We’re not sure when, but at some stage, an unfortunate word entered into the surf lexicon to describe small wave gear and the experience when the waves are lackluster: grovel. Yeah, maybe you own a groveler or two, but let’s pause for a minute and think about what the term means in a non-surf context: to behave “in an obsequious way in order to obtain someone’s forgiveness or favor.”
Now, maybe making the best of less-than-ideal conditions feels like trying to gain the ocean’s favor by widening and flattening your chosen equipment and acting… obsequiously. But, should it? What if it felt like looting – and by that we mean the steal from the rich and give to the poor Robin Hood-style kind?
A while back, Haydenshapes launched its Plunder model – a flat, wide, and rounded out design with five fin boxes (a quad plus one big center fin box) for countless variations – to corner the groveler market. The aim was in the name – to siphon everything mushy waves had to offer. Now, Hayden just launched an updated version of the Plunder with more performance-oriented design elements called the Loot.
Hayden team rider Jake Kelley recently put the thing through its paces in and around his native Ventura. The bottom line? The Loot ain’t no groveler.
