Hi,
Anyone ridden & have an opinion on the Bear Surfboards Fat Arse Wombat?
I am considering one as normally ride 9’6" single fin logs & I find that my traditional fish is a bit tracky & dies a little when cutting back. I like to have my rear foot over a fin, as I surf off my back foot.
Beau Young seems surfs them well, & classes them as one of his favourites.
Any info appreciated.
MG
they are a nice board and even better seen as i own the NO 1 made for beau for the film hang he went to the factory and took NO 2 for the film!! :o)
I’ve tried it on 2feet clean surf.
First board shorter than 9’ ever (for me) and… I surfed the first wave I paddled for!!!
Very easy, and very surprised.
http://www.bearsurfboards.com.au/fatass.htm
…I would prefer a 6’ one , please ! …[wonder if they have any plans to release shorter ones ? like , say, down to 5’6 or so , for ‘single fin groms’ …IF there IS such a creature any more ?!]
There are some interesting OTHER designs on the home page , too , though …
interesting sidenote ?
Paul Hutchinson , the shaper , [?if it is the same guy?] got one of the most iconic black and white images of kirra in the late 1970s / ?early ‘80s?] …Wayne Deane , on an absolute SCREAMER / balltearer of a wave …[a very similar photo to this shot of nat young at "broken buckets’ [haha] in 1971 , in fact …]
Thanks for the reply guys.
I have ordered a FAW, based on the fact it was inspired by an MP board.
It comes standard as a 2+1, but I have requested it with an extra set of FCS plugs so I can try it as a quad.
I recently did this with a 9’1" longboard & it goes insane as a quad - lightning fast in sucky, barelling waves & suprisingly good on the nose (perhaps because of the greater fin area on the rail).
Anyway, I’ll let you know how it goes & post some photos if anyones intersted.
M
very interested,
in its rocker, bottom shape, rails etc…
…very interested !
I hope you get the 6’ model , and ride it just as a single fin for a while .,. at elouera , the point , sandshoes … or , further south …sandon on a chest high day , perhaps ?
cheers
ben
The WOMBAT 6’4" (193cm):
Dimms in cm.
1"=2.54cm
hi cronulla i really like the wombat design except i could not afford one so over the last couple of weeks i have been making my own so far i have shaped it sprayed it and glassed it. tomorrow i am installin the fin box and side fins aswell as the leash plug. hopefully if all goes well i will get to ride it on the weekend and i will let you know how it goes
here is a picture of the board in its early stages of shaping after this photo was taken i took off 2’’ of the noes to round it out to make it look more like the wombat design
I have a 6’ 4" FAW .
Amazed at the diversity of waves this board can be ridden in.
Small chop, to powerful overhead, it goes awsome in both.
V Bottom, flat with little tail rocker.
Still handles power without skating about uncontrolled. (Might be the influence of the nice centre fin).
As everyone has more than 1 board in their quiver, I can strongly recommend to get one for those days
where you look at the surf and start thinking about ‘will my shortboard perform in this?’.
They catch waves easily, they accelerate quickly and perform really well in all your basic short board moves.
Don’t expect snappy moves, but expect flowed cutbacks, bottom turns into re-entries. Moves that flow into each other really naturally.
These are a performance board and after trying numerous fish plan shapes, can only say of the FAW ‘I’m extremely happy’.
Thanks for the reply guys.
I have ordered a FAW, based on the fact it was inspired by an MP board.
It comes standard as a 2+1, but I have requested it with an extra set of FCS plugs so I can try it as a quad…
…Anyway, I’ll let you know how it goes & post some photos if anyones intersted.
M
hi Cronulla , any update on it ?
Hey,
Am just back from Byron Bay & took the wombat & surfed it as a single, 2+1 & as the quad. I have also had it in some good waves at cronulla.
Goes insane as the single & 2+1, only surfed it twice as the quad & it is very loose & fast! Quite different to my normal style of surfing ( I surf mainly single fin logs). Looking forward to surfing it more as a quad - I think it would be cool in fast sucky waves - like my 9’1 quad.
I find it much more versatile & better to surf in all conditions than a traditional keel fish & surfs more of the back foot as I prefer.
Will try to post some photos soon.
M
The FAW reminds me of the McCoy Double Ender Stubbie…
sorry to say. i dont like them. too unrefined and blob like with an excessivly wide nose.
yes, for me they catch rail far to many turns and are pearlers due to there flat rocker.
but a bit more refined a tad narrower and 8" shorter would make for a nice fun stubby though.
…mate, thanks for that report !
Any chance you could try it with four side runners and a back 6" fin ,
“bonzer5” style , please , and let us know how THAT setup goes ?
I ask , because I have the plugs to do that to MY 5’7 ‘stubbie’ single fin …and need a ‘crash test dummy’ report first [no , you are not a dummy , by the way …]
cheers
ben
Hey Ben,
Will look to add a fifth fin (I was thinking of a small trailer fin, but will try the larger). Will report back once done.
Bear has now added a tight arse wombat to the range, slightly more refined & with a different fin. There is a bit of a review on the six ounce boardstore website.
I have had no issues with pearling due to the flat rocker & wider nose - goes insane for me.
M
I have had no issues with pearling due to the flat rocker & wider nose - goes insane for me.
good to hear!
What sort of rocker dimensions? How flat? Would it be similar to a “retro” fish of the same length or flatter?
hi mate !
what size “wombat” did you end up getting ?
is yours made of eps / epoxy , or polyurethane and polyester ?
what are the
nose
tail
tail tip to tip dimensions on it , please ?
and yes , the nose and tail rocker measurements would be good too, please , if it’s not too much trouble ?
cheers !
ben
…do you have any photos of your one please ?
Jumping into this thread because I happen to be making one right now. Here it is, just laminated:
I think it is 6’6" x 21 1/2" x 2 3/4". (I’ll have to check when I go to the shop later…)
