Short step-ups: Wizard Sleeve, Rusty Slayer, 4th Teardrop et

[Archy_is_God]

A friend of mine has just got a custom Jonny Purton 6'2 for heavy waves.

Nowt weird in this, one may think, but said chap is 6'3" and 15stone. He works as a boatman at Tavarua some winters and is off to Puerto Escondido for a couple months so it's fair to say he likes a barrel or two.

The board is about 20 wide and 2 3/4 thick with a 5 fin set up. The back end is foiled out, fairly rockered, but not overly so, and pretty narrow with a round pin. The widepoint's up from centre and there's a bit of foam under the chest.

He's ridden it as a quad only so far, but is keen to try one of those little centre canards that Slats was using at Trestles.

The board has some elements in common with the Slayer that Rusty and Josh Kerr came up with (with a nod to KS) and seems to do the job is was intended for really well. So much so that he is adamant that it's the best good-wave board he's ever ridden with talk of 3x overhead Cloudbreak being surfable on this machine. After seeing Kerr at Teahupoo, I can believe it.

Anyone else planning to use one of these hybrid semi gun things for the winter and/or a trip away?

They make a lot of sense to me, particularly in the sort of thick, sucky beachbreak surf we enjoy round these yer parts in the winter.

Any thoughts?

[Vince Noir]

A friend of mine has just got a custom Jonny Purton 6'2 for heavy waves.



The board is about 20 wide and 2 3/4 thick with a 5 fin set up.

They make a lot of sense to me, particularly in the sort of thick, sucky beachbreak surf we enjoy round these yer parts in the winter.

Any thoughts?

I have trouble getting underneath anything cleanly when the surf is 4-5ft on a 2 1/4...let alone trying to sneak deeeep to get underneath a proper bomb set

[splinter]

I've been mulling over these sort of shapes a lot recently for the bigger days, (how good has the surf been lately?!) Was looking at Wizard Sleeve type boards and also the Simon Anderson Mollusc - another hybrid type board.

Had some discussion with Bro and ordered a 6'2" x 19 3/4 x 2 1/2. Similar sort of idea - round pin tail, fuller volume up front than with your standard shorty (if there is such a thing these days).

Should be ready in a couple of weeks. Make the most of the waves at the mo as it will almost certainly come to an abrupt end as soon as I get my hands on it!

[Archy_is_God]

A friend of mine has just got a custom Jonny Purton 6'2 for heavy waves.



The board is about 20 wide and 2 3/4 thick with a 5 fin set up.

They make a lot of sense to me, particularly in the sort of thick, sucky beachbreak surf we enjoy round these yer parts in the winter.

Any thoughts?

I have trouble getting underneath anything cleanly when the surf is 4-5ft on a 2 1/4...let alone trying to sneak deeeep to get underneath a proper bomb set

You mean duckdiving I guess and not taking off late under the lip? Know what you mean, but it's just what you get used to I think. A few guys seem to duck performance mals ok, including NDL and he's a bit of a Bantam weight

[buttholesurfer]

The centre fin is the Von Sol pic, I reckon you could get an old shity fin and foil the thing down yourself. Sean Mattison has been using them on quads for awhile now.

[Ferral]

i havent tried one, but what i do think is that a shorter wider thicker board doesnt paddle as well as a more gunny shape with similar volume, becuase you end up on top of the water and more at mercy of chop etc which a gun just strokes through. seeing as its not too often you get big waves with glassy conditions (today excepting ) that might be a slight hindrance

[tynemouthmatt]

A mate of mine shaped a couple of copies of Slater's deep 6 (or whatever its called), quad set up. They seem to go really well, looks like a modern interpretion of the old 70's pins...wide point forward etc. I'm definately a little tempted

[Archy_is_God]

I've been mulling over these sort of shapes a lot recently for the bigger days, (how good has the surf been lately?!) Was looking at Wizard Sleeve type boards and also the Simon Anderson Mollusc - another hybrid type board.

Had some discussion with Bro and ordered a 6'2" x 19 3/4 x 2 1/2. Similar sort of idea - round pin tail, fuller volume up front than with your standard shorty (if there is such a thing these days).

Should be ready in a couple of weeks. Make the most of the waves at the mo as it will almost certainly come to an abrupt end as soon as I get my hands on it!

Sounds nice. Like a rounded pin Choad kinda thing?

[splinter]

Sounds nice. Like a rounded pin Choad kinda thing?

Yep, with a little more curve and more rocker.

Hoping it gives me a bit more confidence with late drops/falling forward as I still pull back too much, which usually means getting stuck in the lip when it's howling offshore, followed by a firm spanking!

[Archy_is_God]

i havent tried one, but what i do think is that a shorter wider thicker board doesnt paddle as well as a more gunny shape with similar volume, becuase you end up on top of the water and more at mercy of chop etc which a gun just strokes through. seeing as its not too often you get big waves with glassy conditions (today excepting ) that might be a slight hindrance

Good point.

However, stubby boards don't pearl so easily and there was at least 2 occasions last week where I caught the nose taking off on a particularly slabby reef just nearby. I guess this is the compromise, maybe?

[MJE]

These sort of boards seem to be perceived as summer/small wave, 'ride n inches shorter than your usual shortboard' shapes, and I wouldn't argue with that, but I bought this for decent UK waves and it's worked for me.

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6'2 x 20 1/4 x 2 1/2 quad, birch ply glass ons. Fair bit of nose rocker.

That said, it's all subjective: I don't own a semi gun, or even a 'trad' thruster for that matter: my other boards are short fish or logs. And I'm not planning on surfing 3x oh Cloudbreak on it either.

But for me, 6'1 13+ st, I can duck it easily, it paddles well, goes late and it's totally solid when you need it to be.

[Archy_is_God]

Nice board

What's the bottom shape?

There seems to be two approaches to the 'good wave' snub-nosed quad thing; the modified fish or the tweaked shortboard. Merits to both.

[Archy_is_God]

OK, temptation has got the better of me (helped along somewhat by a gut feeling that there may be some solid waves through the winter) and I have pulled the trigger on a JP along the lines of my mate's board

I guess this means having more in common with the Slayer than with boards that come from the fish family such as Christenson's Cafe racer and the old Diplock quad I had a couple of years back.

However, JP is right to point out that it was spawned from his SX series, rather than being a Rusty or CI inspired design, with his own unique 'magic' on the bottom shape. He said he did a similar shape as a 6'6" for Tom Lowe a while back for him to use at 8-10' Teahupoo! Some way out of my league, but nice to know they work!

Going for 6'1" x 19 5/8" x 2 5/8" with a 5-box setup, probably Lok or Futures. I'm a big fan of Lok, but have some good experiences with Futures recently and there are a few sets of fins in their range that I feel may really suit this new board - the Rasta quads and the Stretch 5-fin set (which seems to be held in high regard by lots of people who have used them)

Watch this space!

[Archy_is_God]

Sounds nice. Like a rounded pin Choad kinda thing?

Yep, with a little more curve and more rocker.

Hoping it gives me a bit more confidence with late drops/falling forward as I still pull back too much, which usually means getting stuck in the lip when it's howling offshore, followed by a firm spanking!

Post up some pics and a ride report when this arrives - would be keen to have a squiz at that board as I reckon it will have some similarities to the JP I just ordered.

You getting a thruster set up?

[splinter]

Post up some pics and a ride report when this arrives - would be keen to have a squiz at that board as I reckon it will have some similarities to the JP I just ordered.

You getting a thruster set up?

Will do fella.....

Yep stuck with a thruster set up as this is supposed to be my go to board for better surf and I don't think I quite have what it takes to handle the speed of a quad when it's pumping. Having not really ever been at a standard where I would consider riding a toothpick, I've kind of ignored the thruster over the years for single fins, 2 plus one's etc, so thought it would be nice to see if I've been missing anything. I'm now slightly paranoid though that I should have been braver and gone a little shorter, say 5'10.....oh well...there's always next time.

Soooo....you ordered the board......look forward to seeing that one too. It's painful waiting for it though with the swell that keeps pumping through at the mo! Mine should be ready next week. Hope your gut feeling is right about this coming winter! It's our first winter in North Devon and it's certainly gotten off to a cracking start!

[splinter]

New board has landed

Flat to subtle single to slight vee out the back. PU blank, glassed with Epoxy resin, so strong and light.

Similar in outline to the slayer except the wide point is around the centre rather than a couple of inches forward.

Ride report to follow in due course.

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[Archy_is_God]

Nice! Looks like just the ticket and really similar to what I think I'll be getting sometime soon hopefully...

Bit of swell over the next few days, I'd be keen to hear how it goes.

[royal]

5'6"x19 1/2"z 2 1/2"....I currently weigh in at 175-180lbs and double OH hasn't been a problem yet... although you got to be comfortable getting in under the lip at times...

despite the outline, the rocker is fully modern 2 1/4" tail, 4 1/2" nose, more or less

added rail line is good for long paddle outs, or lost of current. The small boards can be a hand full in shifty conditions, that's the only drawback I've found, really.

[Archy_is_God]

Nice Rob

What kind of bottom do you hsve running through it? Did you make it as an all-rounder or specifically for more solid waves?

On a different note - how's life stateside?

[steveo100]

New board has landed

Flat to subtle single to slight vee out the back. PU blank, glassed with Epoxy resin, so strong and light.

Similar in outline to the slayer except the wide point is around the centre rather than a couple of inches forward.

Ride report to follow in due course.

diplockTrunk4.jpg

Oooooh thats a pretty nice stick Splinter !! its quite SA mollusc looking , i haven't settled on a new board yet partly due to lack of funds, but getting something shaped along the lines of a mollusc or wizards sleeve is on the cards .
I'm not so sure about going as short as they recomend on these kind of board tho , i like the extra bit of length to deal with chop as someone touched on earlier , i've got a 5'9'' fish and it paddles like a dream in glassy conditions but it can be a handful when its choppy kind of seesaws under me at times if that makes sense. i have a 6'0 perfomance fish and that seem to cope with the chop a bit better . I supose thats why sea kayaks are the length they are !?

Looking forward to the ride reports

[zboy]

jus adding something to the mix 5.10 be 19 wide slight incut used it last winter down at macking inch reef and a rivermouth no problems jus me the rider thinking i need a bigger board,the boards thinkin if it could think no probs you pussy wat u worryin about.

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[Black]

5'6"x19 1/2"z 2 1/2"....I currently weigh in at 175-180lbs and double OH hasn't been a problem yet... although you got to be comfortable getting in under the lip at times...

despite the outline, the rocker is fully modern 2 1/4" tail, 4 1/2" nose, more or less

added rail line is good for long paddle outs, or lost of current. The small boards can be a hand full in shifty conditions, that's the only drawback I've found, really.

I have regular flashbacks of that board, if its the same one you took to the fishfry. It got under my skin but I can't work out why exactly?

[buttholesurfer]

New board has landed

Flat to subtle single to slight vee out the back. PU blank, glassed with Epoxy resin, so strong and light.

Similar in outline to the slayer except the wide point is around the centre rather than a couple of inches forward.

Ride report to follow in due course.

diplockTrunk4.jpg

Oooooh thats a pretty nice stick Splinter !! its quite SA mollusc looking , i haven't settled on a new board yet partly due to lack of funds, but getting something shaped along the lines of a mollusc or wizards sleeve is on the cards .
I'm not so sure about going as short as they recomend on these kind of board tho , i like the extra bit of length to deal with chop as someone touched on earlier , i've got a 5'9'' fish and it paddles like a dream in glassy conditions but it can be a handful when its choppy kind of seesaws under me at times if that makes sense. i have a 6'0 perfomance fish and that seem to cope with the chop a bit better . I supose thats why sea kayaks are the length they are !?

Looking forward to the ride reports

Yeah I thought the Diplock resembled the Mollusc, I just bought the last 6'2"-20"-2 5/8" Mollusc from DTline ( now lives in the loft for a rainy day). Let my mate have a couple of goes on my used one , he went down and bought the 6' version.

[royal]

Did you make it as an all-rounder or specifically for more solid waves?

On a different note - how's life stateside?

This was meant as a step up from the get go, but still manages to go in small waves if they have enough shape. There's some volume under the chest, but not much elsewhere. I think that is really the key to riding small boards in bigger waves, much like the original fish. You need enough to get in, and then the rest of the board doesn't matter. We all know Daniel Thompson's feeling on extra volume as well.

This board has some severe bonzer-esque contours in it, but I've make some now with less extreme features and they are fun too.

Things here are good mate, busy busy busy!

Looking forward to seeing what you get, and hearing about it!
regards

[twinspin]

Good thread!
Here is my Probe model by Rich @ Thirdshade
Goes good in anything (UK anything!)
Ridden as quad or twin plus trailer depending on size - not as five finner as shown in picture

[splinter]

Ride report on the 6'2"

I snagged a couple of sessions at Puts within a couple of days of getting the board, before this run of westerlies kicked in. First session was fairly solid, overhead with some pretty meaty clean-up sets coming through, wind Southerly and getting funneled offshore, big high tide with a lot of water flowing sideways across the bay. All in all was a bit of a ballache really - lots of paddling and ducking bombs and I only had a couple of waves to show for my efforts.

Second session was much more manageable, again Puts, low to mid on the push, about shoulder high, moderate cross southerly/offshore, the rights had a nice shape to them and opened up a bit (for Puts).

So far absolutely chuffed with the board. Set the rail early and the drop was wonderfully smooth, with heaps of drive off the bottom and through turns. On an open face it again felt very smooth, precise, drivey and the rounded tail sat perfectly locked in a steep face. It gave me some real moments of pure stoke. Still early days and looking forward to getting to know the board intimately.

Looks like there's plenty of swell on the way again ......big enough to make one's sphincter twitch though and with plenty of wind so will be desperately seeking shelter (or possibly just watching from the safety of my van).

[swiggy]

I think it depends on the wave. Not all double-triple overhead waves are the same, you want a different board for slabby waves than for more deep water type waves. I think these shorter fatter step-ups are going to be better in the hollow stuff, where too much board in front of you 'trips you up' a bit. I think hollow beachbreak too would be good for these sorts of boards. But in big walled up pointbreaks a 6'8 full pintail is awesome.

[Archy_is_God]

Yea, I agree, Swiggy.

I think what we have round here mostly falls into the more slabby/sucky category. At least the ones that attract any size... Places like Lynmouth may on the very rare occasion get bigger, but you will never need a gun there.

One week to go before the new JP arrives (hopefully!)

[Archy_is_God]

Hey Splinter,

Sounds good, just the right tool for the job

Hopefully the wind will die somewhat tomorrow early AM. You planning on surfing? I'm gonna try and get a sesh in at Croyde hopefully. Will keep an eye out if you are getting in.

[splinter]

Hey Splinter,

Sounds good, just the right tool for the job

Hopefully the wind will die somewhat tomorrow early AM. You planning on surfing? I'm gonna try and get a sesh in at Croyde hopefully. Will keep an eye out if you are getting in.

Hi mate,

Possibly, depends what happens with the wind......forecasts are a bit conflicting. Will get up early and see how the wind feels from the back garden.