Having always surfed shortboards periodically I was looking for a board which would allow me to relearn the hacks and turns I enjoy so much but was struggling to find the extra volume I need without losing the feel of a “shortboard”.
I’ve never been a fan of boards which are too short, I’m a big guy and can be heavy footed so a bit of length and big fins are the key for me, I tried a traditional twinny once and the results were really bad to put it politely! My search began by looking at models such as the Firewire Dominator and Dominator 2, these really appealed to me but I was unable to find the size I want and in the back of my mind the high volume rails were not quite right for my surfing.
I had a chat with Skindog and he was on my case to try out an Ova as it fits the bill in many ways and when someone who surfs like Ben speaks about boards you’d be stupid to not listen! My only concern was that mid lengths/mini-mals or whatever you choose to call them aren’t generally for me, I’d rather be on a performance longboard than an “egg” style board.
The Ova is due to hit the shelves in Thunderbolt construction in 2022 so that was it, I need to try one. I left it in the very capable hands of Skindog and his brilliant team to produce a board for me to use and share around. All of my boards are available for you to try, I only ride the best so if you’re interested get in touch.
My only input was as follows,
-High volume for paddle speed but hidden in the middle to keep the rails defined and not boxy (look at what Medina etc now ride compared to the 90’s ct surfers, they have way more volume than you’d expect but it’s well hidden)
-I need to be able to surf it like a shortboard, albeit an oversized one!
-I wanted a fin box so I can mix up the fin setups, 2+1 for bigger days, thruster for smaller beach break waves and quad because I need to give that a go!
The board arrived thanks to a good friend collecting it for me from the Skindog factory and it is stunning! The build quality is top level and it is exactly as I’d hoped for.
I set the board up initially with Goliath fins from Big Guy Boards and a Slice 6″ centre fin from Northcore but will definitely try all types of fin setups. I’ve only surfed the board once so far but as you will see from the image at the top of the page it flies!
Coupled with a leash, lightweight bag, and tail pad from Northcore I’m setup for a pretty reasonable price.
Fast but loose with amazing hold, I can’t wait to get this board out over the winter. Speak to Surfed Out if you’re keen to see the Thunderbolt version when they arrive but be quick as they won’t be around for long!!
Ashley Braunton 