Chilli Surfboards Is The Epitome Of A Practical Board Store

When was the last time you physically walked into a board store? Admit it, it’s being a while. 

Maybe you don’t need a new stick, but odds are if you’re reading this, then the thought of waxing up something fresh has you laying up your retirees on Gumtree. Browsing the web for a new blade might be easy, but it’ll never compare to giving one the ol’ under arm test in the flesh. 

If you’re in Sydney or driving by, then Chilli’s Mona Vale store is the place to do so. 

Chilli’s shop melds the functionality of a board store with a simple aesthetic required of a shop front in 2018. Of course, you need a bunch of boards lining your walls, but if they’re cluttered and disorganised, most will be out of there back into the ease of the online world. 

A 100 metres off Barrenjoey road and you’ll find yourself here. 44 Darley st, Mona Vale.

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Chilli Surfboards

Organised by board model and in ascending size order, perusing the Chilli store is arguably simpler than navigating a site. Of course you can read all the stats and quotes online, but picking up a board and throwing it under your arm is far more more convincing than a bunch of superfluous stats will ever be.  

Cherry Peppa’s for the smaller shit, Faded’s for the punchier stuff, a range of Drag foamies if your soft senses are tingling, and a dozen or so ex-pro models if you want something that’ll save a buck. The store is also home to some of the Highline range as well as Cheal’s Project Black boards, where each board is an individual and single version of itself. Grab a Project Black and you won’t be finding someone with the same model sitting next to you in the surf the world over. 

Everything you’d need with Drag’s Ripped playing perpetually on the screen.

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Chilli Surfboards

If you’re particularly fastidious, then James Cheal, the brains and hands behind the boards, is in the store. He’ll talk you through each model and discuss building a custom – which he’ll shape around the corner – if nothing off the rack suits your needs.

We slipped in this arvo and threw a few boards up on the centre table to have Chealy and Mike Spencer run us through the intricacies of each model and the surf their best suited to. A far better experience then listening to a high-school student rehearse the press release. 

Aside from a 100-plus board range, the store also stocks everything else you could possibly need for a surf. 

Fins, grip, and a couple leg tethers. There’s nothing else you need.

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Chilli Surfboards

You could stroll in with nothing but a pair of thongs and walk out ready to tackle groomed winter walls. A full range of Adelio suits, a fin wall of Futures, FCS, and Captain Fin, Astrodeck grips, all sorts of leashes, sunscreen and even the elusive Fu Wax. 

Outside of surf gear they’ve stocked up on Epokhe frames, wallets, hydro flasks and a couple pairs of caps too. 

Fuck, if the clocks ticked into the PM they might even open the esky and crack a tin with you.  

Stroll on in and slide on out.

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Chilli Surfboards

The stores open every day of the week – 9 to 5:30 on weekdays and a touch earlier on the weekend. As far as deluxe surf stores go, this is one at it’s most practical. Of course it looks nice, but intertwined with that simple aesthetic there’s every piece of hard-on inducing equipment you could imagine. 

Slide by 44 Darley st Mona Vale and suss it out for yourself. Even if you don’t need a board or fins, there’s no way you’ll turn down the opportunity to go and feel a few sticks up.