Torren Martyn changed the collective mind of surfers with his timeless lines on mid-length designs by longtime shaper, and dear friend, Simon Jones. Sure, he also ripped the guts out of whatever his sub-6′ boards touched, well-documented in Calypte and other films. Nevertheless, to most, he’s seen as a ‘mid-length guy’.
Well, as seen with his latest clips and edits, from Mexico and Australia, he’s been ripping on something entirely different and experimental: a 4’6″ twin fin. Yep, a stubby looking thang barely bigger than a boog. If he keeps it up, his reputation may be in for a serious plot twist.
The board — designed, of course, by Simon Jones — showed up in a recent Surf Coast session that pulled together an unlikely crew of experimental heads. Martyn brought the 4’6″ twin. Laurie Towner focused on asymmetrical designs. Hahnee Chelkowski, a Tasmanian who also features in needessentials’ latest film The Spaces In Between, rode a self-shaped longer-length. And the hammer that is the Surfrider Foundation’s Drew McPherson rode another unconventional Simon Jones craft — a Remote Location twin fin — charging heavy on his backhand.
Personally, I find this experimentation exciting as the surf world becomes more interesting as the number of ways to approach waves keeps growing. I’m not saying we should all hop on e-foils, far from it, actually, but switching it from a standard thruster is a great place to start. Hell, we should all ditch the boards more often and just body surf… but that’s another story.
As for Torren and crew, it doesn’t take more than 45 seconds of watching them in Unconventional Craft to get hyped on the idea of stepping outside the box and onto something fresh, fast and funky.
In addition to trying out new boards, the crew was testing the new line of needessentials winter suits. If they’re good enough for winter in the Southern Ocean, they’re good enough for wherever it is your going. 100% SURFER approved.
Related: Spaces in Between: 2,000 Kilometers, 90 Days, and More Waves Than You’d Expect