Ep 33 - Surfboard Myths - 'Litres' are not the answer with Matt Hurworth - MH Surfboards.

In this episode I discuss a new challenge on the horizon for 'The Dust Up'.  We are launching our own YouTube channel dedicated to surfboard design content.The first stage of establishing 'The Dust Up' was creating a podcast that focuses on surfboards and the amazingly talented people that make them.  With the help of other shapers such as Luke Howarth, we want to provide surfboard design information and start positive conversations in the surfboard industry.The second stage of The Dust Up journey is to create a visual content and continue to provide more information about surfboard design.  Over the years there has been some great surfboard content created by magazines but some of it can be a little shallow and lack detail.  We want ours to provide the extra detail.The first series is called 'Changing Channels' and will take a deep dive into various channel bottom designs.  Each episode will document a specific channel design including the shaping and design theory being applied.  The board will then be surfed and feedback provided. At this stage there will be 6 or 7 episodes. To achieve this we are reaching out to the amazing Dust Up community for assistance to cover the costs for a surf videographer and music rights.We encourage people to sign up as a Dust Up Podcast member on Patreon or make a one off contribution.  I also created a Kickstarter page for people to contribute.  This page will only be available until the 18th of September. We are asking for small contributions between $2 to $5 and links to Patreon and Kickstarter can be found on The Dust Up Instagram homepage.  Alternatively, you can go to their websites and search 'The Dust Up Podcast' to find them.The plan is to have the episode behind a paywall and a nominal fee of $1 to $2 to watch per episode.  Any contribution $5 or more will get early access to the episodes, free of charge.We are really looking forward to new challenges and further establish 'The Dust Up' as... THE PODCAST FOR SHAPERS AND SURFBOARD NERDS!Thanks for listening...Send us Fan MailSupport the showCheck out the stories on our Instagram home page to see the accompanying photo gallery for each episode.@the_dust_up_podcastIf you like the music you hear on the podcast, we created 'The Dust Up' playlist on Spotify with all the songs from the episodes for you to listen to.Last but not least, please be sure to subscribe and if you have the time to rate and review our podcast.

In this episode I talk with Tyler Bales from Fin Match.  Tyler took up hockey as a young boy and prioritised learning everything he could about every aspect of the equipment.  Skates and hockey sticks have many variables depending on the position they play as well as personal preferences. It was in his early teenage years when he discovered a love for surfing.  As his ability improved, the questions he had about his equipment increased.  Over time he realised a lot of his questions and sometimes confusion related to surfboard fins.Tyler identifies a trip to Mexico as the turning point in his fin journey.  The waves were small so he decided to use the MR (plus trailer) fins in his Tomo Sci Fi 2.0.  The radical change in the boards performance had a profound and lasting effect on him.Fast forward a few years and Tyler decided he wanted to create a resource that could clarify what various fins did and simplify how a person would select their next set of fins.  www.finMatchsurf.com was born.Fin Match allows users to input basic information to find fins that best match there request.  It also allows users to create a profile to log their surfboard and fin quivers.  One of the highlights of the website for me was the ability for users to log their surf sessions identifying which board they rode, which fins they used and the surf conditions.  This information can then be exported to a person's shaper or coach.Tyler and I discuss the various parts of the website, challenges people experience with fins and much more.I hope you enjoy our chat.Send us Fan MailSupport the showCheck out the stories on our Instagram home page to see the accompanying photo gallery for each episode.@the_dust_up_podcastIf you like the music you hear on the podcast, we created 'The Dust Up' playlist on Spotify with all the songs from the episodes for you to listen to.Last but not least, please be sure to subscribe and if you have the time to rate and review our podcast.

In this episode I chat with Ian Chisholm from Southcoast Surfboards.Ian's early working life was doing night shift in the fruit and vegetable industry.  The hours were unusual and the work was hard, but that only helped him develop his solid work ethic.Ian's path to making surfboards was similar to many, but when he created Southcoast Surfboards around 30 years ago, he had planned to manage a Victorian wholesale surfboard business.  The first people he reached out to were two industry heavyweights, Wayne Deane and Brett Munro.It wasn't long until Ian figured out the success of his business would require him to get involved with building boards.  Ian tells how he had to educate himself on the process of making boards from briefly watching a friend near Ulladulla and learn quickly from his mistakes.Ian set up shop in Torquay when it was a lot smaller town and the people in the surfboard factories would keep to themselves.  In time, Ian would establish good friendships with most of them and 'take his seat at the table in the industry'.Over the decades, Ian has honed his craft, worked with top ranking surfers and train some of the next generation of top surfboard builders.  We chat about how to improve the quality of your workmanship, tips and tricks for working with resin tints and pigments and establishing a solid process to work with a range of materials.Ian and his wife Ange, (who recently won the women's over 40’s Australian Title) have curated a space in Torquay that combines a surfboard factory, showroom and coffee shop under the one roof.  Ian shapes a wide selection of boards including mini simmons, retro fish, mid lengths and all sorts of longboards.  As he is the first ‘longboard shaper’ to be a guest on the podcast we talk about longboarding competitions, having a WSL longboard event at Bells Beach and working with his highly talented team of CJ Nelson, Soleil Errico and Ben Considine. At the start of 2025, he suffered a major health scare and it was his determination and pragmatic approach developed from making surfboards that ensured his recovery.  Ian is always honest and straight forward but he balances that with a healthy sense of humour. I hope you enjoy our chat...Send us Fan MailSupport the showCheck out the stories on our Instagram home page to see the accompanying photo gallery for each episode.@the_dust_up_podcastIf you like the music you hear on the podcast, we created 'The Dust Up' playlist on Spotify with all the songs from the episodes for you to listen to.Last but not least, please be sure to subscribe and if you have the time to rate and review our podcast.

In this episode I sit down with Luke Howarth from Howie Shapes and Nick Blair from Joistik Surfboards to talk about what we observed in each board's performance submitted to 'STAB in the dark' - Season 11.Shapers are often asked for their opinion of regarding different boards on 'STAB in the dark'.  Ethan Ewing is such a supremely talented surfer that demands a lot from his equipment.  It was easy to see when a board would underperform or fail for Ethan, but why?  Why did a particular board fail at a point during a turn? Why did some boards transition between turns better than others?  Most importantly, which one did we think performed best?  I have a lot of respect for Howie and Nick, so I really enjoyed the opportunity to hear their perspectives and share my own observations.  We discuss the influence of outlines, rockers and fin placement that we identified as the reason for each board's performance.During our conversation we share some insights into the surfboard industry and as always have a good laugh.  Make no mistake this is not a fluff piece, and we are honest in our appraisals.We also discuss possible ideas that we would like to see in future 'STAB in the dark' seasons, and I share an idea from co-host at large - Johnny 'Robbo' Robertson that might blow your mind!After the last season of 'Stab in the dark' with Kelly Slater, I received many messages asking what we would shape for him?  What surfboard design characteristics would we implement?  Nick and Howie provide their answers as an extra conversation after the episode.This was a fun episode to record but it may be one for the real surfboard nerds...?Enjoy!Send us Fan MailSupport the showCheck out the stories on our Instagram home page to see the accompanying photo gallery for each episode.@the_dust_up_podcastIf you like the music you hear on the podcast, we created 'The Dust Up' playlist on Spotify with all the songs from the episodes for you to listen to.Last but not least, please be sure to subscribe and if you have the time to rate and review our podcast.

In this episode Luke Howarth and I chat with Matt Hurworth from MH Surfboards about the litres written on the bottom of your surfboard are not the answer. 'Volume' and 'litres' ambushed the surfboard industry approximately 20 years ago with the growth of surfboard design programs and shaping machines.  Many of the big surfboard brands use litreage and stock dimensions to create a small, medium and large concept to convince the surfboard shop that all bases are covered for sales.  Matt has been in the surfboard industry for decades and wanted to dive deeper to explain the various nuances with surfboard design that can influence the final 'litres' number.  These include style of board, where you surf, how you surf and what type of construction the board is. We discuss the alternative reasons people may think they require more volume including:- the efficiency that can be gained from a longer board or flatter entry rocker which will make a board paddle better- the surfer actually seeking weight in their board so they can push against the increased momentum- the different bouyancy you get with different surfboard cores- the inaccuracies of using 'litres' for grom boards and boards for older people due to the requirements these surfers have on boards.Finally, I present the proposition of 'flotation vs water displacement' and present Matt and Luke with Archimedes' Principle to get their thoughts and opinions.Enjoy.Send us Fan MailSupport the showCheck out the stories on our Instagram home page to see the accompanying photo gallery for each episode.@the_dust_up_podcastIf you like the music you hear on the podcast, we created 'The Dust Up' playlist on Spotify with all the songs from the episodes for you to listen to.Last but not least, please be sure to subscribe and if you have the time to rate and review our podcast.

We kick off the 'Surfboard Myths' series with Sam Tehan from Force 9 surfboards.  We live in a world saturated with marketing bullshit and as the surf industry went corporate, surfboards followed.Topics will be suggested by the Dust Up community, and we will get them on to discuss the myth.  We are not trying to discredit any brand or people in the industry and will do our best to address the actual myth.In this episode we chat to Sam about how people view CAD programs and what exactly does the program do?  Sam has been in the industry for many years and is surrounded by numerous robots, machines and 3D printers at Force 9 surfboards.  Many think shapers simply input length, width and thickness but it is way more complicated than that.  Like any computer program it will do what the user tells it to do.A good surfboard designer uses CAD programs as a tool similar to how shapers use any other tool in their shaping bay.  The journey to learn how to use these programs is never ending but it takes years to be proficient.  This has resulted in many high-profile shapers not even designing their own files.  The main point of these episodes is to help customers understand what is true and what is marketing spin.  If your shaper cannot explain what a design element contributes to the performance of a board, find another shaper.  I hope you enjoy our chat...Send us Fan MailSupport the showCheck out the stories on our Instagram home page to see the accompanying photo gallery for each episode.@the_dust_up_podcastIf you like the music you hear on the podcast, we created 'The Dust Up' playlist on Spotify with all the songs from the episodes for you to listen to.Last but not least, please be sure to subscribe and if you have the time to rate and review our podcast.

In this episode I chat with Nick Masarin from Microjet Surfboards.  Nick started shaping in the late 60's and experienced the shortboard revolution in the Sydney surf industry.  Surfboard design was changing so rapidly at the time that often no two boards were the same.  Numerous surfboard design ideas were potentially left on the shaping room floor.  I doubt he knew it but this would become the foundation for Nick's surfboard designs in the future.Nick talks about his love for fast man-made creations, namely jet fighter airplanes.  Traditionally, a lot of surfboard shapers look to fish fins or follow George Greenough philosophies.  Nick didn't just stick his toe in on the jet airplane designs; he jumped in the deep end.Microjet surfboard designs usually have a small wing alongside the side fins in the outline of the board.  Other strong design elements you may see are jet shaped tail outlines, jet like angular fins and various bottom contour designs.  Nick is not trying to make a 'NEW' design for the surfboard market and seems more interested in pursuing designs.One of the biggest challenges Nick faces is his boards can be overwhelming for people.  He speaks about his desire for more high-level surfers to test his designs as well as making a couple of boards for Brad Gerlach.The funniest part of our conversation is Nick is a self-proclaimed dumpster diver and loves turning discarded materials into something useful.  He explains how he sources a lot of his blanks from reject cuts, carbon fibre from dumpsters and slightly imperfect fibre glass cloth from industry reps.Nick describes himself as 'not much of a talker' but he is a lot of fun to speak with, and I know his boards will inspire many ideas amongst surfboard shapers around the world.I really hope you enjoy our chat...Send us Fan MailSupport the showCheck out the stories on our Instagram home page to see the accompanying photo gallery for each episode.@the_dust_up_podcastIf you like the music you hear on the podcast, we created 'The Dust Up' playlist on Spotify with all the songs from the episodes for you to listen to.Last but not least, please be sure to subscribe and if you have the time to rate and review our podcast.

In this episode I chat with Dan Treloar from Grow Blanks.  Grow blanks are made in Kenya, Africa from agave storks or poles, as Dan refers to them.  The internal fibrous material is strong, lightweight and a natural alternative to traditional surfboard cores.Dan talks about the agave farm, situated between two national parks filled with beautiful native animals such as elephants, zebras and lions.  We talk about selecting the right agave poles in the field and sorting them into various densities to use for different blanks.  Dan explains the challenges of manufacturing in Kenya and the importance of building relationships with good suppliers. We discuss tips for shaping the agave blanks and more importantly, glassing the agave blanks.  Dan conducts his own testing on kite boards and also relies on feedback from shapers and glassers in the surfboard industry to create the best specification information sheet.  In recent months, Grow blanks has worked with Gary McNeill to create some agave core boards for Dave Rastovich.  The feedback has been positive so far and Dan looks forward to working with this A-team of shaper/surfer in the future.What started as a possibility only a few years ago has quickly grown into a reality.  Grow blanks are currently available in Europe and the United States, the first 40-foot container is about to land in Australia in a couple of months.It was great to Dan on the podcast and proud to say it is the first podcast he has done.  I really hope you enjoy our chat...Send us Fan MailSupport the showCheck out the stories on our Instagram home page to see the accompanying photo gallery for each episode.@the_dust_up_podcastIf you like the music you hear on the podcast, we created 'The Dust Up' playlist on Spotify with all the songs from the episodes for you to listen to.Last but not least, please be sure to subscribe and if you have the time to rate and review our podcast.

In this episode, Luke Howarth from Howie shapes and I discuss fin placements and fins.  Fins can seem like a simple aspect of a board to some and extremely complex to others.  We both love fins and learning about them, but we are not fin experts. I would suggest many shapers have concentrated more on their designs over the last couple of decades since the introduction of fin systems.  The good old days of purchasing a board with the fins selected by the shaper to work best with the board would simply be glassed on.  There was no second purchase to enable the board to be surfed and there was no excessive lists of fins in catalogues.For a while it seemed like the most important aspect of fins was their colour or the team rider associated with that fin.  I heard people describe fin companies as arrogant and greedy due to their lack of support for the majority of the surfboard industry, only looking to jump on 'HOT' selling brands to ensure their sales.There is more to fins than that and so I sat down with Howie to chat all things fins.  From single fins to quad fins, where we place our fins on boards, what our experiences have been with different fin set ups.  We talk about what adjustment to fin cant or toe we have tried to try to improve a boards performance.It was a great conversation, and I really hope everybody will get something out of it.  I cannot stress enough we do not claim to be fin experts and look forward to the feedback from the dust up community about wat they do with their fin placement and fins.I hope you enjoy our chat about fins...Send us Fan MailSupport the showCheck out the stories on our Instagram home page to see the accompanying photo gallery for each episode.@the_dust_up_podcastIf you like the music you hear on the podcast, we created 'The Dust Up' playlist on Spotify with all the songs from the episodes for you to listen to.Last but not least, please be sure to subscribe and if you have the time to rate and review our podcast.

In this episode I chat with John from Sanded Australia, a surfboard materials supplier on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia.The beginning of John's relationship with the surfboard industry goes all the way back to when he was a young man making boards with his friends.  One of his friends was involved in building boats so that is where they sourced their materials - Expanded Poly Styrene (EPS) foam and epoxy resin.  In the years to follow John pursued windsurfing and would become sponsored.  This allowed for him to work with his shaper/designer and have a good insight into how the windsurfing community was quick to embrace alternative materials and push the technology of the various constructions looking for an advantage.Sanded started out from a shed in the backyard as John established himself, made important contacts and built stock.  He was able to sustain this for a few years but ultimately had to secure more space.  John speaks about the impact COVID period had on his business and the continual growth since.  Business has been so good he tells how he will have to look for a bigger warehouse in the next 12 months. The main driving force behind John's success is his open mindedness and willingness to try different things.  The collaborative work he has done with Colan Australia to develop Flax, Basalt and Pineapple cloth has set him apart from other suppliers.  Furthermore, John's honest appraisal of the products he tests has surfboard manufacturers at all levels paying attention.John knows the value of good customer relations and many people I know speak highly of his customer service and quick delivery times.  Sanded ships products all over the world and we are lucky to have someone like John in our industry in Australia.  I hope you enjoy our conversation Send us Fan MailSupport the showCheck out the stories on our Instagram home page to see the accompanying photo gallery for each episode.@the_dust_up_podcastIf you like the music you hear on the podcast, we created 'The Dust Up' playlist on Spotify with all the songs from the episodes for you to listen to.Last but not least, please be sure to subscribe and if you have the time to rate and review our podcast.