I’ve been using ‘The Trunks’ from Elephant Surf on my recent surf
sessions. ‘The Trunks’ are neoprene compression shorts that are meant
to be worn under your board shorts. They basically look like the lower
half of a spring suit and are similar to the compression shorts that
you see professional basketball players wearing under their shorts.

So I know you’re asking yourself why would you want to wear something
under your boardshorts. These under trunks are designed to prevent
rash and chafe that the stitching and constant rubbing board shorts
create.

I’m a big fan of stretch boardshorts and after trying my first pair I
won’t wear a pair of boardshorts unless they are stretch. All the
major boardshort companies claim that their latest stretch boardshorts
prevent rash and chafe (constructed with welded panels instead of
stitches). However, while the boardshorts have improved from years
past, I’ve yet to find a boardshort that doesn’t chafe. Enter, ‘The
Trunks’ from Elephant Surf. They fit snug just like a spring suit and
the grippy neoprene keeps your boardshorts from riding up. The great
thing about these under trunks is their protection of chafe as I
surfed with ‘The Trunks’ on several 3+ surf sessions without any hints
of rash or chafe.

Another cool benefit of the Elephant Trunks is they actually keep your
lower half warmer in colder weather. I always get strange looks when I
tell people I get cold surfing in Hawaii…sure, compared to the East
Coast or even California, you could consider it warm bathwater. But
for those of us who have lived in Hawaii all of our lives, an air
temperature in the low 70’s is freezing! Combine that with our typical
trade winds and it gets chilly. We had a recent stretch of cooler
temperature, overcast skies, and chilly winds and while wearing ‘The
Trunk’, I did feel that I was noticeably warmer having those on. On
the really chilly day a 2mm wetsuit jacket and ‘The Trunk’ should be
perfect for those dawn patrol sessions.

I recommend this product to anyone who has problems with lower
rash/chafe and tends to surf long sessions. Surfers looking to keep
their lower body warm and improve their surfing should also give these
trunks a try as warmer muscles and legs equates to better performance
when the weather gets cold or towards the end of the session.

They offer ‘The Trunks’ in size M (30-34 waist) $48.00 and L (34-38)
$48.00. You can purchase Elephant Surf’s ‘The Trunks’ on their
website.

Dimensions: 5’3 x 20 x 2″ 5/8
Rider Height/Weight: 5’5 140 lbs

I’ve recently been riding this Kane Garden 5’3 quad fish courtesy of Peter Johnson. The board features a domed deck with a lot of volume near the stringer which makes paddling this thing so easy yet offers foiled rails (more foiled than normal for retro fish boards) for performance. Most of the twin and quad retro type fishes I’ve seen in the past have flatter decks and chunky rails which help with paddling but make it harder to sink your rail during turns. I was pleasantly surprised to see more foil in the rails for more performance from these type of wave catching hogs.

I took this board out for its first go in less than ideal conditions; waist high and onshore slop. Normally I would’ve passed surfing on this type of day but I had to go out and give this board a test run. I was surprised at how well the board paddled considering it had a domed deck and short length. I zipped out to the lineup with ease and took a late drop on the first onshore mushburger that I caught. The board felt a bit short and loose though my timing was off and these waves were barely surfable…hardly any wall or wave face, choppy, and weak.

I caught several okay waves and noticed the responsiveness of the board…once you start pumping the board it really flies and carves pretty tight…more so than a lot of the other fishes I’ve ridden. I think the short length, rails, and quad fin setup make this board perform well.

The 5’3 Kane Garden fish was surfed a few more times during that same week in small but more favorable wind conditions. I was beginning to realize how fast this board is on the open face and it was weird how it had a good amount of drive off the bottom but was pretty loose in turns and carves. Usually a board is drivey and turns tight or feels loose turning and has absolutely no drive. This board somehow is able to provide you with drive, projection, and speed down the line combined with tight turning ability when you really need it on the open face and the shoulder. Another cool aspect about this board is it has more flip in the nose rocker than any other fish I’ve seen which to me, allows you to throw the board up in the lip and ride high on the face without fearing that you’re going to dig the nose.

My advice for intermediate to advanced surfers looking to get a fish for those small mushy days is to get one at least a couple inches shorter than your height. These board are wide and buoyant so you don’t really have to worry about paddling ability when you cut off several inches in length. I’ve ridden other fishes like this in the 5’6 range and even those boards feel too long. With this width and thickness, I could probably ride this board as low as 5’0 but I will say that having an extra three inches helps with paddle battles with longboarders!

Lastly, you have to hand it to Kane Garden’s craftsmanship. This board has a beautiful acid splash on the deck with complimenting black rails and the glass job is second to none. Overall, KG makes well made high performance fishes that every fish enthusiast should try at least once.