I am a new member to Swaylocks and seek your advice, I am considering buying a DT1 I have read some reviews on the board on various sites. My delima is to order a big wave board from a shaper costing less or go down the route of a DT1.
I live in the UK so will pay extra to get the board over here via Takayama stockist , I need a longboard for bigger days high head to double overhead at my local break. The wave is generally quiet steep and the take off is very fast barelling down the line.
I am attracted to the overall shape of the board nose & tail, I have a likeness to a board with a pulled in nose for those steeper drops.
Do anybody on this form have experience of the DT1 ? if so what have been your experiences with the board on big waves with steep faces.
Your experience and advise would be very much appreciated.
I had a DT1 and really liked it. Mine was a 9’6", felt heavy compared to other boards but it was great in almost all conditions. I never had it in anything huge (head high to slightly overhead at best) but it took drops and late take offs just fine.
You will probably get lots of suggestions, but you may want to take a look at the Rusty Desert Island. I have two currently (8’10" and 9’6") and these boards provide me with the confidence to drop in on just about anything.
Why not look into having a Local make you a board? I Know that France might not be local. Still it is closer then Shipping from some warehouse in Calif. Balsa a French board builder that post here on sways is an excellent shaper. Shipping from France to the UK would be a lot cheaper. Might even be fun to take a trip down to his shop have a surf and take the board home with you.
You are welcome. Take a look around the Internet You might be surprised at how many boards are built locally. Look at the Campbell Brothers I think it is called Bonzer World web site. They have been going to England, France, Portugal working with some top notch shapers showing them the in and outs of Bonzers. Seems there is a lot of Stoke in your little corner of the Surf World. In my time I have met some surfers from England, Wales and Ireland. Every one of them were very cool guys. All were stoked. in most cases enthusiasm made up for lack of skill. I'm sure the level of surfing has really improved over the last 35 years just like the quality of the Boards being built over there.
the DT 1 works really good in steep and bigger waves,and noserides real well.I have a 9.0,that is probably 12-13 years old,and still beautiful,candy apple red bottom and rails,red glassed on side fins,shaped by Donald.They are not shaped by him anymore,but that doesn’t take away anything from the current boards.no more glassed on fins though.I think owning a Takayama is more of a show piece kind of thing,they are not going to make you surf better or worse than any other decent contemporary board.And you would be so sick if you broke it on a big wave after paying all that money to get one over.Any decent shaper could make you a speed shape longboard.The Takayamas are very well built,and glassed strong,with a T-Band stringer.even so,I have put a buckle in my Diamond tail Takayama.I have a friend who used to collect Takayamas,but now only stand up paddles,so I bought a few of his boards.Wishing good waves and good luck in your next board,Aloha
Thank you for your imput and advice, very sound words it may be more owning a speed shape from Takayama that sees me drawn to owning one.
I have taken on board Artz advice also and will probally go down the roure a local shaper and choose something like a semi gun shape that serves best in fast pitching and barrell 6-8' faces.
I wouldn't really surf over that size, i have been longboarding for over 15 years and i like a decent size board underneath me with length and volume.
An Old friend of mine at one time ghost shaped for DT when he had the factory in Oceanside. I was under the impression that when DT sold, all the manufacturing went to China. It does get confusing when you have Surf tech and or GSI boards with the Takayama logo. Hamish You could get a Bob Sakota, a DT ghost shaper board on second thought the shipping would kill ya.
Lcc, We need more info on That fine looking board Profile fin set up rovker foam glassing and wax used. Ok, don't need to know the wax but it is a beauty.
Art Coyler, North Pacific Surfboards HPLB model. Continous curve outline and rocker, 4.5"N, 3.5" T, flat to double concave, low rails, 2+1 (16" sides), 5/16" stringer, 4/4,4 all S cloth. Here’s an 8’6 more ‘hot doggy’ version with tad wider nose area.
Oh, and Sex Wax of course…I mean, what else would you rub on your stick…
I Knew Art when he was just starting out in shaping Down in Encinitas way back in The 70's I was doing airbrush work at a glass shop run by the late Marty Ratcliff. Art had his boards glassed by Marty I did a few airbrush jobs for him. this was all before he started working production for Rusty.
Thanks for the numbers on the boards. Seems like they would be excellent rides for that part of the world.
Thank you for your post, that 9' is a beautiful board the template is exactly whats planted in my mind after all the good advise i have been given on the forum.
I am very much swayed to a semi gun template 9' and slightly over, I like boards that have weight and a solid feel to them.
When I am speaking with my shaper I am confident on nose/tail/width/thickness but am not so confident when discussing glass weight and rockers for nose and tails.
I would very much appreciate if anyone out there could give me more advise on tail and nose rocker/ glass thickness, and some pictures of some other 9' + semi gun boards.
Here in Hawai’i,I have my longboards glassed with 6 oz bottom,double 6oz top,with a 6 oz deck patch.Sounds like overkill,but the heavier boards surf better in big stuff for me,and even like this,the deck takes a beating.For barreling waves,S glass is better,resists snapping better.But then again,barreling waves and longboards invite destruction,which is fun when you want to get a new board " I gotta get a new board Honey,my board snapped!!!" Got to keep our local shapers in business,right?
