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My first surfboard was a 1986 Stewart Surfboards belly channeled thruster. On my first go to recreate that board, I didn’t like how it turned out. I tried to recreate the memory of my first surfboard and set too many limitations on how I was going to build it (it also was a thruster). I tried again a year or so later and this time I took some aspects from that surfboard, but threw in some stuff that was more representative of how I would build a surfboard. I didn’t try as much in recreating a nostalgic memory, but more so adding to it. 

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That surfboard became the first high performance surfboard that felt natural under my feet from the initial go. I loved the way the belly slot channels felt in combination with the channels out of the squash tail. After building different iterations, I landed on a surfboard that felt easy to surf in a high performance way. It made high performance surfing a little more attainable for myself and the surfboard is able to be ridden in a wider range of waves than my other shortboards I've built.

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The belly slot channels set just in front of the fins act to disperse water flow, giving it more speed and a smoother rhythm. Connecting and polishing up the transitions in between maneuvers. The tail channels act to balance the belly channels by redirecting water flow for some bite after being freed up. 

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Something of note is that the thrusters I've been building myself are incorporating these belly slot channels to make a thruster feel a bit more free. There isn't a need for channels on the thruster due to 3 fins, but a different type of surfing that was made easier for me with these channels. Check out the 80s thruster for more info, which is this board sans tail channels and the addition of a third fin.

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I love sharing this board with others because of how easy it is to surf with still being what I would call a high performing shortboard. There is also a symmetrical version.

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The squash tail is for everyday surf, but I build a narrower version accompanied by a thumb tail that is gear toward a good wave shortboard or step up.

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• Small to Large-sized waves depending on how ordered

• Ride this one 1-3 inches shorter than your height for standard

• For a step up, inquire further as length with differ depending on sizes of surf intended