*** Official Griffin Surfboards Thread ***

nada2looz

OTF status
Mar 16, 2016
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sooo steering this back to design, i think you can pretty clearly see the concepts greg speaks of in the video posted. water is practically squirting from the rails as he goes down the line and the speed looks very easy without being too loose and slippy. i'm a long time flat bottomer and have always thought concaves slowed me down. (sometimes you want to be slowed down!) question for greg, if you made a board with concaves, would you change anything else you typically do like the rails, rocker or fin positions?
 
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Muscles

Michael Peterson status
Jun 1, 2013
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I had a Griffin once way back in 2007. A beautiful 9'0 x 22 x 2 7/8 T&C long board with a blue flame airbrush and gloss polish. It even had the custom FCS thruster fins shaped by the man himself.

I'm not exaggerating when I say it was the best longboard I've ever had. I stupidly sold it for $360 to a local surf shop owner who would scrub CL and show up to low ball people. He gave me asking price and I was a young dumb 20 something who was moving on to shortboards.

The board is my white buffalo and is the one board I wish I could get back. I've sold lots of boards over the years when I was over them but the Griffin LB is the one I wish I could go back in time and not sell.

Sadly, I don't even have a picture of it.
 

Havoc

Phil Edwards status
May 23, 2016
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in da hood next to paradise
I had a Griffin once way back in 2007. A beautiful 9'0 x 22 x 2 7/8 T&C long board with a blue flame airbrush and gloss polish. It even had the custom FCS thruster fins shaped by the man himself.

I'm not exaggerating when I say it was the best longboard I've ever had. I stupidly sold it for $360 to a local surf shop owner who would scrub CL and show up to low ball people. He gave me asking price and I was a young dumb 20 something who was moving on to shortboards.

The board is my white buffalo and is the one board I wish I could get back. I've sold lots of boards over the years when I was over them but the Griffin LB is the one I wish I could go back in time and not sell.

Sadly, I don't even have a picture of it.
 

teeroi

Miki Dora status
Oct 21, 2007
5,107
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I made $ 300,000 of these with Jack Reeves in 1999

All types and colors of Longboards , step decks , speed shapes and noseriders

I was getting ready for a surf this morning when I heard my name. It was Lance Hookano and Ray from Big Island. Hadn’t seen Ray in a while and Lance missed the last swell ulua fishing.

We talked story and Lance said he won a couple of boards as prizes for winning the Buffalo contest. One being a custom lb from Craig Sugihara.

I thought about this thread and asked Lance if he rode any Griffins, since he rode for T&C in the past. Yeah, loved them. I told him Greg’s living in Florida. I asked Lance if he rode any 5 fin boars. That set Lance off he started telling us about some of his memorable waves on Griffin 5 fin Longboars. Said he got a shot hitting a section at Laniakea on a 5 fin and will show it to me next time I’m at his house. All told my description doesn’t come close to Lance’s story telling which involved hand gestures, body gyrations and multiple facial expressions. Haha.
 

maybe

Michael Peterson status
Jul 23, 2011
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Cool stories Greg.

With so many great shapers putting out bitchin' single fin logs - you were smart to offer the alternative 7 fin longboards... no competition. Brilliant business move. :applause2:
 

Mr J

Michael Peterson status
Aug 18, 2003
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Very slight concaves , rear fin able to move slightly forward
Greg, I am trying to understand your reasoning for that.

Placement of fins is determined largely by area behind the fins. Narrow tail requires more forward position to get the area up. Most HP shorties have their maximum concave in front fin region and forward of that. They tend to be fairly flat in the rear fin region with maybe even a little v behind the rea fin. So are you thinking that there will be proportionally more lift forward of fins in a concaved board, therefore need to compensate with extra area behind the rear fin?
 

teeroi

Miki Dora status
Oct 21, 2007
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It’s been one of the things I’ve pieced together reading Griffin’s posts over the years. Greg views concaves as a control element on boards. To add liveliness/responsiveness move fins forward.

Most shapers say concave adds lift. I’ve always repeated that until I rode a Tokoro X3. Wade did a model with a flat bottom. The board was fast but not from the usual rider input. On my boards with concave I can feel the bottom grip the wave and I’d push off that to get speed. The flat bottom didn’t have that gripping feeling and at first I didn’t think I was going fast cause of the lesser return in rider input. But the board was flying.

When I posted about my experience Griffin replied that concaves are a control surface or something cryptically similar.

I could be totally wrong and am happy to be corrected.
 

Mr J

Michael Peterson status
Aug 18, 2003
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Teeroi, I have very similar ideas to you regarding concaves. Light and deep concaves work different. Both produce lift by directing water more downwards than a flat or V bottom, but the light concave feels lifting whereas the deep concave is more something to push against and bite into the water. Both feel more lively than flat. In weak waves I reckon the light concave is faster than the deep concave. My local custom HPSB is in the moderate depth category, my boars prior to that were all lighter concaves.

I've read Greg's statement of concaves providing "control", but I think it was in the context of old school single fins - so early versions of concave (possibly double) in gunnier boards so that is going to be quite different from a single concave in a HPSP. I've always imagined this means "helps steering" :D

I've made my share of boars with bad fin placement and it either means too stiff or lacking drive/too loose. So I take Greg's statement of move the back fin up on a concaved boar to mean it is a requirement otherwise the board will feel too stiff compared to the placement on an equivalent flat bottomed boar.
 
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griffinsurfboard

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Oct 31, 2004
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Both produce lift by directing water more downwards
Not really lift - tow boards , pipeline boards , water skis would all be flying out of the water :drowning:

That redirection pulls the board up the face when you unweight - creating a "Lively" lifting sensation , while a flat bottom releases pressure and glides down and forward . Concaves require a more forward fin position to recreate this release , Flat bottoms use further back fin positions creating this "Livelyness" and a few other desirable effects :)

If you use fin placements of your concave board with a flat bottom the board will be squirly and lifeless .