Exile Skimfin

Form stems from function and great surfers are made when something works under their feet. Tom Curren is form and function personified. He can ride any board with style but he chooses certain shapes that allow for certain feelings. Tom has found that next gear in a modified skimboard with fins, aptly named the SkimFin by Exile Skimboards. His first board was crude, a hand me down skim from Brad Domke which he drilled fin boxes into and sprayed with closed cell insulation foam on the deck to give more paddle power. He rode it around Santa Barbara and immediately blew minds with the speed he was carrying through the flats of the wave. He did not have to stay in the curve to retain pace, he could now play with the section out front and use the less-than-an-inch of hard rail to knife across hundred yard flat sections. The board is just over five feet in length with a width of 20.875 inches, and 2 inches of thickness tapered down perfectly to the rails, which are sharp as a knife. The SkimFin is constructed using Premium Epoxy Resin, High Density EPS Compression Core Technology, and Carbon Fiber Reinforcement. It is basically a hydroplane disk with fins.

            Surf Only got our hands on one from Exile Skimboards and after one wave on a slow-moving sandbar pointbreak we knew exactly what Curren was buzzing over. Where the board loses in maneuverability it quickly makes up for in speed. With modifications in the deck to allow for easier paddle in, the board catches waves more seamless than expected. Sections that were previously a write-off were suddenly not out of reach. Just take a high line and plane way out into the flats while even gaining speed in the bottom turn process. We are not saying it is a board to ride every session, but it will definitely add to your surfing experience while in mushier surf. Find that next gear in your surfing and add a SkimFin to your arsenal, you won’t be bummed.