My New Board....

[Big H]

So I finally bought a new board....that is to say I got a board that was new vs a secondhand one....saw it in a shop and thought it was just what I was looking for and so far it has been. I have been really enjoying riding my longboard on bigger waves, and have been working on steeper and later drops in bigger conditions deeper into the waves that I usually surf all in efforts to build myself up to be able to surf the bigger spots around here competently (Nusa Dua at standard to bigger strength (only venture on smaller days ATM) Outer reefs - Kuta and airports right and left, Uluwatu, the secret spot and Green Ball). Anyhow, still love my longboard, but the new stick is a fraction of the weight, lighter underfoot, big thick stringer, quicker, fits in the wave better and seems to have more control on bigger waves when I take the drop (less flotation? Narrower tail? i have more hold for sure....). The setup is a 2+1 and I've been using the exact same setup as I had on my longboard with success after tinkering for a week. Anyway I'm stoked, catching more waves than ever, taking steeper and later drops on bigger waves and just generally riding waves better than before. Board is 7'8"x21x3" so it has glide like a longboard, single fin option which I like a lot, paddles like a beast and is hand shaped by a guy who has been working out of here for awhile by way of the north shore and is designed for bigger waves, Ulu's in particular (though maybe not the outside corner). It isn't a gun, but it isn't a mini Mal or funboard either....he calls it the crowd controller and is meant to be the paddling dominator of the lineup....works! I wanted a board that paddled great so that I could surf a lot and still work my six day work weeks at 44years of age. Also one that would rock on bigger waves which I'm finding is what I enjoy riding more than other kinds of waves. The board is great; already thinking about the next one from this guy....heard good things about him and am stoked to find that the board fits what I needed .....here are some pics:

[jaffa1949]

Nice Indo board can see it fitting Ulu etc well. Enjoy

[waikikikichan]

oohhh, an Alexander. Next time see if he can make you one of his "Gemini" models. Those are insane designs.

[Big H]

That's the one I have in mind for the next board! They look weird, but seems like those that have tried them swear they are the real deal... I have to be able to surf better than I can before I have the balls to go into a lineup with one....

For those who are curious, here's some gemini pics including one that he has on his website from Ulu's outside corner where he is riding his own 6'10" gemini, helmet and all....

Here's the description from his website:


The Gemini

THE FACTS

The Gemini was and is one of the most controversial surfboard designs in the surf industry. Jeff shaped the first Gemini in 1994 after gaining inspiration from double-hulled raceboats and catamarans while attending a boat show in San Diego. The phrase "superior to any monohull" stuck. Though there are plenty of opponents to this twin-nosed board (particularly when it was first released), many shapers have incorporated features from this board into their shapes (we won't name names, but there's been plenty of blatantly copying out there). The fact remains that the Gemini's design is the fastest, most versatile surfboard on the market.

The twin noses create a rail line much like a traditional performance shortboard. The double-winged, bat-tail removes foam in the back of the board, creating exceptional drive and hold while allowing surfers to execute radical turns. The twin noses also act as an entry point for air to flow under the board and through the deep inverted vee, creating lift and generating speed. The inverted vee continues through most of the board, transitioning into a double concave just in front of the fins. Utilizing a quad fin setup with straight back fins, Jeff likes to call this a "double thruster"; the fins reduce drag while promoting speed and maneuverability, acting like a thruster when it's on rail.

DESIGNED FOR

Open-minded surfers that are ready to go faster than ever before! This is the ultimate travel board; the same board will allow you to rip in waves knee high to double overhead plus. Alternatively, get a step-up version to get REAL waves!

[Tudeo]

Hey nice board Big H! I wish u lots of uncrowded waves with it!

[Big H]

Thanks!

But like they say, a wish in one hand and a quarter in the other will get you a phone call...... it is what it is here and if the spot is going off at all you can be sure that you'll have to compete....anyway, I've got the paddle battle king now so we'll see... ;lol:

[dtc]

The board is great; already thinking about the next one from this guy:

And so it begins.... when you go out to your board collection in a few years and realise you have 15 boards, you will recall this entry and where it all started...

[Big H]

This one will do for now.....I've got some work to do but at least I can see what the reward looks like....

[Surf Hound]

That 7-8 is my kinda board. Curious as to how big a center fin do you go with and why not a thruster set up? The tail looks like my tail on a 7-0 Rusty Dwart I have, maybe a bit narrower?? You said the shaper is from the North Shore, who is it? I could not read the name on the board. Love the board! Looks like something I would have in my quiver.

[oldmansurfer]

It seems to me like the double nose thing is mostly for show. That part of the board will be out of the water except for paddling and dropping straight down the wave. Cool looking board though.

[waikikikichan]

The outline doesn't do it justice. The bottom looks like two miniature guns connected together.

GeminiNoseConcave_zps917afa90.jpg (51.42 KiB) Viewed 973 times

[oldmansurfer]

It seems to me the only reason to not bring the central channel all the way up to the tip of the nose is a slight savings in weight but it would probably make it a lot safer to use

[Big H]

http://www.lalasurfboards.com/gemini.html

Gemini - The Double Nosed Surfboard

The Gemini is probably the most controversial surfboards in recent surf history, yet despite the heavy criticism (and a few actual callouts to fight over the design!!), the bottom line is is that this board WORKS! If the Gemini is a "gimmick", as some say, then why are there well over 500 Geminis, in the water, to this date?
If you had a choice to drive a Toyota Prius or a Hand made Ferrari. which would you choose?
If there is a board that will handle ariels the Gemini will fly through and defy the earths gravitational pull over any conventional board on the market. The wider area makes for a great landing pad as well, yet the Gemini can be ridden by anyone at any skill level. The speed one can attain on the Gemini is way beyond comprehension. Many first-time riders are a little unprepared for the acceleration, and have gone off the tail.
This board was originally shaped by master shaper Jeff Alexander, who has personally shaped over 5000 boards by hand .This is the only board that LALA makes that was originally designed by someone else.This alone is testament to the board's performance.
The Gemini was inspired by double hulled race boats and catamarans. The bottom of this board is so radical and innovative that we here at LaLa are not at liberty to go in to too much detail for fear of plagiarism. The Gemini is not to be confused with Kelley Slater's very-recent double nosed Manta surfboard. Consequently if Kelly invented the double nose Manta surfboard then why did Kelly Slater fondle Jeff Alexander's Gemini surfboard for over 3 hours at the 2003 Surfer Poll Awards. Did he forget he saw the Gemini. Do the math. The Gemini was invented by Jeff Alexander in 1994, where, when attending a boat show with friend Rand Hogen, who was marketing a sportfish catamaran, Jeff saw Miss Budweiser and started asking questions about catamaran performance. "Superior to any monohull" was pretty much every opinion offered.
A month later, Jeff called up Rand for a morning surf', and told him not to bring a board. Jeff pulled out 2 brand new Geminis; a 7' 0" and a 5' 9". Rand surfed both Geminis that Jeff brought that day, and was blown away how the board performed. He ordered one that day.
This was the beginning of the superior species of surf design; faster, and more versatile through a broader range of conditions, eliminating the need for a few boards in ones quiver.
The Gemini design is probably the most versatile surfboard on the planet - from a typical surfer to a sponsored pro. Jeff was also utilizing the bat tail and the 'ultra-rail' rail channels, and I feel a shaper named Stretch got shaper of the year using many of Jeff's ideas.
The Gemini could be one of the best investments you'll ever put under your feet, especially as a 'take one board' travel board, but when ordering this board, one has to throw out most dimensions one typically chooses, because the Gemini's outline and volume carry more foam than a typical shape. Generally, a 4"-6" reduction in length is the starting point. Many first-time orders were demanded by a fearful buyer, only to have the buyer come back a few weeks after delivery and say; "I should have ordered this 4 or 6" shorter".
We calculate liters of foam for the rider, and design the board accordingly. If you like 'different', and like to go faster than anyone in the line up, this is the board for you.
Note to Carl Friedmann of Surfer magazine, who gave the Gem' the self-appointed, lackluster review of the Gemini a few years ago, and, typical to most who criticize the board, NEVER RODE THE BOARD. Carl; any time you're ready, we will make you a Gemini so we can prove to the surfing world, as Late night talk show host Craig Ferguson would say; "What a Deuch Bog" you are.
We here at LaLa Surfboards think these photos speak for themselves.

[oldmansurfer]

Lots of boards work. The more I think about it the more I think extending the channel to the tip of the nose would be safer and perform better in offering more lift on the drop and while paddling. The funny thing about surfboards is there isn't any way to compare them and no clear science behind the design because there are too many factors that affect performance. I guess if the top pros are winning contests with them then you can tell they are good for high performance. Otherwise you are just stuck with try it yourself and see if it works for you in the waves you surf. I think for myself before I can make use of that magic board I need to learn to surf better.

[Big H]

That 7-8 is my kinda board. Curious as to how big a center fin do you go with and why not a thruster set up? The tail looks like my tail on a 7-0 Rusty Dwart I have, maybe a bit narrower?? You said the shaper is from the North Shore, who is it? I could not read the name on the board. Love the board! Looks like something I would have in my quiver.

Jeff Alexander; he's living here in Bali now. The fin? Still new but I've tried a thruster set up (using a center fin adapter) and that worked well, tried a single dolphin 7 inch and gx sized side bites on a smaller day and that didn't work well, too much fin for the day I think. Put a cutaway 7.5 and two knubster side bites that I'd been using on my longboard and tried it in waist high one day and 1.5OH the next time out and the setup felt good on both days. I like single fins which is the reason I got this 2+1. Am going to try it as a thruster the next bigger day I'm out....honestly at my skill level it doesn't make that much difference other than I feel a little quicker and less drifty with the thrusters and faster in paddle and plane with the single. Neither is that apparent since I pretty much drop, bottom turn then big carves top to bottom with a big (not quick) carved cutback thrown in sometimes....other times just drop turn and slot in then try to outrun the white ball...this board is faster than what I'd been on so that's part of the reason for the improvement. I get out on the green faster and with more space to do "comebacks" as wakikichan calls them.

[Surf Hound]

Yep makes complete since to me - you have the same sort of feeling with your fins as I do. What's your thoughts on Quads? Assuming you get more barrels than the rest of us that's all I would ride. If I am at a barreling wave - quads are for me as think they have less slide and stick to wave (controllers or AM2's)

[Big H]

Yep makes complete since to me - you have the same sort of feeling with your fins as I do. What's your thoughts on Quads? Assuming you get more barrels than the rest of us that's all I would ride. If I am at a barreling wave - quads are for me as think they have less slide and stick to wave (controllers or AM2's)

I'm still learning....anything that is barrelling I'm not deep enough to get a cover up, but I do ride some nice walls but usually race for the shoulder or turn to the beach if it is overhead and starts to feather.....getting there but not there yet....as far as quads, I've only tried them so far in head high or less and only a few surfs....impressions were that they were fast, squitry, and spun out on my backhand bottom turns as compared to regular thruster set ups....unnecessary complications for a newbie, so set up with thrusters and left it alone for now....once I get better hold of fundamentals I plan to revisit the quad thing....I have a feeling that they would work for me and my emerging style/way I like to surf....still figuring that out too....

[Big H]

For what it's worth, thrusters rule the lineups around here that I've seen....quads aren't a popular set up at the breaks I go to....maybe that will change when I start going to more critical spots on more critical days.....when I do see quads I see them on grovellers more often than step ups....but again, that probably has as more to do with where I've surfed to date and the conditions there than anything....haven't started showing up on overhead days until a few months ago....

[Big H]

This is the set up (as taken when in my longboard). Specs are true Ames cutaway 7.5" and two custom bonzer no cant sidebites @ 120mm x 53mm (smaller fronts). I've tried the FCS bonzers that have the can't angle built in (I forget, either 11* or 18*) and while they work for Jaffa they weren't the thing for my board (channels vs no channels perhaps). Still have the FCS bonzers so I'll give them a whirl in the new board just to see.

[Tudeo]

Board is 7'8"x21x3" so it has glide like a longboard

Any idea about the volume?