SMALL-WAVE THEORY with TANNER GUDAUSKAS


  • 04.16.2021

In a recent article with Surfer Magazine: Tanner breaks down his favorite small-wave boards FULL STORY ON SURFERMAG.com


L-R

ROCKET 9
5’9″ x 19-1/2″ x 2-7/16″
One man’s trash can be another man’s treasure when it comes to surfboards. I got this board from a guy that I hated, but on my very first wave, I knew it was magic. With the bigger side fins, you can really hook your turns in the pocket, and it has a really different feel from a thruster, but then the little stabilizer keeps you from sliding around as much as you would on a twin-fin.

SIX-CHANNEL NEW FLYER
5’9″ x 19-3/8″ x 2-7/16″
This is the Bobby Martinez Flyer. It’s got six channels and four fins, which is a nightmare for the glassers to deal with, so I kind of felt like a princess ordering it. This is the best board you could ever ride at Lowers in really clean, glassy conditions. It gets going so fast; it’s like a rocket ship. My brother Dane did the art and put a Sun Ra quote on the bottom: “You’re outward bound on the spaceship Earth. Destination unknown.”

HIGH FIVE
5’6″ x 20″ x 2-1/2″
The tail block is really wide on this one, so it planes really well and has that nice skate-y feel in gutless waves. When you get going, it’s probably the fastest board I have for small waves, but turning it in tight pockets can be a bit tricky, so you’ve got to take more of a lateral approach.

SEAL TOOTH
5’8″ x 19″ x 2-1/2″
This is a hand-shape that Dane Reynolds made for me. It’s such a fun board, and it has different moods. I think that’s the cool part of hand-shapes; they keep you on your toes, and it’s fun trying to learn their idiosyncrasies. It also has big twin-fins and a small trailer with a little wing in the back leading to a narrow tail block. That narrow tail makes it go really well in the pocket, but it’s actually a pretty good all-arounder.

words by TANNER GUDAUSKAS

Photo by: Ellis

Read more at http://www.surfermag.com/features/small-wave-theory/#rz52mTDmiRCQgjAR.99

  • 04.16.2021