The Unimaginable Imagined: the Tow-in Surfboard

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think they'd be riding the boards they're riding now—or that I'd be building them,” legendary surfer and shaper Gerry Lopez said, referring to tow-in surfboards.  
This sector of surfboard design is probably the most dynamic and rapidly evolving of all.  In the short lifespan of the sport, tow-in boards have gone from mere straps placed on big wave guns to highly engineered potato chips, though heavy potato chips at that.  
But what is the basic design behind the tow-in board?  More than anything, tow-in boards are built to handle speed. They are designed to handle the immense velocity and chatter that come with flying down the face of a mountain-sized wave while providing the greatest amount of control possible.
These boards differ from their big wave gun counterparts in many ways. Because paddling is completely taken out of the equation by the tow-in launch, board design caters to on-wave performance.  This means that the length necessary for extra paddle power is no longer needed.  Usually varying from a skimpy 5’8’’ to 6’2,’’ tow-in boards are now just midgets compared to the boards once used to tow-in.
Also exceptionally thin, thickness is uniform throughout the board and typically measures around two inches or even less.  They feature a wider nose and tail, which allow the board to have very parallel rails for stability and tighter lines during turns.  The surfer’s feet are strapped in place, and the rear foot is placed further back on the more voluminous tail, putting the rear weight over the fins which gives the rider more control.
Weight distribution is crucial to the tow-in surfer.  Heavier than a normal board, tow-in boards weigh 10 to 20 pounds and in some cases more.  Plugs are placed in the middle of boards allowing the rider to attach or detach incremental weights of five, ten, or fifteen pounds, customizing weight for the wave and conditions at hand.
Garrett McNamara, big wave rider and winner of this year’s Billabong XXL Monster Paddle Award and Surfline’s All-Around Performance Award, prefers his boards to be at least fifteen pounds. “I like heavier boards because when you get in the deep, deep barrel and you want to get out it enables you to go through what you normally wouldn’t go through.  It keeps your momentum going forward,” McNamara said.
Beyond weight, fin configuration is another important feature.  Fins are smaller and set in a vertical manner, ruling out the possibility of drag.  But the real question when it comes to fins is, three or four?  Four fins are faster and hold better on the face, maintaining a longer line.  Three fins, however, allow for quicker readjustment in more challenging sections.
“Four fins are really good for smooth waves and they will work on a choppy wave, but once it gets giant and choppy, I definitely prefer my thruster,” McNamara said.  
But who knows how long this will be the design standard for this infant sport.  With shaping masterminds like Rusty and Merrick entering the arena alongside tow-in board shapers like Gerry Lopez, John Carper, and Dick Brewer, it won’t be long before something revolutionary is brought to the table.  
“I think in the next five years we are going to see more advancement in equipment, with way more aggressive performance happening,” said Ken “Skindog” Collins, Billabong XXL Ride of the Year and Monster Tube Award Winner.
And these breakthroughs are already emerging. Dick Brewer, one of the pioneers of tow-in shaping, collaborated with Australian designer Mark Newson, who was named one of  Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2005 and actually designed the Qantas Airbus, to create a revolutionary board made from metal.  Weighing in at 17 pounds, the board is constructed of a nickel shell with an EPS Foam Core.  McNamara took it around the world, as part of a surf history feature film produced by Stuart Parr of Shady World Productions. “We rode it in Japan, Tahiti, Chile, and Hawaii, and it works unreal,” McNamara said. “I can’t wait to ride it at Jaws.”
Garrett, neither can we.


What is the latest in design for the tow-in board?  Are you working on any new features?

"I have been making round pin quads, and they work really well.  Guys have been going to Tahiti and Nexpa, and they are calling them the Magic Carpet.  They seem to hold better, roll into turns, and come off the top better."  Joe Blair, Blair Surfboards

"I'm shaping boards that are a little shorter with a rounder nose, which lets you go smaller and gives you more of a parallel outline." Gary Linden, Linden Surfboards

"I have been working on some minor adjustments to the bottom, including a design with a very straight rocker, a slight ‘V’ to the nose, and a slight tail concave.  The concave produces lift, which is less surface area contacting the water and limits drag.  "  Dick Brewer, Dick Brewer Surfboards

"Some of the things that I am doing include the use of bean bag weights.  These go in pouches on the deck of the board.  It allows the weight to be softer and there is less potential to injure you.  Some of the guys have been hurt by lead weights." Jeff Clark, Jeff Clark Surfboards