I have never ridden epoxy or Tuflites and I never thought that I would until now. After bad luck with the airlines not once but twice I have given it some thought to maybe purchase some Tuflites. Has anyone ever ridden a Walden Magic Model (Surf Industries) or a Takayama In the Pink (Surftech Tuflite)? I am looking for a good paddler (Knee Paddle) that catches waves of any size and a good nose rider as well. Something that you can slide and glide but still smack off the lip. I will be traveling down to Cabo and Scorpion bay and possibly Hawaii. Basicly a high performance nose rider that works well in beach breaks and reef breaks. Has anyone ever ridden either model and if so would they be good models for traveling.I’m thinking maybe a 9’3" - 9’6". I’m 5’9" and weigh around 195. I have heard that they float better but can be a problem in windy or choppy conditions. This seems like it could be a problem in good sized surf. I have always supported my local shapers by either custom shapes or buying off the rack. I live in San Diego and have surfed here for quite some time. My buddies say they would chuckle if I buy a Tuflite or Surf Industries because then I would be buying a popout and be labled a kook. I understand that Bonga Perkins rides a Surf Industries? Does anyone have any insight or words of wisdom? Thanks-Thomas C
Nope, don’t have a clue about the boards you mentioned. You see I build my own. Actually most folks here do that too… It’s not a coincidence either.
Good luck with the searching and have a fun trip.
“I have always supported my local shapers”
Why stop now? They are in danger of going under because of cheap imported boards.
“I would be buying a popout and be labled a kook.”
Don’t be a kook.
the thing about regular pu / pe (or even hand shaped epoxy eps) they have that dampening quality, you don’t hit a weird spot on the wave and fly off like surftechs do. Or you don’t have to push them down into waves. OR the best thing is the momentum regular boards have.
I learned on a surftech longboard for 6 months, then I tried a regular high perf longboard, I was really astounded at the way the poly board worked. But that’s just my preference. Even though I was used to surftech, when I got on a regular board, it felt better at the time.
I’d say try before you buy.
it sucks buying an expensive board then going traveling, ending up a place with great waves and few people, then kooking out major because its a way different set up (board) than I am used to. its like 7 degrees of kevin bacon but with suck instead. I can’t fully score because the board sucks, this leads to skills sucks, then this gets me upset and then it sucks more, then I realize I’d sucked at spent money because I have a pricey board that sucks, my friends are dogging me so I think they suck but maybe they could be right so it sucks also and hey they’re trying to do something good for me, and then I suck because I’m being a dick about that because I can’t let go of my ego waffle, then it really sucks because I probably can shape something just as good or better at materials cost so I’m sucking in my decision making. And the final suck is it gets dinged and I don’t know it or I get lazy and the ding sucks in water and the board gets waterlogged and I have to visit boardlady’s site and use her techniques to fix it . . . but I have wait until I get back to civilisation . . . because its rare that middle of nowhere will have a shop or facilities for that type of repair.
if its airlines you want to appease (actually really just to get your boards in working condition) might want to look into the tough cases (like santa monica case, I know M, it keep mentioning it but its like xerox for copying, it jus comes to mind homie) or if you really want to go out on a limb and made of money, then get that Pope Transformers more than meets the eye longboard that can actually come apart into 3 pieces or 2. Even if that rode like a surftech I’d be able to reason with it since I can take the board apart for travelling and for that convenience it must surf and be made like a surf tech.
additional info . . . . surftechs are more durable in some respects but ding just as easy as poly . . . the only thing is they don’t get deck dents . . .
and in small waves surftech shortboards I’ve heared are excellent (never rode them)
Dont know about the Terminator 2 series of surftechs either.
Talk to a local shaper, have them shape you a PU blank and have it glassed with epoxy and S-glass. It’ll be just as strong as one of the popouts you’re talking about for almost the same price, and it’ll be custom for you. Surftechs and the like break too, and when they do, it’s usually much harder to fix and much more expensive than a normal ding repair. Not to mention you might wait over a month to get the board back.
What makes you think a Tuflite is indescrutible or not susceptible to being damaged or dinged on an airplane?
Not trying to give you a dig, but you may want to just look at your board packing method and see if it can be improved. I traveled around the world for 12 months straight, went on I don’t know how many flights with multiple boards in that time and did not have a single ding and have rarely ever had a problem with damage to my boards traveling.
Yes! Packing proceedures! Top of the list,
Sure Epoxy is tuffer than Polyester. I would glass a board with anything else regardless of whether the blank is polyurethane or polystyrene. Hand shaped boards are super. They flex and you can have them just about any weight you prefer. Lighter is always more fragile no how you cut it.
One of the qualities of a good noseriding longboard is that it have a little mass. A 9’4" around 16 to 19 pounds is the call IMHO. You can have your epoxy and go with a handshapeed board. I have a couple right in this wieght range and boy are they tuff. Super springy too. Both are of Aussie Foam.
Now all you need is a good shaper and someone who understands epoxy lamination technique then you’re set.
Mahalo, Rich
there are two other choices to consider
if you travel alot and don’t mind spending the dough
then have you considered a composite Pope Bisect from Karl Pope?
The Wayne Rich model should be a good all around 9’+ traveler you can haul around a convenient 4’+ package.
The other is a multi board hardcase from santa monica(sp?) with wheels so you can haul around your custom PU’s with some ease of mind… Saw a used triple this year for sale under $200.
minor drops on the pavement are not what baggage handlers do with luggage especially anything heavy and odd sized.
If you want some red or blue paneled piece of crap that doesn’t even have a stringer then by all means buy from Thailand. Bonga rides polyester/ polyurethane hand shaped by Carl Shaper except when he is doing photo shoots for NSP or whoever it is(can’t remember). EPS/Epoxy or Poly/PE hand shaped. I have seen and used the boards you mentioned and they definitly will not knee-paddle your 195 lbs. Most of the Southpoints that I have handled, seen (and yes) repaired are actually heavier than most poly boards of equal deminsions. And they are “dead” and I mean “dead” in the water compared to a Poly or handshaped EPS. I mostly do Poly. I like EPS/Epoxy handshaped. If you get a board shaped out of one of the Aussie foams(I prefer Surfblanks) with a normal 6-4/6 glass job or perhaps a 6-6/6? you will have an extremly strong surfboard, capable of withstanding dents , punctures etc. Lowel
Where is Mister OTAY?
I repair a lot of Surftechs that come into the shop being carried by surfers who thought that they were buying something largely indestructible. While the construction is pretty resistant for the day-to-day stuff, I see a lot of crushed tails and noses from plane travel, just like with the PU boards. Packing well is about the best thing that you can do to counter that, though a really stong board will obviously help.
No when it comes to getting such a board, please go and check out a local shaper or two. Heck, even with transport you should be able to get a hand-shaped board delivered to you for a comparable price. You actually have a lot of options, PU/Epoxy (and you can stick with your regular shaper), PS/Epoxy, or get in touch with one of the sandwich guys here on the forum.
My experience with EPS/Epoxy longboards is super, I do my longboards with 30kg foam, and with a double six/ single six layup they’re pretty darn tough. The weight comes in just a touch lighter than their PU counterparts, but if I want I can always throw an extra 4oz on top of the regular glass to weigh things a bit. A wood stringer will help dampen the chatter as well.
Finally, for that all-around noserider in SD, check out Dennis Murphy’s shapes. Great guy and a great shaper. I haven’t spoken with him in a while so I don’t know if he’s working with EPS yet, but it’s worth a call/e-mail to check.
Good luck.
get a sunova of berts
composite boards are good and very hard to dent/ding/break
surftechs seem okay to me
i wouldnt buy one cuz i can make them a hellofalot cheaper
and i reckon better
if your sick of dents and dings i think a woodveneer type composite board could be a good option
im told the new tl2 surftechs are a better option because they have a more flex feel more natural
but that could be just hype
dont worry about the poor local shapers
if they havent embraced new tech and cant supply you with a more durable board
then really thats not your fault is it
you are the market. .
its up to the shaper to meet the market demand
thats business!
with a lot of travelling surfers
durability is a big requirement these days
maybe you should find a local shaper that can build a composite board for you!
unless there work is exceptional with strong custom glass jobs with colour work as shown by the guys at sways
and are building you a piece of history to treasure
in that way way i would look at supporting you local shaper
id love a retro pu/pe keel fish with tints,pinlines and gloss, if i could afford one
but my local shapers dont make them!
Couldn’t agree more. My point about going local was brought on by the fact that a lot of surfers don’t even consider that there might be local shapers doing comp-sands and or interesting EPS/Epoxy boards. Their gut reaction is to get a Surftech, while there are some unreal alternative boards being made (many of them by those posting here) by people with less marketing skills/budget to get their message out.
Just my two cents worth.
there are some unreal alternative boards being made (many of them by those posting here) by people with less marketing skills/budget to get their message out.
so how does one go about finding these people?
I say get a Sunova from Bert_Burger and Speedneedle if you want a very good composite sandwich skinned epoxy board.
Without getting into too long a debate, oftentimes it’s sufficient to make a phone call or two. Call a shaper whose work you like, and ask them. If they don’t work with the materials you’re looking for, ask if they have a recommondation. While a shaper has (if he or she is wise) a great interest in getting their message out to the public, as a surfer I’d think that you’d want to check out all of your options to make sure that you’re getting the best riding and most durable board that you can.
I get referrals from other shapers who don’t work with EPS/Epoxy, as well as from some who don’t want to build balsa boards. On the other hand, I freely give a couple of other shapers contacts for clients looking for shortboards in any materials:) Can’t hurt to make the effort.
By the way, obviously Burt is a great choice, you’d just have to work out the shipping to SD.
Mahalo.
READ ME
go to http://www.longboardtv.com/video/clips.html# and click season 1, episode 7. a new window will open and click spot check and watch half way through a guy gets about an 11 second nose ride a cuttie and a floater on the surftech “in the pink” model. seems to go good hey!
For what its worth go the surftech and not the magic model. if only the ‘in the pink’ was a pintail ooh how fun it would be. i like the town and country stephen slater model for beach break purposes but not really what your after.
CHeerS
Thank you for the tip with Longboard Tv. I think I’m going with the “In the Pink” or "DT 2 " Model in the Surftech. I really don’t care what people think about the Surftech models. I’ve supported my local shapers and busineses for over 20 years and I believe that its how you surf is what matters rather than what you surf. Riding a Surftech should not make you any less of a person or surfer. There are guys who are pros that rip it up on Surftechs and Global surf industries and guys who are not pros that ride better than most guys who ride foam PU boards. If it works for you then that is all that matters. I still have classic Polyester foam boards with volan glassing and such so I can still go back once in a while if I need to. Thanks.
I am not too wild about the tech as it’s been presented, but I must say that the Herbie Fletcher thriller that was made in Vietnam is the best looking and appears to be the best quality I have seen of all the popouts. I would even ride that model in a pinch.