SurferMag Message Boards: She'll be a Fine Vessel

Ok so I met up with Ryan and Herbie to pick up the minisim. I’m so stoked with the way this board came out. Every curve blends into the next. Ryans take on the rails are different from others that I’ve seen out there. Not really angular but more of a subtle curve from the stringer down to where it tucks. Very pleasing to the eye. I don’t know if the velo tail adds anything. Maybe less rail line, but it looks pretty cool.

Ryan couldn't be a nicer guy. I’m sure he had a million other things going on but he gave me a tour of his shops, showed me some new designs he’s working on and some video clips of some boards in action.

I raced down to a nearby point break to get this thing in the water. The board paddles as you might expect from a 23x3” board. Easy. It reminds me of a fineline GB with the spoon nose. The first few waves the board felt a little sluggish, I think I was just trying to cruise on it like a longboard. On maybe my third wave I looked down to see if my back foot was on the tail. Not even close. I was way in front of the fins, so I moved back and the board just took off. A nice set wave with a little wall to it came through. I had to get going in a hurry to make the section so I really pushed off the tail and it just flew. I just can’t believe how loose and skatey this thing is. I was jamming down the line while doing these tight little s-turns up and down the face building up more speed with every turn. I surfed for another 2 hrs and I had a blast.

2nd session:
I surfed HB this morning in chest high slopey waves with reforms to the inside. This board was just flying through the reforms and connecting to the inside with very little effort. I’m already addicted to the amount of speed you can generate and I don’t think I’m even close to its potential. A guy was paddling out and saw one of my rides. He was tripping out thinking I was surfing on a skimboard. I was taking off on these against the grain rights that looked like closeouts but I was able to just float over one section to the next and do these swooping turns top to bottom, going faster with each turn right through the reforms to the shorebreak. I took a few lefts and I did have trouble with it backside but I’m still getting used to it.

When I ordered this I was hoping for a small wave cruiser. But all a can think about is how far I can push this. I can’t get over the speed. I’ll report back after a few more sessions, but needless to say I’m stocked.

Thank you Ryan

and herbie

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the problem is choice