4’6” TO 14 FOOT

The long and the short of the modern surfboard market

David and Goliath finally calling it a truce, thanks to Dan MacDonald.

Need any convincing of the diversity of modern surfboard design? Then, consider this recent example at the Curve Surf Shop and factory, on the Gold Coast, home to the eclectic surf craft of shaper Dan MacDonald. Sitting in the racks side by side recently were this 4’6” mini-Simmons-style twin keel, and this 14 foot epoxy gun.

Dan shaped the  Simmons for Dane Reynolds, who first got a 5’4” version from Dan and declared it too big, ordered the 4’6” and has reportedly been riding a 3’8”.  Where will the quest for shorter equipment end?

At the same time, Dan just happened to have taken on the contract glassing of the 14 footer, shaped by Pat Morgan. With nine and a half foot difference in length, the two boards seem to say it all about the vast array of boards surfers are moving towards.

“You’ll probably have a lot more fun on a board that actually suits your style of surfing,” says Dan, who has earned a reputation for crafting everything from high performance shortboards, to fish, to carbon fibre/timber hybrid alaia’s to longboards. 

The mini-Simmons order for Reynolds came about when Dan made one for Michael Crawley, who works at  Quiksilver. Reynolds rode it, loved it and ordered one himself. “Those type of boards don’t suit everyone. They’re probably good for when you’re younger, with a lot of energy and fit as hell and surfing every single day,” says Dan.  

“A few guys are jumping on them. It’s nothing we came up with, but they’re obviously my interpretation of them. We do a single concave  running out the bottom, a fair bit of rolled vee through the nose.”

The Simmons twin keels are inspired by the twin fin designs of Californian surfboard pioneer Bob Simmons in the 50's, and have been re-popularised through the retro fish movement. There were a selection of Simmons-inspired twin keels at the recent Alley Fish Fry, from shapers like Richard Harvey and Sage Joske. 

The 14 foot epoxy gun is a kind of crowd control weapon, allowing the rider to sit way outside and catch unbroken swells. “They brought that in last week. It’s for out the back at Snapper, catching those real wide swells out there,” says Dan. “Some guys are going shorter and shorter and other guys are going bigger and bigger.”

For Dan, that diversity is keeping the shaping gig fresh and inspiring.

“It’s probably getting stronger. A lot of guys are opening up a bit more,” says Dan. “I like doing different stuff ... I actually wouldn’t mind jumping on something that small to see how it would go. It would be like riding a boogie board.” - Tim Baker