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68 //curl #30 It’s a well known fact that women’s surfing is freaking amazing right now and the speed and level us wahine are progressing is because of a few very important factors. Being brought up around and in the ocean, having supportive parents, access to coaching and travel, exposure to a high level of surfing, attitude and belief are key parts but as the king of surfing (Kelly Slater) himself says, the most important factor of all is your equipment! This means wetsuits, leg ropes, tail pads, bikinis (as we all know there’s nothing worse than a loose floppy piece of fabric that at best only works if you’re straight lining it) but the most defining piece of equipment is what’s under your feet; your surfboard. I’ve been riding for Cain Aldridge; CSA surfboards for a number of years now and built a relationship where he knows where I'm at with my surfing and where I'm wanting to go. Having a good relationship with your shaper is super important as he learns from you and you learn from him. The results always show. With each new board your shaper gets to understand what changes will lead to improvement for you and give you a better surfing experience. The improved feel and performance of your new board are then easily understood and this new knowledge is the basis for your next board design. This way you get a lifetime of improvement and the fun really begins. When Bachelor and I moved to the Gold Kiwi surfer, Thandi Tipene, shares with us the importance of finding the perfect board and the perfect shaper .... HOW TO CHOOSE Y O U R PERFECT BOARD WORDS BY THANDI TIPENE SURF IMAGE BY NICK HERDSON CURL 30.indd 68 9/20/2011 2:24:24 PM

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Page 1: Curl Stuff

68 //curl #30

It’s a well known fact that women’s surfing is freaking amazing right now and the speed and level us wahine are progressing is because of a few very important factors. Being brought up around and in the ocean, having supportive parents, access to coaching and travel, exposure to a high level of surfing, attitude and belief are key parts but as the king of surfing (Kelly Slater) himself says, the most important factor of all is your equipment!

This means wetsuits, leg ropes, tail pads, bikinis (as we all know there’s nothing worse than a loose floppy piece of fabric that at best only works if you’re straight lining it) but the most defining piece of equipment is what’s under your feet; your surfboard.

I’ve been riding for Cain Aldridge; CSA surfboards for a number of years now and built a relationship where he knows where I'm at with my surfing and where I'm wanting to go. Having a good relationship with your shaper is super important as he learns from you and you learn from him. The results always show. With each new board your shaper gets to understand what changes will lead to improvement for you and give you a better surfing experience. The improved feel and performance of your new board are then easily understood and this new knowledge is the basis for your next board design. This way you get a lifetime of improvement and the fun really begins.

When Bachelor and I moved to the Gold

Kiwi surfer, Thandi Tipene, shares with us the importance of finding the perfect board and the perfect shaper....

h o w t o c h o o s e y o u r p e r f e c t b o a r dWORDS BY THAndI TIpeneSuRf iMAGE BY nICK HerdSon

CURL 30.indd 68 9/20/2011 2:24:24 PM

Page 2: Curl Stuff

69 www.curl.co.nz//

f i n d i n g a b o a r d s h a p e r n e a r y o u

Coast we found our Taranaki boards didn’t suit the punchy, bowly and fast beach breaks. our nZ boards were made for bigger faces and fatter waves. even though we were across the pacific ocean we were still able to communicate what we needed for our surfing. This is the benefit of having a personal shaper, someone who listens and has the experience. our new boards, which had narrower tails, more width through the centre and more foam in the nose where chucked on a plane (nicely) and unwrapped in our lounge which over looked snapper rocks! We also have travelled to Tahiti; Teahupoo, Hawaii, Samoa and Western Australia where the surf conditions all vary and we needed the right boards so we got them.

Cain at CSA surfboards shapes for all ages and levels. Take my 12 year old sister for example; she has been getting customs for sometime now and absolutely loves designing sprays and choosing bright colours to amp her up on a winters day ( although northland's pretty mild compared to Taranaki).

Having the right surfboard helps with gaining confidence hugely. How many of you have bought a board from a mate, through the internet or off the shelf only to find your excitement slammed on your first surf? A lot of money is spent buying the wrong board and when this happens the board sits in the garage or you simply lose your enthusiasm. This is avoidable and has to be the single most important reason to work with a shaper who builds a board that meets your needs. Spend nothing unless you are confident you are on the right track. When you get it right it’s much more fun for sure. So what ever your age or level I highly recommend giving your local shaper a call to get you on the fast track to gaining your quiver and charging the surf!!

sadhana surfboards

jdub surfboards

csa surfboards

L: 35 Tanner Street, Woolston, Christchurch p: 03 3895611 e: [email protected]: www.sadhanasurfboards.co.nz

L: 45/905 South road 45, new plymouth, Taranaki p: 06 7527646 e: [email protected]: www.csasurfboards.com

L: Auckland (by appointment only) p: 021360768 e: [email protected] Go to Jdub Surfboards nZ on facebook

primal surfboards

L: 54c Barrys point road, Takapuna, Aucklandp: 094887523 e: [email protected] [email protected] W: www.primalsurf.co.nz

jordon surfboardsL: 4 Tyne Street, Mt Maunganui p: 075743463 e: [email protected] W: www.jordansurfshapes.co.nz

csa

sadhana

jdub

primaljordon

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CURL 30.indd 69 9/20/2011 2:24:30 PM