Rusty Surfboards Model 8 Torsion Spring review + FCS Mick Fanning & AM fins - The Surfboard Guide

I have been riding the Model 8 by Rusty Surfboards in 6'0 x 19 x 2.32 = 28.8L in Torsion Spring EPS technology. The Model 8 is ultimately the second coming of the ever so popular Sista Brotha that Rusty Surfboards released a few years back with their ex-team rider Noa Deane. Supposedly a lot of work went into the design of the second model, and with Noa no longer riding for Rusty, the model went ahead under the name "Model 8". Having ridden the Sista Brotha a few years back I felt it was a great board, but there were a few aspects of the board i struggled with, but they seem to have been refined in the Model 8 making it much more forgiving, and a lot of fun to surf. If you are looking for an all-rounder/daily driver - this could be it! The Model 8 is a high performance shortboard, but the generous distribution of foam through the board makes it quite forgiving, and works well in a broad variety of waves. I'm a huge fan of the nice generous sweet spot of foam under your back foot, i feel this helps me keep pace and drive, and i'm not constantly working the board to get it going. I was able to surf the Model 8 from 1ft junk through a variety of good and bad waves, all the way up to waves around 6ft+ (well overhead), and the board seemed to perform well in everything. Historically I've found some EPS boards to struggle when it is bigger and not clean/junky/windy, but the Torsion Spring doesn't seem to struggle in this area. Lively in the small stuff when you want it, but not out of it's depth in the bigger stuff - perfect! The Model 8 had FCS2 which saw me try out the Mick Fanning MF fin which was a great fin! Very driven, and seemed to like to turn and lengthen out turns. I also rode the large AM and these were good too, a little snappier out of the release of turns than the MF, but both fin setups felt great! I was also using the Astrodeck "New Nathan" pad which i'm a huge fan of. If you're interested you can check them out at www.astrodeckaus.com.au From www.rustysurfboards.com Model 8: For the Model 8 we added more rocker coming from the Sista Brotha which translates into quicker and shorter arc turns. The deck is flatter, creating more natural flex, paddling power yet making the board more sensitive. A bit fuller nose helps transitioning through flatter spots and dead sections but not compromising the lip attack. The board is fast, loose and surfs a great variety of conditions from punchy beach breaks to long points. Torsion Spring: The idea behind the Torsion Spring is to create a one piece hull where the left side talks to the right side with dynamic flex without losing kinetic energy from the wave. This core gives you the quiet, smooth, feeling of a polyurethane board but the lightness of an EPS board. Fully waterproof, if you get a small ding, you don’t have to worry about ending your session. The Carbon Kevlar tape used along the rail in this 3D perimeter reinforced construction resists buckling. The way it wraps onto the top of the tail in the fin zone frees the tail up and provides extra rebound out of turns. Biaxial cloth is used to increase compression resistance without noticeably affecting the flex. Thanks so much for checking out the review today, if you get a chance check us out on Instagram at www.instagram.com/TheSurfboardGuide   / thesbguide   www.instagram.com/WaterloggedPeople