I had the pleasure of handing over a surfboard to Neil Cooney last night. The WCSC decided to commission the board for Neil in thanks for his tireless efforts to make the council see sense over their development plans in Doolin which pose a threat to wave quality and access at Crab Island and Doolin Point. Despite the inauspicious surroundings of a dark and rain slicked side street beside Kenny’s in Lahinch, it was a good moment. Neil and his crew were a few pints down but appreciative none the less.
6’6 x 18 3/4″ x 2 3/4″. Neil is about to head off to Oz and won’t be surfing this board for a while. In that respect the dimensions of the board are a bit of a stab in the dark at what might suit him after a year of honing his skills on the other side of the world. Whatever way you look at it, it is apt that he got a board that will let him hook into a few at Crab (assuming it is still breaking…) and this one should do just that. It is rigged as a quad, with the centre plugs in so Neil can mix it up.
Local lens magician Dave Olsthoorn dropped by a few weeks back to take some photographs for a secretive project he is undertaking… Here a couple he kindly sent me.
Ronan Murphy goes big dollar and invests in his stoke potential for summer 2011
Bobsled, 5’10 x 20 7/8″ x 2 1/2″. (4+4+tail patch)+4 = 3.2kg. These dimensions are proving to be the most popular and successful for the ‘sled. In case you missed it, this board, once mastered, does some wonderful things on a wave at the possible expense of your next short-board session. For me the feeling is something like the linked up flow and tracky glide of a longboard combined with the security and responsiveness of a much smaller board when you drive hard off the bottom or hook up under a lip. Get all four fins engaged in a high line on a fast moving wave and you really start covering ground.
6’4 x 18 1/2″ x 2 5/8″. (6+4)+6 = 2.95kg. Rounded pin for general use in good head-high and bigger waves. Ronan’s choice of dimensions make this board suitable for some fairly solid days if he is keen. The general template has proven to be my favourite for boards 6’2 to about 6’6 at places like Crab and other occasional barrel waves with chances for attempts at big turns on powerful walls.
Despite small creature arrivals, I still have an eye on the boards…
‘sled-esque 5’10 x 20 1/4 x 2 5/8 quad for Pavel Danko in Clare (4+4+tail patch, +4 = 2.85kg). Pavel wanted something short, quick, responsive and easy to catch small clean waves with. He is maybe 5’9 himself and powerful looking. The board borrows a few bits and bobs (!) from the bobsled in terms of quad fin positioning factored down for the reduced tail area and also in terms of bottom contouring. They look a bit odd from certain angles to the ‘thruster trained eye’, but the result is impressive drive and carry where it is needed on different parts of the wave face. I guess one benefit over the bobsled might be that this board isn’t as ‘strange’ looking which definitely has an influence on how a surfer might feel about it.
6’4 x 18 7/8 x 2 3/8 thruster for Crevan Faley in Cork (4+4+tail patch, +6 = 2.8kg = result!). Crev surfs fast and precise and wanted something for small to mid sized beach breaks and the occasional reef that would float his frame because while trim, Crevan is more bouncer than ballerina! I think there is often times a real problem for taller people who surf well and want a ‘performance’ (read, regular) short-board for general shredding. The problem is that most boards in this category are aimed at people shorter than 5’8 (professional surfers tending to be vertically challenged) so the dimensions are way off. Consider this, then, a scaled up version for a normal sized surfer, adding width before thickness with fuller foil but sensitive rails and tail volume while avoiding, crucially, being a tank. Check foil below:
I have, for my sins, had the pleasure of being sponsored as a patagonia ambassador for a few years, punching well above my weight to rub shoulders with a heavy crew of surfing legends. The Patagonia crowd are wonderful people to work with and their products are incredible. Most people who play in the mountains will know this, but for a while now they have also been developing and producing the type of surfing things that those of us who play in the ocean dig on.
Anyway, the plug is in this season’s surf digital catalogue. Looks like more skinny surfing to me and as Burky says, at least I remembered to flex and Whitey gets to growl/whimper once more…
