Stuth Model Alaia

The Stuth alaia is the model based on the Hawaiian photo.  I called it the Stuth because Jacob Stuth was the first to see that the board in the photo had parabolic rails and concave.

The first Stuth alaia shapes were long, from 9’ to 12’ long. We struggled with them a bit and were still riding the few shorter Finley or traditional alaia outlines.  This is when Thomas Campbell was shooting “The Present” in Africa.  There was a Stuth model on the trip, but the two classic alaia shapes made it into the movie. David Rastovich called me when he came back and said if I could make an alaia that would tube ride and cut back then he would transfer to the alaia. The pressure was on!

A few months later David called and said he was off to Hawaii in two days to ride the alaia.  By that time the shapes had evolved and I had to get him another board.  I shaped one that night and drove it to him the next day. The board was very thin, 6’6” with lots of concave. It was first board I made with a new understanding of how the alaia surfed. He went to Hawaii and he was tube riding and cutting back. The alaia revolution was on.

This is the board I made for Rasta. This was the first surfboard with this bottom shape for over 100 years. Being so thin and in Hawaiian conditions, the board cracked several times. I fixed over and over. In Campbell’s film, “The Present”, Rasta pulls mean cutback at Sunset on this board.

The parabolic rail holds the board into the wave better than the straight or regular curved rail. The deep concave lets the board grab into the wave more.  The benefit is you get a lot more control and ability to hang in a steep face.  They tube ride well. The down side is they are a little slower and do not ride prone like the Finley shape. I make these from 5”5’ to 7’0” and 16’ to 17” wide. The deep concave makes them more prone to cracking than the other boards so I am especially careful with the wood I use.  I have found certain cuts that flex more and crack less than others.