surfer-Josh Richardson, 25 years old
height- 5’8″
weight- 155lbs
Board- 2 Dumpster Divers from CI surfboards w Spine Tek technology
5’5″x 19″x 2 1/4″, 25.7L with Futures tri fin, using medium AM
Josh at my desk 😉
Words directly from Josh(I have taught him well..)
My Dumpster Diver does everything you want it to and nothing you don’t want it to. I was almost religiously surfing the Lost Uber Driver and loved the wave catching ability of the board from the wider nose and lower entry rocker. The pulled in tail made it feel like a shortboard. One thing I was meh about was how out of control it would feel on some sections where you wanted to get the fins out but instead you were flying through the air.
A good friend of mine suggested I try the Dumpster Diver and compare the two. The Dumpster Diver was the first SpineTek I ordered from CI and I was eager to try it. The first couple sessions I was using the Futures AM2 Blackstix and the fins really didn’t mesh well with the board.. Not the greatest beginning of a relationship. The same friend recommended the normal AM2 HC Futures without the V2 Foil. Game changer. The board coupled with SpineTek and fin selection became an instant favorite.
It gets into waves easily, but still surfs like a normal HPSB. I was feeling much more controlled through my turns, instead of barely pushing through a turn and blowing it. The rocker is continuous but subtle allowing the board to be pushed hard without digging the nose. The SpineTek really added livelyness, spring, and pop, but there was no “chatter” that many experience and don’t like about EPS/Epoxy boards. Even in small, choppy conditions the board feels great. It drives through flat sections and works in everything. As far as the waves in NE Florida go, this could be a one board quiver for many. I liked the squash tail so much I ordered up another Diver in the same dimensions.
With the new Dumpster Diver, I kept the same dimensions. The two things I switched up was the tail and somewhat the construction. CI recently came out with the different sized Spines for their SpineTek constructions. The volume of the board dictates the size of the spine. Most of my boards are around 25 L – 26 L so this fell under the Small Spine category. I think this will increase the flex of the board, but I will still get that spring through turns like I do on the Diver with a medium Spine. I opted for a swallow tail on this new Dumpster Diver to try and loosen up the tail (not that it needs to be looser) I just love swallow tails and wanted to try something a little different. I’m already thinking up a round tail Diver..
Watch my original Dumpster Diver review from 2010 here!
Gratuitous “Look at me” shot on one of my first Divers in 2011. photo: V. Rose
