6'0" Custom MIX / Indonesia
Inside the design and build of Willy Asprey's 6'0" Mix: forward foam, a low entry rocker, medium-low rails and a pulled in swallow tail for speed and hold from Sunset to Indonesia.
THE ASK
Willy wanted a board that would fill the gap between a performance shortboard and a step-up without the added length. Something for home on the North Shore when conditions are starting to show as well as an easy traveler for any slabs he may hunt around the globe. His thoughts were a wider nose with lower entry rocker for paddle power, pulled-in to a baby swallow for hold and drive... Let's go!
THE SHAPE
Starting from the feel of Willy's everyday board, Joe refined the working outline where it mattered, kept useful foam forward under the chest and tuned a low-entry, medium-exit rocker for efficient paddle speed and dependable hold. The wide point sits just forward of center, and the bottom moves from a single into a moderate double through the fins.
A medium-low rail gives the board enough bite to lock in when the wave gets critical, while the pulled-in swallow tail keeps the release smooth and predictable. The goal was not to make a stiff step-up. It was to give Willy more time getting in and more confidence once he was committed.
BOARD SPECS
6'0" x 19 7/8" x 2 5/8" 33.3L
Resin tint abstract artwork
Five fin Futures
Fins: EA quad / fiberglass
Outline: Fuller nose / pulled-in tail
Rocker: Low entry / medium exit
Bottom: Single to double concave
Rails: Medium low
Glass: 4 E-glass oz + 4 S-glass oz deck /
4oz bottom / Carbon tail patches
Sanded finish
Built at Nuance Hawaii >
THE Board
Clean lines, a pulled-in swallow tail and subtle bottom contours give this board drive through flatter spots and hold in critical sections. The foam under the chest helps Willy get moving early; the medium-low rail keeps that extra paddle power connected to the face once the board is on rail.
The blue, pink and aqua abstract artwork turns the travel board into something unmistakably personal. Designed and shaped by Joe DeMarco, then built at Nuance Hawaii in Waialua.
THE result
Willy surfed the whole trip on this one board. He rode it as a Quad with Futures EA fins. The results were plenty of paddle and hold while being loose enough when it was small to rip a few off the top. We are excited to refine this model in the waves of the North Shore this winter. In the end Willy always finds the barrel.
What we learned
The extra foam under the chest paid off without making the board feel bulky. The medium-low rail kept that foam from becoming disconnected, and the pulled-in swallow tail stayed loose enough to move on the face while holding through speed.
For the next version, Joe may pull the tail in just a hair more to create an even quicker release without changing the board's early entry or forward drive.
