Stretch Boards blog for product reviews, team updates and factory news.
Nathan Fletcher is human. He faces challenges like you and I but perhaps on a different scale…
Follow Your Mission With Nathan Fletcher, Presented by Nixon
“You Only Tell the Truth in the Dark” documents a journey through the Chilean landscape with William Aliotti and Sebastien Zanella of Desillusion Magazine. This video is a somber and introspective look at what drives us into exploring the unknown. It reflects the urgency in each of us to go out of our comfort zone, whether that’s paddling into massive slabs while undergunned or traveling in a camper van for a month with no access to your electronic devices. What we make of the moment defines who we are. We often can’t see well when heading into the fog. In this case, Willy clearly found his way.
Nixon | You only tell the truth in the dark: William Aliotti from NIXON Europe on Vimeo.
If you get lost in the fog tonight,
will you cry?
If you go out and you cannot see,
will you die?
If you get swallowed by clouds tonight,
will you wake up in your own skin?Or will you become someone else?
Maybe him.
The fast flying, slab hunting frenchman capped off his Chile sojourn with a win at the 2016 Arica Pro presented by Maui and Sons.
William Aliotti Arica Final from Stretch Boards on Vimeo.
1st place in Chile. photo courtesy WSL
Willy was knifing frontside bombs on his CFT medium 5’10” x 18.187″ x 2.187″ Lil Buddy model. His final heat against friend and competitor Dean Bowen found him scoring a perfect 10 which sealed the deal and gave an unforgettable end to his to Chilean road trip adventure!
William had this to comment on how he felt after winning the event:
“Without the board you make me I would of never won this contest ! In my first heat I took a set on the head and I thinks if you board wasn’t strong I would of break my board for sure . I was soo confidant on the 5,10 lil buddy and the 6,2 2×4 there were amazing! flying every football !”
(Yeah, not sure what he means by “flying every football” either. It’s all good! Maybe it’s a french thing or something he learned while in Chile… William speaks English 100x’s better than I speak French but I still blame the autospell correct on his iphone!)
Congratulations WIlliam!
check out more on the 2016 Arica Pro and WIlliam’s perfect 10 ride here
William Aliotti and Dean Bowen atop the podium in Arica, Chile.
Acclimating to the Chilean surf during his road trip with Desilllusion magazine allowed William to get acquainted with gutting lefts prior to the contest. photo: Sebzanella
Buzzsaw sk8 with Darshan Gooch from Stretch Boards on Vimeo.
Name: Darshan Gooch
Height/weight: 6’4″ 185 lbs
Board model/dimensions: Buzz Saw sk8 6’0″ x 19.5″ x 2.25″ vol.31.8L (straight off the stock board rack!)
Construction type: CFT std (1/8″ bamboo stringer, marko foam 2.1pcf compression molded EPS, deck channels, 45º bias weave S-glass and RWG) + striped carbon tail strips
Fins used: Futures Timmy Patterson (sides) with Fins Unlimited S2 Stretch fiberglass 4.25″ quad rear pair
Conditions tested: Point breaks, reefs and beachbreaks,. Average to good waves, from slopey / mushy, and into hollow barreling waves as well.
Background (general skill level, current board(s), misc. other factors):
Just another working class parent from around the way. Continuing to remain passionate about riding waves, while keeping those kids fed and bills paid. 25 years surfing experience.
Initial thoughts/expectations (was this really what you thought you were getting?):
This was actually a stock board that was sitting in the factory. Initially I was drawn to this board looking for a daily driver to fill a few places where my quiver was lacking. Although the volume was a little towards the full side for my comfort, I previously had really enjoyed my experiences with the Super Buzz and was interested in going further down the rabbit hole prior to our El Niño season of 2015/16.
What wave types do you imagine surfing when viewing this design? (full spectrum and size range):
Since this board is coming from the daily driver sector I would imagine this board to cover a wide range of waves / conditions from average to good waves.
Ride experience:
Perhaps due to new board excitement, I found my first wave to actually be one of the best waves I ever caught on this board. The Buzz Saw paddled very comfortably and with my feet slipping right into the sweet spot of the concave SK8 deck I was ready to dig in at first draw. Over time I found this board to fit and work best in the pocket or curvature of the waves face. Also having great tube riding capabilities, there were a number of sessions were I took the Buzz Saw into waves outside of what I perceived to be it’s preferred size range. More often than not, I was surprised at Buzz Saw’s capacity to adapt and conquer in good waves in the overhead range.
Likes/Dislikes:
The Buzz Saw thrives to fit and be pushed through turns in tight/round places on the wave where your standard shortboard might not fit. Perhaps my stubbornness to only ride this board as a quad made for times when I struggled or fought the extra volume of the skate deck in slopey or mushy parts of the wave. Considering my size 13 foot, I may have found my width limit for preferable SK8 deck options here.
General observations:
The Buzz Saw has an uncanny ability to be very adaptable from average everyday fun, into great waves that would be more performance oriented.
Summary (synopsis, recommendations or overall feeling you would tell a friend):
Lively daily driver that loves to be ridden in the pocket and also thrives in the decent to good waves category.
voluptuous curves deserve something to feast on. gooch nurtures the buzzsaw sk8’s voracious open face appetite. photo: chachi
“baby got BACK!” the butt tail is the default stock template off the rack. nice curves! chemically transformed image sharing courtesy of: darshan gooch
The THING v2 round pin with Darshan Gooch from Stretch Boards on Vimeo.
Height/weight:
6’4″ 185 lbs
Thing v2 round pin 6’2″ x 19.25″ x 2.375″ vol. 31.4L
Construction type:
CFT std with uni-directional carbon tail strips and duplicate CFT std glassing substituted with Varial foam for testing performance differences between foam types.
Fins used:
fronts: 4.73” deep by 4.64” base – flat foil
center: 4.49” deep x 4.63” base – symmetrical foil
Fins Unlimited custom Stretch Generation 2 quad set:
Fronts: 4.75” deep by 4.625” base – custom stretch inside foil
Quad rears: 4.25” deep by 4.25” base – symmetrical foil
Conditions tested:
I’ve taken this board through a wide assortment of waves and conditions from average 3-5 ft beachbreaks, to pumping sand / cobblestone points, and even hollow barreling waves.
What wave types do you imagine surfing when viewing this design? (full spectrum and size range):
One of the great strengths about this board is how it can handle the large variety of the wave types and conditions. I would ride the THINGv2 in an assortment of 4-6ft waves as a tri fin. When the surf gets into the excellent range or you may be considering a step up for additional down the line speed, riding the THINGv2 will give you the extra boost of confidence you may be looking for.
Ride experience:
Considering that these boards showed up right as we were trending into an active El Niño season, there was no shortage of days to get well acquainted with these two boards. Initially, I had these boards set up as tri fins. As soon as I jumped onto these boards there was a sense of comfort, flow, and control. Considering there wasn’t much of an adaptation process, I immediately felt that the THING would be my trusty new companion for the season ahead.
In good to excellent waves I found the quad fin setup to be the icing on the cake. It was like having another gear that allowed me to unlock some previously unseen potentials in a board that I was already very happy with.
Likes/Dislikes:
All likes here. The only dislikes worth listing would be trying to ride the THINGv2 as a quad in mediocre surf after having great success in good waves as a quad. I’m very curious to ride the 2X4 now and compare the differences and concaves in these two models.
Summary (synopsis, recommendations or overall feeling you would tell a friend):
The THING is your best bet for getting the most “bang for your buck!” and the most versatile shortboard that will allow you adaptability in a range of average to an excellent waves.
Thing v2 explained from Stretch Boards on Vimeo.
The Thing v2 can be custom ordered to excel in small wave conditions, used as a step up board, tuned for aggressive performance surfing or ordered with our stock configuration for all around daily driver duties.
Check out the Thing models in stock on our webstore or contact info@stretchboards.com to get dialed in on a new custom!
Marko core on the left. Varial core on the right. Although glassed exactly the same, the weight difference between them was 310grams or 0.68lbs with the Varial packing in the slight extra heft.
Wouldn’t you like to be the R&D guy in this instance? Darshan tests the relationship between bottom contours and rail profiles on the THING v2 for the benefit of us all. photo: Jeff Gideon @santacruzwaves
A surf trip south of the border can reset your mind, your soul and your perspective on the world we live in. Re-visiting childhood adventures as a new father brings a whole new meaning to the journey.
“…It’s a different world… and i like it!”
Herbie and Nathan Fletcher: Peninsula South from Nixon on Vimeo.
Like Dejavu…
Dreamy Skeleton Bay instagram video post from Benji Brand
That familiar view featuring Koa Smith on his 5’8″ CFT LEGACY 2×4. Same wave, same stance, same model, same construction. They even had the same dims!
Hear Benji’s thoughts on Skeleton Bay in the Surfline feature here
To those who don’t pay much attention to the details this could’ve been the same thing as seen before. But for those who know, there’s a lot to be said about commitment, aspirations, confidence and fulfillment on the part of the 19 year old Benji Brand’s efforts to score one of the most epic POV tube videos the world has ever seen.
Taking a nod at Koa Smith’s vehicle for success, Benji opted for the exact same board. Granted, Benji wanted his board to be light green, he chose to ride his 2×4 swallow tail CFT LEGACY construction 5’8″ x 18.5″ x 2.3″ cork/bamboo with future quad set up through that Namibia tubefest with conviction.
Congratulations Benji!
Wanna follow in the same footsteps as both Koa and Benji?
Want the exact same board?
Does a replica CFT LEGACY 5’8″ x 18.5″ x 2.3″ cork/bamboo 2×4 fit your needs?
Well, we’ve got one with a granitic green deck that’s brand new and available for purchase now!
Just click on over to store.stretchboards.com to view the new 2×4 models available for sale
So how do they compare?
Koa recounts his experience from the inaugural GoPro of the World win on Surfline
you’d be this tired too if you just got slotted endlessly for hours on end…
Namibia support vehicle with Alex Smith, Koa Smith and Benji Brand.
Benji giving thanks for the grinders at Skeleton Bay.
Stretch Boards is hosting a holiday open house event on Friday November 27th. We’ll be swinging open the factory doors to anyone who has always been curious as to what goes into making a custom built surfboard.
There will be light refreshments, beverages, working factory tours and face to face customer support for any surfboard related topic you can fathom.
Check out some cool new projects, unique custom builds not seen elsewhere, view a bit of Stretch memorabilia and join in on the community of surfers which make the Stretch Boards family what it is today.
This event is in conjunction with Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County. Bring in minimum 4 non-perishable food items to receive extra special deals!
Our factory is located at the end of Tower Place just off Felt St. It is the largest dedicated epoxy glassing factory in North America and is unlike most every other traditional surfboard factory you will encounter. There is no VOC release or harmful chemicals, messy work areas or hazardous concerns (save for the dust factor). If you’ve ever been curious as to how a sustainable surfboard can be built then this is the perfect opportunity to see first hand!
Super Buzz sk8… the “quiet riot” Continue reading
Sancho and friends score some grinders south of the border Continue reading