What we Ride: Part 6

In this segment we talk to Mango's newest employee.

Name: Toby

Position: Mango employee

How long have you been surfing? I surfed occasionally on family holidays from about the age of 7 till I was about 12. I then began bodyboarding and did so religiously until I came to university, where I subsequently returned to surfing. So I would say I have been surfing properly for about 4 years.

Getting munched at the local shorey

First Surfboard? I remember my dad getting a 7'6 NSP that both me and my brother used on our family holidays to Cornwall when we were younger. Later, just before I got into bodyboarding, he managed to get hold of a 7'0, thick, wide, and bright red performance-looking mal that I surfed throughout the majority of my first year at university. After initially thinking it was a bit of an odd board, as I got better I realised it's actually a really good. It's a Mccoy Nugget, and for those who aren't familiar with it, it's a bit of a classic shape from a legendary shaper. I've used it in knee high slop all the way up to overhead/double overhead and it goes like a dream in both. It's got this weird convex dome that is centred underneath the fins which acts as a pivot point and allows you to easily go from rail to rail, which is definitely needed for a board thats 21.5 inches wide and has 55 litres of volume.

Favourite Surf Trip? To be honest, I haven't been the most adventurous when it comes to surf trips. As a family we used to do Cornwall and Portugal once a year, which were obviously crazy fun, but I've never been any further afield. For the last two years I have been to southwest France and scored a couple of days of perfection across both trips. The most recent of these was a University trip to Moliets with the guys at Star Surf Camps. For anyone contemplating this, I would absolutely say go for it. We got good waves through the whole week, but one day in particular it was a little overhead, glassy, and heavy as hell. Needless to say I didn't get any bombs and got smoked on most of the good ones that came through but it didn't take away from the fun. 

Closeout Harlyn on my old Fourth Chilli Bean (great board)

Current Equipment? At the moment, I'm channeling my inner hipster and splitting my time between a 5'6 rounded-pin twinny, and a 6'0 Channel Islands single fin that I managed to pick up for an absolute bargain off the second hand rack here at Mango's. I've always been one for a bit more volume, and have never really gotten into the whole performance shortboard vibe. 

I ride the twinny with a pair of Tyler Warrens and it goes like a dream. One of my all time favourite sessions was actually at Whitsand bay when it was shoulder high and glassy. There was this dreamy right hand bank that was super punchy and had a few really nice sections. I've never caught so many waves in a session and was just flying through any flat section that came at me. If you have never ridden a twin, definitely give it a go. It's very different to a thruster and you can't just get up and pump straight down the line, everything has to be a lot more drawn out and smooth. However, once you've got it dialled, the things go like magic and they go faster than anything you've ever ridden.

The single fin took a bit of a backseat for a while whilst I was engrossed with the twinny, but I've been riding it a lot recently. I took it out on my most recent session to a shoulder high wedge that you could fit 4 turns in if you were good enough (1 or 2 for me). Funnily enough, its probably my most progressive board as it has got a surprisingly thinned out tail which, alongside, the rounded-pin shape means you can bury the rail if you need to.

Unfortunately mine isn't this sick orange colour, luckily colour doesn't make a board go any better.... (note, it 100% does)

Any Final Thoughts, Inspirational Quotes, etc.? Volume is your friend. This is my number one motto, especially in England, where I think its fair to say the waves can sometimes lack a bit of punch. I always think more volume teaches you better technique too, as to turn you can't just lean and hope, you have to use your upper body more and rotate your shoulders and hips. Finally, just have fun. If this means riding a twin fin and looking like a hipster then do it, conversely if you wanna ride a shortboard in knee high slop then go ahead. Who cares if everyone is staring you out, when your having fun you end up surfing better too.

At Mango we love to surf, so if you need any more help about which model or size surfboard will be best for you, or anything else just drop us a call, an email or a facebook message. We want to help find you that magic board, set of fins or wetsuit:

Phone: 01752 229624

Email: [email protected]

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