Surf Station Boardroom Manager Alex Leif shares his top high performance shortboards
Alex Leif is a practical kind of guy. Sure, he can catch waves with the best of them, but he’s got more skills than your average bro. You may spot him in the lineup in the morning and on the boat by the afternoon. He can slay a red fish and then turn around and fix your air conditioning. Like we said, he’s a practical kind of guy.
Leif’s hands on, straight shooter approach has also influenced the style in which he’s taken on the role as the Surf Station’s new boardroom manager for the last four-odd months. Politics aside, he’s on the hunt for boards that simply work, regardless of brand loyalty or bias. Leif has done some field testing of his own on some of the shop’s most popular models. Indiscriminate of manufacturer, he set out to expand his quiver of high performance shortboards. What he landed on was a favorite from each of a handful of our top brands: …Lost, Firewire, and Channel Islands Surfboards.
The Top Performer: Firewire FRK Ibolic
The FRK from Firewire is a sleek, round tail performance board built from the feedback of the GOAT himself, Kelly Slater. With a wide point just back from center, this board has a medium entry and exit rocker paired with medium rails to provide more paddle power. The single to double concave featured in this board provides maximum speed and control, while the five fin setup makes it a more versatile shape.
“This is my go-to when it’s better. I would say anything over chest high, a little bit longer period or even if it’s nor’easter conditions,” Leif shared. “I’d ride this because it rides long. I’d compare it to a 6’1 Whiplash I had from Lost in PU and they feel almost identical. This board being a 5’9 rides like a 6’1.”
Typically skeptical of the feel of epoxy boards, Leif was surprised by the familiar feeling of the Ibolic construction under his feet.
“Every other epoxy board I’ve had, they all felt too big,” said Leif. “This is probably the first one I’ve clicked with and can say that it felt normal coming from a guy who usually rides polys.”
The Everyday Shortboard: Channel Islands Happy Everyday
The Happy Everyday from Channel Islands aims to do just that: keep you happy everyday. This user-friendly shortboard has a lowered entry and exit rocket compared to the first iteration of the shape, the Happy and the Two Happy. These tweaks make the shape an easier paddler, while the single to double concave helps to generate speed while still maintaining maneuverability. This shape aims to be the go-to when the waves are subpar but you still want to hop on a standard shortboard. Leif tends to agree.
“You can surf it in knee high garbage summertime waves,” Leif shared. “But I’ve had days where it’s like a foot overhead top to bottom and it holds. It sort of blows my mind.”
The Quiver Killer: …Lost RNF ‘96
There is a reason why the RNF ‘96 has remained a staple in the surfing world for over 25 years: the shape simply works. Based off of the original fish that Lost shaped for Chris Ward and Cory Lopez in the mid 1990’s, this board works to refine one of all-time best selling fish. With a tail that is more pulled in than the original, the RNF ‘96 looks closer to your average high performance shortboard through the last third. This provides a tighter turning radius, without sacrificing the speed that we all love from a classic fish.
“You can ride this on days where you look at it and think you need a longboard,” said Leif. “It’ll get up and go. I’ve found the MRs work the best on this which I knew, but I’ll throw a standard thruster in it too. So one will give you a little more drawn out feel but you still get the grab as you would on a thruster with the 2+1 but then you put in a standard thruster and you get a really tight turning radius.”
Open Minds Garner Solid Results
What allowed Leif to build the shortboard quiver just right for him was an open mindedness that allowed him to take full advantage of managing the largest surfboard warehouse in the world. Finding unique strengths in each manufacturer is not only the practical move, it’s a fulfilling one.
“I met Channel Islands guys first with us being the East Coast warehouse for them, they’ve been nothing but good,” said Leif. They look out for us and they’ve got some of the best boards on the market.”
Throughout his time in the boardroom, Leif has developed relationships with reps that have changed his outlook on his own surfing.
“Firewire, our reps are really cool and I got to meet most of the guys at Surf Expo this year,” shared Leif. “Mike, big shout out to him for helping me get this board and Frankie, big shout out to him. And then with Lost we have Danny, if we need boards, give him a shout and then they’re here. We have a good relationship with everyone and if you need help getting boards I’m hopefully the guy to help you.”
But if it weren’t for the opportunity provided by the Surf Station, Leif may still be stuck working to fix your AC in the dog days of summer.
“And a big shout out to Tory because he lets me be the happiest person I can be finally,” said Leif. “I went from doing miserable work to something I actually like doing. So thanks for supporting my hobbies.”
