What do you all think about stingers? Are they a valid design? I remember reading that the wing was supposed to give the wide bodied board a looser tail, is that right, or could the wings provide a bit of a pivot point in the rail line? I remember Bertalman ripping those boards!
What do you all think about stingers? Are they a valid design? I remember > reading that the wing was supposed to give the wide bodied board a looser > tail, is that right, or could the wings provide a bit of a pivot point in > the rail line? I remember Bertalman ripping those boards! …Scott, Some people will cry that they’re a waste of time,but they do work,and quite well infact.I think a more skilled/sensitive rider would benefit from the design,better than the average surfer.Herb
another design lost in the sands of time. Ask Ben Aipa? His old stingers are going for big bucks in the collector market. Thsoe things with the right rider were screamers.
One of the locals here rides a 9-0 cherry red aipa sting. Tiny swallow tail. Fcs crv setup with a trailer. You can really see that thing pivoting around the wings! Long or short it’s still a functional design.
What do you all think about stingers? Are they a valid design? I remember > reading that the wing was supposed to give the wide bodied board a looser > tail, is that right, or could the wings provide a bit of a pivot point in > the rail line? I remember Bertalman ripping those boards! >>>> While I was in Japan in July I ran into an old friend, Jeff Mack, whom has been living and shaping in Japan since the late seventy’s. Jeff shaped incredible boards for me and some friends back in the day. Jeff spent time with Ben Aipa during the stingers initial development. Anyway, short version of this story is that he still makes stings in both single fin and tri fin styles. He got me inspired to make myself a new one when I got home. I built myself a 6’8" swallow sting (single fin) with a step bottom and have been riding it on some of the smaller days between swells. It’s been really good so far, very loose and still Quite fast down the line. Regards, sk P.S. , I know there are those of us that remember the New Zealand swell of September 1975. Terry Senate rode an 8’4" swallowtail sting that Jeff Mack had shaped for him. It was dark purple tint top and bottom and Terry surfed it at Lower Trestles during that swell. The waves were between 6 to 12 feet and Terry owned Lowers. To this day it was some of the most incredible surfing I have ever seen.
…I was at Churches with Rick McHale&Jim Dixon,on that swell.I just gotten back from Hawaii and had built a 6’-9" stinger in yellow tint deck,with a black n red wishbone on the bottom,Laura Powers did the lines.I remember that particular swell was a healthy size,for that matter, that whole summer here and over in Hawaii was outstanding.Herb