I recall Laird Hamilton saying if he was to have only one surfboard it would be his 11’er.
Quite amazing when you consider the amount of fame he’s garnered in surfing circles with his tow in surfing.
So Swaylockians if you had to restrict yourself to just one surfboard to ride in any and all conditions what surfboard design would you choose and more importantly, why? Don’t be shy about giving dimensions and posting photos to illustrate your point.
The versatile board. The magic carpet. The go to. The single board quiver.
Could you possibly be happy on just one board?
Thinking back to when I was a grom and had just one board I happily rode it in any and everything.
I’m gonna have to agree with Laird on this one, not because he is Laird, but because 11ft just has a certain ring to it. Especially if I am allowed to have a fin quiver to go with my one board quiver.
The “Superboard” was designed for the surfer that is currently riding longboards but generally does not walk or ride the nose. A large majority of the people that ride longboards right now are not noseriders but ride longboards for the superior paddling, stability, and glide while compromising turning and maneuverability because of the straighter templates and ultra-wide nose. A majority of these surfers are so use to this compromise that they don’t realize just how much more exciting surfing can be when they have a board that catches waves ridiculously easily, has the glide and trim of a longboard but surfs in the pocket with amazing speed and driving turns. Imagine how much more fun surfing is when that new ground swell arrives and you effortlessly catch the best set wave then come flying out of your first turn like you were riding a finely tuned gun but in any type of surf. Or effortlessly paddle into a nice wave and just lean in the rail on a lazy sunny afternoon on that average waist to chest high day slicing through the next section with enough speed to hit the oncoming whitewater with the power and maneuverability of riding a much shorter board. Very fun! The purpose of the design is to have an incredibly versatile surfboard that features hyper-superior paddling, a nice smooth glide along with high performance capabilities such as quick carving turns, the ability the ride high in the wave, change directions quickly, and have enough curve to fit in the pocket and be able to come out without pearling or digging that outside rail. This board has been a work in progress for the last few years that has met or exceeded our expectations at every level in the design progression. Here is a quick rundown on the design features: TEMPLATE · A clean curvy outline with a slightly pulled in nose, wide point at center and visible hip for a loose, maneuverable design · Plenty of width to accommodate a continuous curve in the outline for quick planning and easy maneuverability rail to rail. · The nose area full enough for good flotation and stability but pulled in to the point it slices through the water making catching waves easier and with no hang ups. It is also a more maneuverable design with less swing weight in the nose making turning effortless on a longer design · A nice wide tail and hip area with a 4-fin quad fin set-up for quick planning and easy turning. DECK · A slightly thicker nose area but NO BEAK · A semi flat rolled deck from just above the chest to a little above the knees that blends into the rails with no visible lines · Tail area blends into the natural curve of the tail with a nice clean foil.
I still think nuggets pretty much are the all around everman board. Carve like shorties and paddle pretty close to longboards. I sit out with the longboarders on mine.
I would have to go with this 8 foot egg. I made this to travel with when I only want to hassle dragging one board though the airport. Features a slight roll in the nose, flat in the middle, vee starting about a foot from the fins and going to flat out the tail. Can be surfed as a quad or single. Board is 21 inches wide and 2 3/4" thick. This board will work in just about anything, but you could find a better board for specific waves conditions. I find myself gabbing this board more and more for day to day surf’s in mediocre conditions. Keep in mind I’m 58 and losing it!
Eat’s your long board up, and blows past your little fish. I’m standing up dropping in while your still trying to catch the wave. Works in knee hi to way overhead.
It’s out of rotation now, because the newer model is around 8-8’6". But if I was trapped on an island in the pacific with beach breaks, summer reefs, winter reefs, mello breaks, and thumping breaks. This board will work it all. 9 x 13 x 21 x 13 x 2 7/8. 92R Clark Blank. It’s a jack of all trades, master of none
I just built a 6’10 rounded pin, single concave, 2 1/2 thick, for a friend that has a Wayne Lynch Evo knock-off template. I think it’s the best all-arounder I’ve built. My theory is… if you only have one board, you want it to work good when the waves are good. When it’s small, you just sort of deal with it. This board has the length and tail for bigger surf, but the single concave makes it a bit more user friendly for smaller surf. There’s also plenty of volume there for weaker waves.
8’2" epoxy egg with 5 fin bonzer set-up paddles well, rides smoothly and travels well----brian wynn just made me this with a mako eps blank and resin research epoxy and a nice yellow tint to fight UV damage…
Something along the lines of a pulled in hybrid… Rusty “Desert Island”/Randy Rarick (Bear) “Versatile” kind of thing. Like the one in Resinhead’s post.
At age 53 (200+ lbs) I can ride a lot of conditions with something in the 9’6" X 23" size range with my choice of two center fins. Knee high to double overhead are within reason on this type of board.
Up to this point in time the most versatile board I’ve had was a 7’0" bonzer bottomed hybrid thruster I shaped in '92. Measurements were 15" nose, 20 1/2" wide point, 14 1/2" tail, 2 1/2" thickness. It could the biggest waves I could handle (6 ft. Hawaiian scale) down to the weakest mush. I never had to worry about which board(s) I was gonna take with me to the beach because it was all I needed. After a few years of use it kinda lost its magic, but was still a good rider. I kept it for visiting buds to use on vacation. I think my friend who lives in Malibu still has the clone of that board I did for him a couple of years after the original one, won’t part with it ever.
I have 3 boards that I ride the most according to the conditions. Total quiver is 7 with 2 of those gathering dust and the other 2 for specific conditions.
The most versatile board I have would definitely be my 7’2" X 22" X 2&3/4" 2+1 egg.
Easy to paddle, good glide with smooth arcs and speed being the order of the day.
My 5’9" Steve Seebold quad fish (5’9" x 21 3/4" x 2 1/2")…
I’ve ridden it from overhead Blacks and Swamis to Hossegor to ankle-knee hi Mediterranean mush. While super-dredging barrels aren’t its favorite, its my go-to board 99% of the time (I’m 6’ 180-185lbs).
I have other pics of the board, but am having trouble re-sizing them to upload size. This pic is from last summer here in Israel…no Southern Hemi swells here. Water temp is 85 in summer though.
