Custom Arakawa!

[HaoleKook]

I'm getting my first custom board and am incredibly stoked! I figured I'd post about the experience here for anyone who cares to learn about how the process goes.

The shaper is Eric Arakawa, who most of you probably know is a world-class surfboard shaper. I went to see the shop and his range of boards last weekend and was surprised to see The Man himself working the floor! Eric is super nice, intelligent, and attentive - very genuine and the kind of guy you just feel good being around. He's also at the forefront of surfing technology, from early adaptation of in-house CAD and machining to pushing the development of new materials (X-Project.) What I think is really cool is that Eric's main objective is to personally work with each of his customers to help ensure the board perfectly fits them.

Oh, and get this: the cost of a fully customized board is only ~$25 more than buying one off the shelf!

The process starts with a 45 minute interview where he goes over things like rider size, age, ability, fitness, goals, etc. and helps home in on a design that might best fit. But the options aren't limited to existing designs, they're more of just a canvas to start with. Every feature of a board/design gets custom tailored to fit the rider and their needs. My interview (via Zoom) is in 30 minutes and I can hardly wait!

I chose this path because I live in Waikiki with lots of smaller, slower waves that are more suited to longboards, but I want to surf something shorter and yet heavier than the average surfer. I currently surf a 9'0 Mega Magic but the volume is excessive and becoming a hindrance as I improve, so I figured a custom board from a shaper who knows where I surf will be optimized for my body, my goals, and the breaks I surf.

Eric has shaped boards for something like 10 world surfing elites/champions, grew up on this island, and has been shaping for decades. My plan is to answer questions with complete honesty and limit any input on size/shape/volume, and fully trust in his expertise and recommendations.

I've been surfing about 6 months and am currently catching and riding most of the waves I paddle for, can bottom turn and trim both front and back side, and am starting to link top and bottom turns. My long-term goals are top to bottom surfing with powerful rail turns and smooth lines, and not off-the-lip pivots or aerials or things like that. So this board should fit my current ability and help me work toward my goals. I imagine the 'canvas' is going to be the Avis, Performer, or Holy Moli but I'll let you know in a little bit!

https://arakawasurfboards.com/surfboards/

[HaoleKook]

Here it is! It started as an Avis but has a pulled in nose for maneuverability, and increased “hip” for increased wave catching and lift. Round tail for tighter turns than a squash. Also concave nose for lift and V tail for maneuverability.
8’6 x 23.25 x 3.25.
The dimensions were influenced by a couple boards I mentioned and the likes and dislikes I had about them. And the 8’6”, shorter than my current board, is to help make more turns in smaller spaces, but not too short to lose paddling power.

Eric was great. He definitely knew my surf brakes and had some good recommendations based on ability and needs.

The board is traditional PU/Poly 6/4 + 6oz with a black stringer, black “glue lines”, black thruster fin boxes. The 4pm glass is S-glass which has increased strength.

The glue lines and black stringer might take a little extra time so maybe 6-8 weeks which still isn’t too bad. Maybe the waves will pick up a little by then.

I’m stoked!

[HaoleKook]

One of the things we talked about was volume. Last week I thought I found a volume that worked for me, but after renting a bunch of boards in that range I found more wasn’t necessarily better for wave catching. The easiest catching board I surfed was actually one of the lowest on the water, but it sat more horizontal/level and had a little rocker to keep the nose up. Eric said it’s the foam distribution that matters and it’s something you can’t get from just numbers. @waikikikichan might have said something like that before So, the little things like moving foam from the nose to the hip won’t change volume, but will trim out the board and have a little more wave catching power.

All in all it was a cool experience. He personally knew the guys who shaped the 2 boards I referenced, And it was just cool to watch him modify the model on the screen and talk about what the change would do. We also talked about what the next board might look like =D but that not happening any time soon. We talked about fins too, and different construction methods. And this board is designed to be something that will always be good to surf here - a quiver staple, if you will.

[PipeDreams]

That’s so sick man!! That board looks rly rly fun and Eric is a complete legend too so I’m sure it will be just right for you, what fins did he talk about and are you getting FCS or futures? Don’t know much about fins for larger boards but they really do change the board completely in my opinion so I’m just curious about what he said! Nerding out about surfboards knowing that you are going to have one made for you with one of the biggest legends in the business sounds like great fun to me I’m stoked for you!

[oldmansurfer]

My impression is that boards with a continuous rocker are easier to paddle. Looks very nice. I have a board that is similar in distribution of foam and has a continuous rocker but 1.5 foot shorter (7') but that one should be a wave catching machine. The shorter the board the more you have to be in the exact right place

[HaoleKook]

@PipeDreams thanks! I'm so far beyond stoked that it feels like a dream, so I'm glad you understand! =D We talked a little about fins, mostly just setup, and it's going to be a thruster. Despite being a bigger board it's designed for thruster. I asked about 2+1 and he seemed against it, though commented 'it could work if I wanted a different feel.' I obviously didn't want to deviate from what he intended! I asked about fin size for my weight, since they seem to spec Large for 180lbs and over, and since I'm already over that I was wondering if I'd be limited. But he said, and reiterated, large size fins 'at the most' so medium should be OK too. And it will be Futures. I had decided on that already, but it's also what he specs as the baseline offering for his boards.

@oldmansurfer thanks for the comments! I was actually going to send you a note since we're both 'over 30 years old and 165lbs' and you have a few 7-8ft boards that sound like what I'm interested in. You're correct that this board is designed to catch waves! Waikiki is mostly longboarding, so this board is designed to always work here even when the waves are small. It's 6" shorter than my current board so there's more room to make turns, but it's also not trying to take the place of a mid-length. We actually talked briefly about the next board which will be in the 7ft range and will compliment this one in bigger waves (and when I'm ready, not too soon.) And yeah I'm stoked for the rocker. The best paddling and wave catching board I've used actually sat the lowest in the water, but I could keep it flat in the water and the nose out due to the moderate nose rocker. At least that's my impression, I can't say I really understand everything. But I'll admit I was a little anxious about such low volume (68ish liters), but Eric said it should be "plenty for 190lbs" so I trust him.

[oldmansurfer]

Everyone is different. I quit surfing for around 12 years and restarted and initially I got a 9'6" gun which was really thin. It caught waves pretty well but then I ran into my old shapers wife and she said she knew the perfect board for me which was a 9'6" longboard that her husband had sold to someone else who wanted to sell it. The longboard had a lot more floatation which increased the distance that I could be out of position and still catch a wave. I didn't notice much else difference at that point. Then I dropped down to a 8 foot board and immediately regretted it. That board was so unstable and quite a lot of trouble for me to just paddle around with. It would squirt out between my legs when I tried to sit and I would fall off it sideways when paddling on the first day. I called the shaper up and ordered a 9 foot board but before that 9 foot board was made I started getting the hang of the 8 footer so I never used the 9 footer much. Then because I loved the 8 foot board so much and I wanted to give work to my shaper I ordered a 7'6" slightly wider and thicker board that was made for small mushy waves. Once I figured that board out I asked him to make me a board for steep tubing waves and he made me the 7 foot board which I really liked the way it worked but it required much better positioning to catch bigger waves. The place I surfed half the time had waves that were difficult to catch when they were tubing so that board was difficult in those waves because I was limited in those waves to less than 2 times my height. I could catch bigger waves on that same board in the nearby sand break and it seemed to handle well enough on waves 3 times my height but I really liked the way the 8 foot board handled in those kind of waves. The 7'6" board was really fast but got skittery due to a wide tail on waves around 2 times my height so I never tried it on bigger waves. I loved all those boards I also got a big wave gun again just to thank my shaper for making the 8 foot board which I really loved so much but haven't ridden it much. Basically I Love the 8 foot board. It's been so good for me. I can compete with the longboarders for waves or the shortboarders (but not the SUP riders). It's just a wave catching machine. The other boards all have more limitations in terms of total performance and mostly bought just for two things, to see what that shaper could do and to reward him for making me the 8 foot board which I call my oldmanoverweightoutofshape board. I would totally trust the shaper. Be honest with him and he will make you what you need. They know better than you what you need. I haven't ever tried off the shelf boards and from the beginning had boards made for me by someone who knows more about what I need than I do.

[PipeDreams]

That’s pretty cool! Fins are different for everyone, I’m well below the weight recommendation so I was slightly scared blowing 75 quid on large fannings that the legends at the surf shop said would be great for my surfing, but they were right and those things go! Ask him what fins he would reccomended to put in because it makes a world of difference!

[HaoleKook]

@oldmansurfer thanks for wiring all that! I got a lot from it. I won’t make any decisions until I’ve surfed this board a few times, but based on the experience alone I want to continue working with Arakawa. I’ve been wondering what the next board might be (I want to sell the Mega Magic and get something different) but your comments drive home the message of ‘get the board for a specific maneuver or wave’ and not just to get something based on size. So getting something different just because it’s different doesn’t make much sense I guess. I can also relate to an 8’2" feeling so squirrely when I first got it in the water, bit after working at it it ended up feeling more stable than my 9’0.

@pipedreams yeah I’m excited to see what he suggests, but also there was a sale this past weekend so I grabbed a set of large neutral Alpha thruster fins to start with. At 190l+ lbs and a long fun board that seemed like a good baseline set. Then maybe I will appreciate the change to whatever Eric suggests.

[HaoleKook]

The new board has arrived! I only had it in the water for 20 minutes so I can’t comment too much about it, but my gut feel is…it’s just right! =D

It certainly looks flawless. I feel very lucky to have this board. I’ll have more to say by Wednesday hopefully.

[PipeDreams]

Looks so sick man, I bet it will be a blast! Let us know how it goes

[HaoleKook]

I feel so incredibly lucky right now. I was nervous I couldn’t communicate what I wanted, or even know what I really wanted, but this board fits so well I’m just blown away. Eric has a real gift. This board has just the right amount of challenge, lots to grow into, it’s really intuitive to ride, and I love how it responds. It just fits so well! I’m so stoked to grow with this board.

Interestingly, I have a mini-mal that’s very similar in volume and dimensions - even the bottom contour has a similar description - but I just couldn’t get on with that board. It’s crazy how similar and yet so different two boards can be!

[HaoleKook]

Well, it’s so good that I went back for more! =D
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