Surfing Waves

so now i have my performance log and a nice nose rider and was thinking for my next board i want to down size a bit.

so i got looking at bonzers anyone ever tried one i hear there pretty fast when on the waves but the waves need a bit of power due to the drag from the 5 fins.

i was thinking of maybe geting like a 7'4 (dont want to down size to much in one go) with a bit of volume and maybe a flatish rocker, i guess you dont need alot of rocker with a 5fin board??

come kitey im sure you got some info to add here?

Well you basically hit the nail on the head there phil. Fast but need a powerfull wave to get them going. Well thats the case ofr the smaller ones anyway.
They don't have to be 5 fins though. You can get 3, 7 and 9 fin bonzers.
The side fins on bonzers usually have a base length that is greater than the fin depth and are set at large cant angles to give more lift in the nose to help lift the nose as it has quite a flat rocker.
They usually have deep channels which are both a nightmare to shape and glass!
Fortunatley red-x do a good 5 fin bonzer removable system.
Are you planning to ride some real fast waves then phil? Cause the bonzers will outrun most waves. Great for j-bay or inches reef or pavonnes!!!!

Also what sort of outline were you thinking? Minimal, magic carpet, fat boy flier, pintail, etc, etc, as all of the above can be turned into a bonzer.

Have a look ath this site as these guys have been shaping bonzers for years and are rather good at it!
www.bonzer5.com

KS

I've never ridden one (don't have the waves for them).

I hear a lot of people with access to sweet point breaks swear by them!

Fast down the line and great holding power (loves to carve)...

i dont think you need to have fast hollow waves for them, maybe if you go for the shortboard type bonzer?

i was thinking of having more of a funboard type bonzer with a little bit of volume, so wouldnt nessecerly need the fast peeling pointbreaks just a decent size wave?

I not really saying you need fast and hollow waves, but more lined up, long and peeling...not ideal for beach breaks.

But, again I don't really know for sure, as I've never ridden one.
I'd deffinately do some research or better yet try one out first!

Check out http://surfysurfy.blogspot.com for some sweet pics, moonlight glassing in Cali, they usually do a bunch of bonzers.

I've got several malcolm campbell bonzers and there are significant differences between the 3 fin and 5 fin versions and also glassed in fins VS RED-X fins. 3 fins are not as loose or as fast as the five fin version and glassed in are looser that RED-X. Generally these boards are a lot faster than single or normal 3 fin versions of the same size / shape. The reason for this is that there is a deep double concave in the tail and also a concave between the side fins, all of which create a venturi effect which speeds up the water passing under the board. One of my mates has commented that it's like riding a board with a small progressive outboard motor. As for conditions they will work in anything.

One other point to note is that many people are shaping them but most don't get the tail concaves right so get an original Campbell brothers one if you can.

Here's a couple of pics

10'3 x 22.5 five fin



tail of 9'10 x 23 three fin



The tube in front of the fin is a box lock!

managed to bump into malcolm a few weekend back as he was visiting & doing some promo stuff. he's happy things are now catching on, theyve only been doing it for like forever! what they need is some of the big boys riding them. slater & machado love 'em but are too tied up with big boy sponsors to help out. i've had a go on a few with varied results. the bigger retro shapes seem to go well, pick up waves nicely & turn neatly if you want, snappy if you push it. damn they are fast. also had a go on like a 5'11 shortboard version, was really pooh, way to heavy in the back end with the side fins box & fin, actually seemed to lift the nose up too much. i guess u just gotta get them on the rightboard, but only after 2 surfs who am I 2 say??? might be fun 2 take the centre fin out on that type of board?

WalrusUK wrote:Here's a couple of pics

10'3 x 22.5 five fin

Is there much/any concaves in the tail of this one? I can't see from the picture as it's a bit blurey?

KS

There are deep concaves about 3-4 mm deep on both sides of the centre fin and a small concave between the side fins

id love to try a bonzer longboard, i hear theres a guy on the south coast that shapes for cambell brothers anyone know any thing about this?

Walrus if you dont mind me asking how much did they set you back?

after seeing your longboard bonzer im almost tempted to get some thing along those lines

think chops was doing them in Aggy think its gone over to semmens at ocean magic now be worth giving them a call, if its not them they will know whos doin them

I'm not sure who, if anyone, is doing them now. Guy Penwarden was the guy behind the UK bonzers, and arranged for Malcolm Campbell to come over to shape a few batches. Last I heard was that he wasn't coming over again as it was just as cost effective to get them shaped in the states and shipped in. Andy Scholick at Second Skin in Braunton was one of the dealers involved in the last shipment and he may know the latest situation.

Phil wrote:id love to try a bonzer longboard, i hear theres a guy on the south coast that shapes for cambell brothers anyone know any thing about this?

Walrus if you dont mind me asking how much did they set you back?

after seeing your longboard bonzer im almost tempted to get some thing along those lines

If I remember correctly it was in the region of £700+ but that was a couple of years ago. Why not mail campbell brothers directly and see what they say. Their website is www.bonzer5.com

Check out www.beachbeatsurfboards.co.uk/shapers for details about Campbell shaped bonzers

Hey guys... Malcolm Campbell was back in the UK during mid 2009... i met him at Backyards, my local skate shop.

The guys with him, may well have been Mr Penwarden as mentioned above.... said he shaped a batch of boards which are going to go on sale to the UK market soon...limited numbers I expect