Watch: Noa Deane Flair Out On A Reynolds-Inspired Channel Islands Twin Fin

Noa Deane and Dane Reynolds share a lot in common, not least of which a beefy physique—both are 200lb grown men who fly higher than surfers several weight classes lower. 

In fact, after Dane buckled the two CI Neck Beard II’s he’d brought to Stab High to play around in the Waco pool, he grabbed one of Noa’s LSDs, markered over the conflicting sponsor stickers, and paddled out for his first heat. 

Noa for his part is an unabashed Dane apostle, a fan since day dot and one of the highest profile of his generation to wear Dane’s influence on his sleeve. We first started talking to Noz about being our Acid Test subject after hearing how many times he’d watched Dane’s first film with us (30+ when we checked in two years ago, double now, at least).

While we were immediately enthused about having Britt Merrick and the Carpinteria CI crew into basically building an exact replica of Dane’s Acid Test Neck Beard II, we were more than pleased to find out Dane and Britt, along with Parker Coffin, had been working on a new modified Neck Beard model, the Fish Beard, a twin-keeled swallow tail with an outline from the tail’s nadir forward ripped straight from the beloved chop-tailed best seller. 

Noz inspecting the deep swallow upon initial reveal.

Photography

Sam Moody.

A most refined and natural rocker, utterly modern rails, and two spots for very wide-based keels=a board that “looks like it’s go fast.”

Photography

Sam Moody.

After Dane went ham on the first rendition of the Neck Beard II in the first EAST, a handful of CI’s premiere flyboys, and even ladybird Bella Kenworthy, grabbed their own NBII’s, Eithan Osborne won the Big Air at Stab High 1.0, and over both events the board has been far and away the most pervasive model under surfer’s feet. It has also been one of CI’s best sellers ever since. 

Last spring, we got a look at a few prototype twin fins they were working on, a spin on the NBII featuring the deep swallow and twin keels. Like a perfectly cobbled chopper, the various divergent elements of the design combined to make for a very compelling high performance fish. When we assembled this year’s Acid Test quiver for the North Shore early season, the Fish Beard CI sent down for Noa was one of the most thoroughly pawed of the lot, nearly everyone that got their mitts on the quiver immediately gravitating towards the board. 

While Noa tinkered heavily with fin options on most of the twins, the Fish Beard felt great right out of the gates, with CI’s new keep fin template keeping Noa’s rails wet and offering more drive than almost any of the other dual-finned options. 

Like Dane, Noz himmed and hawwed over which boards to apply traction to, and we couldn’t help wondering if the Fish Beard II would have another gear with some added confidence under-foot.

Photography

Sam Moody.

During a handful of sessions at Rockies, as well as some super playful sessions behind the Volcom House at Pipe and Sandbar, Noz looked loose and untethered on the FishBeard, connecting turns without needing a pump, and threading a few barrels with the trusty sensation a keel fin provides in the pit. 

You can learn more about the FishBeard here, and dream up your own custom of the model, here. 

Our storied and notorious Acid Test 2019 Laboratory: The Volcom House.

Photography

Sam Moody.