Album Surfboards

Muscles

Michael Peterson status
Jun 1, 2013
2,596
3,597
113
California/Hawaii
what's the consensus on Varial? I know I've heard Matt said he likes shaping the Townsend asym in Varial foam. Anyone have one?
I have a Varial neckbeard 2 with regular glassing (not epoxy).

It is really really light. It is lighter than a light glass board made in PU. Flexes good. Seems more durable but does seem to dent easier than PU. Don't really care as long as it doesn't buckle. It was only $100 more than a regular board so I'm happy with it.
 
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Oct 15, 2019
2
1
3
Does anyone have a review on the Dysasym/Disorder? I've been mighty curious about going ahead on a 5'10 (I'm 6'2 175) as a Daily Driver/ somewhat HPSB for South Shore of Oahu. Debating between stepping out in to the unknown realm of Asyms or sticking to the tried and true traditional designs. Any recommendations you guys have would be greatly appreciated.
 
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MrSteve

Gerry Lopez status
Oct 1, 2015
1,331
1,744
113
NJ
Have
Does anyone have a review on the Dysasym/Disorder? I've been mighty curious about going ahead on a 5'10 (I'm 6'2 175) as a Daily Driver/ somewhat HPSB for South Shore of Oahu. Debating between stepping out in to the unknown realm of Asyms or sticking to the tried and true traditional designs. Any recommendations you guys have would be greatly appreciated.
Have a 5-10 x 20.25 Disorder and 6-0 x 19.75 Disasym. I'm 6-0, 185. The 6-0 was my go to for bigger East Coast waves, while the 5-10 was for chest to head. Have had some of the best backside hacks in recent memory on the 5-10. I'll be unoloading both of these to replace with slightly larger one due to age/ nagging injuries. But nothing bad to say about them. Wanna buy one ;)
 
Feb 5, 2019
25
27
13
Anyone have a go at the plasmic or twinsman? my local has recently gotten them and man they're beauties. Lots of thickness throughout the board especially in the plasmic. Looks fast
 

Aruka

Tom Curren status
Feb 23, 2010
11,981
22,508
113
PNW
Anyone have a go at the plasmic or twinsman? my local has recently gotten them and man they're beauties. Lots of thickness throughout the board especially in the plasmic. Looks fast
I have a Twinsman on order. Prob be a couple months before I have a ride report.

@paunch23 do you reckon the Plasmic is best suited to the tiniest of waves? can you compare it to a more traditional fish or other grovelers?
 

paunch23

Billy Hamilton status
Jun 27, 2011
1,720
1,016
113
Rep. of Panama, La Barqueta, David, Chiriquí
let me first say I'm new to twinnys. And I don't do longboards, so..., but now my quad fish is becoming my shortboard, and the plasmic has taken the place of the fish. I'm using it on tiny mushy waves, like around waist-high is what I've tried it in, and the board goes just fine. Very loose. I feel it generates its own speed and, I guess most twins are like this, but it has good glide. No brakes. When on a thruster I'd have to pump to generate speed, with this board I just keep a balanced stance and get where I want to.
the timing is definitely different. I feel I have to turn earlier, because you get to parts of the wave faster. For example, on my first cutbacks I was going over the back of the wave.

I did ask for a trailer finbox, but he really recommended against it, so I didn't get a center fin.
 

j_mac

Legend (inyourownmind)
Aug 16, 2020
418
1,567
93
I recently got a 5' 6" Plasmic with NVS uprights. First twin for me and I absolutely love the feel. It has become my DD and surfing it in waves that I shouldn't. The board is fun and has flow. It can do a lot, but I love how it gets up to speed but without being too much. There is this unique connection with the board and the wave. There is lots of control. Owing to the fun factor and pushing the Plasmic in bigger surf, I ordered a Twinsman. It is an obvious next board.

Luck may have it, the other day I busted the Plasmic- whimper, whimper. It was fluke, dropped in on a good wave, got a speed bump reflective wave - got air, landed it, there was another reflective wave and I was getting close to shore so I jumped it and then jumped in the air off and the wind shot the board directly under me and I body slammed the board - got two good fin imprint on my leg now. I immediately emailed Matt to get another one - no thrills, clear tint, need it ASAP - haha.

Today I grabbed my thruster board - blah, there is not the same magic in it like the Plasmic. I got some solid waves today, but there wasn't the same connection with the board and wave.

One of things I like about the Plasmic is when in the whitewater is generates speed gets in front of it so that you can get back into the pocket. I hoping the Twinsman is like this as well.

I would go buy both of them now :)!

Happy New Year!
 

Aruka

Tom Curren status
Feb 23, 2010
11,981
22,508
113
PNW
I recently got a 5' 6" Plasmic with NVS uprights. First twin for me and I absolutely love the feel. It has become my DD and surfing it in waves that I shouldn't. The board is fun and has flow. It can do a lot, but I love how it gets up to speed but without being too much. There is this unique connection with the board and the wave. There is lots of control. Owing to the fun factor and pushing the Plasmic in bigger surf, I ordered a Twinsman. It is an obvious next board.

Luck may have it, the other day I busted the Plasmic- whimper, whimper. It was fluke, dropped in on a good wave, got a speed bump reflective wave - got air, landed it, there was another reflective wave and I was getting close to shore so I jumped it and then jumped in the air off and the wind shot the board directly under me and I body slammed the board - got two good fin imprint on my leg now. I immediately emailed Matt to get another one - no thrills, clear tint, need it ASAP - haha.

Today I grabbed my thruster board - blah, there is not the same magic in it like the Plasmic. I got some solid waves today, but there wasn't the same connection with the board and wave.

One of things I like about the Plasmic is when in the whitewater is generates speed gets in front of it so that you can get back into the pocket. I hoping the Twinsman is like this as well.

I would got buy both of them now :)!

Happy New Year!
Stocked to hear. What's your height/weight if I may ask? Did you adjust dims at all on the 2nd one?

Plasmic been on my radar for a while. Tiny twins are too much fun!
 

j_mac

Legend (inyourownmind)
Aug 16, 2020
418
1,567
93
Stocked to hear. What's your height/weight if I may ask? Did you adjust dims at all on the 2nd one?

Plasmic been on my radar for a while. Tiny twins are too much fun!
I am 5' 9", 180lbs, 49 years old. Dimensions are stock.

I didn't change the dimensions for my second one, because of how well it worked. In time I may adjust but not at the moment.

When I got it I actually waited to surf it until the waves lowered to about waist high and it was a blast. As the winter storms kept coming in, I kept grabbing the Plasmic more and more because of how well it surfed. In general, I was surfing this in chest high and above, both in steeper beach breaks and some mushier point/reef breaks. There were times this was not the board to be surfing, but I wanted more of it. Again the reason for the Twinsman.

It changed my approach to surfing in good way. I am so bummed that I can't surf it now.

FYI***** Based on my experience/feedback with Plasmic. Matt suggested a few changes in the dimensions on the Twinsman, as well as knowing that I was happily enjoying the Plasmic. I am getting 6' 0" Blunt-nose Twinsman. These two boards are probably all that I need for most days. We shall see how this influences my current quiver.

I would reach out to Matt about sizing, he has been super and much more appropriate than me. It is an interesting board with respect volume. You recognize it, but then you don't recognize it. When its under your arm it kind of feels big, but its not in the water. It catches waves well and feels near perfect under my feet no bogged turns etc. It feels lively, yet planted in some weird way - haha. Hence why stuck to the same dimensions. At first, I was so so with its paddling around the line up. I was definitely getting more accustom to paddling it.
 
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Aruka

Tom Curren status
Feb 23, 2010
11,981
22,508
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PNW
I assume you went XTR right, given your previous experience :poke:
I actually went Dark Arts because I've been wanting to try one for a while. I'd be lying if I said the poor feedback XTR has been receiving lately didn't dissuade me from that direction a bit as well though.

thanks @j_mac

good stuff. I was looking at the 5-6 as well. i'm much taller (6-3) but dims wise it looks about right. the short length makes me hesitate but I've had some really fun times on boards around that size (5-5 Stamps WTF, 5-7 Banjo Fish) that were a bit less volume so I reckon it could work.

I also went 6-0 (non-blunt) on the Twinsman per Matt's recommendations based on the sizing of my Lightbender (5-10).
 
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MrSteve

Gerry Lopez status
Oct 1, 2015
1,331
1,744
113
NJ
Does anyone have a picture of a blunt Twinsman? I've only ever seen the blunt nose Plasmic
 

j_mac

Legend (inyourownmind)
Aug 16, 2020
418
1,567
93
Does anyone have a picture of a blunt Twinsman? I've only ever seen the blunt nose Plasmic
I don't know if one exists. I brought it up to Matt in trying to figure out the next board that I liked the look of the blunt nose Plasmic that I saw on IG and hence the blunt-nose Twinmans was suggested -haha!
 
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j_mac

Legend (inyourownmind)
Aug 16, 2020
418
1,567
93
I actually went Dark Arts because I've been wanting to try one for a while. I'd be lying if I said the poor feedback XTR has been receiving lately didn't dissuade me from that direction a bit as well though.

thanks @j_mac

good stuff. I was looking at the 5-6 as well. i'm much taller (6-3) but dims wise it looks about right. the short length makes me hesitate but I've had some really fun times on boards around that size (5-5 Stamps WTF, 5-7 Banjo Fish) that were a bit less volume so I reckon it could work.

I also went 6-0 (non-blunt) on the Twinsman per Matt's recommendations based on the sizing of my Lightbender (5-10).
How's the lightbender? I considered it as opposed to the Twinsman, but worried it was too close to the Plasmic. I was trying to keep the board length as short as possible.

Me at close to to 5' 8.5", with short legs and more torso, have probably made the Plasmic different than most by surfing it at 5' 6". This is supposed to be 1 inch shorter than your fish length, so I am surfing it a bitlonger. I kind of like the versatility of the board at 5' 6" again seems to fit me really well now. I can't imagine 6' 3" on this but it could be fun. There is plenty of deck space on the rear of the board.

For reference, today I was surfing a 5' 8" Cymatic. The Cymatic paddles a little better (even with less volume), but I preferred the Plasmic on the wave and catching the waves. The Plasmic glides and squirts more, and feels more natural. The Plasmic handles the chop better maybe because it is PU sits in the water.
 

Aruka

Tom Curren status
Feb 23, 2010
11,981
22,508
113
PNW
How's the lightbender? I considered it as opposed to the Twinsman, but worried it was too close to the Plasmic. I was trying to keep the board length as short as possible.

Me at close to to 5' 8.5", with short legs and more torso, have probably made the Plasmic different than most by surfing it at 5' 6". This is supposed to be 1 inch shorter than your fish length, so I am surfing it a bitlonger. I kind of like the versatility of the board at 5' 6" again seems to fit me really well now. I can't imagine 6' 3" on this but it could be fun. There is plenty of deck space on the rear of the board.

For reference, today I was surfing a 5' 8" Cymatic. The Cymatic paddles a little better (even with less volume), but I preferred the Plasmic on the wave and catching the waves. The Plasmic glides and squirts more, and feels more natural. The Plasmic handles the chop better maybe because it is PU sits in the water.
Lightbender is epic. It's got easy, fishy glide but because it's not super wide and planky it handles size a bit better than a traditional keel fish. I haven't ridden it a ton lately because it's been pretty much overhead for the past two months but it's definitely coming with me to Baja. Fav fins in it are the NVS Album.
 
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ChaseTMP

Billy Hamilton status
Apr 6, 2014
1,703
3,109
113
S. Redondo
I'm looking forward to the new asym/quad model's release Sebastian Williams was riding in the Stab High Mentawai contest. Supposedly two were made, one for Kelly Slater, but evidently there was an issue and Matt Parker was told Kelly wouldn't be able to ride it. I think there Kelly may have been the original SITD preference, but once again; the FW machine said no.

Anyway, not sure how one of the boards got on the Stab High trip, but Sebastian Williams took a liking to it and ended up taking it home. I can't post footage from Stab High since it's premium member content, but I thought he was surfing insane on the thing. He rides for Outerknown and Fire-Wire/Slater Designs, so hence the Slater Designs sticker on the board.

Here is a little snippet (it's the second board at 0:44 with the marble-esque deck/rails).

 
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Tomay

OTF status
Feb 2, 2010
160
330
63
I went to the local shop that had a few Twinsmen and Lightbenders on the racks to check them out today. Twinsmen had a nice outline and the concave felt great (I like pronounced concave) but they were pretty thick. I'm thinking of getting a round tail one thinned out and stretched a touch longer (to account for the tail and less thickness). The Lightbender felt lovely under the arm, was very tempted.
 
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