New 7'9" by 26 Imagine... hmmm

[Strand Leper]

My buddy Adam had a board made that looks very similar in outline and concave to my micro sup the Collab.  The modifications are:  more volume in the noise, less crowned deck (still crowned), narrower tail, modified thumb tail...  Probably five to seven percent more volume, maybe more... one pound foam...

He liked the speed of the board, but said that it rode too much like one of my boards... so he is letting me try before I buy.  I changed out the fins from a three fin set up to a four fin single foil... with really high end fiberglass super stiff fins...

Maximus and I were doing some fin filing... looking at the lines... and getting stoked.

I am hoping that it will ride like the Collab, but be a little easier to paddle for bigger days, or breaks where there is either a bit of wind trying to keep you off the wave... or a ton of water moving around (think of HB on a big South)

Gonna be on it at dawn... switching back between the Collab the new, as of yet un-named board... I can't name her unless I buy her...

I laid the Mens Journal on the tail pad for perspective.  This is a REALLY good issue, by the way.

[Reid SUP'd]

Looks like generous volume in the tail but nice round thumbtail shape!

[soulpaddler]

If that thing rides as good as it looks, it will be one hell of a board.  Looking forward to a full report soon.

[newton333]

what is his weight? 26 wide,,,,, wow.

[kneecap]

Reminds me little of Ke11y's micro Pipe boards with a little fuller tail. Rear fins pushed way back. Time to go real fast and still hold in steeper stuff. Got Corran working on single concaves now? Me like! Is it just the photo or do the rails look a little fuller as well? You and Adam aren't exactly the same body type, so I'm very curious to see how it goes for you.

[SoCalSupper]

crazy fin placement Tim
looks fast and i bet that rear really sticks on a juicy wave
Im picturing you pumping on a good one and looking for Ramps?
I see airs in your future....

[Strand Leper]

Newton, He is about 165... I am about 185.

Soul, indeed.

Reid, yes a bit more volume packed everywhere.

Kneecap, perceptive... the rails are a bit softer than the Collab...

So Cal, crazy fin placement indeed... stay tuned for review....

My super cool wife could tell that I was a bit frustrated after my morning session (I was really frustrated, actually because I just couldn't understand the new board... just couldn't figure it out...)  So she told me to grab a quick two hour session before the sun went down to sort things out ... (that would be six hours of surfing on 7'9" SUP's... what a day!)  I am digesting and processing...  Oh, and my Buddy Brian showed up at the end of the session to click a few frames.  When I saw him going in, he told me that he clicked about 400 shots of yours truly... and will be editing and posting in the next few days.  I was out on the Adam board for the first two hours... then the Collab for two hours... then the Adam board for the last two hours...

[SoCalSupper]

i saw you ride CD's 7-9 x 27. Only a matter of time be4 you nail it
6 Hours!?
SLACKER!!

[Strand Leper]

Thx SoCal... We gotta surf soon.  Been awhile. I have been staying close to home lately to maximize water time.

First paddle out on the Adam board w/ fins shown above.

Super floaty and stable for its size. With all of that volume  (3.6) especially in the nose, it felt a little corky at first.  I took a 300 or so yard paddle down to the spot at first so that I could figure out the paddling before I entered the lineup.  Wierd sideshore wind blowing off the point giving me some cross chop... Get the falls out of the way now!

Very quick to a plane... Very easy to catch waves... Very, very loose.  But where is the drive?  Felt like a dork/kook as I kept needing to pump and turn for speed in order to make sections. Very un-quad like. 

Incredibly easy to break the fins loose.  I broke them loose on the bottom a few times... A bit of drifting going on, but nowhere as cool as Derek Hynd.  In many cases, not the good king of drifting.... Almost like riding a twin with fins that are too small and set too far forward.  Some clean pocket Fin free snaps, pretty easy to recover because u are drifting a lot on this board so the drift as u are resetting your fins is no big deal. Not as fast as a twin though... Actually reminded me of my laser zap when the single fin was too far forward.

Super frustrated, I flipped the board over to take a close look at the fins. DUH. The (cant) angle of the rear fins was pretty severe.  I noticed this when changing out the fins the night before, and was concerned... But could not imagine that they would give me THIS much drag. 

I know this board will work... Just look at it!!!

I got a ton of waves... Some pretty good set waves... And had fun... But my frame of reference has been distorted by the rocket ship otherwise known as the Collab.  The spot was getting crowded and cranky, so I went back to my other spot, grabbed the Collab and went off for another two hours... High tide... In, pump, pump, out before the sand crash... Oh yeah, now THAT is speed...

Next, PM session as a three fin.

[Supperson]

I ride a 7'9 x 26.5 x 4
Such a great size
it is my favorite board above all others now
Big waves or small it works amazing
I like running it as a thruster
Loving it!!!

[Strand Leper]

Supperson... I totally agree... it has been my magic size for my last three boards... this one has a little more volume to make it a little easier to manage in chop and wind.

Okay, I am a little bit angry at myself... the rear fins clearly have too much cant... easily changed by changing out the fin disks... but it also looks like the front fins need to be opened up a bit...

The beauty of four way fin systems... Adam was looking for less drive and probably splayed the fins inward and give himself more cant in the rears... I am looking for more drive, and that can easily be changed with a simple fin key...

With all of the fin filing, changing and foaming, I never took a tape measure to the fins to make sure they pointed to the outside of the nose... (my preferred angle)... total rookie error...

Tim

Stay tuned for the afternoon thruster run...

[surf monkey]

29 X 26 and it's to corky

Dude you must have some mad skills nice job.

Do you have a orange collar and leash for max (team rider dog) makes you look cool at the beach when your boards and dog match

[SoCalSupper]

Do you have a orange collar and leash

Tim is married, so like the rest of us, yes hes got a leash!

[surf monkey]

matching collars and leashes to go with my boards don't be silly I'm not as cool as you OC guys.

But i do have shackles, dogs, kids, wife and work got to love it.

[soulpaddler]

Anxiously awaiting your thruster report.  I have yet to try any of my boards as a quad, as the thruster set up seems to work good for what I have in the conditions that we get around here.  After talking with a local board fellow, he says that quads are really something that I need to check out.  And here I was thinking that going single fin was what the cool kids were doing.   Get out of work and post the thruster review!!!!!!!!!