Introducing Our 12 E.A.S.T. Fest Shapers And The Surfboards They’re Bringing
Good luck choosing one to ride…
“There’s going to be too many boards to choose from,” grins Donald Brink, when I ask him about E.A.S.T. Fest hosted by Kona Big Wave.
And, after calling the 12 alternative design maestros who will be attending our psychotropic surfboard ceremony, I can confidently agree with Donald.
At the Palm Springs Surf Club on September 28th, there will be over 100 fringe-dwelling, handcrafted surfboard designs in attendance to be fondled, ogled at, and tested in the Palm Springs Surf Club by the Stab audience. We’ll also have Mikey February’s 16 board E.A.S.T. quiver from the upcoming season for fondling.
“Look, there’s going to be waves and we know what they’re going to look like… so it’s almost like, can you make a board that somebody can fall in love with in two waves?” says Donald Brink. “Or at least that will make them think about every other board in a different way?”
If you aren’t familiar with E.A.S.T. Fest quite yet, click here for all the information you need.
And, if you haven’t bought your tickets yet, click here for General Admission and here if you’d like to test some boards in the pool (still a few spots left!)
Otherwise, scroll below to see each of our shapers — and what party favors they’re planning to bring for our weekend in the desert.
Stretch
“We already went through the whole list and ordered the foam,’ says William ‘Stretch’ Riedel. “I’m excited, it’ll be fun to hook up with the team guys. Nathan [Fletcher]’s going to be there, Harry [Bryant] and Holly [Wawn] will be there too. Should be epic.”
“I’m definitely going to bring a few of the 5150 and the 5150+. The 5150 is the square nose boards that you’ve seen Nate Fletcher and everyone ride, and then the 5150+ is just the same board with a nose.
“And then, the other board I’m gonna bring is the Tennis Tour — which is a new board, kinda,” chuckles Stretch. “It’s my version of the Bobby Quad, because, well, the Bobby Quad is just a copy of my original board.”
When I ask Stretch to explain, he does so with glee.
“It was a Mr. Buzz that Bobby first rode, and he pretty much told CI that he wasn’t gonna ride anything except for this board. I modified it a bit for the Tennis Tour, and I think what I’ve got is a board that’s more user-friendly with really good performance.”
Stretch says he’ll be bringing boards ranging between 28 to 34 liters, and that the 5150’s will be in his trademark DFT construction with a bamboo plate on top and bottom.
“That’s the construction that has the most pop. The idea for us is to make boards that can do everything in this pool.”
Tom Morat
“Well I’m stoked on this fucking Palm Springs thing,” says Tom, when I call him. “It sounds so fun. I’ll definitely be bringing some of my own personal boards. I’ve got one of the Fender Twos, which is the same one I made for Mikey Febs.”
If you don’t know much about Tom Morat, you can read about him here — and you can plan on learning quite a bit more about him in M-Feb’s upcoming E.A.S.T. series.
“With that Fender Two shape, I started just fucking around with bottom contours maybe like a year ago. I tried it on this one board and it worked really well, just so fast and drivey. Since then I’ve been throwing it on almost everything and it’s been working out. Now I’ve been tuning into what kind of rails suit it best. It’s pretty much just four concaves with a rolled entry on the nose. Honestly, just look at the photo, it’ll be easier to understand,” he laughs.
“I was starting ’em off as twin fins, and then I eventually moved towards 2+1’s. Maybe I’m tripping. I think it works, but I’ve made some for people and it always takes a little second for them to get used to it. I got a sneak peek video of Mikey riding his at Malibu from some bystander, and it seemed like he was making it work. Definitely interesting to watch.
Though he’s sure he’ll be bringing a few of the Fender Two’s to E.A.S.T. Fest, Tom isn’t quite certain about the rest of his Palm Springs quiver.
“I’ll probably make a few more personal boards and then make a few demos that are different dimensions for bigger people,” says Tom. “I’m 150lbs, so my boards aren’t for everyone. I should probably make a fish, that could be fun for the pool. Maybe I’ll make something a little bit more rockery that can sit in the pocket a little more. It’d be nice to bring as many boards as possible for sure. Maybe I’ll bring a big-boy twin too, could be cool for something different.”
Alex Knost
Fresh off his first movie release in years, the most recognizable soul-arch in surfing will be joining us in the desert, with the latest expression of his surfboard artisanship in tow.
“I’m probably going to do a variation of some of the stuff I’ve focused on in the past two years,” says Knost. “I don’t know if you’ve seen the boards I’ve made Creed and Mikey Febs lately. The first one is the Experimental Dental, which is a round-pin twinzer with a channel through the fins. It’s kind of a techie board, but I’m going to be making a rounded pin version that Creed likes, and then there’s an updated swallowtail version that I’ve made for Mikey Febs. The swallow kind of fits a little more conveniently in tight pockets. I’m thinking I’ll probably make a 6’6 and a 6’9.”
“I’ve just been kind of invested in this design for the past two years now and I’ve tested it in the Palm Springs pool. It works really well in a short, tight pocket and eliminates the need to pump at all.”
Alex tells me he’ll also dig through his garage and find some other unique creations that people will be able to try.
“Maybe some single fins, something like that. I’ll find some stuff that’ll be fun to experiment with in the pool.”
Jaleesa Vincent
“The event sounds really fun,” says the head shaper of Pussy Surfboards as she tries to track down a missing boardbag from a shaping bay in France. “I only just found out about it and I’m on a bit of a tight schedule, but I did just finish a 5’9 Britney’s Sister sister in Australia before I came over and it’s just been dropped off to get glassed, so I’m going to see if someone could fly that board over.”
Who is Britney’s Sister, you ask?
“My first board I made, I ended up calling it Britney and it’s like a fish, really fat and flat and wide and thick with a cool bat tail,” says Jaleesa. “Britney’s Sister is a bit more tightened up version of that, a little bit more like a shortboard, it’s got a narrower nose and a bit more rocker. Also kind of like a fish, but a performance fish I guess.
“Other than that, I don’t know how many other boards I’ll be able to bring because my board bag is so full of my own boards, and I’m not sure I want strangers riding my Pussies,” she laughs
“I’ve definitely got some random things in my board bag I can show people though — and maybe I’ll make some more boards. We’ll see!”
Campbell Bros
“Took us a while to decide what we’re gonna bring,” says Jacob Campbell, son of Malcom. “We’re pool luddites and tried getting some intel from folks who’ve surfed the wave. Right now, our lineup is looking like a 5’8 MBLV Twin, a 5’9 Alpha Omega Twin, a 5’10 Mod Bee Bonzer 5, and probably something else.”
Of course, you’re probably familiar with the Campbell Brothers for their cambered triangular fins and double-barrel concaves, which Mikey February has displayed with blistering speed and precision on multiple occasions.
“The MBLV is a twin fin version of our Mini Bonzer Light Vehicle, it’s got a pretty narrow tail, and goes good in smaller to medium waves,” says Jacob. “And then, the Alpha Omega first appeared in the fall 1977-78, it was our one-off offering to the twin fin craze inspired by Mark Richards. After decades of dormancy, we’ve brought it back,” explains Jacob.
“And then, to finish, the Mod Bee Bonzer is a modified version of our Bumblebee Bonzer model. The tail width has been brought in a bit for tighter control in the pocket, and the Bonzer 5 setup allows for a quicker turning radius off the bottom and in the lip. Mod Bees still have the original’s easy paddle, glide, and flow, but can actually be more conducive to vertical surfing.”
Matt Parker
“It’s funny, you don’t really want super fast boards for the Palm Springs pool,” chuckles the alternative shaping titan. “You kinda want something that keeps you in the pocket. I’m not overthinking the pool though, I’ll probably just bring a variety of boards that people may want to check out in person. I’m sure I’ll bring some Twinsmans, I’ll probably bring a Vesper, a little Warp Twin would be good for the pool, and maybe a Disorder or something like that could be sick too.
“And then I’m bringing some XO Coco boards, so we’ll have boards for the gals. I’ll probably bring some Bliss’, Tryst’s and Halcyon’s. I think in total I’ll probably bring 12 or 15 boards
Matt says he’ll be bringing a range of ‘everyday people’ sizes in most of the boards.
“Victor [Bernardo]’s boards are 5’6 to 6’6 and he rides like 31 to 39 liters,” says Parker. “I’m thinking that’s probably a good everyday range for people who want to test. They’re mostly PU, but I might bring a couple epoxy things too. I know that epoxy is kinda like the cliche thing for pools, but I don’t know if it’s actually better or not. They’re probably more resistant for bouncing off of concrete, but I don’t know if they actually surf better in the pools. I’ll probably bring a few varieties depending on what we have on hand.”
Matt Biolos
Not so long ago, Matt Biolos and fellow San Clementine Donald Brink concocted an asymmetrical lovechild which delighted Mick Fanning. So much so, in fact, that he declared it the winner of our 2022 Electric Acid Surfboard Test.
Dubbed Micks Tape, the board will be coming along with Matt Biolos to the desert — in a full range of sizes.
“I think we’re just bringing some demo boards for people to ride,” says Biolo. “I actually believe we’re bringing a full demo fleet of Micks Tapes, which feels fitting for the event.”
Ryan Lovelace
“We’ve got a pretty fat demo quiver,” says the defending E.A.S.T. champ. “Maybe like 15 boards. I figure the most appropriate ones would probably be the Zambal Asum, and then a couple of the Pedestrian Ships [Rasta’s favorite].”
“I’ll probably bring two 5’11s and one 6’0 of the Pedestrian Ship. I’m thinking those ones will be PU, but then I just got some vacuum bagged, stringerless flax ones from my buddy in Baja — so maybe I’ll snag one of those out of the stack and bring it. Maybe that’ll finally make people realize that the board won’t make them surf like Rasta,” laughs Ryan.
“I think I’m going to focus mostly on smaller boards, and I might bring a random Satellite also, which is the round nose shorty I make. I may have a 5’3 fish that I can throw in as well.”
Britt Merrick
“After hearing what the event is about, we’ll definitely be bringing some Febs fishes since Febs is there,” says the bearded shaping tycoon. “And we’ll probably bring some Neckbeard Two’s, since it’s a really good air board at the pool and Dane rode it in that first E.A.S.T.
“And then probably a Bobby Quad since that was in E.A.S.T. and got written off pretty hard, even though we all know it’s good,” he chuckles. “And then our best wavepool board that everyone loves in the pool is the Better Everyday, so we’ll bring some of those too. Buncha different sizes of all the boards I think.”
While the CI team will definitely be there, Britt’s attendance will depend on whether or not he returns on time from an elk hunting trip in Montana.
Donald Brink
“I’ve been mapping it all out, I’m building a full collection for it,” Brink says excitedly. “You don’t want to give people a board that they’ve already got six of, because then what’s the point? I also don’t need to prove a point out there. But if I can apply a conceptual addition to a design that somebody already understands, basically just by adding one variable, I think I can expand things. So, I’m creating this collection of channel bottoms that are just a little bit distorted compared to what people may be used to riding. There’ll be probably five different outlines — a couple goofies, couple regulars, and we’ll go from there.”
“You want the right board in your life at the right time, and sometimes it turns on some lights, sometimes it eliminates ideas, and sometimes it casts clarity on how everything else works,” continues the eloquent South African.
In addition to the collection he’s building specifically for the event, Donald tells me he’ll be bringing a half-dozen flax boards that he built in light of his Dave Rastovich experience.
“There’s quite a nice diversity, some trippy boards in that collection for sure,” says the mad scientist. “The bird boards are flax on steroids. I was just trying to elevate the flax concept. I got so sick of building brown boards, so they had color and an odd value to ’em.
“There’ll be six boards in the new channel collection, six boards in the bird flax collection, and the I may bring the board I made Rasta for E.A.S.T. The sizes will be from 4’7 to 6’4 ½ . There’s definitely some bladed boards in there that aren’t going to fit everyone, and then there’s some bigger guy boards too.”
“It’s interesting to see how the discussion around boards changes,” finishes Donald. “What’s funny is I learn more when I’m talking about my boards than people learn from me. Just the way people respond to seeing a concept or the kinds of questions people ask. It’s like I’m there to learn too. So yeah, it’s a shared experience.”
Barrett Miller
At 25 years old, Barrett may be the name you recognize the least on this list. But, as one of the youngest shapers handpicked for Mikey Feb’s upcoming E.A.S.T. series, that may change soon.
Miller has spent the last 13 years cutting his teeth under Joel Tudor and Skip Frye in San Diego’s most respected polyurethane furnaces, and says he’ll be bringing a handful of twin fins to Palm Springs.
“Some boards I’ll have available are the l’iwi’ twins at 5’6, 5’8, 5’10, and a couple of swallows at 6’8 & 7’0,” he says. Will also have some shirts and a new fin collection from True Ames to pair with the boards. I think I’ll have an array of my personal boards to test in the pool as well.
“Those boards are just like a wide point forward twin. I usually run ’em about 5’9 — they kinda have a modern shortboard rail and bottom, but have a beak nose to give you some paddle power.”
Ellis Ericson
“I’m really excited,” says Ellis, from his glassing bay in New South Wales. “I’ve just been on a shaping bender. I’m trying to finish off a Japan order and get shit ready before America, so I’ve just been shaping til midnight every night pretty much.
“I actually just shaped a board late last night for it — and we’re glassing it now. It’s kind of a continuation of the Lite Kite stuff I’ve been doing. It’s kind of a concept board, with a few of the features accentuated and revved up. Turned up all the dials. After shaping for ages, my shapes just seem to get a bit more exaggerated, which is cool. “
“I’ve been keeping the concepts a bit under wraps but I’m excited to see how it feels in the pool. It’s 5’7 x 20 x 2 ½ ”
If you aren’t familiar with Ellis’ work, you can click here to read more about Greenough’s most edgecentric disciple.
“I’ve got one Kite over in the States I’m thinking I’ll bring as well, and then I’m hoping to maybe squeeze in making another one tonight — probably something longer, like 6’6.”
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