In my own surfing I have always considered that style and control have an equal importance to tricks and maneuvers and my shaping reflects this. In surfing, two of the most important questions you can ask yourself are "why do I surf?" and more importantly, "what really is good surfing?"  The answers are different for everybody and define your path as a surfer. I've asked myself these questions regularly and they have led my surfing down a different, more unconventional route. For over thirty years international surf competitions and the surfing media that follow them, have been driving surfing forward with the emphasis on tricks and manoeuvres. During this time, mainstream board design has been largely dedicated to whittling down and refining the performance surfboard.

Most modern performance boards are designed to be ridden as small as possible, only supporting the rider's weight when the wave has enough power to maintain a constant flow of water under the board. These boards are light and manoeuvrable but require a lot of energy from the surfer, and if the waves aren't giving you the same energy in return, they quickly become frustrating.

Every Empire board is built in the UK from the finest materials by some of the country’s top craftsmen.

In my own experience, I have found that performance thrusters condition you to surf in a particular way, using your own energy to generate speed and overpower both the board and wave. The compromise for this high energy aggressive style is that it confines the lines that you can draw on the wave.
The answers to my two earlier questions led me to take a step back from this approach.

The Empire range is the culmination of over a decade of empirical development with focus on creativity and enjoyment. These boards are designed to maximise the energy in the wave by using modern rails and rockers, with alternative templates and fin combinations. This gives effortless speed with the drive to use it. The longer curves promote powerful controlled turns, which flow with the wave smoothing out twitchiness encouraging a graceful flowing style. this gives the rider freedom over the wave and allows the surfer to imprint there own style.

Although some of these boards are influenced by earlier designs they are quite different from a lot of the "retro" boards around at the moment. Rather than being replicas of old designs, these boards go back to the point at which we started on the path, to the modern thruster and look at an alternative route with 30 years of hindsight and advancement.

On a modern shortboard you may be hacking turns and smashing lips but are you really surfing better? I guess the really import question is, are you having more fun?

Your comments, questions and feedback aid progression and are always appreciated.
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