The Electric Acid Surfboard Fins!
All photos by: Alan Van Gysen
As the film tour for Dane Reynolds and Stab's new film, The Electric Acid Surfboard Test, comes to an end and the film now being available for viewing via iTunes, we're eager to continue the conversation regarding experimentation by highlighting some of the fins ridden in the film.
One of the most exciting things for us about working with Stab on this project was the opportunity to see the relationships and designs with the shapers we work into action by the ever-powerful surfing of Dane. Some of those shapers include Ryan Lovelace, Tyler Warren and Scott Anderson (Liddle Surfboards), to name a few.
To keep things modern, Stab included the new Channel Islands Neck Beard 2 by Britt Merrick in the lineup. Fastened tight with fiberglass and resin, our CI glass-on template proved to hold well against Dane's unrelenting attack on water molecules. The CI template was designed with Tom Curren's power surfing and right-hand peeling Rincon in mind, so it was a natural choice for the sand-bottom points of mainland Mex.
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Scott Anderson, the now-resident shaper of Liddle Surfboards, created a most epic Death Machine displacement hull for Dane to wiggle on. Equipped with Greg's very own True Ames template, the L-Flex, Dane is seen feeling out the subtle complexities of the design.
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Matt Parker of Album Surfboards doesn't shy away from creative combinations. He and his team build everything from high-performance shortboards to asymmetrical fishes. And the Disasym, that Dane is riding in the film, surely fits the mold of somewhere in the middle. Matt used a set of our Tyler Warren quads for the heel-side, and the TA Twin for the toe - a combination he's been using for quite some time now. The mix of the two allow for a well-balanced feel of solid drive on the toe and loose fluidity on the heel. For those who are curious about asymmetrical designs and options on fins, look out for a special collection of fins we're working on with Matt in the near future.
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Can you really have a proper board experiment video without a retro fish? Michael Arenal of Trimcraft Surfboards created a Rich Pavel/ Steve Lis-style fish for the film and boy was it some of our favorite footage. The 5'4 twin looked glidey, drivey and rippey under Dane's feet with the help of the Lovelace Keel fin. A modern take on the classic keel, 90/10 foil coupled with a straight-backed template make this the perfect option for large amounts of drive and projection on an open faced wave.
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The Round Nose Fish Retro by Matt Biolas at Lost Surfboards is an SD fish plan shape, but with modernized bottom contours, rails, rocker and tail shape. The added hip at the front fins allow for tighter arcing turns combined with a quad setup gives this board solid hold off the bottom and release off the top compared to a keel fin fish. Dane used our AK4 template, designed by Manny Caro of Mandala Surfboards. This template is a great all around fin meant to provide effortless speed and drive and is our go-to for retro-styled quad finned boards.
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Another mind-blowing asymmetrical Dane rides in the film, which also happened to be his favorite of the bunch, is the Ryan Burch Pickle Fork twin fin with our Shawn Stussy S-Double Twin set. This set of twin fins is one of the most popular in our lineup and for good reason, they're a solid go-to for most types of conditions and waves. A bit smaller than the TA Twin, with a hair of extra rake, and our RTM hexcore material make the Stussy twins lighter weight enhancing high performance surfing possibilities, just watch Dane.
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Tyler Warren, a shaper/surfer whose fin designs are a staple in our catalog, created a rad little twin fin board for Dane he calls the Bullet. A 5'7 with the immediate profile of a fish, but with an interesting crescent tail, was paired with Tyler's Bar of Soap keel fins developed for his popular Bar of Soap model, some years ago. The super long based, low rake keel fin provide incredible down-the-line speed and drive and by the looks of Dane's surfing surely held it's line.
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Lastly we have the Thick Lizzy from Ryan Lovelace, a 7'6 mini-glider of sorts that's meant to trim as well as it turns. The positive drive and ability to surf this board off the tail make it the perfect specimen for days too small for a shortboard but too big for a longboard. The fin setup on these boards is unconventional, but planned and tested to provide clear results. Dane rode a 7.75 Lovelace V. Bowls volan fin with bonzer side runners. The center fin was designed to provide drive and release out of bottom turns, paired with the bonzer side fins that act as more of an extension of concaves rather than fins, create a truly unique fin setup and experience on the wave.
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