Description

Chilli Mid Strength Surfboard

James (Chilli) designed this surfboard over the summer of 2018/19 whilst he had a niggling knee injury and couldn’t surf to his full ability on his standard shortboard. “I just wanted something that paddled easy, catches waves and surfed without too much effort, so the Mid Strength was created. Essentially, this is a performance mid-length that should be a consideration for anyone who can competently stand and navigate along a wave.

OUTLINE: Outline has a full-ish nose to help with paddling. This flows down to an accentuated curve between your feet and into the back third of the board where the business gets done. The soft round tail intentionally creates a very forgiving and smooth turning arc for a longer board.

ROCKER: Turning and holding a rail on a bigger board must feel effortless, so Chilli combined a lower entry with a medium exit rocker out the tail. The aim here was to create a fast paddler that would pick up waves with minimal effort and still feel reactive on the turns.

CONTOURS: Slight single concave for speed up the front blending to a deep single/double concave through the side fins to loosen it up under the rear foot. An effortless combination in this mid-length model that’s sensibly related to a mid strength beer; all the fun with half the effort!

PERFORMANCE: Getting a little older, maybe not as fit, or your surf time has simply decreased? Sometimes you just need the board to do the work for you. The Mid Strength is made to paddle and catch waves easy in the top end, and once up and riding; trim, pivot and turn super easy with a little bit of release when needed. The curvy outline and rocker combo helps the board not feel long and straight like most mid-lengths, so it actually surfs like a much shorter board. Ride it, and guaranteed you’ll be converted.

Fin Recommendations: Thruster – FCS II Accelerator, Quad – FCS II Accelerator Sides + Performer Quad Rears. These all-round templates with a little extra area work perfectly for the bigger crew on this board.

About this board:

Construction: PU
Glassing: Standard (4+4 deck, 4 bottom)
Fin Boxes: FCS2/Futures x 5 (Choose option above – Fins not included)
Tail shape: Round Tail
Dimensions/Litres: See size graph above

About Chilli Surfboards:

The founding owner of Chilli Surfboards, Jamie Cheal, did his first top turn on a surfboard at the Gold Coast’s Greenmount aged 13, and he’s been surfing most days since.

In his late teens, Cheal moved to Sydney and started working at a surfboard factory, sanding and sweeping for next to nothing. In 1995, aged 22, Cheal shaped his first board. When he eventually took his creation to water he was more than a little surprised; It actually worked! “It was a total fluke,” he laughs. “I shaped about 20 more after that first one and they all went like wet towels.”

Cheal knew it wouldn’t be a walk in the park, but with that first gem in mind, he persevered with shaping and not long afterwards, it started to pay off. Two years later, Chilli Surfboards was born in a small factory in Brookvale.

In the years that followed, demand for Cheal’s boards grew and each week he produced more. Soon, demand was high and some of Australia’s best surfers were riding Chilli Surfboards to victory. It wasn’t long before World Tour surfers started asking Cheal for boards, too. In 2004, the dearly missed Andy Irons rode Chilli Surfboards in his successful campaign to claim a third world title.

Cheal loves seeing the best surfers in the world ride his boards but would take just as much pride in seeing one under your feet. That’s why he’s worked hard to create a model range that has something for everyone. Check them out on this site and find your next dream board.