"Basically it was a bunch if ideas to change a big wave gun and make it more performance oriented."
So says Mark Healey of this odd number shaped by Ron Meeks.
"I remember grabbing it from Ron and thinking, 'God, if this board doesn't work there's no way I'll ever be able to sell it.'"
"That board felt like the starting point for a new life."
The inner mechanics of Russell's mind.
Sniffing out the bounty on land and at sea.
From a day with a low wave count yet high consequence.
Like a hundred social media clips joined together but not on social media.
Seeking darkness on a sunny day.
And Matahi lifts the bar yet again.
Bite size humans in king size waves.
Comments
Yay!
Love stuff like this, and Healey is a good storyteller. Been itching to see this board in action, and it goes great, even if it's ugly as sin.
i love surfboard design, he tells a good story and backs it up with surfing.
the only rub i had was he never explained the bottom shape, concave, v
i was hanging on to every word waiting for bottom description.
anyone know what the bottom is
i like all the changes they did with it.
Here you go, Bipola:
8min of tech talk :-)
(tldr: rolled vee entry. Panel vee through the middle, Spiral vee (vee concave) out the back)
Cool vid.
Can't recall ever seeing much footage of people going left at the bay, let alone getting toobed.
Crazy looking piece of equipment.
edit: hope we can see him on it in macking Cloudbreak.
The only footage I can think was Bruce Irons pulling into a massive closeout on the shorey in an Eddie a number of years ago
Re the left. I seem to remember one of the old school Hawaiian heavyweights going left a few times. I think it doesn't happen often because there is a big risk of getting caught inside and smashed into the rocks if a set comes while paddling back out.
Marvin Foster
After all....what unhinged goofy wouldn't be tempted to go left at Waimea!!!
TC enjoyed some lefts at the Bay
Shaun Briley too from memory
Mark does a great job of presenting this. That nose is real design, sound logic.
A question for the punters here? (those who love design anyway)
If a board looks radically different, does it stop you riding it/buying it???
Penny for your thoughts on this.
Don't think a radically different look would stop me from buying a board, but it would make me more cautious; you'd want to see someone else ride it and give feedback first.
and that is a fair call. We look for proof.
It is the old adage, what is more important
form or function?
Something looks really different but works really well, eventually function wins out.
Examples abound..........
Yup, at the end of the day the most important thing is whether it does what it's meant to do well (/ better than it's alternatives). Though form does come into play in judging between options where function is similar.
Those Tomo boards with the cut and squared off, drastically shortened nose had a bit of a run here but have now gone by the wayside.
That shape and low rail reminds me of late 90's wave sailing sailboards with a lot of the volume moved aft and low rail in comparison to late 80's design front footed volume raked tail and boxed rail. The nose....well thats from somewhere else!
The nose....well thats from somewhere else!
love that qip!
sick...
Brilliant. I love people thinking outside the square when it comes to surfboard design.
Don't really understand how that nose stops chatter. I get how the front spoiler works on an F1 race car but that spoiler surface area is way bigger on something going way faster.
Quite a few design cues here that remind me of Caml’s theories, practice and inclination twenty years ago!
Goofy’s and tubes eh !
Love Healey. Tells a good story and has game to match. That board is like the ugly fat girlfriend, good to ride but get her in the car before someone sees her.
Had to laugh at this. It made me wonder, in an equal society - what's the male equivalent of the "ugly fat girlfriend"?
The 40+ year old male that has given up surfing. Overweight and crusty from years of being in the sun.
that was good.
I like this thinking. But it isn't as radical as
Pretty sure I saw Ian Walsh surf this at Jaws in a few vids. Does it work?
Rad e cool he should be getting down to Escondido to get some heaving Mexican Pipeline on it !!
I've done this with all my short boards for 40 years. Widest point is way behind mid-point. Nose is what we call 11", meaning very pin. Board remains thick in the tail. These boards surf much more like skateboards, and you can aim them at lip points and hit them much more easily. Not as extreme as Cheyne Horan's McCoys, but you get the idea. I don't understand everyone trying to revert to widest point up above mid-point nowadays. They work in good waves, but for many, how often is it good? It's maybe okay for Hawaii.
thanks for that island bay, i really enjoyed watching and learning
i would have liked them to run a builders level over the bottom to see the v more clearly.
the board had so much rocker and nose lift, it must have been a high volume board.
cheers mate
a big move forward in innovation for BIG wave surfing, well done boys