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You can feel
a slow under current developing, a quiet revolution, it's like the
silent majority has woken up and has had enough. They are sick of a diet
of just plain old white bread. This summer I feel we will see a much
wider variety of water craft in use. Whether it's a stand up paddleboard
or a 70's twinnie, the blinkers are coming off. A global trend of
surfers heading back to their roots with modern versions of their old
favourite. No longer will just one board do, you need a couple at least.
So its very timely that we are embarking on a series of board design
articles kicking it off with a blast from the past.
A Tonic for the troops, Vitamin B the " Bonzer"
Where do you start. It wasn't until I had Ray of
raglansurfshapes
make a modern version of what I used to ride in the seventies (along
with a few extra inches to accommodate the ageing process) that I
realized how many surfers didnt or don't know what a Bonzer
surfboard actually is. Incredibly a lot of people think it is new. Well
it's not and I guess a brief history of what happened would help a few
of you. |
Check out the water flow |
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1973
Campbell Brothers Design
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Back in the
late 70's a couple of young Californian surfers - the Campbell
brothers (Grommies this is where you will watch the eyes of your
surfing father glass over) were mucking around with three fins on a
surfboard a long time before Simon Anderson was clever enough and
desperate enough to sort twin fins out and stick another fin on
them. Bing and Eaton, two brands from that era, had Bonzer
models in their ranges and even now they still produce short mid and
long surf boards that are versions of the bonzer theory.
At that time Australia was the power house of world surfing and hey
what the heck did a couple of guys who weren't pro surfers know
about it. But that's another story. Follow the link to the Campbell
brother's website and you can follow a time line of events from the
start until today. |
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OK, so now you
know it's not a new design but a very old one. Having surfed for many
years now and probably not getting much better I was starting to get a
little stagnated with my surfing. I had been riding 6 foot white bread
for a few years. You know the standard Kelly Slater type model you see
everywhere. 6 foot 2 by 18 and half by two and half inches thick with a
squash tail, concave bottom and nose and tail lift. Just as common as a
slice of white bread. No disputing they work, hell damn near the whole
surfing world has one.
But I was bored and needed to widen my horizons. I tried a mini-mal,
yuck wash my mouth out, those things are neither fish nor foul and are
the domain of the surf school and the beginner. Long boarding looked
cool so for the last two years I focused on getting my act together on a
mal. It took a while to get it together and to a stage where you were in
control and a master of your own destiny on a wave. It was a big
learning curve and one I'm so stoked to have put the time into.
Still I wanted something else, I was feeling nostalgic and wanted to
relive my youth. I have always liked the feeling of single fins but
hated the way they slowed down each time you turned as opposed to a
thruster that can accelerate out of a turn due to the extra fins. So it
was a Bonzer shaped by Ray that was required. One with a modern
bottom curve in the rocker but with old school thickness and the wide
point being in front of half way.
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You
use me like an ashtray heart |
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Bonzer by Ray Finlay |
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Ray made
himself this 7'0" that looks unreal and works a treat. Next on the
list is a small 6 foot one and give it to some one like DK to
ride.
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I
must admit I was a bit apprehensive (after having spent the last two
years with the paddling power of a mal) moving down in board size.
But I couldn't be more stoked with the board and the more I ride it,
the better it gets. It has the most unbelievable instant speed with
a natural way due to the larger centre fin of following the fall
line of the wave face. Having side fins like thruster late take offs
are derigeur and climbing and dropping to gain speed is just like a
thruster. A slightly stiffer feeling, but is a little gunny in the
shape. A shorter fatter one is on the way.
I'm in love with the board and can't stop riding the damn thing. It
does make you think though that we all need to try something
different. There is nothing better than watching one of the young
locals at Manu riding one of their father's twinnies and having a
ball. It's just too easy to do what everybody else is doing. A by
product of riding different boards is that when you do get back on
to your old favorite, you approach surfing it with a fresh attitude.
Riding my Bonzer has improved my mal surfing. |
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It's
inspired me to try other different shapes and I'm keen to get a four fin
fish. Can't keep my hands off Moniques old school Supersession MR twin.
So if I have inspired you to try something different them Im stoked and
a good place to start off is by checking out
www.raglansurfshapes.co.nz
and having a yarn with Ray.
For more information and history about bonzers check out the Campbell
Brothers website -
www.bonzer5.com |
