Quiver Building with Chase Stevens (among other things) PART 1

Today starts another re-occurring column called quiver building. I am going to be interviewing local surfers about their current quivers and thoughts. I love it when a surfer is building a Florida quiver around one board that they have deemed magical. That topic is so interesting to me…

Today we have Chase Stevens. Another one of my earliest team riders, Chase was a quick to rise regional talent in his early teens. His smooth style and explosive off the lip maneuvers turned heads all over the east coast for quite a few years. Unfortunately, back injuries plagued him for a while but recently he has been quietly making a comeback in the water riding some unconventional shapes. Chase has the gift that few actually possess.. he can ride every type of board better than you can.. as outlined below in part one of his quiver snapshot… enjoy!

Be warned, this is a lengthy read with some great insight from Chase. I had to split it into two chapters(posts)!

 

surfer- Chase Stevens, 21 years old

height- 6’0″

weight- 147lbs

Here’s my top 4 boards I find myself riding the most in St. Augustine, Florida.

Board #1- The Dumpster Diver by Channel Islands 



5’7″ x 19 1/2″ x 2 5/16″, 27.8L with Futures tri fin set up using AM2 large

Words from Chase: “Dane and Al did an incredible job on this shape. I feel this board may have been swept under the rug due to all of the new and updated models that CI pumps out these days. To me, and I’m sure many others out there, this shape has stood the test of time. If the rocket fish by Clyde Beatty Jr. was the board that acted as the catalyst to a new generation of faster, more responsive shapes all around (back before I was born), then the Dumpster Diver is that board for my generation, in my eyes. Honestly any one of Dane’s creations he’s worked on and made models under the Channel Islands label are all awesome shapes and worth looking more into… if you haven’t already. Great boards for people who are fans of a little more volume. I’ll try and leave it at that..

BUT YOU ASK:
Why the dumpster diver, it’s an outdated model? 
Well…I’m glad you asked. I come from riding bigger, longer boards all my life, thanks to my dad keeping me on a more traditional path (he at least tried ha ha) while reiterating the phrase ‘Foam is your friend!’. It didnt take long to realize I wasn’t struggling on my bigger board as much as the people who were surfing around me. I then was able to figure out I can maintain speed and position myself on certain sections of the wave better, and smoother, then others who were riding well crafted, but smaller boards around me.

As I grew older the boards got shorter and wider, yet maintained foam volume. Plus, with the addition of volume (L) to the dimensional understanding of surfboards these days, the door has been peeled open that much more. To be 6’0 and ride a 5’7 shortboard is still weird to me, but with that being said, it floats just as well as my 6’2……. even with a wetsuit on! With that kind of float and the maneuverability from it’s small size this thing is my equivalent to a skateboard in the ocean. 
The rocker isn’t too flat to where you’re finding yourself paying attention to the nose staying above water level when weaving from rail to rail, dropping in, carving, or doing a turn in choppy surf (or even clean surf for that matter). Another good thing about the rocker of the board is that you dont feel like you are pushing water when your standing up like some boards do (which have more exaggerated rocker) if you aren’t going fast or maintaining speed from the actual energy of the wave itself. The board has this perfect amount of nose flip so it can climb a face vertical after turning on a dime, while the tail rocker stays relatively flatter allowing for more constant contact with the waters surface while carving from rail to rail. This allows for the fins to be more then engaged as you ride the board off of the front foot.

Don’t believe me? Go watch a video of Dane Reynolds on the ‘DD’. That is FAST rail to rail surfing with total fin engagement, until he uses the speed he built up to put those fins well past the breaking lip to do any of the variations of fins free maneuvers he has in his stylish bag of tricks. I may be bias but you came here to hear my opinion and that’s whatcha gettin’ ! This board is to easy to have fun on. I love flying down the line on it!
Unfortunately, I believe the Dumpster Diver is a custom-order-only model now(EDIT: It’s not, we have some in stock.. ), so you’ll have to reach out and talk with the board room manager, Josh Richardson here at Surf Station if you want one. Either way, even if it is to broaden your understanding of surfboard shapes, I recommended you try this board. Plenty of other boards were shaped following its outline and template but nothing better then the real deal.”

Board #2- The Moonbeam by Rob Machado/ FireWire surfboards

5’5 x 19″ x 2/14″ 27.3L with Futures five fin set up using Dave Rastovich 2+1

“This one was a step out of my usual comfort zone but I trust Rob and his superior knowledge of wave riding and surfboard crafting. Ever watched a video of Rob? His surfing speaks for itself. Watch a video of Rob on a hand shape and you’ll want to buy one. It’s so visually appealing. He’s borderline performing a dance on every wave. Crazy stuff. 

I was stuck between ordering the stock 5’7 or the stock 5’5 for a while. I wasn’t sure if the board was meant to grovel or to produce freakish speed in small surf or just be an all around cruiser in some head high plus surf. I’m sure it works well in bigger surf as a 5’7, but finally, after picking Josh Richardson’s and Eddie Schwartz’s brain for some time, I went with the 5’5 and I was not disappointed! The board is a bullet! The bottom contours are a trip! When you can distribute the water correctly through the bottom channel, at the right moments on the face of a wave, it honestly feels as if you pushed on the gas peddle a little more then you planned on doing! Add the Futures 2+1 Dave R Twin fin set in there and this board wants to get up and go once the first fin or rail becomes active!

 

Another wild part about this board is how thing the rail volume gets as you venture down towards the moonshaped tail. That thin rail allows for fast and abrupt directional changes, when need be, while flying down the line. If the tail was made any thicker with the same bottom contour then I’m sure it would be tough board to whip around. The actual crescent moon shaped tail is a perfect compliment to the rail and bottom contour combo. The clean transition between the two pivot points translates into smooth drawn out turns (or quick snappy check turns). That is, if you are correctly positioned over the fins while they are being activated. That brings me to an important point I would like to add about this board; I chose to go traction pad-less because these boards are meant to be moved around on. It is the type of hybrid short board that you’ll find yourself spending the majority of the time up towards the front of the board gaining speed and working all that foam volume up front. With that being said when it is time to do a turn or directional change then this is when the foot placement kicks back a notch and you should find that back foot right over the two side fins to allow for full control. I’ve also found that if you stay choked back on the tail and try to ride it off of the back foot the whole time it tends to loose speed or putter out easy. So this is where the bottom contour comes in handy, giving you the ‘gas pedal’ effect as you step up on the board and engage it at the right moments to keep that speep rolling. It’s not an easy board to get use to at first, but it is an absolute blast for the right person when they figure out its kinks!

As i mentioned above, I highly recommend a 2+1 twin fin set up in this particular model. The larger twin-sized side fins give the board that extra speed boost in junky surf when you’re weaving through flat sections engaging both the rails and side fins.
This board has grown on me and i find my self riding it more times then not(if I’m not on my 9’4). I learn new ways to use it detailed design in all types of surf, every time I ride it. THESE BOARDS ARE SOLD BRAND NEW AT $499!!!

Why wouldn’t you want to give it a shot? At that price, I have my eyes on the ‘Midas’ next. Another one of Rob’s shapes with the same bottom contours, just a different shape/outline. All in all this is another solid hybrid surfboard I recommend checking up on.

Surf photos most likely taken by Cody Coleman Photography.

 

 

PART 2 w Chase COMING SOON…  😯