Building the perfect, well rounded surfboard quiver not only gives you some serious board porn to stare at on the flat days, but it’ll also help you score more waves, improve your surfing and just have more fun in the water!

So here are the board that have made the cut into my personal surfboard quiver and the 3 types of board every surfer should have…

My Personal Surfboard Quiver – 2022 Update

What Waves Do I Surf?

For the last few years I’ve been based in Byron Bay, on the East Coast of Australia. One of the biggest draws of this area is the variety of breaks within a short drive of my house – everything from reeling points, to punchy beach breaks.

There are plenty of other epic surf destinations within driving distance too, including the likes of Lennox Head, Yamba and Noosa.

The spots you’re most likely to find me at are The Pass, Main Beach, Broken Head and Tallows – all depending on what the swell, wind and crowds are doing!

For the most part it’s fun waves, usually in the chest to head high region, with some bigger days at the points.

What I’m trying to really say here is that in a location like Byron, having a good variety in your quiver allows you to make the most of all swell conditions and the variety of spots in the area, and as a result I’ve got a well rounded quiver and constantly rotate through the boards in my rack depending on the days conditions.

When building your own quiver the types of waves you surf, ability and style are all going to come into play – but here’s what has made the cut into my 2022 quiver…

 

Firewire Mashup

My daily driver

The term “daily driver” is a bit of a loose one when it comes to surfboards  – as what a surfer would term “daily driver” will vary a lot depending on skill level, wave types and personal style too.

Essentially it’s the board you’ll grab for 80% of surf sessions – and for me that’s the Firewire Mashup.

Easy to paddle, super lively underfoot, forgiving and great fun in everything from waist to head high, the Mashup was an instant favourite, a staple of my surfboard quiver and the board you’ll most likely find in my car when I’m heading off to find some waves!

 

 

McTavish Noosa 66

My go to longboard

When it comes to surfing around Byron Bay, you have to have a longboard in the quiver. When I got my hands on the Noosa 66 by McTavish surfboards it quickly became my go to longboard, oozing all the style and flow the height of the longboard era in the 1960s had!

It surf as good as it looks and is my go to board for rolling point breaks or more mellow beachies for anything under shoulder high. You can surf it in bigger conditions but that high high and under range is where it’s super fun.

Not a beginner longboard by any stretch, it certainly feels way different underfoot to more modern, performance based logs – but if you want plenty of trim, cross stepping and nose time the Noosa 66 will keep any experience longboarder happy in the lineup.

 

 

Lost Retro Tripper

A great all round twinny with trailer

Having struggled to really get to grips with twinnies on my backhand, the Lost Retro Tripper has replaced the spot in my quiver the Album Twinsman originally had.

The more retro, forgiving outline, combined with the trailer fin really tightened things up for me and made it heaps fun to surf.

Based on the outline of the Lost Evil Twin (one of my favourite small wave boards, and one that’s still in the quiver), the Retro Tripper takes all that fun and gives it more performance and a wider range of conditions – particular in punchier, bigger surf.

Plenty of paddle power, great rail to rail game with that rounded rail complete with flyers and heaps of speed – the Retro Tripper really is a great one board option for those looking for a twinny or twin with trailer.

 

 

McTavish Rincon

Crusiey, single fin fun

The latest addition to my surfboard quiver is the McTavish Rincon. I’ve always wanted a McTavish surfboard and was stoked to nab this single fin mid length at their latest factory sale!

Paddles like a dream, has heaps of flow and pivots really nicely off the single fin – the Rincon is one of the original mid length surfboards and still holds its own today.

I’ve pushed it in some bigger, punchier surf and even in the bigger sizes (mines a 7’10) is feels solid underfoot.

In fact I’ve been loving the Rincon so much I’ve just ordered a custom 7’0 version as my go to board for travelling! Looking forward to heaps of single fin fun with a little more manouverability!

 

Cape Collective Broken Arrow

Mid length twin fin, perfect for pumping days at the Points

Another recent addition to my quiver, the Cape Collective Broken Arrow is a mid length, performance twin fin that handles some serious size and power.

Fast and drivey down the line (especially with the performance keel fin setup) it holds like a quad and releases and pivots like a twin fin.

As at home in bigger rolling days as it is hollower spots too, this one acts almost like my step up for bigger days and when it’s pumping this is the board I’ll be grabbing.

 

 

 

Lost Evil Twin

My small wave froth machine

When it comes to small wave fun on a shorter setup, my Lost Evil Twin is one of my go to boards, especially on the left handers. With a twin fin setup, it’s fast loose and always leaves me with a smile, even in really sh*tty, mushy conditions. 

I ride mine at 5’10 (34L) – but they have a huge range of board sizes depending on what you’ll looking to set it up as.

I’ve also tweaked it in a little bit more (espeically on my back hand) with the addition of the Evil Twin Trailer fin, which  I highly recommend grabbing if you do add this board to your own quiver.

Sept 2022 Update – What Didn’t Make The Cut!

Coming into the final part of 2022 I’ve had a bit of a quiver shake up and refresh, and these were the boards which haven’t made the final cut.

All epic boards, that I’ve enjoyed riding – I just needed to free up some space, or found and a fresh option which better suits my needs…

Cape Collective Hyperglide

A solid go to longboard

You can’t live in Byron without having a solid longboard in your surfboard quiver and for me thats the Cape Collective Hyperglide. I ride mine at 9’1 with a 9″ single fin, despite the fact it’s a 2+1 setup – I’ve experimented with both and just prefer it that way.

Turns beautifully, but still holds on the nose – it can handle pretty much everything you can throw at it.

Perfect for days at the Pass and when I just want to hoover up heaps of waves and get some board walking on the go.

 

 

Firewire Seaside & Beyond

My performance mid length and step up

When the beach breaks or points get a little bit punchier the Seaside & Beyond is usually the board I reach for. With it’s quad fin setup the S&B can handle some solid size and honestly I feel like it gets better the bigger it gets! 

Don’t be fooled by the size and outline, the S&B handles some serious swell.

Also pretty fun in smaller beach breaks too, but anything shoulder high and above is when the S&B really comes to life for me.

 

 

Firewire Sunday

High volume, single fin fun

I originally had the 6’8 Firewire Sunday and was riding it as a twin fin – but as fun as it was I did end up parting ways with it as I was reviewing other boards and just didn’t end up surfing it as much as expected.

Recently though I got my hands on a 7’3 option with a single fin setup and it instantly clicked. Perfect for those days where you don’t want a full longboard, or for when it’s a little bit too hollow for a log.

Great fun with heaps of single fin flow, but in a shorter, mid length package.

As much as I love it though, I would say this has now been replaced by the Rincon if I need a spot in the board rack!

 

 

Album Twinsman

Performance twin fin

When it comes to performance twin fin boards the Album Twinsman is hard to beat.

Despite the volume it packs in, this is certainly not a small wave twin fin and really starts to light up in chest high waves and beyond, ideally with a little more shape to it.

As much as I enjoy this board though, it’s certainly one for punchier days and left handers as I’m goofy footed, so it doesn’t quite get as much water time as I would’ve hoped!

 

 

The 3 Boards You NEED To Have

When it comes to building out a well rounded quiver for the everyday surfer there are 3 board types you really should have to help you make the most of everyday in the ocean.

Daily Driver

The first is your daily driver – which is really going to vary a lot depending on your local surf spot and conditions. For me that’s the Firewire Mashup. Super fun, forgiving and covering everything from waist high to overhead conditions.

If you only surf point you might well find you go for something longer as your go to, or punchy beach breaks you might for for a more performance based shortboard like the DHD 3DV, Lost Sub Driver or Pyzel Pyzalien 2.

Grovellor / Small Wave Board

Next up is your grovellor. For most of us surfers there are more smaller, sub par days than there are perfect, pumping days – so a solid grovellor and small wave board are a must for any well rounded surfboard quiver. For me currently it’s either the Lost Evil Twin or the McTavish Rincon.

The Evil Twin is my go to for the beach breaks, wheres the Rincon is for smaller days at the points.

Check out my full small wave surfboard guide here

 

Mid Length

I’m a firm believer that foam is your friend and no matter what your surf level a sold mid length surfboard is also a much needed addition to your quiver!

Whether you’re looking for something cruisey or performance based there’s plenty of options out there depending on where the gap in your quiver it.

I’ve currently got 4 options in mine – the Rincon, Sunday, Seaside & Beyond and Broken Arrow.

The Sunday and Rincon are epic for fun days at the points, the Seaside & Beyond serves as almost a step up board for punchier days at the beach breaks and points and the Broken Arrow is an absolute weapon when the points are firing off.

Check out my full mid length surfboard guide here

 

Are you building your own surfboard quiver at the moment?

What has made the cut for your 2022 lineup?