“The above photo is of my personal board, summer of ‘71. With the very wide tail, I had an easy time catching any wave I chose to try for. The Tri-Fins (as we called them then) enabled the same board that I could ride 2’ beach surf with on one day, to be ridden the next day in 12’ reef breaks, with the same setup. And not just survival riding, but ripping, going anywhere on the wave face that I would choose to go. If I were to build a similar board today, I would increase the board width to 22’‘, or evev 23’', and use the close set twin fin setup I’ve shown you before. I’d also tweek the rails, softer, yet with a hard, tucked under, release edge. But I digress. The above board is one of many that I regret ever gitting rid of. Sometimes you don’t know just how good a board is until you move on to something else. It’s interesting that a new generation of surfers are rediscovering some of the earlier design paths.”
I got a Dain Thomas widow maker a few weeks ago, which I ordered 6’6"x 20". I had been thinking about this style of board for a long time and finally found someone who would do such a board with the outline that i had in mind. I have tried a Tolhurst and a Neal Purchase and the first thing that really surprised me was the speed all these boards have. They seem to have there own personalities with very little in common to a single fin, they are very effortless to surf and weave beautiful smooth turns.
I was originally looking for something to ride down the line waves where i find the thruster lacking and if the wave has some juice i didnt want the added drive of the thruster. The new Dain Thomas seems to offer more turning variables than the thruster in good waves and holds its speed for longer over the flat spots. They dont have the snap or many be the verticle projections but they have wonderful smooth turning arcs.
Still jazzed after a wonderful session at Sandon Point late yesterday afternoon.
Stoked you’ve got a Dain Widow, they look great and from the sound of it work great too- is yours anything like this? Post some pics if you can. Definitely the high point for me is the feel of how hard they drive when you push down that front foot- it’s like an accelerator. I really want to try one of the smaller Mitzven 2+1’s too- I’ve seen them around 6’ and they look fun. I’m getting all psyched on this now-I’ll dig out more pics!
Yeah exactly like that, that was the board i saw that got me stoked on them. The others i rode were more nose heavy and i wanted something along the lines off what Cheyne was riding in the early eighties. First I was thinking of of a double winger swallow but when I saw that board in a shop at Bondi I thought that is the perfect outline. The green board is only 6’ which is too small for me I am 6’2" so I stretched it took the swallow to 5 3/4" and a 14 3/4" tail couldnt be happier. Must admit the first surf i thought i had made a very costly mistake, but then it started to come together with a little correct foot placement, and baby does she move out. Also been lucky and had some good waves.
Long time since I’ve been on here, only the once really, but I’ve been riding my widow maker alot lately in pretty hollow waves and tits just a ball every time I paddle out. Sorry about the late reply, about 2 -3 years late yet I will get some photos put on here next week and let you know whqen I do so you can check them out. Kep surfin… Rick
Sorry about the late reply dude, been out fo the loop ,but thought I’d re visit th site. Hey if your interested in the dimentions .I’ll get em for ya over the weekend. keep surfin
and in a related, but slightly off topic question: does anyone make (for sale) a wider based, taller, center fin that would fit in two or perhaps 3 fcs plugs? telephone contact with fcs indicates they do not. tho i can build boards, i am not happy with my attempts to make this (or any other) fin. maybe a 6" base, 8" tall with the same general outline/rake of an fcs fin? the board is a 6’6 rocket fish with the template taken from an early 70’s ocean avenue rocket fish shapers initials GL. i already have 3 plugs in the center, don’t want to route them out to put in a conventional center fin box. sure, i’d be happy to buy from a swaylocker who makes fins. pm me with cost.
i’m not worried about ripping out the fin plugs…that i can fix. thanks. pete.
plan b might be to purchase a nice fibreglass box fin , and cut fcs fitting tabs into it , i have done that before now with success.
when i find where i have put the disc ,
please someone remind me to post a shot of my brother’s 6’6 greg hogan widowmaker setup [a box fin single fin , with fcs side plugs …hmmm…seems to run in the family eh ? …i have used my 7’er as a widowmaker , and have also moved the back fin forward in my 9’ mal , to utilise closer-together fin setups [a la "widowmaker’] in it.
at present , i am toying with the idea of putting an extra back plug [or two] in my gunther rohn 6’6 thruster , so i can also “widowmaker” setup that from time to time [as well as riding it as a single fin , of course ?!]
anyway , i hope this helps ??
can you please continue to post widowmaker photos on this thread , crew ? thanks !
Hey Dansan, could you give us some fin placement numbers? I’m wondering why he didn’t move the fin box further back to avoid hac=ving the extra set of FCS center plugs? I’m guessing those back plugs are for a thruster center which means about 3-1/2" up. Which means the center fin as it is in the photo is at about 7"- 8" up// WOuld you ever ride it with the fin further up than that?
sounds like you enjoy experimenting with fins too ...good on ya !!
hi again 'Skater '!
I still REALLY like 'gs' sized , or smaller , side fins combined as a three fin setup with around a 6" back fin [finboxes in a few of my boards]. I have three or four different sized fin box back fins which I alternate depending on swell size and hollowness / fatness ....
Often the rear of the side fins is in line with the base of the leading edge of the single fin / back fin [like with bonzers]
I can't wait to get the 6'1" orange stub back in the water with this setup , and also with the small runners i've made [see "from mutton to [nearly] lamb " thread, recent postings]
“The above photo is of my personal board, summer of ‘71. With the very wide tail, I had an easy time catching any wave I chose to try for. The Tri-Fins (as we called them then) enabled the same board that I could ride 2’ beach surf with on one day, to be ridden the next day in 12’ reef breaks, with the same setup. And not just survival riding, but ripping, going anywhere on the wave face that I would choose to go. If I were to build a similar board today, I would increase the board width to 22’‘, or evev 23’', and use the close set twin fin setup I’ve shown you before. I’d also tweek the rails, softer, yet with a hard, tucked under, release edge. But I digress. The above board is one of many that I regret ever gitting rid of. Sometimes you don’t know just how good a board is until you move on to something else. It’s interesting that a new generation of surfers are rediscovering some of the earlier design paths.”
