You high performance Longboarders can probably understand this... We could almost coin a new phase, the "Touch Down".

A late drop in, clean conditions. You always know you're going to get the wave, but you decide to do the lazy paddle, and almost miss the wave, but you wait for the sudden tail lift (inevitable tail lift), and get to your feet with that smooth timing where you control the nose "diving" with a combo of hand and rear foot placement, and the nose just goes into "Touch Down" mode, and you've laid it over onto the inside rail, and you've literally got 9 foot of rail in the face.

I will credit Bob McT's Original for helping me learn this great Longboard technique. Now Dick Brewer's shape also compliments those lessons learned. The high rocker of The Original allowed that for that late slicing take off.

http://www.mctavish.com.au/surfboard/original

I was pissing myself in the water today, as about 20% of us had gone for the boardies, rashie, and Trucker Cap look. It's a semi rare day in cool Vicco water!

Trucker cap... sun protection... but a few pro's have introduced that look... But it was also funny because pretty much every trucker cap was black peak, black mesh rear, and white top forehead, with some logo of sorts...

You like that Brewer Simo. She's a keeper.

For at least an hour and a half yesterday, I loved my Brewer more than my wife. But once I got home I had to put those thoughts to the back of my head...

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Simondo said...

You high performance Longboarders can probably understand this... We could almost coin a new phase, the "Touch Down".

A late drop in, clean conditions. You always know you're going to get the wave, but you decide to do the lazy paddle, and almost miss the wave, but you wait for the sudden tail lift (inevitable tail lift), and get to your feet with that smooth timing where you control the nose "diving" with a combo of hand and rear foot placement, and the nose just goes into "Touch Down" mode, and you've laid it over onto the inside rail, and you've literally got 9 foot of rail in the face.

I will credit Bob McT's Original for helping me learn this great Longboard technique. Now Dick Brewer's shape also compliments those lessons learned. The high rocker of The Original allowed that for that late slicing take off.

Simondo, I've done exactly the same thing on my McT Original. You take-off late (for a longboard) think you are going to nose dive and somehow you just manage to keep that rounded nose from catching...and then you have speed to burn from all the momentum created by the late steep drop. Love it! - Mark

PS Will shortly post a pic of the unusual fin setup used in my Original lately

Simondo, here's my new fin setup for the Original.

I started a topic called "No finbox longboards" about 2 weeks ago and discussed how some of the pro's are just running shortboard thruster type set-ups in their longboards.

Problem for me and a few others was having to use a finbox adaptor in our existing finbox boards so we could use this setup, especially if we wanted to use a small centre fin.

So i asked the guys at Shapers Fins to make us some experimental small centre fins with a screw hole that would fit into a finbox.

I love using the MR-TFX fin setup with the small stabiliser fin on other boards and was dying to use it on my Original. Now I can! The centre fin is really small and is based on Shapers "DVS" stabiliser fin for an fcs plug. They also did a larger one for me that is about the size of a GX side fin (haven't tried that one yet)

My first session on it (bumpy sideshore Alley) took a while to get used to. I have since had 3 sesh's at solid Rainbow/Greeny and really love it now. Loose and fast but it didn't skip out on some heavy turns and seemed pretty stable on the nose too. It goes better than it looks in the pic!- Mark

Rear fin placement in the above pic....

Its a little fin in a big box so where do you put it? Forward, back, or smack in the middle? I dunno, its all experimental so I was happy to be guided by Billy Tolhurst.

Billy has a "formula" for fin placement that seems to work with any tri-fin setup in any longboard. A big call, but I have used his formula for various of my own and customers boards over the years and so far it works well.

He told me to measure 7 and 9/16ths inches back from the rear of the side fins and that is where the rear of your centre fin should be. Measure from the base of the fins where they go into your board (hence the little black dot in the pic to remind me of the spot!)

So that's exactly where that little blue stabiliser fin ended up...and it works! - Mark

Before I reached the end of you post Mark, I was thinking that it already looked to be in the right place. The tail end of that post just confirmed it.

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BoardCulture said...

Simondo, here's my new fin setup for the Original.

I started a topic called "No finbox longboards" about 2 weeks ago and discussed how some of the pro's are just running shortboard thruster type set-ups in their longboards.

Problem for me and a few others was having to use a finbox adaptor in our existing finbox boards so we could use this setup, especially if we wanted to use a small centre fin.

So i asked the guys at Shapers Fins to make us some experimental small centre fins with a screw hole that would fit into a finbox.

I love using the MR-TFX fin setup with the small stabiliser fin on other boards and was dying to use it on my Original. Now I can! The centre fin is really small and is based on Shapers "DVS" stabiliser fin for an fcs plug. They also did a larger one for me that is about the size of a GX side fin (haven't tried that one yet)

My first session on it (bumpy sideshore Alley) took a while to get used to. I have since had 3 sesh's at solid Rainbow/Greeny and really love it now. Loose and fast but it didn't skip out on some heavy turns and seemed pretty stable on the nose too. It goes better than it looks in the pic!- Mark

Mark as you know macca has been riding with that fin set up for years and he can ride

this is interesting for me.

i did that setup on my new 8'8 ### except with a shapers s9 centre just to help me stay on it.

the board wasn't very good with a normal setup

here is a photo.

again not tried to hijack, but rapt others think its good to use

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laceys lane said...

this is interesting for me.

i did that setup on my new 8'8 ### except with a shapers s9 centre just to help me stay on it.

the board wasn't very good with a normal setup

here is a photo.

again not tried to hijack, but rapt others think its good to use

You just don't believe me do you? I have been using this set up for 3 years........

I wouldnt mind giving this a crack on the Munro.

I reckon there is no better longboard than an Original for a beachie I am surprised the the "King of Main Beach" is not riding one.

Get a beachie upya ASEA.

Now that's a coincidence, talking about your so called touch downs and multi fin setups, just yesterday both things factored in my life.

What you may know is that I very rarely ride anything other than single fin, simply because it creates less drag and gives me the best chance of getting waves (my only priority).

What you would not know is that I no longer surf what I consider to be the best longboard wave on the Sydney northern beaches, North Avalon, with the best elevator rip in the business.

So yesterday, things were so grim that in the late arvo I ventured away from my locals, braved the inevitable holiday bumper to bumper traffic on the Bilgola Bends on the way home and put up with a big line up crowd, just for a few waves.

Just quietly, I reckon Nth Av, pound for pound, has more quality pussy than any beach in Syd.

Anywho, judging from who was out, it looked as if it would hold me up for a decent nose ride so I pulled 9.6 ITP out of the quiver and for reasons unknown, I kitted it out with an 8 inch centre and 2 of the smallest bites I had.

I must say, I had no trouble catching waves and I'm assuming it's because my paddle fitness has improved but the big surprise was the way it held me up at the nose. Every bit as good as a hatchet or a big dolphin.

Now for the touch down bit. Because the ITP is basically a nose rider, it's pretty flat. And the nose is really weird, it's super wide and very thick. Personally, I think this makes it a poor turner because there's so much inert volume at the front to overcome, this may be the reason I went with the bites for a change.

So there I was floating around out back waiting for the next foot and half bit of slop to come through when I spied a promising white cap way out. On the off chance, I paddled out and to the north and I was completely on my own when a good'n came through.

It was fullish and had a really long face so I had to work to get on board and the whole time I was thinking;

“geez I wish I was on the Munoz, I'm gunna bomb at the bottom and I'll be the laughing stock of Nth Av and all that beautiful pussy on the beach will be pointing and sniggering at me as I do the walk of shame back to my car, never again to the grace this beach with my inept presence”

Regardless of my thoughts, my ability, my board, my small penis, (sorry I got a bit carried away with the self deprecation) I made the wave at the worst possible point, late and right at the top. Worst of all, I was dead straight pointing into the bottom bowl.

I leaned as much as I dared to bring that big assed nose to the right but I knew it was never going to be enough, then to my amazement, it made the bottom turn and rocket across the face.

I think what saved me was that big assed nose, and the bites, it got settled on the face on the way down and just had so much volume, it refused to pearl.

It only took one cutty before I wiped out, but by that time it didn't matter, I made the drop “touch down”.

That's why it came as such a surprise when all the girls still pointed and snigger at me when I walked back to my car.

Farken hell you are good , I'll pay good bucks to hear you on the piss Obs!!!!! baaahhahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaa.....

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CMC said...

laceys lane said...

this is interesting for me.

i did that setup on my new 8'8 ### except with a shapers s9 centre just to help me stay on it.

the board wasn't very good with a normal setup

here is a photo.

again not tried to hijack, but rapt others think its good to use

You just don't believe me do you? I have been using this set up for 3 years........

2 years ago and hardly knew you

i actually hand foiled the insides of them too

obct, that was your usual top shelf gold. I reckon we've surfed together before, but just don't realise. I've surfed a sh!t load on the Northern Beaches, and know it like my own willy. Plus, the North Avalon Conveyor was my home break for about 6 years. I lived at 668 Barrenjoey Rd then, 2 doors north of the North Av BP Servo, 1 door south of The Pope's, and few doors south of Whale Beach Rd turn off.

I planted that joint out nicely. Someone before me planted well, they owned a palm farm. But I planted some cool "under canopy" stuff which is was lacking.

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Simondo said...

obct, that was your usual top shelf gold. I reckon we've surfed together before, but just don't realise. I've surfed a sh!t load on the Northern Beaches, and know it like my own willy. Plus, the North Avalon Conveyor was my home break for about 6 years. I lived at 668 Barrenjoey Rd then, 2 doors north of the North Av BP Servo, 1 door south of The Pope's, and few doors south of Whale Beach Rd turn off.

I planted that joint out nicely. Someone before me planted well, they owned a palm farm. But I planted some cool "under canopy" stuff which is was lacking.

Possibly we've shared the same salt water, many years ago, before the knee gave way and I had to stop for 10 years or so, I was at Nth Av every weekend. That's where my surf buddy Pat lived, he was a peninsular boy born and breed so as far as he was concerned, anything south of Mona Vale surf club was foreign shores and not worth a piss soaked wet suit.

We surfed plamy a lot, kiddies, the centre and Barrenjoey, I broke 3 boards at palmy centre near the bolder, all of them under close out beachies, never broken a board anywhere else in my life.

Back then Farelly was still a regular surfer and would share the line up with us, we'd also often see him at Nth Av, nice and graceful on a board but very one dimensional. That lead singer from icehouse, Ivar Davies, would often be out at Nth Av also.

Only yesterday, I can't be sure but I'm reasonably certain Mark Warren was out there on a beat up old Mactavish, I recall often seeing him there many years ago.

I can't believe Mark Warren still has that McTavish mini mal. That's him alright. It was an old board 3.5-4 years ago when I last saw it.

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Simondo said...

I can't believe Mark Warren still has that McTavish mini mal.

When your on a good thing stick to it

Way back in the early 80's Mark was surfing in the same line up hogging all the good ones so I said fk it and dropped in waiting for him to spit chips 50 meters later I turned my head to see if he was still on my tail and there he was right behind me and smiling

you go on about these fin set ups like they are the greatest,yet when i asked about a thruster set up or something different for the egg,you all told me it woulldnt work?why? grom man you would be stoked no matter what you rode

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laceys lane said...

CMC said...

laceys lane said...

this is interesting for me.

i did that setup on my new 8'8 ### except with a shapers s9 centre just to help me stay on it.

the board wasn't very good with a normal setup

here is a photo.

again not tried to hijack, but rapt others think its good to use

You just don't believe me do you? I have been using this set up for 3 years........

2 years ago and hardly knew you

i actually hand foiled the insides of them too

That back fin looks interesting.....

I have a fin here at home you may want to try if you like. I foiled it from the MRTFX template after talking with JS who said Luke Egan was trying to tool his SUP boards up with giant thruster fins as he seen his boards as giant thrusters.

It's the MRTFX outline but stood up a bit. Measures 6 1/4". I am keen to try the S9 though, I have one at home also.

Danelli i thought my new HP was going to be that fin set up but he said not for me aynway beachies at main as the ne,nw hit