Stab Magazine | Dane Reynolds on a FibreFlex

Live Now: Chapter 11 Mini-Documentary With Dane Reynolds

1375 Views

Dane Reynolds on a FibreFlex

Yup, it’s another Dane Reynolds clip. And yup, it’s a little older. But, see that little raft that’s looking so good under the feet of surfing’s most reluctant star? It ain’t a Channel Island like he usually rides. And if you’re as intrigued by equipment as we are, you’ll be interested to know that Dane is […]

cinema // Mar 8, 2016
Words by stab
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Yup, it’s another Dane Reynolds clip. And yup, it’s a little older. But, see that little raft that’s looking so good under the feet of surfing’s most reluctant star? It ain’t a Channel Island like he usually rides. And if you’re as intrigued by equipment as we are, you’ll be interested to know that Dane is actually riding a Hayden Shapes Fibreflex ‘Psychedelic Germ’. It’s Warren Smith’s signature board with the Australian shaper and it’s a funny-lookin’ thing. A while back, when Dane was in Cabo, Mexico, shaper Hayden Cox flowed the Venturan one of his FibreFlex designs. Sure seems to go well for him. We thought we’d call Hayden and find out a little more…

Stab: What kinda craft did y’give him?
Hayden Cox: I shaped him a FibreFlex number so he could get a feel for the technology. He frothed on it, he really enjoyed that board. It was a different shape to what he usually rides, but the main idea was just to get a FibreFlex under his feet. He loved the spring in it.

How did it come about? I lined it up through (Craig) Ando and just shaped something with the FibreFlex tech. I wanted Channel Islands (CI) to have a look at the technology and that’s probably the easiest way, just get one of their riders to have a go and then give the feedback to CI and hopefully there can end up being a few CI models in it. I flowed it to him free, no problems there. It was just the one, I’m not shaping boards for him or anything. It’s just to hopefully get a CI model with the FibreFlex tech, maybe a Dumpster Diver or something. That thing’d go sick with that technology. It’d be super fast and fun.

Did he know he was getting one?
 I just sent it to him. He turned up for the trip, looked at it and went, “Ah, this thing isn’t gonna go.” Then first wave, he did that air-reverse in the clip (above, 19 seconds in). First wave, he just nailed it. It’s cool to get guys of that calibre jumping on the technology and getting a real feel for what it’s about.

Were you expecting him to ride it? Ah, you just keep your fingers crossed. You shape some boards occasionally for crew and a lot of the time (them riding it) never happens.

How’d you go about the dimensions? I based it on his Proton models that he was riding at J-Bay, which was around the time I shaped it for him. He had the 6’1″. I walked past him once in Japan, years ago, so I sort of had an idea how big he was and went from there. It was a bit of a stab in the dark really, but it worked out in the end. I was stoked that he was frothing on the tech and that it ended up in a Quiksilver campaign.

Was the board a one-off? That particular model is the signature Warren Smith model, the Psychedelic Germ. It’s got my Cool Crazy concave outlines happening on it. It’s a really weird board to start off with, but that’s what’ll sometimes intrigue a pro. They get a lot of  performance shortboards all the time and something different will make ’em go, “Woah, what the hell is this gonna surf like?” You can really see it in his surfing, some of the turns you notice how fast the board reacts. How fast it turns in a really tight radius. They’re a sick little model. Hard to get off. I was talking to Ando yesterday and he’s always wigging out, saying “This board’s so sick but I maybe need to do some turns on a shortboard for video sections.” I’m like, “I dunno, short boards don’t go as well as fun boards. That’s just the way it is.”

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

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

João Chianca Opens Up About His Brain Injury, Rehabilitation, And Targeted Return To Competition  

"I don't just want to be the same surfer that I was. I don't even…

Mar 21, 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