Friday, March 13, 2009

Aussie Gold



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I just got this awesome, strange, elegantly crafted, well executed, and completely functional board shaped by Mick Mackie. This is the same board you see just below.
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Carl Ekstrom assessing.
 Photo taken from Hydrodynamica
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 I was fortunate enough to have the board passed along to me after Kirk Gee (Mackie's Rep and Consafo's King Pin), RK, TA, Ekstrom and Mark Wolfinger had their way with it. Its now been passed along for me to explore and test. I have to say, I'm completely blow away at the speed you get on this board and its ability to turn on a dime at light speed without even compensating with your style or foot placement. 
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Above: Mark Wolfinger. Effortlessly executing a cutback
Photos taken from Hydrodynamica

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Since I'm such a light weight I felt the Rasta Keels we're a little too stiff for me and wouldn't allow me to rotate a full 180+ on my cutbacks unless I was going super fast or way down the line. So I made my own fins. These are the experimental rudders I personally hand foiled for the board. I got to test these out in a range of different surf in puerto rico for the past ten days and the verdict is bueno!! I found that they are much more punchy through turns and definitely compliment the flex characteristics of the boards tail. I was able to even hit the lip vertically and the board would just swing itself back around. 




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This board definitely gets an A++ in my book. If you are fortunate enough to get one of these or find yourself on Micks shaping queue I highly recommend one of his flex tail twin pins! 
I have to give a big thanks to Mick, Kirk, RK, and all the others involved in getting this board into my hands. I'm super stoked on it!

6 comments:

  1. nice personal touch with the fins. stoked.

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  2. Wow!

    So much going on design-wise in those fins.

    That's cool you got to try it out in some warm, solid waves.

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  3. For sure dude!! It was insane wish you were there to give it a go. It was perfect.

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  4. So nice to see more and more people getting to know mackies stuff.
    Wicked work on those fins too, they look unreal amounts of fun.

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  5. really want to try yet the demos are always too small.
    be great if shelter had a 6'0 for demo?
    winterstick too?
    please

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