Neal Purchase Designs · Let's Get Barrelled!

 

· SEARCHING FOR "THE FEELING" ·

There is only one way to get to know Neal Purchase Designs and the man behind it and that goes through not only knowing the man but also getting to experience his work.

A Heritage Passed By Family. A Refined Art That Conquers the Sea

Born into the culture of surfing and shaping, Neal Purchase Jar (NPJ) grew up competing, free surfing and shaping. Now, he one of the most talented, refined and well-rounded surfer-shapers of this era.

“Being a surfer is a constant interest in creating vehicles to ride a bit of a sculptural art form” - NPJ

Neal Purchase Jnr at the short film 'Surfing Legend Neal Purchase Jnr On The Art Of Shaping', A Type 7 Film

There is a feeling and even a piece of poetry linked into every single NPJ’s design; the shaping may have dropped into his lap, but it became NPJ’s second nature and you can really tell, not only by the looks, but by the experience of surfing one of his surfboards.

 

· THE DUO ·

The first time NPJ shaped a twin-fin with dimensions 6’0” x 21” x 2 1/2”, he practically nailed it. First try, first win. The firs prototype was built from a blank with slight rocker and with a similar outline to his quad-fin shape, The Quartet.

He introduced a slight concave up front in the bottom and blended it at the tail into a double concave. He used parallel to the stringer single-fin boxes and spaced out 3” from the stringer (6” apart).

Performance is Nothing Without Glide

'The Duo blends variables of Singles and Twin Fins, it produces a smooth deep drive unlike anything else I have ridden. I like the extra turbo that a twin-fin gives you‘ - NPJ

This was his first prototype and this shape has experienced some updates since, such us locating the fins closer to the rails, adding can’t and toeing the fins in… However, he came back to the 6” gap between fins and kept the boxes parallel. “The simpler, the better.”

NPJ now offers the next and final stage of pushing boundaries of the fin configuration. Most Duos are now Stage 2, meaning that fins are now 7” apart with slightly different tail widths and rockers to compensate.

“I finally went 8 inches apart with a 70 / 30 flat inner foil and found I had hit a dead end. So Stage 2 it is, and as you go closer to the rail, the depth of the fin needs to decrease. These are my latest incarnation of the smoothest pivotal drive in surfing and I personally prefer them to the Single fins due to their hold and release and also the 2+1’s because they are faster. - NPJ

The fins are now 6 3/4 in height and set at 7 1/4 from the tail x 7 inches apart with 4 degrees cant and no tow.

 

· Deck & Outline | If you throw to a mix a wider/curvier outline along with a flat deck an foam carried out to the rails, you get yourself a great The Duo paddler. This will give you a nice ride even in hollower rails.

· Edges/Rails | Low soft rails, similar to a single fin, and tucked all the way to the tail.

· Rocker | Low entry and even rocker.

· Concave | Single to double.

· Tail Shape | The subtle round pin tail will go great for hold in the barrels, and the square tail will excel for all round performance.

· Fin Set Up & Fins | Twin/single fin set up and we recommend a forward double foil. Size will depend on the board’s size and surfer skills.

· NPJ Pro Tips | 

· The Duo 6’8” & 6’10” is the go-to for NPJ in France.

· The Duo goes well for reef breaks, 6ft and hollow waves.

 

 

· NEAL PURCHASE JNR · 

Neal Purchase Jnr (NPJ) is the owner and founder of Neal Purchase Designs and was born in a family where shaping boards is in their DNA. Son of the legend shaper Neal Purchase, you can see how this heritage, that old school background, mix with modern multiplicities is all over his timeless stunning designs.

Speed, Maneuverability & Drive

The so-called shortboard revolution back in the 60s? Well, his father has been quoted to have helped kick start this movement back in the day and it was his 8’4” ‘The Virgin’ design that put Neal Purchase in the radar at the time.

Early 70’s with NPJ's Dad and his sister at Burford Blanks in Currumbin, AUS.

 

“My influence in shaping is probably a more modern and refined take on the 70s and the 80s. (…) Making your own equipment, surfing the way you want to surf, become a pure art form because you’re working on it from the ground up”-NPJ

NPJ is also well known as one of the great barrel surfers in Queensland, specially on his back side. As he says, being a shaper you need to be able to surf your own boards. That is the only way to capture a signature feeling that can be shared with the people and be remembered. This is a guy who knows what he wants, how he wants it and is able to build a shape by it. He knows his craft inside and out.

“I wanted to bring back a bit of the rock and roll, a bit of the feeling, a bit of the romanticism and the art form. (…) I get motivated to shape through surfing and wanting different feelings.” - NPJ

Cool, right? Well, here’s something you may also not know… He is he co-founder of the brand Rhythm that you can also find in Pukas Surf Shop.