Stab Magazine | Jordy Smith Walked Away From A Paycheck To Sample These Shapers

Live Now: Chapter 11 Mini-Documentary With Dane Reynolds

2785 Views

Jordy Smith Walked Away From A Paycheck To Sample These Shapers

Does that make them the best shapers in the world? 

hardware // Mar 19, 2018
Words by Morgan Williamson
Reading Time: 3 minutes

“I asked for one board and he came with six!” Jordy Smith smiles on the sand above Little Marley. He had ordered a Holy Grail (a board Stab’s quite fond of) from Hayden Cox. “I was like holy crap, trying all these out is extra work. I got heats to surf!”

We enlisted Jordy for Stab in the Dark 2017, towards the end of the trip, Jordy became frustrated with the process and flippant. One thing consistent with our blind taste test is the surfer’s mood prior to their surf predicts how they’ll feel about the board. Jordy, during SITD wrote off two boards, one of which happened to be a Hayden.

“This board sucks! I didn’t think I could bog two rails at once,” he said regarding the HS blank slate floating beneath him.

“I’m not one for closing doors,” he continues. “I always leave room for opportunity if I feel there’s something there. I think he’s a good shaper that’s willing to work hard and makes good boards.”

Regardless, surf fans were surprised to see Jordy jumping off the rock at Snapper with a dark railed Haydenshapes under his arm. 

“The Holy Grail went good when the waves were small. I’d like to ride it in a smaller beach break setting where you’d have to float sections to get from A to B to C.”

Since he left Channel Islands, walking away from a rumored $65k earlier this year, Jordy’s been shopping around. 

As he puts it, “I just want to have the best equipment under my feet.”

His hunt for the elusive and consistent It looks like Jordy’s year title, has taken new form. There wasn’t a time before or after the event, morning or evening, that Mr Smith wasn’t in the water, sliding his arsenal of fresh foam above the brine.

“I was feeling a bit hindered riding only CI models,” he says. “I’m going to continue riding some of their boards that work for me. But, I just want to be able to ride anything. I want to experiment with a few different things and see how they go.”

He told Stab he’s been sampling JS, G-Force (his father’s boards), Haydenshapes, Chris Gallagher, Channel Islands; he even grabbed a couple Slater Designs. “Kelly’s board was a little too under-buoyant for me. But the one I rode felt really fast.”

“I’m not looking on settling on anyone, if they go well, I’ll ride them in events.” 

https://player.vimeo.com/video/248428447

Jordy claims to have found some “pretty good boards,” and, unsurprisingly, the Snapper award went to the famed Gold Coast shaper, Jason Stevenson. “The JS has been going the best at Snapper. If I were to surf Kirra big I’d ride the Gally (Chris Gallagher). If it’s one-to-two foot, I’d ride my Epoxy Bunny Chow from CI.”

After Jordy’s dad came third place during Stab in the Dark, he decided to – for the first time in years – give G-Force another go. “I think he was pretty nervous when I ordered a few boards from him,” he quips. “The first board I got from him went really well. I brought it over here but I put a little crease in it so it didn’t make it out.”

We asked him why he hasn’t given Pyzel, the 2x World Title shaper and Stab in the Dark winner, an order form. But, Pyzel has the world’s best surfer on his shapes and doesn’t gain much from having Jordy ride them in competition. Plus, Jordy already gave Pyzel the nod unbeknownest to him in last year’s SITD

“Umm, I don’t know. I’ve asked him… But he’s busy, I think.” 

So, if a surfer who can have any board he wants walks away from a near $6K a month contract to test a variety of shapers, does that validate them as the best shapers in the world? 

Comments

Comments are a Stab Premium feature. Gotta join to talk shop.

Already a member? Sign In

Want to join? Sign Up

Advertisement

Most Recent

Watch: João Chianca Had A Remarkable Hawaii Season Before His Injury

Plus an update on his condition.

Mar 28, 2024

Pittar’d And Feathered

Do the WSL judges deserve the internet's wrath? We asked the man of the hour.

Mar 28, 2024

Robbo, Pickles, And Tyler Wright Become The Underdogs Breakfast At Uninspiring Winkipop

The foreboding blade sharpens and inconsistent judging prevails on Day Two in Torquay.

Mar 27, 2024

“I Don’t Always Win Heats, But When I Do, I Try To Beat John John”

Slater shines and the axe begins its descent on Day 01 at Bells.

Mar 26, 2024

Back Against The Wall: The Ramzi Boukhiam Redemption

Morocco's first CT surfer on speaking six languages, having no coach, and snatching Fil Toledo's…

Mar 25, 2024

Will Kirra, Babies or JJF Stop a GOAT Winning at Bells?

Bluesky BOAG advice from a Superman specialist and former Trials winner.

Mar 25, 2024

Bells Preview: The WSL’s Victorian Sword Dancing Equinox Ritual

Will a Brazilian crack the Top 10 at Bells?

Mar 25, 2024

69 Shin Bones Later + the Anticlimactic State of Big Wave Record-Breaking

Lucas Chumbo might have surfed the biggest wave ever this year. But how will we…

Mar 23, 2024

Watch: ‘Fresh and Fried’ Ft the Quik Kids

How taxing is it to tackle the Gold Coast’s Triple Crown in a single day,…

Mar 23, 2024

The Popular Vote: The People’s Stab In The Dark With Kolohe Andino Champion

Which board looked best — to you —under Kolohe's talons?

Mar 22, 2024

Six Key Learnings From Portugal

Three CT events in, what do we know? 

Mar 21, 2024

‘Zipper’ Is Going On Tour, Here’s Where You Can Watch It  

Dates, times + locations for the Venice, Encinitas, Sydney + Byron premieres.  

Mar 20, 2024

Dane Reynolds On His Future, His Past, And Chapter 11’s Raison D’être

Our 9-minute plunge into the collective psyche of Ventura's pillar(s).

Mar 20, 2024

From ‘Blue Ribbon Cross Country Runner’ to Vogue – How Steph Again Is Back With A Rip Curl Remix

Everything we know about the she-GOATs sponsorship boomerang.

Mar 18, 2024

Stab Interview: Darren Handley Explains Why You Can’t Buy The Winning Stab In The Dark Model

And his decades-long standoff with Slater.

Mar 17, 2024

Griff Embraces Portugal’s Eternal Time Loop To Vanquish Medina + Ewing, Defay Delays The Inevitable

A redeeming closing act at Supertubos.

Mar 16, 2024

The Secret Behind Lungi Slabb’s Inconceivable Greenmount Funnel

Six broken boards, one leaking forehead, and five days of Superbank mysticism.

Mar 16, 2024

Cheat Codes: A Million Miles Worth Of Travel Advice From Coco Ho

Hard-earned wisdom from more than 2,000 hours in the troposphere.

Mar 15, 2024
Advertisement