Superbrand's Quadrofinia

Quadrofinia

Intro

This board saved my summer of 2012/13 I had just got back from travelling Europe I had a bit of left over cash and I bought a couple of boards for the summer. The two that I bought were no good. They didn't really go. I did a swap for another board that I had my eye on, that one didn't go either. I was a bit disgruntled that I hadn't picked a good board and it was doing my head in. This board from Superbrand had fallen out of the rack a bit there wasn't much interest in it and it was starting to yellow after sitting in the front window. I through it out to my boss 'why don't we just demo it get a few guys on it and hopefully that will get people frothing on Super's'. He loved the idea. I waxed her up threw a sticker on it and took her for a spin. (the demo sticker didn't stay on for long. I loved the thing)

How it goes

Working in a board store you learn about boards every single day. When this board first hit the shelf I hated the look of it. I thought that the rails where too low for it to be a fish. I thought it was too much of a performance board to grovel on, Oh how I was wrong. Zeb Walsh to me has been someone I look up to about board knowledge, when he has something to say about board design I listen. So when he told me that a groveller should be wider instead of thicker just for the fact that the board  flat on the water is your surface area thats where the paddle is going to come from which is key in a small wave board. Its the low rail however that gives you the performance so if you do end up getting a good section you can throw down a nice turn with a sharp rail. This is exactly what the quadrofinia is. It has a lower rail but a really wide fishy out line. So it surfs like a short board but paddles like a fish! Thats why I love it. The fin set up on this board is what makes it. It has a nice wide high set quad set up on a deep swallow tail. You put it on rail and it just grabs and bites the wave and you get so much drive and speed out of your turns because of the two fins in the wave instead of just one like on a normal thruster or fish. Quick lesson for people who don't know to much about fins. If you want something that responds like a thruster that is nice and loose and pivots well you want a rear fin with a 50/50 foil. If you want something fast down the line and that if you set your rail thats the place you will be headed then your after a 80/20 foil. For small waves and turns on a quad I find that 50/50's are a lot easier to turn on because they are lively and turn well whereas for barrels and bigger waves you want 80/20's because they are fast and they track and it takes a lot more force to push them off there line. So in terms of this board with a low rail and a 50/50 foil quad set up it goes like a dream. The low rails give you a knife like edge to jam turns and the 50/50 quad rears give you the pivot that you want in the smaller waves compared to the tracking feeling you get from 80/20's. This is my eyes is a performance fish that is a perfect summer board that will surf in most conditions you throw it in. On a side note I have been riding mine lately as a twinny and it has made this board so loose but so fun. It just gives it a second dimension and its like learning to ride a whole new board. So many options it just one small fun board. You will definitely get your moneys worth.

Whose it for

Intermediate to advanced surfers could jump on this board and have a good time. It is wide enough and has enough volume in it for the intermediate surfer to jump  on it straight off a minimal or fun board and it will go well for them. For the advance surfers it has the performance in the rails. If a advance surfer wants a fish but hates the feel of a fish that glides along and has no performance this is a good board for him/her. The low rail will give you the ability to slice and dice a wave to bits but the  having plenty of volume in the nose gives you the paddle power of your everyday fish. In my eyes everyone needs this type of board in there quiver just to have for summer or if you only ever surf it at Lorne Point thats fine too because thats the kind of wave that you need a groveller!

Ideal fin set up: Rusty Quad Set

Rating: 8.5

Ideal wave size: 1 to 4 foot

Conditions: Onshore slop to offshore conditions 

Quivers under the microscope: Redbull decades EP6

This is the future. Tomo, Maurice and Meyehoffer are always pushing the envelope when it comes to board design and the 6th episode of Redbull decades highlights that perfectly.

Good to see the Jan Juc local shaper Maurice Cole getting a gig. He is always coming up with something different for people to ride!

This clip has got me so pumped to go surf my Tomo again. Hopefully this gives you a urge to surf something different.

Enjoy.

Firewire x Dan Tomson's V4

Intro

As soon as the this board hit the shop floor I had it gripped up and in the car on the way to test it out at Winki. Having had such success with the Vanguard I thought the V4 was a given to be a good board. I surfed it once and then went through a period where I wanted to surf my own boards. So I put it back on the demo rack. Time went by and the V4 started to make some serious in roads for Dan Thomson as a well known shaper.  Filipe did a messed up alley oop in a CT, all the local boys got around it and started surfing them and Firewire are now about to release a new step up version of the V4 by Dan Thomson. Once the hype around the board had died down I decided to dust it off from the back room. You can tell that this board has been popular, it has been to the repairer on many occasions and the wax job is as black as Ive seen on a board. It has taken me a while to write this and I think some people may have a different view but thats what happens with boards I guess. Everyone has a opinion.

How it goes

I have been dwelling on this board for many weeks. This to me feels like a good board, but however it doesn't blow my mind. That's why I haven't been able to write about it. I didn't want to write the board off and upset all the people out there who are sleeping with there V4's. It's a good wave board it needs a bit of push for it to go similar to the Vanguard it has a deep single concave running into the flute channels which give it the ability to break your line. Although you ride this board at your favourite volume I find it to be a board that is a lot more difficult to paddle compared to the Vanguard. It just feels small because it has the same nose on it as your regular short board. The V4 has the nose of a 5'10 but the tail of a 6'10 which creates the very straight outline after the forward centre point making it a very fast down the line board. The tight pulled in swallow tail is also what makes it so responsive. It surfs longer than it looks like all the Tomo boards do which makes me suggest why most people love it so much they get the speed and drive of a longer board but it fits into the waves well. Its like surfing a squashed down gun without even knowing it. Which I think not many people have come to realise. 

Whose it for

Like the Vanguard before it this board is for experienced surfers. You need to be able to figure this board out. My very first wave I went straight over the handle bars thinking it would surf like a normal board however it comes back to surfing it completely on rail and not using the board to create your speed. The single concave mixed with the sharp rails gives you all your speed and drive. If you don't put it on rail the boards not going to go anywhere. This board is for someone that likes the feel of the Vanguard but can't get there head are the chop nose. It may not feel as good as the Vanguard but it still goes really well. Experience is key to surfing this board being able to read waves and being able to know how to work your board. 

Ideal fin set up:  AM2 again the rake in this fins make up for the wide placement of the fins, they give you a great mixture of control and release.

Rating: 6.5

Ideal Wave: 3 to 6 foot

Conditions: Onshore to clean barrels 

Quivers under the microscope: Redbull Decades EP5

Matt Mayhem Biolis for a long time has been at the forefront of board design and this board featured in Redbull decades is no different. This is the kind of board I enjoy riding. I'm sure the boys on the trip would have been relieved when they were told they didn't have to surf the Slater board again. It's amazing how much performance board design has changed in 13 odd years.

 Enjoy.

   

Quiver's under the microscope: Redbull Decades

Out of all the boards this is probably the board I would want to surf the least on this Redbull decades trip. The 90's seemed like a shit time to be a surfer. Long skinny high rockered boards.... YUCK

Here is EP 4

Enjoy.

Quivers under the microscope: Redbull Decades

Glen Pang is world renown as one of the best shapers going around. This twin fin paved the way for progression in surfing through giving Martin Potter the speed and performance to perform aerials. Today we see surfers performing anything in the air from backflips to full rotation 360's. A board engraved into surfings history.

Let's not forget though. 

How fun does this board look!? After watching this clip I wanted to buy one immediately....

Enjoy.

Redbull Decades EP 3

Simon Anderson's Early Bird

Early Bird
Intro 
When the opportunity arises to get your hands on a ex pro's board no matter how strapped for cash you are you have to buy it. If you take anything away from reading my blog it must be that. So when Jay Thompson strolled into the shop early one Saturday morning cradling two beautifully looking Simon short boards my eyes lit up and my bank account felt the pain. This early bird was in that batch and out of the two felt best under the arm. It didn't even see the light of the shop floor it was straight out the back with my name on it. If you have ever had a ex pro's board before you know that they go at least 5 times better than any custom or stock board you have had in your life time. Over the years I have been lucky enough to surf the board's originally shaped for Jordy Smith, Jay Thompson and Jack Perry all high performance boards and all exceptional when put in the right conditions. This latest board from Jay was no exception. Once I had figured out what model it was I jumped on the net and did some research. This board was actually designed to be a small wave performance board but being stretched out this board turns into a high performance short board with a few things a small wave board have that really complement the board.

How it goes

High performance boards need to be surfed in high performance waves. Living on the surf coast its not always that you get the most ideal waves to surf your top end curvy surfboards. However the early bird although it a performance short board it has a slightly lower entry rocker making it more suited for the waves of Winki and Bells as those waves are a little flatter and you do not need the rocker that you do if you were surfing the hollow points of SE QLD. This lower entry rocker however doesn't take away from the performance of the board in hollow waves either as I found this board really came into its own when I was in Bali recently. Having surfed DHD surfboards for most of the year this was my first Simon in a while. I find with DHD's you take off take a high line then drop down to link into your bottom turn its more of a front foot kind of surfing or a neutral stance kind of surfing, Simons on the other hand are all back foot and I found this board loved to go straight to the bottom of the wave off take off come raring off the bottom straight back up into the lip. This worked perfectly in the points of the Bukit where as my DHD felt a little under gunned performance wise. (that may also be because the DHD I was riding before I jumped on this simon was a 1 inch step down not a performance short board) The boards nice tight rounded square tail meant it had a balanced amount of drive and release when you wanted to push it. I could surf the board in any from 3 to 4 foot Racetrack or Bingin to 4 to 6 foot Padang Padang and it held in well and performed well in all conditions. For me however if a board doesn't go well at my much loved Winki Pop it is a bit of a dud. Winki is kind of like my perfect testing ground as I know what section on the wave I want to do my turns on. This Simon loved Winki giving me plenty of speed down the line but not so much that it was hard to break my line and do a turn, it flowed from turn to turn well and released fins with control when I let it happen. This board would have to be up there with one of the better high performance boards I have had.

Whose it for

If your chasing a board with a little bit more paddle power than your normal short board just because you think the banana of a board you are riding is pushing water when you paddle then this is the board for you. With that low entry rocker your getting into waves earlier your getting up earlier your taking a line earlier your not having to drop out of the sky and let the rocker catch you on the curve of the wave. However it is a high performance short board so it is really for someone that wants a board for good days in the 4 to 6 foot range. It is a performance step up from your everyday friendly short board. For me I have the puzzle piece then the early bird. If you want to expand your quiver and have more than one board this is a good one to be looking at.

Ideal fin set up: I know i say AM2's in all my reviews but I try and range of fins in all my boards and they just seem to go best for me. Always try and surf different templates and see what best suits your surfing. 

Rating: 9 

Ideal waves: 3 to 6 foot 

Conditions: Offshore winds with a strong groundswell

Quiver's under the microscope: Redbull Decades

Redbull are the leader in action sports not only because they fuel there athlete's with sugar and caffeine but because they are always coming up with great ideas that push the sport of choice. They have had a high performance training centre for surfers built on a boat and placed in the middle of the mentawais islanders,they have custom made events to showcase the freeride aspect of a sport and lets not forget the guy that skydived from space... Here is another project from Redbull and in the surfing scheme of things it tops the class. Narrated by the always charismatic Chris Cote. The Redbull decades trip takes a handful of there best riders and throws them on a boat with a quiver of boards that showcase the best of the past present and future. If your into boards this is something you will thoroughly enjoy. EP1 EP2 Episodes are posted weekly so check back next week for the next episode!

Quivers under the microscope

The profile vid on Craig Anderson 'Slow Dance' show cases the conditions in which the Hypto Krypto can be put in. It not only shows the versatility of the Hypto it also shows off the whole Hayden range. It is a must watch. In this clip Craig runs through his quiver that is featured in the movie. Enjoy.

DHD's Puzzle Piece

Puzzle Piece (Swallow Tail)

Intro to board

Over the years I haven't had the best luck with boards from Darren Handley I would try the top fanning models over and over. To me and many others they went backwards, for some reason they didn't work on the flatter waves of Victoria. This bought me too the Puzzle Piece a bit of a flatter rocker and a little bit less going on than the usual DHD's I dwelled on this board for a long time. The hip to a wide square tail really bothered me and for a while I turned it away and thought it wasn't a good board. I had done a bit of research into the boards Jordy Smith was riding and he was riding a lot of swallow tails on boards like the New Flyer and the Rookie which to me have similar traits to the Puzzle Piece in rockers and bottoms curves. I decided to go out on a limb and grab a puzzle piece with a swallow tail and to my surprise it has come out perfect and it goes really well! 

How it goes

I have surfed this board in small Jan Juc to larger waves down the coast and beyond. This board has gone to Hawaii with me and just recently indo. The swallow tail in my mind gives you the best of both worlds as in it can give you the hold of a round tail but the release if you push it enough of a rounded square. This is because the swallow tail gives you a little bit of a extra rail length and the two points of the swallow are a lot easier to dig into the wave compared to a big chunky rounded square. However you still have the release of the rounded square because the width between the fins is the same as what it would be if you were to get the same size board in a rounded square tail.

Whose it for

This board is a bit of a smoky in the DHD range that not many people realise is a really good board. I compare this board to a JS Monsta or a CI Fred Rubble. It's a good all rounder that will go in most conditions perfect for your go to board. I like to think of a all rounder as a board you can just keep in the car and you always know you are going to get waves on it. This board fits the bill just perfectly. 

Ideal fin set up: The AM template or the MF template anything with a good combination of all the different aspects of a fin. A nice base a enough rake to draw out your turns but still up right enough to pivot in the beach breaks

Rating: 7.5 

Ideal wave size: 2 to 5 foot

Conditions: Offshore barrels to onshore slop

Dan Tomson's x Firewire Collab Vanguard

Vanguard

Intro 

To me if you are riding the same board everyday things start to get boring. I can't go a whole week surfing the same board let a lone a whole day sometimes. Thats why the vanguard jumped out at me as soon as it hit the market. I had seen Adam Robertson riding a few over the 6 months leading up to the time they were released. In my eyes the board under his feet looked insane. There was something about it that made it so stylish. Not to mention it actually went really well and as good as any other performance board. Initially I thought because of the size you had to go a few litres more than you normally would because the lack of paddle power in such a small board. I rode the 5'8 at first and it was way  to big for me. It felt like I was surfing a 6'4 and I wasn't convinced on the shape or design, honestly I was disappointed. The 5'6 really changed my mind on things

How it goes
The 5'6 paddled a lot better than first expected so I would recommend to anyone to get around the same volume in the vanguard as there normal short board and do not be scared of what the size is! I rode the board for a while as my standard short board and surfed it in close to every condition you can think of. Surprisingly it responded to everything I put it in from bells bowl to hollow bird rock. It did go its best in 2 to 3 foot waves with a nice shape. Waves like winki and rincon I found it performed best. One thing to be very wary of with this board is that it is surfed off the back foot. Its almost like surfing a snowboard in the way. I found that you have to be on rail at all times. This lets the board do the work with the flute channels between the fins giving you all the speed and drive because that is where all the water is directed through the single concave. However do not be worried that you won't be able to break your line. Because of the very curvy out line and the lack of size of the board it isn't hard to throw the board around like it is on other deep single con caved boards. The planing hull in the nose of the board helps with the paddle power. A very high performance board with a small sweet spot. You need to be able to shuffle and move your feet to find the perfect position on the board making it quite difficult to get used to.

Whose it for

I class this board as a high performance board and it isn't for everyone, you need to be able to have the ability to move around on the board and find the sweet spot. Its really a board that needs to be shuffled on. Perfect for someone who is sick of there standard short board and wants to ride something very different. I also see this board as a great travel board as it will almost go in everything you throw it in. A very high performance board though and I would only recommend it to good surfers.

Ideal fin set up: As big as you can push, because the area between each fin is so large you need a large rake on your fin to cover the area so there is no room for the board to skip out or be too loose. AM1 in the medium or AM2 or Jody in the Large are great fins.

Rating: 7

Ideal wave size: 2 to 3 foot

Conditions: Well shaped offshore waves

Hayden's Hypto Krypto

Intro

In terms of the retailer and selling many boards to one person the Hypto is horse s#@t. It is the quiver killer and the board that could eventually be the demise of the surfboard shop as we know it. For everyone else though its amazing! Like the Dumpster Diver before it it has changed the way people have looked at modern board design. Its the closest thing you can get to a one board quiver and Ando riding his a 8 foot Gland doesn't help the argument against that theory either. When I first started in the shop I think the Hypto Krypto was the first board that I demoed. It was something that caught my eye as I love the idea of a retro board with a performance side to it. If you look at it with no fins in it it is a 70's single fin shape a wide forward outline pulled into a tight pin tail, I have a few single fins lying around the house and the general outline is very similar!

How it goes

With that forward outline and plenty of foam under the chest there is no question that this board goes well in small waves. It glides across fat sections and with a very low entry rocker it paddles well and will get you into anything. Its the tail that gives this board its third dimension its a pulled in tight pin tail meaning it holds in all conditions especially the bigger waves where a board like this would normally skip out or become under gunned this board still finds a way to be drivey and hold in nicely. Thats why you see Ando surfing his as a barrel board because he gets in early and the tail holds. This is also why a lot of barrel boards have become smaller and wider but with a nice tight pin tail on them they fit into the barrel well and there is less board to fit into the pocket when doing turns also on a sucky wave. I surfed this board two days in a row firstly at Juc on a mushy 2 foot easterly day and it did everything i through at it. To my surprise the day after it also went really well in good 3 to 4 foot beacon held well in the barrel and turn well out on the face. I the one thing I found this board is limited in is going above the lip. Although i don't do it all that often the tail doesn't give you the lift to get the projection out of the lip like a wider tailed board does. 

Whose it for

Everyone! I haven't had one person to not like the Hytpo at some stage. Yes you can go through fazes on it where you want to be able to go more vertical or have more pivot off the bottom. However if you want a good cruisey board that goes along hits the lip holds well in a sucky wave and draws nice carves then the Hypto is something to have in the quiver. Anyone from a intermediate to a advanced surfer can jump on this board and have a lot of fun. Its one of those boards that I seem to talk a lot about that you can just throw in the car and know you will be able to get a wave on it. 

Ideal Fin setup : For optimal performance with this board it must be ridden with the WCT fins or the K2.1's I will explain more in fin section coming soon

Rating: 9

Ideal wave size: 2 to 5 foot

Conditions: Anything you put it in it will go in