Meet The Acid Test Board Noa Deane Would Recommend For The Everyman Ripper

Sometimes the simplest of mantras yield the most revelatory moments when it comes to surfboard design. 

According to Noa Deane “if it looks good, usually it goes good,” and that theory was put to the test most obviously with the double-winged swallow-tail that Jon Pyzel built in his Wailua shaping bay for his first submission into the Electric Acid Surfboard Test. 

Photography

Sam Moody.

Photography

Sam Moody.

The Astro Pop, a souped-up take on Jon’s closest thing to a retro fish, the Astro, is meant to bridge the gap between a high-performance small wave shortboard and a rocket fish. The result is an uncompromising design that will handle a broad spectrum of conditions, with easily unlockable magic glide and speed that even the everyman can access. 

If you’re curious about the sudden color change, each shaper sends two exact boards, and Noz preferred the green on this one to the orange from the reveal.

Photography

Sam Moody.

The sexy little fish has a mild beak nose that elegantly hides thickness all the way through its front third.

“Itʼs not overly chunky, more like a daily driver type board but with easy paddling aided by the flatter entry rocker,” says Pyz.

While the Astro Pop comes with a five-fin option, Pyz pushes it as a quad, which even Noa—who “doesn’t ride quads”—seemed to love it. 

As far as length and girth goes, “ride it short as you want (mine is 5ʼ5) and about 3⁄4ʼʼ to 1ʼʼ wider, with a thickness that gives you a bit more volume than your everyday shortboard.”

Noa christening the Pyzel Astro Pop in Jon’s backyard at Ricky Rights, October, 2019.

Photography

Sam Moody.

“It just suits so many levels,” says Jon Pyzel. “You can rip on it, or you can be average guy, and everyone’s sort of getting the benefits of the design.”

“For the normal, everyday guy who just wants to have a fuckin’ fun surf, you can have a fun surf on this, for sure,” says Noa.