In a marriage of opposites, nimble designer-surfer Thomas Meyerhoffer of Montara has joined forces with distribution and manufacturing powerhouse Global Surf Industries (GSI) to unleash his latest design breakthrough on the surfing world:
The Meyerhoffer Quiver
Meyerhoffer has reinvented the wheel multiple times over during his storied career, but his latest project is one close to his own heart—reinventing the longboard.
Developed and tested over the past few years, this new equipment represents a radical departure from the incremental design evolution of the past and potential quantum leap forward in form and function.
The “Modern Meyerhoffer” was sculpted around the principle that longboarders turn off the tail and noseride up front, with the middle of the board an excessive transition zone in between that could be reduced. Accordingly, the board has a relatively traditional nose up front, leading to a tapered waist in the middle, a dynamic, wider rear end and elongated tail for stability and drive. This gives the Meyerhoffer its distinctive organic “parabolic” shape. Meyerhoffer is quick to point out that
“the negative curve is only there so that I could shape a more positive curve … as on a surfboard you turn around the positive curve.”
Meyerhoffer and the Modern Quiver
Rails are soft up front along with a gentle hull-shaped bottom contour that allows for easy paddling and nose-riding, getting the board quickly up to speed. But the wider rear of the board has sharper rails and a deep double-concave, which along with the rudder-like tail creates a unique shortboard-like turning radius and feel.
Based in Manly Beach, Australia, Global Surf Industries is the largest surfboard distributor in the world with 11 distinct brands, aimed mostly at recreational surfers. GSI’s shapers have included Greg Webber, Steve Walden, Bob McTavish, and Al Merrick. With the Meyerhoffer longboard now in its quiver, however, it has for the first time added a unique and innovative design that could well prove to be a game-changer in longboarding.
Noosa Bottom Turn
The breakout design had its debut at the GSI Noosa Festival of Surfing on March 15–22 and clearly won over even the crustiest Australian longboarding veterans, while the younger surfers adapted even more readily to the board in the perfect small peeling surf. Cross-stepping, switch-stance, floaters, nose-riding and cut-backs all a familiar look, but the whole exhibition seemed to draw fresh dynamism and energy from the experience.
The board appeared to levitate on the wave faces with the front section easily lifting out of the water for faster trim speed, while a step back on the tail yielded a snappy turn and redirection. Yet the board “locked in” tight against the curl when ridden from the nose. More than one dripping wet, ruddy, and stoked Aussie remarked that they couldn’t wait to try the board in larger surf. After exiting the water with knowing grins, it looked like they had just been let in on a well-kept secret—in truth they had.
But the secret’s out now. Prototypes have been produced in the firm’s proprietary SLX (Super Lightweight Epoxy) and are beautifully glassed and finished with white tinted epoxy resin and a gloss polish that gives them an art gallery-quality resonant finish. In no way does the new design resemble the “pop-outs” of the past; this is a light, superbly designed and well-engineered wave tool.
Meyerhoffer's Shaping Bay
Don’t be surprised if these boards appear like UFOs in a line-up or contest near you, ripping where others have plodded before them. Stand-up-paddle surfers beware: in the near future, that glowing and flowing longboard surfing circles around you and your awkward balancing act may just be a Modern Meyerhoffer.
Board sizes will range from 7’6”–9’6” and will come with 6” or 8” center fins along with FCS side fins, depending on the length of the board. Look for demos and boards to be made available in Northern California in the coming weeks at the following shops: Wise in San Francisco, NorCal and Sonlight in Pacifica, and Freeline in Santa Cruz.
Modern Meyerhoffer at Bells Beach
Mike Wallace has surfed for over two decades on the East and West coasts, Hawaii, Europe and NorCal. Currently a resident of Moss Beach with his family of four, he can often be found haunting the beaches south of Devil’s Slide in search of the perfect sandbar with his blind dog, Moose. Comments? Mike(at)surfpulse.com
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Anything for a gimmick and a buck. Cool!
I’m a HMB local. Any distribution locally? I’d love not to have to drive up to the city or down to Santa Cruz to check one out.
Yep, so far locally NorCal and Sonlight in Pacifica are supposed to be getting in some boards. Rumors of sightings at NorCal earlier this week. Will post more details as I get ‘em from Thomas. Apparently they’re selling out quick…
Clinggoofer Von Scieenteest. Right bro!
yuppie kook making more landfill
for profit, stick to making microbrews
you barney
Kojaks shaping room looks like a dot com loft.
Oh cool! Finally a surfboard available at ikea!
I’m very excited about your design and it’s penis-esque qualities. Sign me up.
It looks pretty sweet! I would love to get on one. Versatility!
They have one at Sonlight in Pacifica but someone apparently is making payments on it. I went and took a look anyways.
I get it, “glowing and flowing” very funny. I thought this was a REAL article and you had me fooled until “art gallery-quality resonant finish”. Who is this guy you got to play the shaper in the photos? Good work guys. Hilarious.
Tested the 8-0 and the 9-2 over the weekend. The 8-0 was instant gratification, hooked in quick on steeper faces, very fast and lively. 9-2 took a couple sessions to get used to, but I’m not a long-boarder. It also surfed off the tail amazingly well. Open your minds and keep the entertaining comments flowing. See you out there. Many thanks.
oh please…kook surfer turns master shaper
overnight. this guy is a modern
day snake oil huckster. kook
buyers beware. better shapes
are coming out of china for
all your needs
yeah, i thought the shape was basically nuts when i first saw it too.
then i saw someone riding one.
blowing up. pulling in all the best set waves. walking the board, cheater-5’s, holding on the face in perfect trim, cutting back, all with great control.
sure, most of that was the guy riding. but the board design works. there’s no question about it.
the shaper’s an okay guy, and nothing like what some of you trolls and cretins would assume. solid product designer, lots of experience, and lots of respect for surf.
Oh – how are things in Santa Crud ʻgʻ? Do you still blog like a madman? What was it called “Cornholes and Guides to the Best Cornholes?”
I forget why you got shut down? Did the Fedʻs talk to you yet about stalking people at the Ocean Beach?
It sure is comforting this overblown, overweight, balding wannabe professional surfer inside scoop of useless retard information and jive talking experience analicist, er, “information” coming from you about the Clinghoffer. How much are you getting paid to be the spokesgnatl?
See you at Florida Mile this saturday 2pm.
Heil!
Donkey.
I think Meyerhoffer had a flashback to Freshman biology when he came up with the design; the thing looks like a Planaria (flatworm) or something. On a more serious note, I would like to think this is innovation, but the manner in which it is being marketed makes it seem like just another ploy by an industry that just cares about selling surfing as some sort of gimmick sport. Personally I started surfing because I wanted to escape that scene. Just go out and surf, any old stick’ll do yah!
shiny colorful turds for the top of your hummer. hurry they are flying off the shelves
BVB (Bob Carillo), you mistake me once again for someone else further south. You have no clue, man.
For anyone interested in the Chronicle version of this story posted in Friday’s Datebook, “Designer reinvents the classic surfboard,” here’s a link: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/19/DDBS185221.DTL Feel free to extend the discussion there as well… Many thanks
Yep, the same ʻgʻ. How are the implants and fitness program coming? Bless us with more wave and board knowledge, PLEEEEEZEEEEEE.
You want to keep thinking I’m Gioni Pasquinelli, great — enjoy your delusions, old man. Whatever.
Yeah! Gioni! Hey man get a hold of me, seriously. I want to start a surf club/ school here at the Presidio. I could use your surfing organizational skills and camera talent. Especially interested in hooking you up with my friends who own a surf / film company!
My #: Three two three four one five zero seven zero seven.
i rode one this weekend @ wise. it rode like you would imagine, utter crap. i believe i would have more fun
on a plank of driftwood.
Well TOM MORREY has been shapping this kind of shape ,parrabolic outline for years, wit the” Y ” model, they are really good fun ,I tried one about 12 years ago,parrabolic snow skis and snow boars are pretty much the same…… anything , you can make work anyway, hang ten and have fun……….
Product designer to shaper overnight. Please. If I see anymore shameless self promotion from this guy Im gonna puke. Morey made this board years ago. This fad will be done in a few months. What a kook. You really love posing for pics I see
Wow! a whollotta name-calling & back-biting goin’ on here—give the guy a break; not every shaper/designer is gonna look or surf like Laird. The board looks questionable, but if guys have fun on it, so what? Do have to question the hook-up with the mega-bullshit popout producer/marketer, tho’–why not keep it homegrown and real????
I would like to exhibit Kleighoffer before the tribunal of Masters watching the inauthenticity of these kinds of things. Organize an art show at a highenderhipsterkook sell-out gallery with other luminary transplants posting vogue; parking the fancy surf ride – end of the road is here. Fling open the garage to reveal 26 surfing springboards collected from around the world so rare the fins and the shapes bozo like Black Toyota Land Cruiser driving alien from Colorado. I am bought in and have lived here for 7 years and those guys and families who still rent are natives or have lived here for 30 or more years deserve no respect because you we are the new locals.
WISE. NORCAL. KLEIGHOFFER MOMA
i would be so embarrassed to take this board to the beach….this guy should have stuck to garage shaping instead of trying to pimp his boards out through global surf industries in thailand
Great board! I spoke to a guy that has three of them. You know you’re doing something right when you see the illiterate ramblings of fools that think “made in the U.S.A” is super-critical. Different stokes for different folks. Meanies, get a life.
DoofenHoffer. And BTW: All these new folks now living here claiming the place as if it was theiriown. All of it
raped beyond belief, the culture, this place – it has turned and will become the new San Dee Eggo. It is
just a matter if time before peeps like DOOFEHOFFER kill it altogether – you can have it!
HAPPY ENDING TO SEASON WITH ROAD CLOSURE! HURRAH!