Go Get It - Rusty Slayer

Board doctor died. It was clinical, it was dot pointed, it was bland. It took a few months to realise how to mix it up. Lots of reading, listening and asking questions gets us to this point. A fresh new board doctor with a different way of reviewing surfboards. Let's start with the positive side of things. 

Go Get It.

This is where I think you need to go out and get one of these boards. You should have it in your quiver or something like it and if you don't your missing out. There is no better board than the Rusty Slayer to start us off as I think that everyone needs a board like this in there quiver. 

Let me lay it out for you. Its 4 to 5 foot there is a stiff offshore breeze and its spitting all kinds of ocean floor. Your worried that you beloved go to short board could join the others in the carpark bin but your step up won't fit in the pit. You have a dilemma on your hands and the guy who didn't even think about what board he was going to take out just pulled into the wave of his life and got spat out with a piece of ocean floor spat onto the back of his head…… I would like to introduce you to the Rusty Slayer. Its a little bit short its a little bit stumpy but its back end is oh so refined. This little beauty will get you in the right place at the right time with the forward wide point and plenty of foam under the chest it will get you in as early as your 6'6 without having to take the drop. With the pulled in pin tail it will allow you to slip straight under the lip and hold on for glory. Yes I realise I make this out as a board solely made for surfing good barreling waves and it is. Your also probably thinking I don't have the coin to have a board for such a niche, but with like most boards with a wide point forward it can also turn it on in the mush. Think a more performance Hypto Krypto. Its fast, its versatile, it turns on a dime but it also holds in on the biggest barrels you can paddle yourself into. 

                                                          

      
    The rusty team putting the board through its paces in Hawaii. The fact the it can be thrown into reverse and spun around shows it isn't just a driving barrel machine. 
         

                       

      Josh Kerr giving the slayer a real challenge in Tahiti and getting a semi final berth.

Tight pulled in pin tail to hold in sucky barreling waves or for turn in small tight pockets essentially turning on a dime. 

           Wide forward point and fishy nose for getting in nice and early and giving you more time to set your line.

Go Get It.

Expert Opinion's

Expert Opinions

Let's be honest, I don't know everything about all the surfboards in the world. A lot of the time I gain my knowledge from listening closely to men and women who know more than I do. Listening is the best way to learn all the important things in life. But most importantly the best way to gain knowledge for your board knowledge. 

This leads us to my latest blog post, 'Expert Opinions' in these posts I will be asking the people who influence my surfing to give us a run down on one particular brand of surfboard. First cab of the rank is a man who has done it all; he has starred in a feature surf film, slogged it on the QS and he made the final of the Ripcurl Pro Bells Beach. If thats not a hefty resume, I don't know what is. If you haven't already guessed it, I'm talking about Adam Robertson, hailing from the humble town of Portland. He now resides in Torquay and is the high performance coach for Surfing Victoria. A lover of all types of surfboards like myself I have asked Adam to give us a run down on Santa Cruz based surfboard company 'Stretch Surfboards'. 

Enjoy. 

Alright so here we go.

This is me riding “the Thing” model.  From what I’ve ridden this has been my favourite board I’ve had from him.  It has also seemed like it is the most versatile as I’ve ridden it in waves from 1 - 6 foot and the board has still worked very well.

Adam Robertson-Kandooma from AR Elite Surf Coaching on Vimeo.

Adam Robertson riding a 6'1 Stretch from Rob Dog on Vimeo.

Basically there’s 2 types of waves that I’m riding in the clips.  Ranging from 2 - 5 foot.  All of mine I get as 5 fins. Stretch is really known for his quads but I still go the 5 fin placement, just so the boards got 2 chances of being a good one.  Plus it just gives me more options and a new feeling in an old board when I flick the fins around.

The footage above of Winki is all on a 3 fin with a DL template fin which is an Andy Irons fin in the “Kinetic” range.  This is probably my favourite fin on all my boards.  However I have had some recent success with the less raked K fin in all my Stretch’s.

The footage from the Maldives is a combination of 3 and 4 fins.  I would say 80% of the waves in the Maldives footage is on a quad.  Back fins are a little small but it’s hard to notice on the footage.

The link above is of Bruce and Nathan.  I believe they’re riding a 2x4 model.  I think Nathans is the Cork Veneer model which I’ve heard are basically indestructible. They seem like they have a little more area up front, maybe built for waves like Tahiti or a wave with a lot of up and go which would work at Winki with a nice big wall. I haven't surfed a 2 x4 but is one I will be looking at in the future as the outline intrigues me as board you could surf as a squashed down gun perfect for waves like Winki and Gland where you need to create high amounts of down the line speed. 

ANALOG - NATHAN FLETCHER -LAVESE LOS MANOS from rook productions media on Vimeo.

The next link is a Nathan Fletcher movie which I think he made when he bust his pelvis surfing pipe.  But it’s a great movie to see a bunch of Stretch boards in all kinds of conditions.  I believe Nathan only rides Quads and I’m assuming most of this footage is on a Fletcher 4. 

Adam-Stretch 6'2 Quad from Rob Dog on Vimeo.

The above link is me surfing a 6’2 Fletcher 4 quad.  I got this board made for Hawaii at the end of 2011.  Board still goes SICK.  I don’t think it’s as versatile as my “Thing” but it’s still a really solid board,  It seems to like a wave with a little more push.  It probably took me almost 2 years to find a really good fin set up with this board.  Now I’ve found it I find the board goes a lot better in more types of waves.  It doesn’t really spin out and is a really solid board when I’m in potentially a hairy spot on the wave.  

Robbo.

Superbrand's The Fling

Superbrand's The Fling 

                                                                                                                                       

Intro

There have been a number of boards over the years that have been designed as small wave grovellers, that are overly wide and thick to get you going when its one foot. It has been hard to find a balance between performance and fun in these boards. Some have been dogs just for the fact they do not have enough performance in them. Some don't go that well in the smaller waves due to having too much performance. It has taken me some time to find one that I really enjoy riding and want to jump on. That was the case until Super brand threw a remarkably cheap staff price in front of me, this tempted me to invest in their latest small wave creation the 'fling'. A small wide quad with your traditional short board shape. This board hit the nail on the head in the bid to find the middle ground between fun and performance in these small wave boards. I have been more than impressed with were this board is willing to go on a wave regardless of how wide the tail is.

How it goes

The problem for so many years with these wide short fat boards is they loved to skip down the line taking high lines and getting as much speed as possible, however due to the wide nose and wide tail it was hard to put the board on rail because of the short rail length and the amount of surface area on the water it was very easy to bog down when doing a cutback. Not to mention the added influence of the quad fin which is initially designed for drawing out your turns and getting as much speed as possible. In saying all that though this board surprised me in its ability to go a lot more vertical that some of the other small wave boards I have used in the past. This performance comes from the outline curve in the board which is very similar to traditional short board. The curvy outline mixed with a nice wide diamond tail gives you plenty of pivot off the bottom to counteract the drawn out drive that the quad fin produces when put on rail. This makes for a fun small wave board to keep you going through summer without having to lose anything performance in your surfing when having to jump to a groveller. In saying that do not get stuck on a board like this. Because anything over three foot this type of board including the fling which has a touch more performance than your baked potatoes and sperm whales is going to slide out. The wide tail in these boards creates a lot of area for water to move about within the fins so in waves of power and size there is too much space between each fin for the water to push your fins off track. This is why, in bigger sucky waves of consequence, you will notice most people ride tight round pin tails where the cluster of fins is very close together. The less room for water to move between the fins the less chance you have of sliding out because your fins aren't big enough. 

Who is if for

If you are sick of grovelling through summer on your small wave performance board but you hate surfing a wide fat alternative board this is one to look at, it has the paddle and the get up and go of those small little grovellers but it still has the ability to go top to bottom and throw the tail around when you like it to. At the right size I can see this board having the ability to be useful to someone of all skill levels just due to the fact that even at 5'4 the stock dimensions are over 20 wide. All the surface area in a board like that in the right size will even give a beginner the opportunity to have fun and catch plenty of waves. A perfect board for a summer fling. 

Ideal fin set up

FCS2 AM2 Quad set

Rating 

8

Ideal Wave size

1 to 3 foot

Conditions

Clean points to junky mush

The explanation

Stress and life can get the better of us at times. Recently that has been me, although I have still been drinking plenty of beers and surfing a heap I have been under the stress of moving jobs and trying to settle into a new environment. It was like going to high school again not knowing where to go not knowing the people or how the place runs. We can all remember how nerve racking that was. Never fear though it has now been three weeks at the 'curl' I feel as though I know enough to focus some time back into being my beloved boardDoctor.

This is the soul reason I have been I have been unable to upload content. Do not be worried though I have been surfing more than ever. Hour lunch breaks rock! I have been surfing different boards and there is a heap of stuff on the way. Well maybe. If your lucky.... Stay tuned and in the  mean time enjoy this original teaser for 5'5 19 1/4 Redux. Still to this date an amazing movie.





P.S I ticked something off the wish list hehe ;) (stay tuned for a review on that one!)

Wish List

Wish List No. 3 - Hand Shaped Al Merrick

                I have been racking my brain in search of what should be next on my wish list, what do I really want? Something that is in the back of many people's mind but not at the top of the list. Then it came to me.

A hand shaped Channel Islands surf board my the man himself Al Merrick. Al from all reports has not shaped in just under a decade and if you were to get a hand shape from the man himself it would again be something you would want to cherish. For in years to come it would become a collectors item not just for the fact that he is one of the greatest shapers to have ever lived but for the fact that he was the man behind the enigma that is Kelly Slater. Slater has rode Al's shapes from day dote and as we all know is one of the greatest athletes around, racking up an overwhelming 11 world titles. Lets not shy away from the fact however the Al also has shaped for the best of the best over the years. Please do not forget as well as the fact that you wouldn't want to let this bad boy go because of its sentimental value the board would also most definitely be a keeper because I mean it was hand shaped by one of the greatest shapers in the world. That's why it is on the wish list at Number 3

Enjoy here Slater and Reynolds going 'HAM' at Rincon 

  

Superbrand's Siamese Palm Viper

Siamese Palm Viper

Intro

You know when you go to a shop to feel that one board over and over again and you can't really decide if you like it or not but every time you pick it up there is just something about it? Just something that makes you curious as to how it may go. If you have ever like myself eventually bit the bullet and bought that board, you too will know the feeling of relief that you get once you paddle into that first wave, when it bites and drives. It goes and does exactly what you wanted it to do. You will know how I felt when i grabbed this board off the rack from the guys at Superbrand and it actually went amazing after I had felt it for all those months wondering what if? This board is from the minds of Dion Agius and the shapers collective formally known as Superbrand. It answered all my questions and did what I wanted it to do as a small wave groveller but it also did much more than I expected it would in waves of slight consequence. 

How it goes

From what I have read Dion had a quiver of boards some more suited for airs and some more suited for turns. He wanted a board that did the lot. He found a good combination in SPV. It has the ability to throw down some serious rail work but you also get the feeling that if you really pushed it. the small piece of glass and foam under your feet would sore above most sections with ease (unless your like me and struggle to even get air on a trampoline). This board looks from the outset to be a standard short board but there a few aspects that make it more of a step down performance board than a high performance board. It has a flattened rocker to enhance your paddle power to get into the smaller gutless waves. It also has a forward wide point which makes the board get up and go through the flat spots without having to bounce, the combination of the flat rocker and forward wide point lend to Dion's air side of the board design. The flat rocker and forward outline gives the board the ability to generate its own down the line speed which lends to being able to throw caution to the wind over the hairiest of sections. This may sound like just a air guys board at the moment and I know you rail workers out there are thinking why am I even reading about this. Which leads me to the tail end of the board. The SPV from the forward outline back pulls into a well refined rounded square tail, this tight tail gives the board drive without giving away on the release that you need for the more radical maunouvres. The 'V' out the tail is also what tends toward the guys who have more of a rail game. The 'V' makes a board tip rail to rail with ease and with a lot of foam in the forward half having the 'V' out the tail helps to be able to break the line due to having a fair bit of swing weight up front. The combination of the tight round square with the 'V' out the tail makes this board a good all rounder that gets going on the front foot with a friendly forward half of the board with a very refined tail end. I look at the board as Dion's take on the Hayden shapes 'Hypto Krypto' however it has a more top to bottom feel due the the rounded square which gives you a pivot point to bank off to go straight up into the lip. I have had my most success on this board in waves from 2 to 4 foot and a light onshore so you have a bit of a lip to bash and launch off. 

Whose it for

This is a high performance small wave short board for some and a good all rounder for others. If you are competing on a regular basis and are finding you have to battle to perform in the smaller waves on your standard short board this is a board to consider it has as laminated much throughout this article a best of both worlds feel to it. It will give you the ability to go to the air with also being very reliable on rail. With the current change in criteria and the constant barrier breaks in competitive surfing it is most definitely something have in the quiver. On the other hand however this board because of how refined the tail is also, would work for most averages joe's as an all rounder with the ability to get into waves early you don't need a whole heap of rocker because you slide straight into the pocket of the wave instead of using the rocker in the board to take the drop. I would classify this board a long with many others that I have talked about as a board that you can just 'throw in the car' and know you are going to get waves.

Ideal fin set up

FCS2 Accelerators

Rating 

8.5

Ideal wave size

2 to 4 foot

Conditions

Light onshore 

Wish List

Number 2 on the wish list is a board from Ellis Ericson under the brand name 'Sun Flower Surfboards'.

Through the evolution of the 'Hipster' trend has come the revival of hand shape's, single fins and long hair. At the forefront of this movement years before it had become popular was Ellis Ericson travelling throughout Indonesia shaping his own single fins and having the time of his life. Having the backing of RVCA behind him to chase perfect waves around the world all while shaping and having a good time has given Ellis's hand shaped board brand 'Sun Flower Surfboards' a world renowned name with former pro surfers Rob Machado and Tom Curren enjoying his shapes as much as the next hipster.

Spending most of his time in Bali if he is not travelling around the world it can be quiet hard to nail him down and get him to shape you a board.

This again like most that will be on this list is the kind of board you will never want to let go. Having a single fin is a must. Perfect for a nice summers day on a fun beachies or a firing point break in winter. It is always a good board to have in the quiver and a Sun Flower surfboard should be the top of your list if you are in the market for a single fin.

Ellis surfing his own boards on the East Coast of Bali

Enjoy.



Ellis Ericson | Bali from RVCA on Vimeo.

Wish List

This is a new segment on boardDoctor. These are the boards that are good enough to take a loan out on. Well lets be serious you wouldn't really but you would think about it, hence the idea of the wish list. If you are to get your hands on one. Keep it and never let it out of your sights, these boards are timeless.

Number 1 on the list a Campbell Brothers bonzer.

The 4 plus 1 set up on the board looks divine and surfs even better. Taylor Knox in Mexico gives you a lesson on how to ride one.

Watch and learn.

Enjoy.


 
Taylor Knox - 5 Fin Bonzer - Mexico from Campbell Brothers Surfboards on Vimeo.

Channel Island's Neck Beard

Neck Beard

Intro

Just like the rest of you I too have had a Al Merrick obsession, I mean it would be rude not to all the best surfers in the world surf his boards. Slater, Reynolds, Curren just to name a few. Stranger than fiction and Modern Collective where on repeat on my computer and I needed a new groveller. Dane Reynolds had just bought out the dumpster diver and the neck beard after it. Dane's end section in Modern Collective blew my mind with the tweaked out airs he was throwing down in mexico on a NECK BEARD. I needed one. Weeks went by and it just so happened the town Al Merrick froth lord himself Timmy Wright had a neck beard that was a tad to big. Perfect I didn't need to fork out for a new one. Strapped for cash at the time I saved up and bought the beast. The wide chop tail and the straight outline was so ugly that I loved it (this board starting my craze on alternative shapes) not only did it look good it also went amazing in the small surf exactly the kind of board that I was chasing. I was sad to let this board go but over time you fall out of love with boards and starting at Torquay Surf didn't help with my relationship with the Neck Beard. 

How it goes

Let's just get this straight a wide tail on a surfboard means more area between the fins which in turn means more room for the water to get between the fins and makes it easier for the fins to release. in small waves you can't go wrong with a wide tail. The board gets picked up by the wave earlier and easier because of the surface area of the tail hitting the tail nice and early and then it makes it easy to throw the fins around in turns as in small waves there is not as much push as a larger wave. Hence why the Neck Beard couldn't really handle anything over 4 foot. Too much water would be getting between the fins and with the power of the wave it would create the fins to slip and slide without the surfer wanting this to happen. This is why many people surf wide tailed as quads but that is a whole different story for a whole different board which is coming soon stay tuned ;) I found with the wide chop tail on the neck beard with a thruster set up and the right fins this board how a lovely amount of drive and release. However as stated before once the wave got a bit of power and size it became very skatie and hard to surf. I would often find myself skipping out on bottom turns and top turns just because there was way to much tail area for the waves I was surfing in. The wide forward outline mixed with the wide tail is perfect for small waves though, this board will grovel 1 foot mush without fail and make you feel like your surfing a short board on a 3 foot wave with the amount of lift and speed you get out of the tail. I found it went the best out 2 to 3 foot Rincon where its hitting the reef perfectly so you have a perfect wall running all the way to the beach. It was those conditions I had the most fun on this board.

Whose it for

Do you skate? Do you like to fly down the line and throw fins and reverses? This is the board for you in small waves. With the wide tail giving you so much lift and drive you can get a amazing about of speed down the line. The width of the board also then gives you the perfect landing platform so if your feet do happen to move around throughout the manoeuvre (which they will) you have plenty of room to make a mistake. I am not much of a air guy but this is the one board I came even remotely close to stomping a air. Don't get me wrong though this board also carves really well much better than you would expect. The 'V' out the tail gives the board this ability because generally a wider board can be quite hard to get rail to rail without the 'V' but with the 'V' out the tail this board is quite the carver and for myself as more of a rail guy it worked perfectly as a groveller.

Ideal fin set up: EA side fins with a AM2 rear

Rating: 7

Ideal wave size: 1 to 4 foot

Conditions: Onshore to glassy conditions

Adam Robertson // 3 Peat

3 Peat Simon Anderson from AR Elite Surf Coaching on Vimeo.


Adam Robertson putting the 3 Peat through its paces on a fun day at Winki Pop....




Enjoy.

Simon Anderson's 3 Peat

3 peat

Intro

The original thruster with a modern twist this board has a story to how it got under my feet. There was a big lead up into ordering this board. It was in the Bells carpark where the 3 peat first caught my eye. Toby Martin was showing it off to everyone in the marshalling area. The outline intrigued me especially the flyer to wider squash tail. Time went by and one turned up in the shop, it was for team rider Adam Robertson. It was ordered in memory of the original board that Simon surfed in the 81 Bells contest, Adam's dad surfed a lot of boards similar to this also so this board had sentimental value for Adam. The tip off the edge of the cliff to order this board however was when I was in Bali and the late great Al Byrne passed away the 'god father' of the channel bottom surfboard. I ordered this board in memory of him. Channel bottoms are now few and far between but once you have one you will not let it go.

How it goes

With the 80's style surfboard I was wary of the amount of volume that would be in it. It has a very boxy rail on it that runs from nose to tail. So the dimensions I went with was 5'11 x 19 3/4 x 2 3/8 just to watch how thick the rail would be as I personally don't like a super boxy rail on my boards. Having channels in it I haven't been able to surf this board much because I believe channels should only be surfed in good waves. However I did get to give it a good run before the summer slop arrived. I received the board just before the last good swell in October. The board did exactly what I wanted it to do chase the barrel and fly down the line. It was so fast down the line but I found it quite difficult to break my line as channels make a board very stiff so I decided to put a smaller fin it and it brought it to life. Fast down the line, nice in the barrel but easy to break the line on. The hip just above the front fins gives you a nice pivot point to be able to go straight up into the lip when you want to and break the already stiff bottom shape of the due to the belly channels. Just like did it did in the 80's this board goes really well at Bells and Winki with its speed down the line being vital in being able to get round sections but the channels give you the grip you need to use that speed through your turns. I am really excited to take it overseas to places like Uluwatu and the right hand points of Mexico where I can see this board really excelling.

Whose it for  

This is a specialty board, I would not recommend it for just anyone and I wouldn't just give it to someone as a every day short board. It's the type of board that you throw in the quiver if you want to jump on something a little bit different from time to time, its like surfing something a little bit more traditional without surfing a twin fin or a single fin.  It's a good wave board and I like to jump on it after I have surfed my traditional short board for a few weeks in good waves. It's a great board to jump on when you want to challenge yourself by mixing up the lines that you already  take out places like Winki and Bells (if your from around here that is). If you are a little bit sick of your short board and want to know how it feels to ride a channel bottom, this is a good board to jump on without giving away to much performance.

Ideal fin set up

SA3 fins slightly smaller than my usual AM2 fin set up. Go a touch smaller than your usual fin set up.

Rating

7.5

Ideal wave size

2 to 4 foot

Conditions 

Glassy clean conditions with nice shape