Rusty Africa

Originally designed from a modified Yes Thanks for “STAB in the Dark” in 2016. Rusty puffed up the Yes Thanks a little and moved the center point slightly forward. The SD has a deep single concave that zeroes out under the rear fin and finishes with a slight vee in the tail, one smooth curve that accelerates towards the tail. Months after SITD, Rusty’s son, Clint, named it the SD. Tweaked it a little a bit with more rocker.

“For the last 5 years it has been one of our most popular designs.” -

Mikey Baron pushing the Keg 100% -“felt good today in the punchier waves. So much control through turns can push super hard.” 📸 Simon Trollop

MOBY FISH
Thanks to it’s size, it is a great board for beginners and is a great alternative to a longboard. As it turns out, it’s good for all ranges of ability and surf. The entry rocker is relaxed which helps with the paddle. The exit rocker is on the average plus side which helps with turning and fits into the waves better. The fuller outline provides lots of surface area: glide and speed. The rails are fuller but somewhat angular with a lower apex providing lift and control.

Design Notes

“Over 20 years ago I made the first Moby. I had ridden fishes in the early 70’s. I wanted to revisit the glide and speed of a fish. The first Moby I built, 1999, was 7’10 22.5 3.1. Volume? No idea. No matter.

It did the job in smaller surf and I rode it on some bigger days. I was quite happy with it. It made the cut on the 2 or 3 board quiver I kept in the back of my truck.

In 2005 I made my first 4 fin Moby. I really liked the feel of this ride. I had ridden it in surf up to approximately 5 foot. One day I thought the surf was pretty small, so I took my Moby down to Blacks. Nothing else. I was very fortunate to have a key. When I got to the bottom of the road, the surf looked as I thought it would. Pretty small but clean. I put on my wetsuit, pulled the Moby out of the back of my truck, closed the hatch. I looked out at the lineup and did a double take. A solid 6-foot set. Fu ! Well, it was the only board I had with me, so off I went.

My first wave, I was trippen, because I thought I would really have to pull back on the reigns. No. The board took off like a bat out of hell. It had no top end. After a few more waves, I was completely sold on this design and the versatility it had.

It’s been very popular, some of my good friends had them. What was interesting, their sons, some of the best LJ reef surfers, tried them and didn’t want to give them back. They ordered duplicates. Not smaller, leaner versions. The same boards. They actually rode them on the bigger days.” - Rusty Preisendorfer

TWIN FIN
My first custom board, 1967, was a Mirandon Brothers, Surfboards La Jolla, Twin Fin. A second shorter one 6 months later. Then I shaped my first board in the Fall of 69. Guess what? Yes, it was a 6’3 twin fin with my own twists to the design. To say I have experience with Twin Fins is an understatement.

In 1979 I teamed up with Shaun Tomson to do his boards at Canyon. Shaun was a leading proponent in the Twin Fin genre. Shaun was a tough customer, but I learned a lot about twins, much of which is still incorporated in today’s designs.

While working with Shaun Tomson, I refined the bottom with the addition of a shallow single concave that feeds into the vee. The vee splits into a double in front of the fins and runs off the rail behind the wing. The double vee is different to most in that it has a slight crown. The vee runs off the tail with a slight convex. The position of the wing, the back of the fin in conjunction with the concave exiting through the wing makes for solid firm turns. The foil in the rail line is very similar to a modern performance shortboard. Don’t think of the Twin Fin as just a small wave board. I’ve had quite a few team riders over the years ride them in sizeable surf.

A very versatile design. Two fins are ridden these days on all kind of hulls. My design is more traditional with subtle updates adding to the overall performance. 🏄‍♂️Mikey Baron putting the Twin Fin to the test

New China Wavepool is insane
* That Air Section is Psycho!!