What’s a variable? If you notice, many of my designs have the ability to adapt in extreme lengths to accommodate a surfer’s preference. So, it wouldn’t be accurate to categorize them as shortboards, mid lengths, or longboards per say. So I made up my own category to help define the difference.
In the summer of 1973, after a couple of winters living on the North Shore, I wanted to experience a surf town and simply hang out. I surfed spots like Ala Moana rock pile, among others. My board was a 6'10" Lightning Bolt, 20 inches wide, with a single fin and swallow tail.
Fifty years later, bored with an injured arm, I went into my shaping room and pulled out the original template. I added a 1-inch piece of tape around each side, effectively increasing the board's dimensions by 2 inches overall. This brought the board forward half a century, resulting in dimensions current with today's standards. The only differences are the bottom contour and the rails.
This design would be excellent in a wide range of conditions. I particularly love the significant curve in the outline, which shortens the turning radius. Back then, we were largely guessing at how different design elements affected performance.
I named this board "The Genesis" because, although I had been making boards for a while by 1973 (not a lot, but some), it was the point when I began to truly understand how specific features influenced a board's performance across various conditions and with any fin setup. Up to 6'10", it will also work as a twin fin; beyond that length, the twin fin setup becomes less effective. This board design ranges from 6 to 9 feet, and since I hand-shape every board, I can adapt the curve to work effectively in all these sizes.
SIZE RANGE: 6'2" to 10'6"
AVG DIMS @ 7’ 6”:
Nose: 14 3/4”
Width: 22 1/4”
Tail: 15 3/4”
Thickness: 3”
Stock Stringer: 5/32” Basswood
FIN SET UP: 3 OR 5 Boxes
RESIN: Clear or Color(s), Pin Lines, Hot Coats
FINISH: Sanded & Sealed OR Glossed & Polished
“California Gold” … the “Golden State” … the “Golden Hour” … phrases that bring to mind perfect clean California surf. Whether it is long spiraling point waves, punchy peaky beachbreaks, nook and cranny reefs or easy carefree wide open Summertime spots, the new “California Gold” Model has got you covered.
When we move from “young rippers” to the “Golden Age”, board adjustments are warranted and necessary if we want to continue to surf at our highest level possible. The California Gold model allows the rider to catch more waves and have more fun while carving and maneuvering at the greatest degree possible without sacrificing performance.
As we mature many of us are not enthusiastic about moving from our shortboards to a longboard or log. Here’s where the California Gold comes in.
In Roger’s words:
“The California gold is a board I’ve been riding for the last year. Mine has long board dimensions from the center to the tail, but I brought in the nose dimensions to the point that it’s basically a blown-up California style gun. I’ve given it proper shortboard or gun rocker, so it turns really short and tight in the pocket for the length of board it is. I’ve been riding it in everything from 2 feet to well overhead.”
The key elements to the California Gold model in addition to the rocker are the curve in the outline, the foil, and the edge in the tail. The bottom contours remain the same as most shortboards, a double concave with some Vee off the tail.
Popular sizes for this model start at 7’4” to 7’6” and go all the way up to 9’0”. We’ve had success with both P/U and EPS construction depending on the surfers preference. Mostly ridden as a thruster, it is also offered in a 5-fin box configuration to accommodate quads as well.
If you want to reinvigorate your surfing, catch a ton of waves, surf with a more aggressive style and continue to make the maneuvers you always have, the California Gold model is your ticket to prolonging your “Golden Hour”.
SIZE RANGE: 7'4" to 9'0"
AVG DIMS @ 9’ 0”:
Nose: 13 3/4”
Width: 22 1/2”
Tail: 14 1/2”
Thickness: 3 3/4”
Stock Stringer: 1/4” Basswood
FIN SET UP: 3 OR 5 Boxes
RESIN: Clear or Color(s), Pin Lines, Hot Coats
FINISH: Sanded & Sealed OR Glossed & Polished
As the name implies, the Dream Fish is a Fish that performs beyond expectations. The curve of the outline allows you to get more vertical than the traditional Fish, while the width in the tail gets you through the flatter or slower sections. Expect fast, loose, carving possibilities that are only limited by your imagination, the “Dream Fish” is a perfect choice for versatility and overall performance surfing.
Due to Roger’s unique fin box placements and when combined with his custom NVS fins, The Dream Fish can be ridden with the characteristics of a Fish, Twin Fin or Thruster depending on the fin setup you choose. Run it as a quad or a twin and draw long lines and fly down the line. Run it as a thruster and carve tight arcs in the pocket and off the lip. The “Dream Fish” will take your surfing to a new level, while giving you the versatile options of Thruster, Twin Fin or Quad.
SIZE RANGE: 5'4" to 8'0"
AVG DIMS @ 6'0":
Nose: 15"
Width: 20 7/8"
Tail: 16 3/4"
Thickness: 2 1/2"
FIN SET UP: 2, 3, 4, or 5 Future Fin Boxes
RESIN: Clear or Color(s), Pin Lines, Hot Coats
FINISH: Sanded & Sealed OR Glossed & Polished
“Surfing is life. A simple saying… one we take for granted when we start our surfing journey, but one that rings truer the longer we partake in our passion. Surfing truly is life.”
As we surf through the decades; maneuverers, take-offs and timely drop-ins become more challenging and sometimes difficult. We can make adjustments physically, do more yoga and stretching, and prepare better mentally, but what about our equipment?
I am thrilled to introduce my new model “The Master”. A board for those of us that still want to feel the glide, drive down the line, put our board on rail, and smile confidently after a clean roundhouse cutback.
After a conversation I had with Mickey Muñoz and Dennis Choate, Mickey pointed out that “as you go up in age your balance isn’t quite as good and your pop-up gets more difficult. So, your board needs to be wider for stability.”
Thinking that thought and grasping the idea, I went into the shaping room to rework one of my favorite shortboard outlines - a winged rounded squash. After adding 1” in width to the center and altering the nose and tail to balance the overall outline, I finalized the new plan shape. The outcome was a 7’2”, 15.25” nose, 23” wide, 16.50” tail, and 3.12” thick. The results in the water were nothing short of amazing, a total rebirth of joy.
The “outside the box thinking” resulted in a board that I’m confident will revitalize your stoke. It will bring your passion back to life regardless of age, injuries, or whatever decline in your surfing abilities you’re facing.
I’m recommending a size range from 7 feet to 9 feet, although I can take it down into the 6 foot range with some tweaking. Surfed best with a Thruster or 5-Fin set up, the Master features a short board rocker to allow the board to turn and be fast and loose.
The Master is not a mid-length or a fun board, it is a short board for people who want to recapture their surfing prime and have the right tool to do it.
SIZE RANGE: 7'0" TO 9'0"
AVG DIMS @ 7' 2":
Nose: 15 1/4"
Width: 23"
Tail: 16 1/2"
Thickness: 3 1/8"
FIN SET UP: 3 or 5 Future Fin Boxes
RESIN: Clear or Color, Pin Lines, Hot Coats
FINISH: Sanded & Sealed OR Glossed & Polished
The Mind’s Eye is Roger’s latest entry into the popular Midlength or Midrange category. Designed to let you go wherever your mind takes you without having to think about anything else, the Mind’s Eye lets you run free.
A functional fun board outline designed for stability, paddling power, and easy rail to rail transitions. The Mind’s Eye bottom contour is Roger’s proven double concave with some vee off the tail design, which keeps the board fast and loose yet positive. Finally, the Mind’s Eye utilizes a deck and rail contour that places the thickness under your chest for paddling speed, and keeps the rail thinner and foiled for the ultimate rail control and carving ability.
As versatile a design as you’ll ever see, the Mind’s Eye design excels in size ranges from 6’4” to 8’0” and will accommodate any fin set up you prefer, working well as a tri-fin, quad, single fin or 2+1.
The Mind’s Eye is designed to make your surfing free and easy, fun and exciting, and let you take your ability to the next level…. Picture yourself, in your Mind’s Eye.
SIZE RANGE: 6'4" TO 8'0"
AVG DIMS @ 6' 4":
Nose: 15 3/4"
Width: 21 3/8"
Tail: 17"
Thickness: 2 3/4"
FIN SET UP: 5 Future Fin Boxes or 2+1
RESIN: Clear or Color(s), Pin Lines, Hot Coats
FINISH: Sanded & Sealed OR Glossed & Polished
The Nomad has a shortboard high performance rocker combined with a larger planning surface and a thinner overall foil, which creates a more responsive, versatile surfboard. The added fullness and width of the outline allows you catch waves like a longboard, turn like a shortboard and surf fast and loose, it puts the fun back in surfing.
Like the Dream Fish, due to Roger’s unique fin box placements, and when combined with his custom NVS fins, The Nomad can be ridden as a Thruster, Twin Fin or Quad depending on the fin setup you choose. Run it as a quad and it really loosens up, as a twin fin it’s a speed demon that will fly down the line, as a thruster it will allow you to carve tight arcs in the pocket and under the lip. The “Nomad” will improve your surfing while giving you the versatile options of Thruster, Twin Fin or Quad.
SIZE RANGE: 6'3" to 9'6"
AVG DIMS @ 8'0":
Nose: 14 3/4"
Width: 21 1/2"
Tail: 14 3/4"
Thickness: 2 7/8"
FIN SET UP: 2, 3, or 5 Future Fin Boxes
RESIN: Clear or Color(s), Pin Lines, Hot Coats
FINISH: Sanded & Sealed OR Glossed & Polished
An exciting revision on Roger’s original Nomad, the Nomad Twin Fin has become the workhorse for the Summer of 2022. A no-nonsense electrifying speed demon that will race down the line and turn and adjust with absurd quickness. The Nomad Twin Fin surfs like no other twin fin you’ve ever ridden.
As with the original, The Nomad Twin has a shortboard high performance rocker combined with a larger planing surface and a thinner overall foil which creates a more responsive, versatile surfboard. The added fullness and width of the outline allows you to catch waves, turn like a shortboard, and surf fast and loose - we start there.
Where the Nomad Twin Fin differs from the original Nomad are the key game-changing elements for the twin fin setup, an adjusted outline and the fluted wings.
In Roger’s words:
“I moved the wide point of the outline back and added fluted wings towards the rear of the fins. Adding wings to break the rail line and putting flutes in the wings for bite and projection, while maintaining the same bottom contour and rocker as the original Nomad, allows the board to turn with a tighter radius while maintaining control, speed, and looseness.”
Summer waves don’t have the punch, power, or groundswell strength that we are blessed with in the winter. The Nomad Twin Fin generates its own power, speed, and drive while allowing for the precision adjustments necessary to maximize your summer surfing experience… step on the gas pedal and give it a go…
SIZE RANGE: 5'4" TO 8'0"
AVG DIMS @ 6' 3":
Nose: 15 3/4"
Width: 21 1/2"
Tail: 16 1/4"
Thickness: 2 7/8"
FIN SET UP: 2 Future Fin Boxes
RESIN: Clear or Color(s), Pin Lines, Hot Coats
FINISH: Sanded & Sealed OR Glossed & Polished
The Bandit was an original template from 1972 which would have been a twin fin. At that time I was using the Guidance Fin System, the fins that you push in and pop back to put the holding clip in place. I decided to bring this back in late summer 2017.
I found that this design, coupled with modern rails and a modern rocker in the original outline, works well with all fin configurations and will accommodate bigger surfers on a shorter board.
SIZE RANGE: 5'4" TO 8'0"
AVG DIMS @ 5' 10":
Nose: 17 1/2"
Width: 21"
Tail: 17 1/2"
Thickness: 2 5/8"
FIN SET UP: Single, Twin, 3 Fin, & 5 Fin
RESIN: Clear or Color(s), Pin Lines, Hot Coats
FINISH: Sanded & Sealed OR Glossed & Polished
The “Tamago”, or Egg shaped midlength, allows for both casual cruising and performance surfing depending on the surfer and the conditions. A “user-friendly” surfboard and wave magnet that handles a multitude of conditions with ease and makes surfing fun again.
Due to the fullness of the outline the Tamago catches waves easy and gets you in early. The rounded pintail design gives the board holding power when you need it. The combination of the outline, rocker, bottom configuration, and overall balanced foil make this a versatile model that works equally well in both beach breaks and lined up point waves. A great addition to any quiver for maximizing your wave count and fun factor.
SIZE RANGE: 6'4" to 8'0"
AVG DIMS @ 7'4":
Nose: 16-1/2"
Width: 22"
Tail: 15"
Thickness: 2-7/8"
FIN SET UP: Single Box OR 2+1 Boxes
RESIN: Clear or Color(s), Pin Lines, Hot Coats
FINISH: Sanded & Sealed OR Glossed & Polished
Part fish, part hybrid, and part performance make The Thing the ultimate one board quiver. Whether groveling in slop or surfing the best waves you've had in a while, The Thing will have you maxing out your wave count without sacrificing performance. Great for surfers coming down from fun boards and longer hybrids, or those just searching for a board that will make your surfing sessions more enjoyable. If you're looking for a versatile, easy to surf yet responsive surfboard, The Thing is a must have board.
SIZE RANGE: 5'4" TO 8'0"
AVG DIMS @ 6' 0":
Nose: 15 1/4"
Width: 22"
Tail: 16 3/4"
Thickness: 2 5/8"
FIN SET UP: 5 Future Fin Boxes
RESIN: Clear or Color(s), Pin Lines, Hot Coats
FINISH: Sanded & Sealed OR Glossed & Polished
The Tracker, and it's non displacement hull, was built for a surfer whose emphasis is good style in good surf. The Tracker wants you to paddle out at Rincon, J Bay or Hanalei, take off deep and go hard off the bottom projecting all your speed down the line and carve a big powerful turn to set it all up again. If down the line high speed fun is what you are after check out The Tracker.
SIZE RANGE: 6'0" to 8'4"
AVG DIMS @ 7'0":
Nose: 15 1/4"
Width: 21 3/4"
Tail: 14 3/4"
Thickness: 2 7/8"
FIN SET UP: Single Box OR 2+1 Boxes
RESIN: Clear or Color(s), Pin Lines, Hot Coats
FINISH: Sanded & Sealed OR Glossed & Polished