The Depth Test The Meyerhoffer

In: The Depth Test by Stu Nettle 10 Comments Wed 8th Sep '10

Tags: thomas meyerhoffer , Global Surf Industries

click to enlarge

click to enlarge

click to enlarge

click to enlarge

You over there! Young rebel!

Have you ever yearned for ye olde days of surfing? Back when surfers were outcasts and social misfits, before mass-marketing and mainstream acceptance created a uniformity in style and thought. Have you ever wanted to step aside from the pack and be noticed for it?

Well, you could do worse then riding one of the new Meyerhoffer designs. Dragging it out of the boot of my car and trundling across the beachpark with it under my arm I felt like a surfer in downtown Alice Springs, such were the stares, and not Manly Surf City.

That a board like this - a veritable triumph of industry - might embody rebel status is a rich irony. After all, the Meyerhoffer is made by Global Surf Industries and they've drawn their own criticism, rightly or wrongly, over their manufacturing techniques. Thing is, the current laissez-faire attitude to surfboard design only extends so far and GSI is yet to be blessed by surfing's arbiters of cool. Hence the Meyerhoffer attracts curiousity, confusion and not a bit of derision.

In short, it gets noticed. But once in the water, how does it go?

Before I began surfing it I had it in my head that the Meyerhoffer was supposed to paddle like a longboard and turn like a shortboard, something I read on the GSI website. So this, then, was the criteria I used.

I rode the 8'0" model and there is no doubting it's paddling ability: it rockets. Because of the lightweight construction and, I assume, the thinner mid-point the Meyehoffer has a twitchiness and acceleration unusual in longboards. Putting your shoulder into it there's not too many waves you can't catch.

The equation breaks down somewhat with the 'turns like a shortboard' part. As far as longboards and mini-mals go it turns very well. A deep vee running through the tail allows the Meyerhoffer - which is wider than a similar length board - to tip over with little effort needed and get up on rail. It also makes it easy to do short arc turns, especially heelside, which is the mark of a good longboard.

The problem, I felt, lies in the amount of nose swinging out front when attempting driving, shortboard-type turns. Despite it's light weight there is simply too much centrifugal force affecting the turn making weight distribution awkward. Often, I found, the only remedy was cutting short the manouvre.

Despite it's unconventional shape the Meyerhoffer comes into it's own when ridden in a conventional longboard manner - turn, shift weight forward, trim. With some extra kick in the turn possible.

Performance aside, the most valuable lesson I got from riding the Meyerhoffer was an understanding that design characteristics aren't absolute. That it is possible for certain elements - bottom contour, tail shape, etc - to work in ways contrary to what we know. Who would've thought a board with such a thin tail could be so manouvrable? Or that such a bizarre planshape could actually work? The design waters have just been muddied.

The Meyerhoffer was ridden four times in waves ranging from two to five feet. Visit GSI's website for more information about the Meyerhoffer design.

Disclaimer: Although Swellnet received no payment for this review, GSI advertise with Swellnet. So, although I've been honest, some people may see this review as a blatant plug. There's not much I can do about that. The most important thing to consider, however, is that I got to go surfing during work hours.

Loading Comments