Thinking about those magic rides that stand out from all the rest over the years… from probably a hundred boards crafted by a couple of dozen shapers over the decades. Almost all of them were good boards, however, these were the ones that seemed almost magical…9 boards currently in the quiver, all good ones, only one “magical”…
I actually know I tried a magic board - it was shaped David Nuhiiwa? Dunno if I spelled his name right?
My bro bought the board from a cool surfer he met who literally had tons of old baked in the sun boards layin around… You would not believe it, this board spent prob 20 yrs + being surfed like sh*t as the color was a sick yellow… But! It still had its shape. Specs I meaured it cos I borrowed the board bout 3 times +. Anyhow it was 5’9" X 201/4" I think? Its been quite awile. The nose was very gunny, not sure, but it looked-just a reverse tear drop shape-kinda like a lazer zap… Ya know wide at bottom, narrow and gunny on top. This was a tri fin also!! And this was way before thrusters came out. One big box fin at back and 2 small stabalizer twin fins set higher. Little small cut offs… The board looked orig clear but somewhere down the line a guy painted a yin yang design on it…
Anyhow, the board was just a dream to ride man! David - the shaper HIGH 5! Exc job. I remember trying it first @ a beach break and it just was so fast drivey - yet loose but still stable.
Didn’t look like it had vee, but maybe a sliver? But, it had to of had a ‘magic rocker’, foil set-up and I do know the bottom rail where knify almost all over the rail it seemed? Yet shaper must have gave it a wee bit of dulling out the rails in points- cos board didn’t stick on face ever.
I’d love to get the orig template to this particular board! Lol
Another time I tried it @ the hook in santa cruz when I traveled outhere for some surfing. Anyhow, the day was pumping 2-4 foot with an occasional whopper @ 5 foot. I do remember catching lots of waves that day-prob the best ones outhere, or a few of them. Lol. It was also helluv crowded. I remember catching a very fast wave all the way at the peak and I swear I ended up almost near sharks cove!! Lol
It was surreal, I remember the board was drivey yet loose, cut hard turns that would have a sling shot effect and got me high on the shoulder… Then I just s turned, pumped it and found myself way down towards sharks cove. Paddled back out-same deal- long rides and pure fun.
I’d like to shape something similar, but ya know how it goes… It Won’t be easy finding a board like this- as ‘magic boards’ aren’t something you see every day. Best thing to do: keep trying a lot of dif boards-even pig boards or long boards. You may even buy a used board because you never know what board has the magic to it.
One board I tried a few times was a session brand - shaped by Doug Shroedel. Anyhow, it def had the magic feel on sizy 5-6 foot hollow beach breaks! Single fin rounded pin with a winger… Gunny outline, but the tail was slightly fuller, not sure the width but my rear foot is a good foot across and my foot in there just fine, so I’ll shoot a wild geuss 14" tail? 11 1/4" nose I recall cos I measured it.
Board literally helped me tear it up that day all alone as I couldn’t find anyone to surf with that day. It was freakishly perfect that day, and not one wave closed out it seemed: hollow as hell also…
I do recall this particular board had a noticable concave- prob a single goin a bit deeper towards the tail and kinda fading out the tail block…
I’m telling you this board did the trick; quik take- even late and making the entire wave… Super fast, drivey and loose. But if I took the same board in slop it would be ok, but som boards are designed for specific type of surf I think. This board came alive after bout 4 foot.
Dimensions 6’9" x19 1/4" X. 2 and half, low soft rail I think? They had taper and had a bit of volume…
My real magic board was mainly due to me catching my very first wave @ age 13! Back then we didn’t have tons of short boards, so I settled on a Joey Thomas 7’4" 19 inch wide winged swallow. Board had vee out back- pretty maneuvable also… Seemed nice and fast.
Damn riding my first wave felt so cool but it all happened so naturally. I started on white wash as most of us did, and the wave rebuilt up to a decent swell and I started triying to carve… I ended up riding that wave to the sand almost! Lol. Ofcourse I then caught a real wave and then got hooked.;/
Thanks for the comps man! Here’s another angle to consider in locating a ‘magic surfboard,’ I’ve found sometimes all it takes is a certain type of wave in conjuction with the board.for example: I owned a arrow brand 5’10 twin fin that worked magical when he waves had some curl to it. But was kind of harder to surf when the waves where to mushy. Don’t get me wrong it worked well, but seemed to come alive with some lip or curl to the wave. Otoh- there are boards that aren’t that special.
Here’s a good story! My neighbor whom I met when I saw he had a kneeboard. I was 15 at the time, and he asked me if I wanted to paint some houses with him! I said sure why not, and he paid me for a good weeks worth of work until it slowed down. Anyhow, a week later we surfed together out near watsonville cali(beach breaks). Had some fun. Anyhow, this is when I bought my very first twin fin. It was shaped by -Chuck VInson. So I got my board and learned a dif style of surfing that comes with the model. Mainly I learned I could turn off the bottom as hard as I wanted w/out much concern of spin outs.
Then my friend asked me if I wanted to surf stockton ave or 26th ave with him. I said ok, even though I was kinda a beginner. And the local story goes; stockton ave is a hollow reef break. So I tell my friend I’m not that exp’d, but he says don’t worry ill give you some tips and told me to just paddle around to get into the peak. So I just went through the motions and I was outhere in pumping 3 foot surf! And my first was just insanity! The sheer hollowness on a shallow rock reed break made my 6’4" twin feel like a skateboard! Felt very corky and loose. At the time I didn’t have much experience, but the waves and my youth and desire pulled me through.
That said, I felt my board was def designed to handle some sc juice! Was there magic in the board one may ask? That day I would say so for sure! It felt very skatey and fast. I remember the lips pushing me out into the shoulder, a few turns, then you just jet over a shallow reef u can almost touch… A pure roller coaster like ride! We only surfed it a few times. Anyways, I hope to build a magic board of my own. T c- Shapa
had some boards that were magic at one point. trying to find a one board quiver though always showed the downsides of that board in certain conditions which led to selling and moving to the next. i think that’s what led me to start want to start building my own boards. i still don’t think the one board quiver will work but at least the likelihood of keeping the boards is there.
I have never had a magic board myself, I have been taught it can lead to demon oppression. Never knew DN to be a shaper, but his dad was the coolest, and someone you did not want to upset. Lot’s of people have made boards for DN even the ghetto.
Bill - that is an incredible board and no doubt versatile to do as a one board quiver in different conditions for certain riders. I should clarify and say that for me, a one board quiver is difficult because in certain conditions I like floaty boards and in others I like minimal volume to accomplish different types of surfing.
About “magic boards” I’m pretty sure I tried atleast a few. Not many. But the ones I tried seemed to be the least likely board to have some magic to it.one board comes to mind I bought- my second surfboard I ever owned- a stinger and kind of long about 6’10" x21" and kinda corky with those good old school down hard rails and a almost knotched out stinger wing!
This board was without a single doubt magical. Un-beknowenst to me the board was shaped by, Chuck VInson. At the time if you asked me about a shaper I would not know… Anyhow the boards magic was it’s user friendliness, it also had a single box fin that is adjustable.
It had always been very dependable and just a joy to surf! Dunno, but @ the time I didn’t know Ben Aipa designed the orig “stinger” model. But I soon read about it, and to my utter surprise I had ub-knowingl purchased one!
So I took it surfing often, and I don’t recall a day it didn’t have that same good old feel to it. Even though it was rather long for me at the time-it still performed well.FYI- I was prob about 5’7"ish tall @ the time and a teenager. but each time I rode this board it seemed to almost feel like it had a mind of it’s own… I think - CHuck must have been on a roll when he shaped his stinger model! Because this board was phenomenal! I regret selling it:(
I just had made so many dings on it-which I had pros repair, and also learned to fix them myself. But I had a local friend who started surfing but didn’t have a board so I sold it to him. And he became a very good surfer. This board was magic. One of the best days I had was a south swell and at manresa beach! Perfect glassy and pumping 3 foor + surf! The stinger was all skate and go! Just bam, bam bam! Every wave I caught I would hammer it… Due to the stings big wing, the board lays over like a dream. So I learned how to do a nice roundhouse cut back and follow with getting back into the wave…
Some of the components I noted was-board seemed to have a flat bottom and prob a vee in the tail that was not heavy at all. I really don’t know what it had? But it must have had a perfect outline and rocker! Like I said, it had the magic and I regret I sold it. But atleast the guy who bought it put it to good use.:)) and he seemed to surf quite a lot as I couldn’t miss my board out in the line up.
In general, the twin fins on the OBQ greatly reduce or completly eliminate stalling when engaged in an abrubt high AOA change in direction. As a result more speed is retained coming out of turns, which allows a smoother transition into the next maneuver. In the OBQ thread, Lankamese goes into some detail describing the performance of the board and fin setup. There is also a thread by Afoaf titled ''Bill Thrailkill you owe me a new surfboard'' which is a very good description of the effect of putting the system into an existing board.
Couldn’t agree more… My log is fun in summer mush, mini-mal in racy shoulder to head high waves, DT thruster in head high to ten foot faces, and racy RP semi when it gets into the DOH zone…even a magic board won’t ride beachies, reefs, big and small waves equally and optimally…however, if you ride the same wave, and it doesn’t variate much in size, then a single board would work fine…until you wanted to try something diferent…
The magic boards I’ve had didn’t ride everything well, they just worked exceptionally well in the waves they were designed for…
