So, I can say i had sooooo much fun riding this board. Wouldn't be my daily driver but had an insanely great time on it in glassy headhigh underwater left point waves down here. This is a 6'6 Simmons board built by Joe Bauguess for the Hydrodynamica Test Pilot Series. I'm really fortunate to get to surf with RK around town from time to time and, as the video has shown, he rips on these. I'm always asking to ride one, but it seems that we never connect. I don't think either of us really likes getting out of the water when the wave are good. Anyways, this board was built for Daniel Partch and of course he foiled his own set of fins for it and does for all the rest of the Simmons and Sim Fish boards that RK and Joe are making.
Performance: It took a few waves to adjust to having been riding my 12 footer around town, but once I paddled down to another reef and could get it to go front side, everything came together. First off, one of my main boards is my 7'0 Long Fish Simmons Quad so the length soon became comfortable. What I couldn't get over was how well they paddled in to waves. Almost like cheating! I think most are sub 6 foot. Anyways, once i figured out the bottom turn angle, the board just started to come alive with tons of drive and really held great through cutbacks. Did some bottom top turn combos and never got hung up, thinking that the width might make it sticky but not. And the trim!!!! Having come from the Frye line, my favorite thing to do is just stand mid board and trim through sections, well, this board definitely made some sections, actually got me down and around a few that really surprised me. The width in the tail had me worried about getting hit with the lip and or whitewash but this thing made it happen and I made so many more waves. There were a few quirks in certain parts of the pocket when coming into or out of a roundhouse cutback, but that was probably more pilot error than the board. But again, overall a very fun and different sliding experience and one that makes me want to have a few in the quiver. I better get on it, Joe is only in town for a little while, but Dan and I are lucky that Joe's shaping bay is just a few blocks away. You should get one too www.theswiftmovement.com for inquires.
