Bumped this thread to give an update on the fin topic.
The 9' Jamie Mitchell fin I've been running is fun in small waves on the 10' Laird.

Also, I just had the chance to surf some of the swell from Cat 3 Hurricane Gonzalo along the east coast of Florida.
The Laird got a bit squirrely on some of the larger waves. Conditions were less than perfect with offshore/sideshore winds.
As I was driving home I put in a call to Pearson Arrow Surf shop and then over to the factory.

The fella I spoke with there suggested running quads plus a center in larger surf, and also run with just the quads otherwise.
His suggestion on the quads was T1's (about 5 1/2") in the front, and EA's (about 4 1/2") in the back. For center fin 6" to 6 1/2"

I've give it a go and will report back...

Fins for 10 foot surfer.
At the moment still got Laird Thruster set in which works well on bigger days. I think I can get board much looser. After getting some long clean point waves the other week I think the nose riding, pilot dependent..... can get much better with another set up. Looking to try a larger single around nine and a half with plenty of flex and 2+1 setup with same fin small side bites. Then same 2+1 with flex centre around seven and a half. Have not tried quad or five fin as yet.

I have a Bob Pearson custom 10'. This is the fin I'm running at the moment. It turns & noserides as good as I could expect.

Bob McTavish has excellent fins. You can buy them online. I use the redline fin as a single in my 10.6 and in my 12.6 race board

graffitisup, what size is that single fin?

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firesurf said..
graffitisup, what size is that single fin?

10". I only ride this board as a single fin log. Have never ridden it as a thruster or quad.

Hi all,

Anyone have any trouble with durability of the EPS layup? I have the 9' hybrid and the rail saver is chewing up my rails on both sides. Yes, i have the cord nice and short. Maybe 30 sessions so far and two repairs to the rail just up from the tail point.

Rail protection tape maybe?

Thx

Dan,
Sorry for the slow response, I see you have posted this question twice.
That sounds a real bummer
No I haven't had any issues like that, to be honest I am pleased how mine is holding up
Have you spoken with the supplier?
It could be linked back to their early batch which were did have some soft issues which supposedly have been rectified

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GWatto said..
Dan,
Sorry for the slow response, I see you have posted this question twice.
That sounds a real bummer
No I haven't had any issues like that, to be honest I am pleased how mine is holding up
Have you spoken with the supplier?
It could be linked back to their early batch which were did have some soft issues which supposedly have been rectified

Seems about as durable as a fiberglass board. Glass will fracture and spider. Also have a few spots where the epoxie is so thin that I've had to squirt a little sun cure on it. Love surfing on it though.

Just found this from Laird stand up

Just wanted to add that this is one of my favorite boards. Glad I bought it, love to ride it, and plan to keep it. Some of the big name pop outs may be a bit more durable, but in my opinion this board is special. I think it's one of the early customs eps boards built in the Pearson Ca. factory. Don't even think Pearson is building them anymore. Since it's a hand laid board the rails are thin and sharp which adds to the performance. This also makes the board more fragile.

Yep. Gonna drag this one back out into the light again. FINALLY got a go on my mates 11' surfer today and I gotta be honest with you; at first I thought it sucked. My board of choice in this category is my 10'6" Nalu, which at a 160L keeps you well up and out of the water on a normal day. The Laird sits down wayyyyy lower and the chop was slapping at my ankles straight away. I thought to myself "this thing must be waterlogged or something", and decided to try and get on a wave asap, before I lost interest. First couple of disastrous attempts found me looking like a numpty, and it was obvious I needed to adjust to this board quickly or end up damaging myself. A quick stance and attitude adjustment saw me take off on a nice little right hander and that's when this board came to life. It is a true longboard, that they've somehow made just buoyant enough to label a SUP. I can truly see on the right wave on the right day it would really put a big childish grin on your face. Now if only I can get someone to tell me where they're being made, and when they'll be available......

Give Sam at Balmoral sup a call ,I think they are pretty much up to speed on models etc.They can arrange shipping if you order from them.I think they come into Australia through an agent in WA,but not fully sure on that.

Brenno they are in store at Balmoral Paddlesurf next week. Most brands are experiencing hold ups with sea freight at the moment.

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waxer said..
Give Sam at Balmoral sup a call ,I think they are pretty much up to speed on models etc.They can arrange shipping if you order from them.I think they come into Australia through an agent in WA,but not fully sure on that.

Cheers waxer, will do.

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AA said..
Brenno they are in store at Balmoral Paddlesurf next week. Most brands are experiencing hold ups with sea freight at the moment.

Cheers AA, I reckon I'll be purchasing myself one for christmas. As long as it matches the value of all the unnecessary electronic crap that I seemingly "must" procure for the rest of the mob, I'm sure it will be ok....

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Brenno said..
Yep. Gonna drag this one back out into the light again. FINALLY got a go on my mates 11' surfer today and I gotta be honest with you; at first I thought it sucked. My board of choice in this category is my 10'6" Nalu, which at a 160L keeps you well up and out of the water on a normal day. The Laird sits down wayyyyy lower and the chop was slapping at my ankles straight away. I thought to myself "this thing must be waterlogged or something", and decided to try and get on a wave asap, before I lost interest. First couple of disastrous attempts found me looking like a numpty, and it was obvious I needed to adjust to this board quickly or end up damaging myself. A quick stance and attitude adjustment saw me take off on a nice little right hander and that's when this board came to life. It is a true longboard, that they've somehow made just buoyant enough to label a SUP. I can truly see on the right wave on the right day it would really put a big childish grin on your face. Now if only I can get someone to tell me where they're being made, and when they'll be available......

Brenno (& others),

Am I reading correctly that the Laird probably isn’t an allrounder/everyday type of board?

I am looking for a longboard style SUP and am closing in on either the 10.65 Nalu or a Laird. In reading a few replies it seems as though the Laird really comes alive and is fun in cleaner surf, but how about your average knee high slop? (which is 90% of the time that I have my SUP out).

Is the Nalu a safer bet with more stability?

I’d love to hear more from those that have ridden both.

Cheers
Damo

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damo666 said..

Brenno said..
Yep. Gonna drag this one back out into the light again. FINALLY got a go on my mates 11' surfer today and I gotta be honest with you; at first I thought it sucked. My board of choice in this category is my 10'6" Nalu, which at a 160L keeps you well up and out of the water on a normal day. The Laird sits down wayyyyy lower and the chop was slapping at my ankles straight away. I thought to myself "this thing must be waterlogged or something", and decided to try and get on a wave asap, before I lost interest. First couple of disastrous attempts found me looking like a numpty, and it was obvious I needed to adjust to this board quickly or end up damaging myself. A quick stance and attitude adjustment saw me take off on a nice little right hander and that's when this board came to life. It is a true longboard, that they've somehow made just buoyant enough to label a SUP. I can truly see on the right wave on the right day it would really put a big childish grin on your face. Now if only I can get someone to tell me where they're being made, and when they'll be available......

Brenno (& others),
Am I reading correctly that the Laird probably isn’t an allrounder/everyday type of board?
I am looking for a longboard style SUP and am closing in on either the 10.65 Nalu or a Laird. In reading a few replies it seems as though the Laird really comes alive and is fun in cleaner surf, but how about your average knee high slop? (which is 90% of the time that I have my SUP out).
Is the Nalu a safer bet with more stability?
I’d love to hear more from those that have ridden both.CheersDamo

Damo,
Hard for me to comment on the latest Laird surfers, I've only ridden an old 11' surftech one of dubious quality (May have had some ballast water on board?).
I guess that's one of the reasons I was pleasantly surprised it surfed as well as it did.
The 10'6" Nalu however I can definately give the thumbs up for keeping you out of the water on a ****tty day, like my last Sunday.
It was SO crap, but I was SO frustrated, and knew if I didn't get out amongst it I would regret it at beer o'clock, and that's why I reached for that board.
Cheers
Brenno

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Dan55 said..
Hi all,

Anyone have any trouble with durability of the EPS layup? I have the 9' hybrid and the rail saver is chewing up my rails on both sides. Yes, i have the cord nice and short. Maybe 30 sessions so far and two repairs to the rail just up from the tail point.

Rail protection tape maybe?

Thx

Similar on mine, but understandable given the punishment I have put it through. Guess this is always going to be the compromise where you have a lighter standard EPS construction? The only way you are going to improve on the situation is to go a carbon board at nearly twice the price for a reputable shape? Still, with his boards being so refined, it is a wonder Laird does not just go out and do a carbon model anyway. I am sure some would be happy to pay the extra for the longevity. It is always a real pity to destroy a nice board and I have a real habit of riding the good ones till they die.

Notwithstanding, given the kind of waves I have put it through, if it was a major concern I might have put the railsaver right through the board as often happens on lighter polyester prones. At least the board is doing its best to outlive its weight in legropes!

The Laird sup has a vent that I am not familiar with(not that I am familiar with most others).what if any maitenance do they need or is it a case of set and forget..

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waxer said..
The Laird sup has a vent that I am not familiar with(not that I am familiar with most others).what if any maitenance do they need or is it a case of set and forget..

Yes, it looks like a standard set and forget vent. Nothing high tech or removable. Guess the maintenance, like all boards with bubbly Styrofoam insides, is to get them out the waster before they soak up so much water they sink, rip the glass off over dings, dry them out for a few months, then do some brutal repairs cutting away damaged soft foam, refilling and glassing appropriately?

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waxer said..
The Laird sup has a vent that I am not familiar with(not that I am familiar with most others).what if any maitenance do they need or is it a case of set and forget..

My 10' turned up today, stoked (bar the huge MADE IN CHINA sign on the box - back to reality). It glides as well as the 11' I tried, bit more nimble on the turns, can't wait to get it on some real waves. The vent is interesting. Unlike the solid Naish plug, that is only to be removed if parking outside the casino in 50 degrees plus, this thing has a gauze screen that let's the board "breathe". I'm a bit suspect that if it freely let's the air out, does that mean the water is free to get in........? Maybe some highly paid engineer can tell me to pull my head in.

It must be a Gore Tex membrane www.gore.com/products/categories/venting

Basically it has holes small enough to let the gas through, but not liquids.

Note that water can go through it in vapor form, so it is not a good idea to keep a board in an tight closed wet bag, water will get into the board as air humidity (vapor) - and you will get osmosis blister anyways :-). But in the other hand, on dry days, the board wll breathe and water will get out as vapor too.

In a nutshell: the vent works, dont touch it.

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colas said..
It must be a Gore Tex membrane www.gore.com/products/categories/venting

Basically it has holes small enough to let the gas through, but not liquids.

Note that water can go through it in vapor form, so it is not a good idea to keep a board in an tight closed wet bag, water will get into the board as air humidity (vapor) - and you will get osmosis blister anyways :-). But in the other hand, on dry days, the board wll breathe and water will get out as vapor too.

In a nutshell: the vent works, dont touch it.

Cheers Colas, appreciate your help. Makes sense when you read about it. I will leave well enough alone......

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Hello from South of france
I own a fanatic 9'3 prowave '13, and a fanatic 10'6 fly wood that i use in small mediteranean waves. I'm thinking of buying a new longboard as the 10'6 laird surfer to replace my old fanatic fly 10'6 . What can you say about it, does it goes on anything or does it needs some power to get manoeuvrable ? i'm fed up to use a board with limit buoyancy for my weight (95kgs) and i have much more fun on the longboard style of surfing. the waves we have here are not powerful at all and i wonder if the laird's (10'6) has been made for this kind of asthmatic swell
Thanks
david (45)

David, you should definitely look at boards designed for the mediterranée, more specifically to your local conditions, by shapers surfing in our local conditions.
Hawaian boards (e.g: the prowave, Hokuas, ...) just have a too slow rocker to work there.

For instance, for my stretch of coast around Cannes, traditional longboards are not great as we do not have waves long and steady enough for them to work: what works best here are either "mini longboards" that combine glide of a fast rocker and agility of a short length, or "performance longboards" (modern shapes) that you can push to exploit the fickle waves.
Other parts of the Mediterannée have other characteristics however. Near Hyeres some longboard spots seem to exist: www.bothejess.com/

I suggest you read the Gong forum, you will get a lot of insight of the different types of longboard SUPs and their adequation to the spots and intended style... e.g:

Note that I dont say that you must buy a Gong board. I am just saying the the gong forum is an unequaled source of extermely useful information, especially on what woks for different kind of people on different kind of waves, and that you should read before buying something not adapted to your conditions and tastes.
Exemples:
www.gong-galaxy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=62345 (explains the old school shapes like the Laird/Pearsons)
www.gongsup.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=81390#p81390
www.gongsup.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=88612#p88612
...

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colas said..
David, you should definitely look at boards designed for the mediterranée, more specifically to your local conditions, by shapers surfing in our local conditions.
Hawaian boards (e.g: the prowave, Hokuas, ...) just have a too slow rocker to work there.

For instance, for my stretch of coast around Cannes, traditional longboards are not great as we do not have waves long and steady enough for them to work: what works best here are either "mini longboards" that combine glide of a fast rocker and agility of a short length, or "performance longboards" (modern shapes) that you can push to exploit the fickle waves.
Other parts of the Mediterannée have other characteristics however. Near Hyeres some longboard spots seem to exist: www.bothejess.com/

I suggest you read the Gong forum, you will get a lot of insight of the different types of longboard SUPs and their adequation to the spots and intended style... e.g:

Note that I dont say that you must buy a Gong board. I am just saying the the gong forum is an unequaled source of extermely useful information, especially on what woks for different kind of people on different kind of waves, and that you should read before buying something not adapted to your conditions and tastes.
Exemples:
www.gong-galaxy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=62345 (explains the old school shapes like the Laird/Pearsons)
www.gongsup.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=81390#p81390
www.gongsup.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=88612#p88612
...

Translation or summary please Colas
Looks like you have some good conversations going on that forum.

Just the latest on my Laird 10' composite surfer.
Stoked, fun, friendly and now running a two plus one set up which apart from hitting a few rocks with the centre fin is great in all conditions so far being 4' to 5' solid and bumpy to 1' glass runners.

I am using a 9'5" flex fin in the middle of the box and futures Solus on the side. After trying several combos this seems to suit me.

Sorry, correction on fins, 9' Benda centre fin by Shappers and it is 3/4 forward in the box which means the leading edge is around 10mm past trailing edge of Solus sides. Just had another super fun session surfing part of the beach nobody else would bother with, stoked on this board

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Funnsurfn said..
Sorry, correction on fins, 9' Benda centre fin by Shappers and it is 3/4 forward in the box which means the leading edge is around 10mm past trailing edge of Solus sides. Just had another super fun session surfing part of the beach nobody else would bother with, stoked on this board

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Funnsurfn said..
Fins for 10 foot surfer.
At the moment still got Laird Thruster set in which works well on bigger days. I think I can get board much looser. After getting some long clean point waves the other week I think the nose riding, pilot dependent..... can get much better with another set up. Looking to try a larger single around nine and a half with plenty of flex and 2+1 setup with same fin small side bites. Then same 2+1 with flex centre around seven and a half. Have not tried quad or five fin as yet.

I've mentioned this before but has anyone tried a cutaway fin about 8" or 9". I used to use them on my McTavish mal and it really loosened the board up but kept it solidly in the wave. In fact it totally changed the board. You know when a board feels just right under foot and that's exactly what I think would work well on the Laird.