Head to your local and observe the boards most groms are cruising around on. Odds are, without even attempting the task you envision an after-school crowd of miniature humans with highlighter neon neoprene and nothing but high-performance thrusters. Noosa’s 13-year old Landen Smales has plenty of those, but you’re certainly not going to see him exclusively ride three fins. Twins, logs, an actual 1970s single fin — not a modern replica of a retro shape, but an actual single fin from five decades ago — are all tucked away in his garage alongside his selection of Pyzel performance shortboards.
“He’s different from most kids out there and has a real connection with surfing and the ocean,” Nat Smales says, pointing out that Landen’s genuine interest in vintage boards sends him on the hunt for used retro shapes all the time.
Take a gander at Landen’s evolving, growing quiver and imagine what riding a variety of boards will do for this young man’s surfing ability as he grows.
