Gulf Stream
Our Heritage
Since we opened our Woolacombe factory in 1993 almost 10,000 surfers worldwide have bought and ridden our boards. All are members of a relatively small but special community of surfers who have helped support our pursuit for excellence in the art and craft of custom board building.
Over the past two decades our record as professional board builders speaks for itself. We believe that great surfboards don’t just have to perform at the highest level they also have to be beautifully made. To achieve this you need a combination of highly skilled craftsmen, a healthy knowledge of the origins of board design and a lot of time testing the boards in the ocean. That’s why our shaper ‘Jools’ was voted best Fish shaper in the UK and Ireland in the Carve peer poll.
However, not all boards are made like this. Almost all mainstream board brands are now owned by large corporate groups. Their business model dictates their priorities. That is to turn a profit by replicating and distributing vast quantities of product from remote factories to the surfing masses.
None of that should matter, yet somehow it does. The truth is that surfing never really sits comfortably in the mainstream. Line-ups may be more crowded these days but the art of wave riding is about you, the ocean, and your board. It’s still special to be a surfer.
That’s why at Gulf Stream we offer a first class custom board order service. So from the artwork to the dimensions we can make a board tailored specifically for you. It’s a service that is at the very heart of surfing. It’s simple to do, you can order via our website, come into the shop or factory or give us a call.
We also have a comprehensive range of stock boards available online for next day delivery in the UK (2-3 days in Europe).
Shortboard
Our shortboards have a proven pedigree. We don’t need to make any claims we can’t substantiate about what they might or might not do. For two decades they have been ridden by everyone from pros in Hawaii to amateurs in Croyde. Yes they are loose. Yes they are fast.
The Shortboard at a glance
DIMENSIONS: 6’.0’’x 18 ¼’’ x 2 ¼’’
ROCKER: standard
RAILS: low and boxy in tail, low and soft mid, low and almost pinched in nose
BOTTOM SHAPE: single to double concave
IDEAL CONDITIONS: steep and hollow
BEST SUITED TO: Intermediate to advanced
GLASSING: 2 x 4oz deck, 1 x 4oz bottom
Design Overview
2011 has seen several subtle changes to our standard model, perhaps most importantly is the slightly thicker foil. Whilst the rails remain low to maintain the sensitive feel of the ride, the extra float provided from the thicker foil makes for easier paddling.
The Saunton Foil
This is our flagship noserider. In our attempt to get longer and longer nose rides we have used the basic principles of a traditional 60’s plank with its flat rocker line added to a few modern tricks that we have learnt along the way.
The Saunton Foil at a glance
DIMENSIONS: 9’.6”x 19”x 23”x 16” x 3 ¼”
ROCKER: Almost zero nose, a little tail kick
RAILS: bladey up front, 50/50 throughout, up rails in tail
BOTTOM SHAPE: deep nose concave with rolled vee
IDEAL CONDITIONS: small and clean
BEST SUITED TO: intermediate to experienced
GLASSING: 3 way resin tint, yellow ochre, deep red and off white
2 x 6oz deck 1x 6oz bottom, gloss and polish
The Speed Dialer
In our trilogy of Fish designs the Dialer probably takes the title of ‘most popular fish’, mainly because of its outrageous down the line speed but also because it is easy to ride. The shape is heavily influenced by Richard Pavel’s original design and can be ridden equally well with Pavel speed dialer fins or as a standard quad.
The Speed Dialer at a glance
DIMENSIONS: 6’.0’’x 20 ¾’’ x 2 3/8’’
ROCKER: fairly flat
RAILS: low down rails
BOTTOM SHAPE: vee with single belly concave
IDEAL CONDITIONS: small to medium
BEST SUITED TO: intermediate to advanced
GLASSING: 2 x 6oz deck, 1 x 6oz bottom. Light grey resin tint bottom, daffodil yellow tint deck, gloss and polish.
