Been meaning to post up a proper review of this board since I've been very stoked
with it and several people have asked me about it, so here goes...
I've been intrigued by this design since I first saw a few of them in Surfride a while
back. I've missed having a single fin since I sold my Spacecake a few years back
and the Time Machine 'spoke to me' more than any of the others with similar outlines I've
seen on the racks or in pics.
I saw this one posted on Clist and knew it was a friend of mine selling it. Apparently
it was one of Mattison's personal boards he had picked up from Sean. I had a
feeling it might be a touch less volume than I prefer as it's 2 7/16" and all of
my boards are 2 5/8" or 2 3/4", but the length and width were spot on and I figured
the width forward would be comfortable enough to at least try out and see if I
wanted a bigger one.
Me: 6'3", 205ish
Board: 6'2" x 20 5/8" x 2 7/16", eps/epoxy glassed by Surfcraft
First impression when I hit the water was then the board paddles very comfortably.
I don't like narrow nosed boards anymore and the Time Machine has plenty of
width/curve up front and paddled very well, even though the volume is a touch
lower for me. I had it setup as a 2+1 for the first two sessions with a 7" SurfySurfy
center fin I got from JP. First wave I paddled for, I really didn't think I'd catch as
it was a bit fat and I was out further than I should have been. Surprisingly, the
board glided into the wave relatively easily and I dropped down wanting
to see how it felt on a bottom-turn. The board laid over on a rail and shot me back
up the face quicker than I expected and cruised down the line without much rider
input needed. Smooth. Over the next several waves and next session, I tried
both dropping straight down and laying into hard bottom turns and angling in
with an immediate high pump for speed runs both front and backside with equal
success. The board likes to do arcing, driving carves with this fin setup and is
plenty fast to make sections and utilize the whole wave. It didn't feel like it wanted
to do snappy turns with this config...but that was to be expected. Buttery and
smooth was the call. Since then I've ridden it a bunch of times as a quad with
both the Von Knight quad set and also Griffin fronts with VK rears in everything
from waist-high beachbreak with a little curve to overhead beach and reefbreak
waves. For me so far, the quad is the ticket. The board still has that smooth
feeling and flow, but I'm able to pump through sections and redirect a bit quicker
off the top when needed. Although it has pretty minimal rocker, that pulled
in tail really handles steeper faces and drops well and feels perfect in the pocket
of a speedy wave. I definitely don't prefer to surf backside, but I've had a bunch
of head-high racers on my backhand that I've been shocked I've made as the TM
just rockets down the line right in the hook, feeling super solid and nimble. When
the opportunity presents itself to hook off the bottom and whip quickly off the top
at full speed, the board shines. The fact that it's equally comfortable front and
backside is a huge plus.
The forward width/volume, I think, gives the board a big boost in wave-catching
ability despite the lower (for me) volume. I touch more nose rocker would probably
make late/steep drops a tad easier, but I've been surprised how solid a few have
felt that I thought I'd pearl. Mattison actually just tweaked the file to make this
change and sounds very happy with it in a wide variety of sizes from 5'11" to 6'9".
So...I picked this thing up thinking I'd likely need a bigger one, and I may order
another with a little more foam for when there's a lot of water moving around or
I need to cover a lot of ground around the lineup, but this board has been a blast
and I'm really happy to have it in the quiver. IMO, with the pulled in round-pin
tail, the board likes a wave with a bit of curve much more than flatter faced waves,
but it's pretty versatile, especially with all of the possible fin configurations (SM
said he liked this one with big twins and a nubster, actually). I think it's a damn
good design! :wave2:
with it and several people have asked me about it, so here goes...
I've been intrigued by this design since I first saw a few of them in Surfride a while
back. I've missed having a single fin since I sold my Spacecake a few years back
and the Time Machine 'spoke to me' more than any of the others with similar outlines I've
seen on the racks or in pics.
I saw this one posted on Clist and knew it was a friend of mine selling it. Apparently
it was one of Mattison's personal boards he had picked up from Sean. I had a
feeling it might be a touch less volume than I prefer as it's 2 7/16" and all of
my boards are 2 5/8" or 2 3/4", but the length and width were spot on and I figured
the width forward would be comfortable enough to at least try out and see if I
wanted a bigger one.
Me: 6'3", 205ish
Board: 6'2" x 20 5/8" x 2 7/16", eps/epoxy glassed by Surfcraft
First impression when I hit the water was then the board paddles very comfortably.
I don't like narrow nosed boards anymore and the Time Machine has plenty of
width/curve up front and paddled very well, even though the volume is a touch
lower for me. I had it setup as a 2+1 for the first two sessions with a 7" SurfySurfy
center fin I got from JP. First wave I paddled for, I really didn't think I'd catch as
it was a bit fat and I was out further than I should have been. Surprisingly, the
board glided into the wave relatively easily and I dropped down wanting
to see how it felt on a bottom-turn. The board laid over on a rail and shot me back
up the face quicker than I expected and cruised down the line without much rider
input needed. Smooth. Over the next several waves and next session, I tried
both dropping straight down and laying into hard bottom turns and angling in
with an immediate high pump for speed runs both front and backside with equal
success. The board likes to do arcing, driving carves with this fin setup and is
plenty fast to make sections and utilize the whole wave. It didn't feel like it wanted
to do snappy turns with this config...but that was to be expected. Buttery and
smooth was the call. Since then I've ridden it a bunch of times as a quad with
both the Von Knight quad set and also Griffin fronts with VK rears in everything
from waist-high beachbreak with a little curve to overhead beach and reefbreak
waves. For me so far, the quad is the ticket. The board still has that smooth
feeling and flow, but I'm able to pump through sections and redirect a bit quicker
off the top when needed. Although it has pretty minimal rocker, that pulled
in tail really handles steeper faces and drops well and feels perfect in the pocket
of a speedy wave. I definitely don't prefer to surf backside, but I've had a bunch
of head-high racers on my backhand that I've been shocked I've made as the TM
just rockets down the line right in the hook, feeling super solid and nimble. When
the opportunity presents itself to hook off the bottom and whip quickly off the top
at full speed, the board shines. The fact that it's equally comfortable front and
backside is a huge plus.
The forward width/volume, I think, gives the board a big boost in wave-catching
ability despite the lower (for me) volume. I touch more nose rocker would probably
make late/steep drops a tad easier, but I've been surprised how solid a few have
felt that I thought I'd pearl. Mattison actually just tweaked the file to make this
change and sounds very happy with it in a wide variety of sizes from 5'11" to 6'9".
So...I picked this thing up thinking I'd likely need a bigger one, and I may order
another with a little more foam for when there's a lot of water moving around or
I need to cover a lot of ground around the lineup, but this board has been a blast
and I'm really happy to have it in the quiver. IMO, with the pulled in round-pin
tail, the board likes a wave with a bit of curve much more than flatter faced waves,
but it's pretty versatile, especially with all of the possible fin configurations (SM
said he liked this one with big twins and a nubster, actually). I think it's a damn
good design! :wave2:
