STUART

RIDE THIS BOARD IF…

Fins that can be changed to extend the range of waves you can surf. We supplied the power twin for this test.

UNDER THE HOOD…

On the bottom features a flat nose entry into a massive double bonza concave through the back half of the board. The wide twin fin nose lends itself to great paddle power, stability and flotation. This design has blistering speed no matter what the conditions and can be ridden as a twin, thruster or quad fin depending on your preference. The swallow tail gives you greater take off speed and momentum through your turns on weaker waves due to its noticeable width, while the flyer adds the ability to shorten your arcs to react to different wave sections spontaneously. The FX–4.0 Swallow is the ultimate summer small wave go-to.

SHELDON’S CONCLUSION…

The ‘FX 4.0’ was a unique blend of fish and performance design. It combined a flat nose entry with a deep double concave to maximise speed. In keeping with this speed driven design, it also featured a wide swallow tail and a wide, twin fin style nose. Through the tail was also a flyer to add mobility to board. Though the board combined a vast admixture of features, they were carefully implemented to operate in harmony with one another. The result in the surf was electric. On every wave, from the moment I stood up I had speed to burn. The board would chase down interminable walls and glide across feathering sections. When the waves slowed up, the flyer enabled it to turn sharp and go vertical as well. One specifically memorable session I had on the board was at off the wall D’bah. Even though the waves had quite a lot of push and were theoretically a bit oversized for the board, it still held in surprisingly well. It generating speed easily through dead sections and maintained its pace in transition. The ‘FX 4.0’ was the quintessential summer groveller.