The Dust Up

In this episode we speak with Dan Thomson from Tomo Surfboards.

Dan is arguably the most creative surfboard designer of the last 20 years.  The art of surfboard shaping and designing was handed down from his father, Mark Thomson.  Dan and his father would discuss all aspects of hydrodynamic theory to improve their understanding of real surfboard design.

In the mid 2000's Dan moved to America after a chance encounter that led to him riding a selection of 'fish' boards from some of the industry's best.  Around the same time Dan was thinking a lot about the 'Golden Rule' or Fibonacci sequence and how it could be applied it to his surfboard designs.  It wasn't long before this way of designing boards made complete sense to him and the idea of what surfboards may look like in the future became clear.

The result was a series of boards such as the Vanguard, Deathstar and Vader.  Dan's creativity over the next 10-15 years was some of the most prolific in surfboard history.  If you look at his various model in his range, nearly every board is unique with its own purpose.

When Dan teamed up with Firewire the racks in surf shops seemed to change overnight and looked very different with an array of plan shapes, rockers, concaves and channels.  I was really excited to speak with Dan as his unique board designs and creativity is an inspiration to me, as I am sure it is to others.    

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In this episode Christian and I talk to Sam Griffiths.

Sam is a passionate surfer who pursued a career in the surf industry.  He started his time in the industry at Rip Curl on the back of his love for surfboards and spent time developing their board program.

When the opportunity to be a team manager a Quiksilver presented itself, he jumped on it.  It was a great career choice for a person who is very personable and has a desire to help others succeed.  He held that role for many years before being promoted to a marketing manager role.  

Professional surfing has taken many twists and turns since the middle of 2023.  The value of professional surfing has been reevaluated and the value of professional surfers is also under the microscope.  Many surfers have had their contracts terminated or reduced.

This was a great insight into what aspiring surfers should focus on, the support major brands can supply and is 'Force de majeure' still a part of athlete's contracts post 'COVID'?.

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After a long wait, The Dust Up is back for 2024!  We kick things off chatting with a truly fantastic shaper and designer - Nev Hyman.

Nev describes himself as a 'Ranga from Perth' in a jovial way, but the truth is he has been heavily involved in the development of surfboard design as well as pursuing future surfboard production methods.

Nev has always attracted the most talented surfers on his team as well as shaping for the best surfers in the world.  His passion for surfboard design in undeniable and there were plenty of challenges to overcome on his journey. 

An integral part of developing what the industry recognizes as shaping machines, a momentary participant in BASE as well as being responsible for the creation of Firewire Surfboards.

Nev has been shaping boards for over five decades and has loads of stories and experiences that he openly shares in our chat.  In recent times Nev is helping to set up the Burleigh Board Builders and implementing a new surfboard business model.

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In this episode we explore Technique vs. Equipment with Brad Gerlach from Wave Ki.

Brad competed at the highest level and reached number one in the world.  His smooth Californian style did not all come naturally and with some advice from his Olympic diving father, they explored body dynamics in surfing. Fast forward a couple of decades, Brad has created Wave Ki to assist others improve their surfing.

We have all experienced riding boards that 'felt right' and improved our surfing as well as riding boards that 'felt wrong', like they were restricting our surfing.   Were we just having a bad day, a bad surf or is it the first step in understanding our equipment?

Surfing is a combination of waves, equipment, fitness and technique.

If you improve your technique, you can evaluate your equipment so much better and begin to identify exactly what surfboard design aspects work best for your surfing.  We all have different body shapes and fitness levels which dictate the dimensions of a surfboard, this is separate to the design.  

Our chat with Brad is accompanied by highly talented surfer, Kyuss King as well as Jack Walchesson from Surf Body Rebuild.  Kyuss recently started working with Brad to mount a campaign to compete on the world tour.  

Jack was a successful ice hockey player with a passion for surfing.   After a career in the high collision sport of ice hockey, Jack is sharing what he has learnt in his career as well as his studies in Functional Range Conditioning Mobility Specialist (FRCms) and a Kinstretch Instructor.  Jack  specializes in helping surfers eliminate pain, tightness and stiffness in their joints.

Enjoy...  

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In this quick episode Christian 'Priddo' Pritchett and I let John 'Robbo' Robertson out of the basement to hear what he has discovered about the WSL's final five for 2023.

Never mind the fact that they wont replace Ethan Ewing if he is injured, we explain how the system needs a slight tweak to ensure the world's best surfers can compete to the world title on finals day.  

This is the first year where this rule has disadvantaged a surfer, costing him even more then the world title but also a shot at a gold medal in the 2024 Olympics. 

 Have a listen and see what you think...

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In this episode I welcome Luke 'Howie' Howarth to  discuss the all important surfboard design element - Bottom Contours.

The bottom contour of a surfboard can be described as either flat, convex or concave.  Its the detail within these three categories that determine a surfboards performance.  What is the best bottom contour for a shortboard, fish, midlength, or longboard?

Bottom contours are used to blend the centre line rocker to a shapers desired rail line rocker.  We discuss the various forms of vee bottom shapes, single and double concave bottom shapes as well as channels and other various popular bottom contour designs.

I chat about when I discovered the Isochronous curve theory and how it changed the way I look at the efficiency of my concaves.  Howie explains the importance of keeping the bottom contours smooth and emphasizes how some designs are great car park talking points.

There is so much to discuss when it comes to the bottom contours of a surfboard but we do our best to give a brief explanation and as always encourage surfers to start a conversation with a shaper.

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In this episode we discuss the Rip Curl Bells Beach Pro, Margaret River Pro and the Surf Ranch Pro.

After a classic intro from Bodhi, we chat about some behind the scenes adventures during the Bells competition.  Unfortunately, the waves didn't turn up but that doesn't mean there wasn't a lot to talk about. (Time 0:1:30)

The next stop on tour was the West Australia Margaret River Pro and the tour finally got some quality waves.  Much to Christian disgust, they didn't take the competition to the box but it was great to see some great performances from the world's best surfers. (Time 1:32:00)

Lastly, we extract the good parts from the Surf Ranch Pro amid all the controversy from the Brazillians.  There were definitely improvements with the pool competition this year but is it sustainable ? (Time 2:16:00)

During our recaps we discuss 4 channels, surfboard glassing and weight, surfboards trends we have noticed as well as the all important Manufacturer's Cup results.

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It's been a little while since we put out a shaper interview and with good reason.  There has been some restructuring happening with The Dust Up  and before we welcome Luke Howarth to the team, we wanted to take an opportunity for him to introduce himself to the listeners.

Luke was introduced to the ocean at Avalon on the northern beaches of Sydney when he was only 2 years old.  He built a long and healthy relationship with surfing that would eventually see him compete at a high level and gift him the chance to start shaping boards.  A regular visitor to Japan over the years to shape with his mentor Kazumi Nakamura of CHP surfboards.

Luke enjoys working with surfers of all types on their equipment as well as their surfing.  His focus is on quality NOT quantity and has no desire to have large production.  I have immense respect for Luke's surfboards, design knowledge as well as his shaping machine expertise.  We are absolutely honoured that Luke is keen to share everything with the listeners.

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In this episode we look back on the first three WSL competitions including the Billabong Pipeline Pro, Hurley Pro Sunset Beach and MEO pro Portugal.

We introduce a new member to The Dust Up family, Christian 'Priddo' Pritchett is a lover of competitive surfing, shres the head judging role at Surfing Vic and long time travel partner searching for waves.

We break down the results from each comp as well as introduce a new 'Points Per Surfer' ranking system which doesn't discriminate based on the number of team riders per shaper.

We share some insights and celebrate the craftsmen making the world's best surfers boards.

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In this episode we speak with Adam Baldwin of Reclaim Surf.

Adam is based on the Sunshine coast, Australia and very passionate about sustainable surfboards.  In the beginning, he would recycle dis-guarded building materials and other items to create all types of surf craft.

A  health scare prompted him to re evaluate what his priorities are he chose to take time out from his full time teaching career and dive deeper into his passion for building surfboards.

The boards he makes are heavily focused on a more environmentally friendly option with minimum use of toxic chemicals.  Many shapers specialise in the sculpture of various foams but Adam is taking a different path, using  EPS foam cores, paulownia veneers and cork.

The surfboard myth we tackle in this episode is ECO surfboards and some of the 'Green washing' in the surfboard market.  We also discuss the framework created by Sustainable Surf and what improvements we think they could introduce to their program.

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