) with maintaining same mind bending speed. The quad setup worked ok (G-AM front, GX double foil rear) but I guess I just prefer riding thrusters nowadays as they’re way more predictable…you also can’t beat the pivot of a thruster.

Overall, the Monsta is a super fast and tight turning board…basically its something you’d want if you’re looking for a performance board in slow & mushy surf…the type of surf where you can’t get your small wave shortboard going in. Best of all, the board works great in larger and more hollow waves as well. It also rides really well backhand…super tight and pivoty but providing Rascal speed so all you need to worry about is getting your turns in.

Dimensions: 5’6 x 19″ 3/4 x 2″ 3/8
Rider Height/Weight: 5’5 140 lbs

Firewire’s Spitfire model is a variation of its popular Dominator model which features fish rocker, a full nose and round outline, a thicker foil, and five fin setup. The difference in the new Spitfire model is its odd step deck tail which according to Firewire, provides more bit in larger/juicier waves. The board also utilizes a subtle diamond tail compared to the round/thumb tail of the Dominator.

I was pretty excited to really try their new Direct Drive suspension system which uses a bamboo deck and carbon rails providing both flex and strength. My first impressions of the board when I first paddled out on the board is oddly enough it felt much wider and longer than its actual dimensions.

Over the next three weeks I rode this board a bunch of times in mostly knee to head high surf and found that it performed somewhere between a hybrid fish (like a Lost RNF type board) and a wider outline small wave shortboard (like a Lost Stealth) but leaned a bit on the fish side because of its flat rocker and wider outline.

I also tried the board as a quad (Stretch SF4) and three fin setup (standard 450 Future thruster fins) and found that on walled up waves, the quad hauled ass and generated tons of speed but turning felt very tight…probably more likely due to the fins than the board as those Stretch fins have a lot of area. The thruster setup rode pretty solid, consistent, and predictable. As a thruster, you could surf this board semi-vertically in the pocket and race down the line with enough speed to wrap around a cutback on the fat section of the wave.

The thing I really like about Firewire boards is that their boards feel really alive and responsive under your feet. I couldn’t tell if I generated more speed out of turns because of the Direct Drive suspension system, but the  Firewire boards I’ve tried all seem to go pretty fast. In my opinion, I think you can really feel the flex of the board when you lay a hard turn on rail.

I think Firewire’s suspension technology is pretty awesome, though their own shapes are lacking. The Spitfire board rode ok but it wasn’t anywhere close to some of the other boards I ride on a daily basis. I think if you’re considering buying a Firewire, you should buy a Lost model as Matt Biolos shapes are way better than what Firewire produces in house.

Dimensions: 5′6 x 19″ 3/4 x 2 3/8″
Rider Height/Weight: 5’5 140 lbs

The Back 2 the Future Mod is one of Kent’s latest design tweaks. Basically he widened the outline of his trusty Back 2 the Future model, increased nose area, used a Rocket fish tail width, and added a fang tail. This board featured thruster/quad FCS fin setup and EPS foam.

I rode this board in mush burgery town waves to get a feel at how well it groveled and tried in in both a three and four fin configuration. I found that the quad setup worked best which gave the board plenty of speed and a looser tail for those gutless waves. Front fins consisted of M5’s and rear fins GX’s. At first I tried single foiled GX rear fins which gave the board a stiffer feel with more hold and then on a whim I swapped them out for GX double foiled fins. On my first wave the board instantly was much looser and quicker in transitions on smaller/weaker waves. I guess the wider tail requires looser feeling fins because of all the area back there.

This board was ridden in knee high to head high town waves. The EPS worked best on lined-up waves with clean conditions. I noticed I could feel all the bumps in the wave during a session with slightly onshore conditions. The extreme lightness of the EPS foam made windy conditions a bit more challenging as it seems like the board didn’t want to get down the face. I think a slightly heavier EPS board with heavier cloth would help with this or possibly use traditional PU foam. The EPS foam does float better than a normal poly board and I’d prefer a slightly heavier EPS board than going back to PU.

Give Kent a call or email him to talk about your next custom shaped surfboard. For contact information visit www.toresurfboards.com

Kind of off topic post here but this bronze Duke statue is for sale. The statue is 12ft 3 in tall weighing almost a ton. Anyone have any idea of its worth?

I ended up buying the E-Bomb 3 Pro Jacket (1mm) because of my Matuse Philo (1mm) jacket was way too tight and stiff. According to RipCurl, the E-Bomb 3 jacket is the most flexible jacket they’ve ever built. The E-Bomb 3’s seams provide maximum stretch and the 100% E3 offers top notch comfort, flexibility, and warmth. By E3, they mean the third generation Elastomax super stretch neoprene, which has evolved over the years providing increased warm, durability, and flexibility.

I’d have to say I’ve been using my E-Bomb Pro jacket almost every day (yes, I get very cold even in Hawaii with our constant trade winds) and have to say that it keeps me comfortably warm for most of the windy/colder days. The E3 neoprene is pretty close to the way RipCurl describes it…this is probably the best jacket top I’ve tried so far…almost like not having anything on and definitely built better than Xcel’s neoprene jackets. Like most jackets, the E-Bomb Pro comes with a shock cord waist so you can tighten the bottom of the jacket to lock in heat and keep you warmer. This particular cord can also attach to your board shorts as these jackets can get ripped off you in bigger more powerful surf…I’ve personally haven’t attached them to my shorts yet.

The only downside to my E-Bomb jacket is the store clerk suggested I buy a medium though I normally wear a small. Not sure if it’s because I have wide shoulders but the E-Bomb Pro fits well on my torso but the sleeves are too long…I guess that’s better than having a tight fitting jacket around your arm pits. Also on very cold north wind days in Hawaii, this jacket could probably use an extra mm for added warmth…I’ve taken this out on those super cold Hawaii days and frozen my butt off in the E-Bomb though I think I need to get a 2mm jacket or spring suit for those types of days.

Matuse makes some great looking wetsuits and jackets…their all black Japanese rubber kinda makes you look stealth and dangerous. The Philo jacket looks so good on you that other surfers will assume you’re a ripper (just don’t catch a wave if you don’t). Besides looking good, these wetsuit tops also do a very good job of keeping you warm (Hawaii gets cold on occassion especially when we have blustery North winds during winter and spring) and the Japanese rubber blocks most of the wind from getting through.

The only downside to these 1mm wetsuit tops is they’re sized extremely small and the rubber is really tight and not too flexible around the shoulders and arm pits. I made the mistake of buying one way to small (unfortunately I got bad advice from the surf shop I bought it from) and ended up buying one two sizes too small! Yeah, I’m an idiot, I know 🙂 Even though the suit is tight, the rubber is so restrictive that by the time I made it out into the lineup I was completely gassed and I’d stay fatigued throughout the entire session.

Last year in the spring of 2009 we had a month of unsually cold weather here in Hawaii. It was so cold that I almost broke down and bought a spring suit but alas I opted for the more manly option of a 1mm jacket top. Surfing during in this cold weather became a toss up of freezing my butt off or being warm but fatigued from the tight rubber. In the end, I decided to try the Rip Curl eBomb 3 jacket (1mm) as I just couldn’t take how fatigued my arms and shoulders would become after using the Philo jacket. The eBomb doesn’t keep me as warm as the Philo but I rather sacrifice comfort for performance and the eBomb 3 is the stretchiest jacket I’ve used yet. I haven’t tried Matuse’s wetsuits but if they’re built like their Philo model expect extreme difficulty paddling.

I never thought this would work but it seems that reversing your quad fins (moving your rear fins forward and front fins back) works for some surfers. One of our readers in South Africa Rudi shared his thoughts on his quad fin setup. I’ve actually seen a friend ride ripping on his shortboard with his quad fins reversed  though he didn’t know his fins were backward until I pointed it out to him.

Something I noticed, Rudi’s rear quad fin boxes look like they’re much further up than my Lil Rascal 2 (see photo below).

From Rudi:

“His Chunky Monkey 7 design matched my specs 99%. The only change was the rounded square tail to round tail, which Rod explained would give me a larger surface area that would make it easier to catch waves.

Rod originally designed the Chunky Monkey for former Pro Surfer Pierre Tostee, who wanted something that paddles easier (cause he’s not so young anymore), but that handles like a performance board (cause he can still rip once he’s got the wave). It took 6 trial versions to get the Chunky Monkey to where it is now and even Rod’s traded in his regular shortboard for one, although they surf it as thrusters while I prefer the reverse quad setup.”

Personal Info

Height: 5’6″
Weight: 80 kg
Surf Conditions: Mostly 3 to 6 feet
Style: Natural. Smooth to mild aggression. Love working the wave to build max speed for long floaters on rights and off-the-lip floaters on lefts.

Board Specs

Shape: Continuous Curve Shortboard
Length: 6’2″
Width: 19 3/4″
Thickness: 2 5/8″
Widest Point: Behind Centre
Nose Width: As recommended by shaper
Tail Width: As recommended by shaper
Rails: Domed, tucked under edge to hard edged
Rocker: Staged Curve
Nose Lift: As recommended by shaper
Tail Lift: As recommended by shaper
Bottom Contours: Single to Double Concave (Driver)
Tail Design: Rounded Square
Fin Positioning: Thruster with 5 fin slots for alternate Quad setup

Dimensions: 5’6 x 19.5″ x 2.25″

The T&C Glenn Pang G1 Gobbler is a small wave fish type board made from small gutless waves. It features a deep double barrel concave running the length of the board with a domed deck. It has a very sharp beak nose and a super wide squash tail. Even though there’s a double barrel concave on the bottom, the board’s bottom feels very flat while the deck feels round…the sensation feels like riding on a pyramid and it took me a while to get used to that. The G1 also utilizes a thruster setup with a slightly smaller center fin similar to K2.1’s or YU fins which reduce drag and increase speed.

I actually got a chance to ride two different G1’s with relatively similar dimensions and rode it in waist to head high waves on a number of occasions. The first board had stock Future thruster fins on the sides and a Future V hatchet center fin like below:

The center hatchet fin made the board way to grippy and sticky on the wave…in small waves that fin setup just doesn’t have any get-go. I’ve heard that hatchet fin works really well in larger, powerful, more bowly type surf but in the small stuff it has way too much drag and decreases responsiveness.

I did try the G1 a few other times with it’s stock fins…not exactly sure what type they are but I do know those fins come with the board and the center fin is a bit smaller than the sides. I surfed this particular G1 in a variety of wave heights from knee high to head high and this time the board worked better with its stock fins. The G1 rides similar to a retro fish like the Xanadu Wave Rocket — when you pump up and down the face it has a similar rhythm like a longboard…slow and smooth. The turning was ok but for whatever reason the board felt slow…I honestly think the Xanadu Wave Rocket is more performance that the G1…they both ride similar but the Xanadu is quicker, faster, and more responsive.

If you’re into Glenn Pang shapes and looking for a small wave fish hybrid, you’ll like this board. For all others there are better shapes out there in this category that outperform the G1.

Dimensions: 5’6 x 19.25″ x 2.25″

The other week I tried a 5’6 T&C T1 shortboard shaped by Glenn Pang. The T1 also known as the “Travler” is a copy of Dane Reynold’s Channel Islands Dumpster Diver…basically a wide and short shortboard with flatter rocker and single concave. I’ve seen a bunch of guys riding these boards out in the lineups and the board looked like it worked pretty well.

Unfortunately the one I tried didn’t have the same responsiveness…the board felt dead and slow. I couldn’t figure out if the problem was caused by the fins or the board itself. The waves were decent the day I tried the board…around chest-head high that particular day which leads me to believe it wasn’t the waves. The board is a pretty high performance looking shape and I wanted to pump it aggressively up and down the face but the board lagged and felt like it was suctioning on the wave face. I tried hard to get it to respond but it was nearly impossible to get the board to do anything…what a bummer.

I had written this board off as a dud but tried another T1, this one slightly narrower around 18.75″ wide. It would be a true test as the waves this particular day were pretty soft and small…around waist high with marginal shape. Surprisingly this board felt alive and rode like a performance small wave shortboard. The flat entry rocker and extra width help the board paddle into waves early and get around flat sections…the board won’t get around flat spots like a true wide nosed fish but will make it much easier than your typical performance shortboard in small/weak waves.

This board excels in knee to head high surf and sloppier wave faces but you can push it in overhead waves. I think the board I first tried was a dud and everyone else I’ve talked to really likes their T1.