Wacky, Weird and Wild

There are going to be loads of good things happening in and around the RVCA Junior Challenge at Lower Point in J-Bay from 2-4 May. Think painting walls, board art, live music and and. And then there will be the Nixon Weird Board surf-off.

Eight surfboard shapers from around the country were tasked with shaping a weird board, to be surfed off by the junior surfers in a fun mini-event: Thys Strydom, Eric Stedman, Glen D'Arcy, Glen Rowe, Anton Butler, Simon Fish, David Stubbs and that man Josh 'Dutchie' Louw – rising from the ashes. We caught up with Dutchie just as he was putting the finishing touches to a, well, weird, asymmetrical piece flow foam in his new factory.

Just exactly what defines a 'weird board'?

A board that is unconventional to the average surfer, who's used to a specific standard board shape. There are however multiple surfboard design theories that have merit but look odd ­– unless we explore the design realm and push the boundaries we will never find the next magic formula!

So what have you crafted here?

I shaped a board that has different characteristics for either heel-side or toe-side, in other words an asymmetrical design. We as surfers don't ride parallel stance but instead either go goofy (right foot forward) or natural (left foot forward) so I'm having a lot of fun with enhancing characteristics on boards for specific purposes.

What conditions would suit this board?

I made this board specifically for J-Bay with a longer (6'2) inside rail line and fin setup for drive, hold and speed off the bottom. The opposite rail is set up for quick turning of the top with a shorter rail line (5'10) and double wing squash for responsiveness not too get caught up in J-Bay's fast lip line.

Having said that, it is a performance board, so in other words built for modern explosive surfing as opposed to cruising simple clean lines you would with retro equipment.

How important is this kind of 'lifestyle' element in a grom comp?

Vital! There are many facets to surfing, one being professional surfing associated with winning. Surfing means different things to different people but at the end of the day it's purely because it's fun and you find your own path as a surfer.

It's great for the groms to get the opportunity to explore different surfboard designs and surfing feelings, it opens their minds in terms of the equipment they ride and improves their surfing. You have to explore and find what works for you!