I have heard that there are some subtle differences that make designs like Frye’s (i.e. flatter tail with belly in the nose) ride better in reef type waves while the Liddle designs (with slight vee tail, mid belly and flatter nose) are more for walled point break waves. Are these design differences still in effect? Do any of you egg guys have first hand experience with these types of boards and waves?
Having ridden both in the Sunset Cliffs area of S.D. over the past 25 years, they both work quite well in reef breaks. Skip’s boards work a little better in the ledgey reefs of La Jolla or the beach breaks of P.B. where they were born. Skip’s eggs tend to be driven more from the tail with a step to the middle for trim. On a high trim, I don’t think there is anything faster than his boards (Sorry Dale, I haven’t ridden a mat in 30 years). The Liddle eggs I rode needed to be on edge to work properly. You drive them with your legs whereas the Fryed eggs, you turn, step and glide. Skip’s boards are quicker 'cause you drive from the tail and they plane out a little faster. Strangely enough, I found Skip’s eggs to be stiffer than the Liddle hulls. Both Skip and Greg are Shaping Icons. Their boards work great, they just feel different. To the uninitiated, Skip’s boards are more user friendly, but nothing rail turns like a Liddle hull. Pura Vida Newbs
I have heard that there are some subtle differences that make designs like > Frye’s (i.e. flatter tail with belly in the nose) ride better in reef type > waves while the Liddle designs (with slight vee tail, mid belly and > flatter nose) are more for walled point break waves. Are these design > differences still in effect? Do any of you egg guys have first hand > experience with these types of boards and waves? honestl I believe Skip utilizes v more than Greg does.None of my Liddles have any v-very flat tails, whereas the Fryes I’ve sen have v.The rest of it is right on as far as belly/hull configuration.Paul Gross’ boards are very much Like Grenough’s-pronounced belly in nose going back to dead straight/flat tail unless it’s one of his retro v-bottom boards which has the belly, big v inot flat tail behind the fin. These work great in all conditions especially lumpy, bumpy stuff.I feel anyone that has a stbbie/egg/hull type board would greatly benefit by adding a PG v-bottom to their quiver- then you have all bases covered!
Having ridden both in the Sunset Cliffs area of S.D. over the past 25 > years, they both work quite well in reef breaks. Skip’s boards work a > little better in the ledgey reefs of La Jolla or the beach breaks of P.B. > where they were born. Skip’s eggs tend to be driven more from the tail > with a step to the middle for trim. On a high trim, I don’t think there is > anything faster than his boards (Sorry Dale, I haven’t ridden a mat in 30 > years).>>> The Liddle eggs I rode needed to be on edge to work properly. You drive > them with your legs whereas the Fryed eggs, you turn, step and glide. > Skip’s boards are quicker 'cause you drive from the tail and they plane > out a little faster.>>> Strangely enough, I found Skip’s eggs to be stiffer than the Liddle hulls. > Both Skip and Greg are Shaping Icons. Their boards work great, they just > feel different. To the uninitiated, Skip’s boards are more user friendly, > but nothing rail turns like a Liddle hull.>>> Pura Vida>>> Newbs Skip’s boards may/may not be quicker, but once locked in Lddle’s have unlimited gears and fly-seldom does the wave outrun one because they lock in and utilize the waves energy-same with Paul’s and probably Skip’s.They do surf and feel a liitle different for sure.
honestl I believe Skip utilizes v more than Greg does.None of my Liddles > have any v-very flat tails, whereas the Fryes I’ve sen have v.The rest of > it is right on as far as belly/hull configuration.Paul Gross’ boards are > very much Like Grenough’s-pronounced belly in nose going back to dead > straight/flat tail unless it’s one of his retro v-bottom boards which has > the belly, big v inot flat tail behind the fin. These work great in all > conditions especially lumpy, bumpy stuff.I feel anyone that has a > stbbie/egg/hull type board would greatly benefit by adding a PG v-bottom > to their quiver- then you have all bases covered! The flat behind the fin was a personal breakthrough for my shapes back in 1969 and 1970. I loved the roly feeling of a v on edge, but once you flattened out into a plane, the v behind the fin acted like a anchor. I just smoothed the v to a flat behind the fin and zoom. It was like taking the parking brake off. What is interesting is how valid this design is as it was developed by several others at the same time but with no communication between parties (at the very least, I was not aware of others. I was working in the dark up in Santa Cruz).
My only experience has been with an older 7’10" Liddle and somewhat more modern 10’ Frye longboards, so It’s not really a valid comparison. I tend to agree that belly and vee aren’t the most efficient bottom when trying to skate around a section on the flats or gliding on to the shoulder in preparation for a roundabout - especially with a shorter board. I notice on Liddle’s website that he has slotted boxes for side fins on his tris. Mine is a single. Any experiences with the Liddle tri fins out there? Is there much adjustment option with the boxes?
My only experience has been with an older 7’10" Liddle and somewhat > more modern 10’ Frye longboards, so It’s not really a valid comparison. I > tend to agree that belly and vee aren’t the most efficient bottom when > trying to skate around a section on the flats or gliding on to the > shoulder in preparation for a roundabout - especially with a shorter > board. I notice on Liddle’s website that he has slotted boxes for side > fins on his tris. Mine is a single. Any experiences with the Liddle tri > fins out there? Is there much adjustment option with the boxes? I ordered up a 'tweener with runners a couple of weeks ago. Should be here soon (but not soon enough!). I’ll let you know once I’ve had a chance to sus it out. I’ve been around long enough to have figured out first hand that there is no perfect board. Each design has got its pluses and minuses. My newest revelation is that by trying to make the perfect board, you compromise each design component so much that the pluses reduce and the minuses increase. You never get the “best of both worlds”. Thats why, in recent years, I’ve been jumping from one design to another just to experience the different “feels”. Surfing never gets stale that way.