Testimonials

“The board is a 6’2” Thing 2. Constructed of an EPS foam core with parabolic basswood stringers and polyurethane rails, it blends a perfect balance of both foam types. It has the lightweight, buoyant, responsiveness of EPS foam, but the polyurethane rails dampen some of the chatter that occurs with a 100% EPS board. EPS can be so stiff, lightweight and nervy that it’s difficult to apply traditional power and flow to one’s surfing. The polyurethane rails add the perfect amount of weight and relief. The board moves through turns and transitions like a traditionally polyurethane board, but just faster, lighter and more effortlessly. The board works really well and it seems like this construction may have universal applicability for any board design.”

“I was aware that Roger was a legendary shaper who knew how to create magic in a surfboard, but what impressed me from my first conversation with him was how down-to-earth he was and the time he took to answer all of my questions and talk with me in detail about what I was looking for. Simply put, he’s a great guy and was clearly committed to getting it right for me.

The second thing that impressed me was Roger’s craftsmanship and attention to detail. When I first saw the board he made me — The Thing 2 — I could not believe how beautiful it was. It was perfect.

Of course the real test is how a surfboard performs in the water. I can usually tell if I’m going to like a new board from the first bottom turn. I’ve learned over the years to trust that first impression — nothing is worse than trying to force a connection with a board that just doesn’t quite work. The first session with my new The Thing 2 board was amazing. Even though it was a wind-blown day with marginal waves, the board lit up and I clicked with it immediately. It catches everything and makes me feel like I can do anything I want on a wave. I’m hard to please, but The Thing 2 is everything I had hoped for — and a credit to the skill and decades of knowledge Roger puts into his shapes.”

“Loving my Roger Hinds EPS Parabolic 6’2” Dream Fish .... the perfect culmination of state of the art material, technology, master surfboard
design and craftsmanship. Roger’s design allows me to ride a shorter board in larger surf with a heightened blend of quickness, speed, responsiveness and hold. A secret weapon!”

“Hey Roger,
I’ve been meaning to get in touch with you since I got the amazing 6’8” custom board you made for me in November. I met you at WISE up in SF and thanked you for getting me into surfing with the 7’6” Roger Hinds hybrid I rode when I first started surfing until it eventually broke many years later. I told you I wanted an Ocean Beach winter board - and you said you’d make me one. The 6’8” custom is unbelievable. It paddles great, gets me into waves even with strong off shores, and cruises down the line. I’ve been able to ride the biggest and best winter waves I’ve ever gotten at Ocean Beach this season because of your board. We’ve been fortunate to get some incredible waves this winter and I am grateful to have the right equipment to make the most of it. Thank you for making this board for me and for making dreams come true!”

“Happy New Year’s Roger,
I have finally had a chance to sure the Nomad you shaped me in some decent waves and the boards works great. I haven’t had a board that big that I can surf that hard from top to bottom, especially backside. was surfing a semi hollow left last week about 3 ft overhead on the sets and just cracking the top as hard as I could, even got the fins free a couple times. What I enjoy most about the board is when you set the rail right on an arc how the concave within the vee panels provide so much acceleration. I’ve come out of a few cutbacks going so fast, I’ve had to adjust where on the face I do my turns to account for the extra projection. It’s almost like the board feels shorter when you need it to fit in the pocket and longer when you want to drive down the line. All in all just a fantastic board, especially when the waves have a bit of juice. I still want to try it in some bigger surf, but I keep having to work on the really good days. Hopefully more swell to come but nothing on the horizon to match the last few weeks. Thanks Again.”

“Roger did it again... Here I was thinking that I wouldn’t be in need of something for my day-to-day surf and somehow you’ve managed to produce another board that fills multiple holes. The Thing II volume is perfect throughout and while I was a little hesitant for a 6’0”, it performs like a much shorter board without giving up anything. I’m still able to get into the waves much easier than most and I can stick it up the face like a traditional shortboard or on rail whenever I want. It transitions through the flats with crazy speed and the best part is that I think I can use it in overhead++ surf as well. There were a couple tight / steep sections that allowed me to see if it would hold and so far so good. Keep the progression coming.”

“Has Roger Hinds found the fountain of youth? No, but he has found the next best thing or should I say the next best Thing 2. My 5’10” Thing 2 has me paddling, catching waves and surfing like a surf stoked grom not the fast approaching 50 year old I am actually close to being. The board has a great range of conditions it performs in and is fast and forgiving while being responsive. I have surfed it in everything from dumpy Northern California beach breaks to Central California point breaks and my Thing 2 has yet to let me down. Thanks again Roger for making me this Swiss Army knife of a surfboard.”

“The first time riding my new Thing 2, I found that it paddled into the waves easily, went to top speed instantly, but still went from rail to rail with ease.

Nice and snappy like a standard shortboard but quick & fast like a fish. The best of both worlds!”

“Got my new 5’8” Thing II and was getting just as many waves as the longboarders down at Old Man’s. Best short board I’ve ever owned!”

“I have been riding boards made by Roger Hinds for in excess of 25 years. I have always found that Roger has had an eye for what works and performs no matter what the requested template. His level of hand craftsmanship and knowledge of the variety of materials involved in the creation of his boards is on a top tier level that is hard for nearly anyone else to match. He has an intuitive sense about what is needed by the surfer for any and all conditions. Having had close association with the surfboard industry through the late 60’s and early 80’s I have a very high level of respect for his expertise and knowledge. My personal boards from Roger have, without exception, been high performance vehicles allowing the fullest enjoyment of the surf at my local haunts and in my travels. My latest board was a 9’ retro gun shape set up as a Tri. Everything about this board was exactly what I could have hoped for, my newest magic machine. The workmanship was exceptional, the performance a thing of pure joy. I anticipate decades of close association with Roger and many more exceptional boards to enjoy the surf built by him. His boards are much more than the materials used to create them they are works of functional art that bring pleasure and joy to those who own them.”