Alex Knost’s Quiver Is Untethered And Knows No Bounds

Your surfboard isn’t as precious as you think. 

That’s right, guy who keeps board in a sock at all times, I said it. Surfboards are nothing more than foam and fiberglass, and your entire quiver should not be treated like mother’s heirloom vase.

Pop the hood of an old board and have some fun. Glass extra fins in weird places. Drop six leash plugs into the deck. Grab a handsaw and turn the nose into a sharpened death blade. Who cares. You can always sand and ding repair your way back to safety.

The sad truth is that most are too cautious to fiddle with their equipment to any extent. We demand boards to be made with five boxes, with hopes of one day purchasing a quad set of fins.

On the other end of said spectrum lives Alex Knost. Every board in his quiver is subject to change. Alex no like? Alex make hole, Alex add fin. Now, Alex like. 

While the thought of cracked glass makes board-sock-guy’s skin crawl, Knost seems content hacking his way through pristine resinwork. Has Alex gone mad? Or has he just been spending too much time in Peter Schroff’s shaping dungeon?

Let’s ask.

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Stab: What’s your history with Schroff?
Alex: I’ve known about Peter longer than actually getting to know him. His performance art is his existence. Any time we hang I always laugh and learn something. He’s groovy. 

Between you and Schroff, who makes more unconventional surfboards? And who’s the better shaper?
I have a board he shaped and glassed in the early ’70s, and it’s beyond conventional. It’s alive, well, and thriving. Peter is a much better shaper and has a wealth of attitude and knowledge 

Tell me about this board in particular…what’s it called, and what’s it designed to do?
It’s an evolution-style egg. We’re both fans of the same shapes from the Wayne Lynch era, but this one is adapted to a twin. That was new for me. It’s foiled with a rolled entry and some “s” style deck.

What made you want to add the extra fins on the side, post-glassing?
I was in Mexico with Derrick Disney and Kobo, and it was my first time riding the board. I wasn’t feeling it in that type of surf. Derrick had the twinzer thing wired and was surfing top-notch. I was getting excited to surf watching those two, so after some beers we made do with some extra canard fins he had in his bag.

What’s the number one thing you look for when you stand up on a surfboard? Speed, drive, control, or something else entirely?
Just a new sensation.