Interested in what you guys are thinking about Chris Gallagher’s “G” board in the ‘Design Forum’ from the latest Surfer Mag. I like the kicktail and concave deck ideas. Seems like you’d get alot more leverage in both directions from this (front to back and rail to rail). Seems like you can’t help but overshape the deck, though. Kirk
looking at the photo, you would think he could get the same effect without making so spaceage looking. just put the concaves where your feet go and leave the tail a little high for leverage. that said, to me, it doesn’t really matter about the looks as long as the function is there.
It’s not that you’re getting leverage, it’s the rocker doing the work. To use the tail as a lever, would make you stand so far back and wind up with useless ultra short radius turns. On my kick tail nose riders, to get any kind of speed down the line requires this kind of turning, really short quick pumps, rather than any type of driving turn
A grom who rides for me brought one of those boards for me to check out. I think that what Chris is trying to do is emulate the deck of a modern skateboard. Personally I think that when a modern shortboard is being ridden correctly, most of your weight is on your back foot, using your front foot for control. Applying too much weight on your front foot causes the board to bog down, especially in small surf. Small “useless ultra short radius turns” is often what is going on in small waves… pumping off your fins (thruster setups) and even in head high surf shortboarding is often filled with abrupt direction changes. My personal take on the “G” boards is that they are for doing airs. The concave from rail to rail to help your feet stay put… and the kicked tail and kicked part in front of your foot is to help you with your ollie. The rear of the board has increased volume, so that when you push hard on the tip of the tail, it resists more, allowing you to get a little more pop, like a skate board, and the front part of the concave is to catch your front foot during the ollie… just like a skateboard. Anyone who’s ever been even half-assed at skateboarding knows what I am saying here. It is all about pop and control. I actually shaped a copy of a board made by Jeff @ M10 a while back that was probably shaped about 3-4 years ago for Ratboy. It used the same concept… they both seem/d to work, all the groms at the Point trade the G board around and everyone seems to like it… same thing with the one I shaped a while back. Big kicked tails… but they dont effect the rocker at all, so you get this big ol’ thick tail tip. (2 1/2- 3" thick?).