McCoy Nuggets

[wurfysurfy]

thanks Archy,good to know your experiences.Yes, agree ....all boards go well in good waves....or should.i've had hundreds and only a few havent gone well in good waves,so they got punted.the PB should go pretty good in poor waves though, mine does.the flat rocker gets in early and the extra width picks up all the energy of not so good waves.its the closest thing to a fish that mCoy does.Have u considered taking the trail fin off and adding quads, this will eliminate the drag of the thrusterfin which obviously increases speed and the looseness feels great.
i also agree with your view of some of mCoys theories being ?????,its just one persons opinion.Each individual feels the surfing sensations in different ways, so to categorically condemn a design is silly.A more realistic approach is to say a design doesnt suit your surfing.
However, i do see plenty of waveriders that would benefit from more foam, plenty are disadvantaged by the "anorexic" objects Also, i see lots of wave catchers that are on big boards that they cant ride properly.Both these sorts of people should be riding boards like the nugget design.
McCoy is correct though with his thoughts that these 2 categories of surfers are influenced by media telling them that 1/ride anorexic 2/ride longboards.A vast majority cant ride either to anywhere near the limits, but woulds have loads more fun on a NUGGETY style "object"

[Archy_is_God]

Yea, I don't wanna sound like a cynical old fart or anything, but sometimes the McCoy marketing, intentional or unintentional, is a little much...

On a different note, I've noticed Ryan Lovelace has been experimenting with round-bottomed, wide point back singlefins in California. It appears he was looking for a midlength with a different feel and the resulting outline is eerily similar to a Nugget:



More here: http://peathead.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/ ... onder.html

Some good vids of the board in action, too:

http://vimeo.com/29904032

I don't think Ryan cribbed the idea for a minute, but it's cool to see the outcome is similar... There must be something in that line of thinking!

[MrMik]

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More here: http://peathead.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/ ... onder.html

Some good vids of the board in action, too:

http://vimeo.com/29904032

I don't think Ryan cribbed the idea for a minute, but it's cool to see the outcome is similar... There must be something in that line of thinking!

He grocked it! (As per Robert Heinlein's "Stranger in a strange land" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grok

“The v.Bowls gives you a different waveriding perspective,” he said. “It has challenged and freed my mind. It does unique things that other boards won’t. It glides and drives off the bottom superbly. It definitely wants to be in the bowl, and the bowl is where all the magic happens...."

Nice wave in the video, that level of surfing is what I can often achieve and is enough to stoke me thoroughly.

Now I wonder what the v.Bowl does when the wave size doubles or triples...

[wurfysurfy]

well, judging from what happened on a 2 footer,the same will happen on a larger wave.those pinched rails will dig,it'll flow when in trim but wheres the trim spot?he rode it well.Nice fluid surfer but the board needed mCoy rails for a start."FREED my MIND"....sound familiar? ? ?

[kayu]

http://vimeo.com/29904032
....I'm not playing the critic here.....but that footage is rather ordinary........nowhere close to the performance of a Mccoy of similar #'s...... ....what gives?

[wurfysurfy]

its a 7/10 single, in gutless point surf.Maybe a competent mCoy rider on a similarly sized board could have done better.Apart from digging the pinched rail in the cutback,the rider did quite well...imo.maybe he needed a WOODY !

[wurfysurfy]

might add that even though the outline of the V-watever is like a nugget thats the only similarity.the shaper is a HULLman,so the bottom is curved right up to the rail.HELLova lot more roll than a mCoy, the foil and thickness is different as well.a 7/11 surftech would have ridden those waves as fluenty and avoided the rail catch.OH, they are made in Asia and are excellent boards in the right conditions!

[Archy_is_God]

Yes, foil, thickness and rails very, very different to a Nugget... Certainly more from Hull lineage than anything else, as you say.

I just thought it was interesting to see how, in a relatively short space of time, the way that board had developed (with the inspiration being from Lynch's late 60s/early 70s boards) to have a narrower nose and more rearward foil and planshape in a similar way to a McCoy. Two paths leading to a similar place, as it were... Grokked, indeed! What a great word!

The idea wasn't to really compare the performance with Nuggets; there are undoubtedly far 'higher performance' craft that could be used as an example of what can be achieved on the same waves, as any clip of Dane Reynolds, Bobby Martinez or Tom Curren surfing Rincon will attest....

Still, it looked like a fun board to ride to me. If a midlength singlefin Nugget draws similar lines, then I would be keen to try one.

Anyone have any video?

Edit: I remember seeing footage of Cheyne riding an 8ft single in the 'Learn to Surf' video he did a few years back. Looked like good fun, actually.

[MrMik]

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Anyone have any video?

Edit: I remember seeing footage of Cheyne riding an 8ft single in the 'Learn to Surf' video he did a few years back. Looked like good fun, actually.

I have Cheynes Learn 2 Surf video, there are about 5 or 6 short sections in which he rides an 8' McCoy with single winged keel fin.

The most striking difference to the way the v.bowl is shaped (and surfs in the above video) is that there seems to be no safety margin (or forgiveness) in the nose rocker. The surfer on the v.bowl does a good job not pearling the board while keeping the nose just above the glassy water, but it looks to me like any small mistake, or bumpy waves, would sink the nose.
McCoy boards have a pronounced nose rocker that makes it very unlikely that they would nose-dive.

I'm really itching to find out how the Zot goes, but the surf has gone utterly flat. Like a pancake. With light offshore winds, just to rub it in...grrrr

I'd like to see Geoff surf - any idea at what breaks he is likely to show up In Byron Bay?

Anyone interested in meeting on the Gold Coast to take turns videoing McCoy boards in action?

[kayu]

.....in two minds about "hulls" (as they're refered to)........I like that style of surfing , but it does seem to have its performance limits...my go-to is a roll bottom pig, either side of 9ft.......probly why I relate to McCoys , which have a similar dynamic happening on the bottom....

[wurfysurfy]

nuggets AKA mini pigs, thats exactly how i describe them.a proven template since the 50's(thanks Dale).as opposed to flik stiks(modern shortboards)which are just minature guns.
i met Cheyne in the surf in 84,he was riding the dark blue board with southern cross spray.his fin was the first winged keel, and he was travelling N to go in the stubbies comp.at easter he won bells in tiny waves using the same board.his mate had Cheynes previous board(single fin zap).Cheynes board wasnt a McCoy, but had a nugget tail.the nose was a bit like the old sideslipper noses, kinda like a narrow squash tail,almost square with rounded off edges.i was told that board is at the mexican restaurant at Bodalla,which is the area that Cheyne was living at then.
MIK, get the zot ready for the S swell thats arriving this weekend.should be good waves to test it in.

[wurfysurfy]

mCoy surfs Broken Head if the winds still or west,if its S you will find him on the inside banks at the Pass

[glamarama]

That's unhealthy.

[MrMik]

MIK, get the zot ready for the S swell thats arriving this weekend.should be good waves to test it in.

The board is ready alright... ... but I don't yet trust the forecast for a large southern swell to be happening this weekend. Hopefully I'm wrong about that.

I'm pondering to go on a surfari toward Byron and Broken Head, if the wind is not too strong and cold for camping.

[MrMik]

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Anyone have any video?
...

Allright then, if I must....someone has to do it...I went to extreme measures and arranged for a world class surf spot to be emptied of all other surfers, so the McCoy board is easy to spot. I managed to arrange this feat by buying my second custom board in 17 years of surfing, and promptly the surf went flat. Sorry.....
But at least that allowed me to single-handedly get some Zot video for you....but it's the most uninspiring surf video ever!

I took the new Zot for its maiden voyage today and I got Burleigh Heads all to myself, thanks to the epic <1ft conditions. And that's why I know that the guy in the video is me.

The Coastalwatch Surfcam caught the action, but it did not select the fabulous waves I caught for the replay. Silly machine!
The 5pm replay from today shows me sitting around waiting and it gives a good indication of how small the waves were. The replays only show 2min out of every hour.


It looks like this and not much else happens in the video....

Surfcam screenshot.jpg (91.21 KiB) Viewed 547 times

But the camera also takes a still shot every 4min, and at 448pm, the camera took a stillshot that shows me taking off on the wave of the day!

Zot first wave 448pm.jpg (82.65 KiB) Viewed 548 times

It may not look like much, but I had a ball! The Zot even catches waves that are too small to ride, meaning I managed to get to my feet on a few waves that simply disappeared again within 1 or 2 seconds. I think it catches waves better than my 9' longboard.
It caught almost every wave I paddled for.

Something else that stood out was that the Zot turns much better during paddling than any other board I've had. There is not much need to stop paddling out, to sit up, swing around and start to paddle again. The board practically pivots while paddling, without loosing as much speed as other boards. Great for moving in a nice continuous arc "straight" from paddling out into a takeoff.

On the longest ride I got (about 10-15m) the Zot trimmed very nicely into the micro-pocket. It went right to where the barrel would have been on a bigger wave and just held the right speed needed to stay there for as long as the wave went. I assume it was the wave caught in the still-image above.

So, I'm very happy with the Zot so far, and I certainly do not share the concerns that some other surfers have written about, i.e. that the Zot does not go well in small waves. Mine certainly does! That probably has something to do with it's size (7'1'', apparently the largest Zot that Geoff shapes).

Stoked, Mik

[Archy_is_God]

Stoked! Burleigh to yourself as well!

Do you think the wave shape would be important, or is simply too early to tell?

[cricket]

MrMik, thanks for your updates etc. I'm moving down from a longboard myself and given that my age, skills, surfing frequency and all the rest are at the poorer end of the scale, the 'high volume' shorter (7ft ish) boards have caught my eye; including the nugget and, now maybe, the zot. So your posts have been very useful. Glad you have made it to internet camera fame!

[MrMik]

Stoked! Burleigh to yourself as well!

Do you think the wave shape would be important, or is simply too early to tell?

Rather too late...

I'm afraid I'm not going to be very "objective" about the Zot - I like it too much already.

[MrMik]

Well, believe it or not, yesterday I got Kirra to myself....1ft waves just in front of the hut, glassy and very fast. I managed to catch a few.

It was particularly handy that the Zot turns so well while paddling, this definitively helps to seamlessly catch waves while paddling out, particularly when taking off at an angle.

First I had tried my luck at Greenmount until I got too cold with all that wind, but the only way to take off was to risk hitting a nasty rock. There were 2 or 3 longboarders and a shortboarder who were keen enough to take off on the 1-2ft waves and managed to avoid the rock, but I chickened out every time. If anything went wrong, then board and rider would get thrown squarely onto the rock....

Today there were finally some decent sized waves. I spent a few hours in up to about head-high waves out the back and later just in front of Greenmount hill. It was not exactly a wave feast, but I caught a few good ones. The Zot handled very well, it did nothing unexpected and did everything I wanted (within my limited capabilities). No issues at all. It caught everything that I had the guts to paddle into, unless I had misjudged the wave and I would not have caught the wave on anything else, either.

On one wave I had to push unexpectedly hard (with my rear foot?? - am not even sure) to make a big forehand turn tight enough to avoid the pack of surfers sitting in the way, but the board did turn and go where I wanted it to go. I think that a tiny adjustment of the fin (forward) might improve that. The fin was set right in the centre of the box. But maybe that's normal for doing powerful turns on a single fin board compared to the thrusters that I'm used to?

The board felt very stable during take-offs and is was not affected much by chop and strong offshore wind.

And best of all: It duck-dives quite well! At least sometimes... However, I need to be relatively rested to pull off duckdives, it will not work with rubbery arms after a couple of hours of surfing.

[MrMik]

One more thing to mention in praise of the Zot: I think this is the perfect size board for me (187cm, 6'2''), at least for now and until I start to shrink with old age.

The reasons for this are all related to the fact that this board packs so much volume but uses very little space to do it.
In other words, it's the biggest surfboard that I can drag around without it causing particularly bothersome problems.

At 22'' wide it fits perfectly under my arm. Anything wider will be uncomfortable to carry for long distances, or while climbing rocks etc. at hard to get to surf spots.
22'' width is also about the most that can be put into a medium sized car, without impeding with gear stick, handbrake etc. The seat belt still goes around it and stops it from turning into a danger in an accident.

The length of the board is also perfect for the car: I don't need to take the passenger head rests off or even lay the driver seat flat to get the board in and out of the car. That saves time to make quick before or after work surfing sessions more feasible. The removable fin is fabulous for that as well, particularly with the snap-in version that takes literally a second to install or remove.

Gullwing fin.JPG (11.6 KiB) Viewed 448 times

It's so much quicker and easier than roof-racks for a longboard, and less risky wrt theft.
I could easily pack two Zots of this size into my medium sized car, probably three. I can get two Nuggets in, but because of the fins it's a lot harder to do and I think two is the limit. I need to remove and then replace headrests, lay seats flat etc to get the Nuggets in.

The board length (7'1'') seems ideal to me for my height, because with comfortably outstretched arm I can grab a firm hold of the nose when I am in the perfect paddling position. Great for getting tubed prone on smallish waves, or for staying on the sweet spot when engulfed in big whitewater, until you shoot out of the front of the wave again. Or just to double check for correct paddling position when it's chaotic and the wind will barely let me open my eyes.

So I'm very happy with the Zot all around and will use it pretty much exclusively for a while, except for when swapping boards so that others can have a go on it.

Keep surfing, Mik

[wurfysurfy]

MIK, its great u like your ZOT!always good to be stoked with a new board.However, ive swapped between my 6/8x22x3(1/8) AZ and my other mCoy 3 and 4 finners and find the performance rather bland in comparison.the convenience of the single fin Mcoys is great.i'll continue to ride my ZOT in small waves but when the waves are good you have 2 better options with both your thrusters.Also, seeing you wanted to get the sensation of a 1 finner,have u considered a quad?Both of your 3finners would be OK to convert.

[revolutionsurfer]

Yea, I don't wanna sound like a cynical old fart or anything, but sometimes the McCoy marketing, intentional or unintentional, is a little much...

On a different note, I've noticed Ryan Lovelace has been experimenting with round-bottomed, wide point back singlefins in California. It appears he was looking for a midlength with a different feel and the resulting outline is eerily similar to a Nugget:



More here: http://peathead.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/ ... onder.html

Some good vids of the board in action, too:

http://vimeo.com/29904032

I don't think Ryan cribbed the idea for a minute, but it's cool to see the outcome is similar... There must be something in that line of thinking!

Nice looking. Enjoyed the vids. A little hipster, but I still liked it.

[revolutionsurfer]

0.jpeg (112.52 KiB) Viewed 409 times

GP shaped for Reese custom.

[Archy_is_God]

Looking forward to seeing the finished article.

Single or multi fin?

On a different note, how would you size up a boatnose winged keel? Same height as yourself or a little smaller/bigger depending on weight/skill?

[MrMik]

MIK, its great u like your ZOT!always good to be stoked with a new board.However, ive swapped between my 6/8x22x3(1/8) AZ and my other mCoy 3 and 4 finners and find the performance rather bland in comparison.the convenience of the single fin Mcoys is great.i'll continue to ride my ZOT in small waves but when the waves are good you have 2 better options with both your thrusters.Also, seeing you wanted to get the sensation of a 1 finner,have u considered a quad?Both of your 3finners would be OK to convert.

The reason for buying the Zot was some stiff competition for the use of my 7'2'' Nugget, but only in small waves. The groms love that board!

Once the waves get too big for the groms, I'll have full access to my quiver. After a bit of time on the single fin, I should be able to understand much better what the thruster setup does.

I'm reading through Nick Carrols "Surfing your best Vol2" at the moment, and one recommendation he makes is to surf a single fin for a week to get rid of certain bad habits. I'm sure it will take longer than a week for me.

I think I have figured out why it felt like i needed more force than I expected on the forehand bottom turn: This was simply a case of "g-forces" in an unusually powerful turn (for me). The crowd getting in the way forced me to go harder than I usually would, and the board let me do it. I'm just not very used to how hard one has to push with both legs in a big powerful bottom turn. It was not the board that was hard to turn, it was rather that the forces created by the board turning hard needed quite some effort to overcome.

[revolutionsurfer]

Looking forward to seeing the finished article.

Single or multi fin?

On a different note, how would you size up a boatnose winged keel? Same height as yourself or a little smaller/bigger depending on weight/skill?

Single all the way. On Boat nosed. We have sized up quite a few. last one was 6'8'' and had a 19.5 tail. Guy loved it, but wanted to go smaller after riding it only a couple of times. He is now selling it. That board would float a much bigger surfer than he is. If you are in good shape go about your height. If bigger or not in great paddling shape go a bit longer. I don't like them much over 6'6'' though my personal is 6'8''. I'll be going 6'4'' with the next one. Pretty much like Geoff's advice. They ride best on top of the water.

[MrMik]

MIK, ... seeing you wanted to get the sensation of a 1 finner,have u considered a quad?Both of your 3finners would be OK to convert.

My capabilities as a surfer are sadly lacking, but improving relatively rapidly at the moment. My surfing gets better almost every session, so I'd never know if the nuggets got better or worse if I did start to change them from thruster to quad. My surfing is too inconsistent to be certain of what improvement (or otherwise) is due to the effects of the waves and wind, the crowds or due to my own abilities or confidence on a given day.

If my surfing ever outgrows the nuggets in their original configuration, and if I'd want a quad, then I'd probably take one of the nuggets to a shaper who regularly shapes quads and I'd ask him to make one just like it, but as a quad, with whatever rail adjustments required. And to give it a 6x6x6 glass job, and a snap in fin system. Maybe 5 fin boxes, to allow experimenting with many different types of fin setups. Just to learn about the differences, by going to extremes.

Or maybe I'll buy a used Surftech single fin nugget and then install extra fin boxes. With snap-in fins it would be nice to experiment because they can be adjusted so easily out in the lineup.

Would the side fins on a Surftech nugget be in the right places for a quad setup?

[wurfysurfy]

Mik, having a copy made "probably" wont give you the same sensation as converting an existing nugget.Another shaper will be guessing about how the curves are blended together.He may get close but its still a "McCOPY".Another crucial thing is the placement of the fins.Also considering that the copy shaper doesnt normally do that style of board, how enthusiastic will he be?Rogers is the only one i'd consider! I believe he builds boats these days?
Converting a poly or epoxy nugget is a different proposition, the surftechs are painted so thats another variable to consider.Finding the clip in side fins may be a problem as well?i'd like to have them too.

[MrMik]

...
...Finding the clip in side fins may be a problem as well?i'd like to have them too.

I think it's just a matter of making the inserts. All they are is SS ball-bearings inside of a SS tube with a SS spring trying to push the ball out. Same principle as clip-in bit holders for power drills and ratchet sets, or the clip-in grate-holder on a juicer machine etc etc. The ball-bearing gets pushed in when the fin is pushed into the slot, then comes back outwhen it reaches the groove in the fin slot.
The tube needs to be as long as a fin is wide. To retro-fit them, drill holes in the right places (not exactly in line with the pin in the fin) and stick 4 of the devices into an existing fin (two facing each way), done.

[wurfysurfy]

where do i find these ball bearing inserts? ? ?