Having a well-rounded quiver is a nice thing. No matter the waves, ideally you’ll have something in the rack that’ll be perfect for it. Longboard, standard shortboard, a short, fat fishy thing, maybe a mid-length or two, and a foam board if you’re the kind of surfer that enjoys having fun, judgements be damned. Perhaps even a boog and a handplane if you’re the inclusive type. But pro surfers like Julian Wilson have quivers full of surfboards that have the tiniest of differences. A liter here, a liter there, maybe the fins moved back or forward an 1/8 of an inch, maybe a few inches of length added or shaved off.
That’s because they can feel those tiny differences a little better than the average surfer. Those little differences can make or break a heat, and when making heats is your job, it pays to have a quiver full of boards with the slightest of variables.
Of course, even those pros will have a few twinnies, a few foamies, and a longboard tucked away, because you don’t become a pro surfer without really enjoying surfing. Variety is the spice of life, right? Recently, the JS crew caught up with Julian Wilson in Newcastle to take a closer look at the (very large) quiver in his garage.
