Putting theory to the test
The relationship between a shaper and surfer is an ongoing conversion, a dialogue if you will, that sees a lot of feed back, testing and development. Chris Garrett and Jason Salisbury have been working on the finless project for some time now, with the latest step of its evolution coming along with us on the recent trip to Lombok. The V2 finless was designed specifically for the left hand point we had pitched up at, with its main objective being an ability to draw a clean line in the barrel… so once we arrived, and without hesitation, Salsa was in the water putting Garrett’s foam creation to the test. Swapping with Nicholas Chalmers in the line up, the duo had a good session, swapping back and forth between sets and only ending when Salsa emerged hobbling from the whitewash, clutching a buckled craft. Over a well deserved dinner the boys discussed the board…When I asked Salsa to break down what he thought about the thing this is what he had to say. “The flex in the fluted rails gives it a really nice sparky feeling, they allow you to push and drive the thing… It felt like you could ride over the foam-ball with out getting any interference or being pushed off your line. It actually seemed to speed up when you had that turbulence under the tail… it was a wild feeling. It was hard to slow the board down. I would love to get it out there again but the reef confiscated its inside rail along with my big toe nail. So there you have it, right from the horses mouth. Here are a few shots from the test session. Early the next morning we finally re-traced our steps back to the ferry and were on our way home. 
