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ATD - The MAN, The VISION, The BOARDS

7th January 2007 Sean Tickner

Al Taylor has been a stalwart of both the local and International Bodyboarding scene for many years, a highly competitive and driven bodyboarder, he's now shifted his focus to the shaping and manufacturing of precision, top class Bodyboards, namely ATD (Al Taylor Designs)

The best way to find out how this well-rounded bodyboarder and devoted family man ticks is to get to know both the rider and shaper inside of him.
The MAN - Al Taylor Full name, age and years riding:
Alistair Taylor, age 33, bodyboarding since the pleistocene era.

Your Best result as a professional bodyboarder:
Well I've had quite a few wins, but was probably more stoked with some of my performances at the pipe comp in the years with the really big surf - I didn't win the contest, but I won some important heats and made a bit of an impression on people, which was cool.

You have been a part of the global bodyboarding scene for many years, what has been your most memorable experience so far:
Probably just some of the good waves I have had around the world - I got to surf some pretty epic stuff, and while living in Hawaii had a few surfs out at big, un-crowded Pipe that were amazing.

You are better known as an extremely competent rider, what made you branch out and start shaping:
I didn't really intend to get into the surf market, but when I came across this new core material I am using and gave it a whirl, I thought that it had amazing potential - and the fact that nobody is using it, I thought I might be able to find a niche market for it. The actual shaping I learned many years ago, which I started just for fun and to be able to make a board for myself.

What are your goals for the future?
I'd really like to compete in the pipe contest again, but of course this time on my own board. I know it sounds like purely marketing, but I reckon this core material makes for a really fast board, so I can't even imagine how well it'd go in Hawaii with so much speed and power on tap. Other than that, just to stay involved with bodyboarding and help the sport grow here in SA, and try to grow my own company - I have some design ideas too that might really push the envelope.

Where do you see S.A Bodyboarding in the future?
Well, if we can get a world tour event on here, we might start to catch up with Australia and Brazil and Europe - we have the potential, but I think our isolation from the rest of the world of bodyboarding is holding us back from producing a crop of future world champions.

Favourite spot?
Probably pipe if you take out the crowd factor - but hard to beat for perfection and high performance bodyboarding.

Inspiration?
I get inspiration from a lot of people that do incredible things, like Occy's comeback in surfing, Lance Armstrong etc.....but above all my inspiration to keep pushing forward comes from Jesus Christ and my faith in God.

Favourite Rider?
Hubb for his air antics, and in the girls, my wife of course!

Who do you think is pushing the boundaries in S.A Bodyboarding at the moment?
There are a host of good riders actually - Daniel Worsley would be one, Jared Houston....have not seen that much of Adam Morley's surfing but I know he does some big stuff...a few of the north beach crew are ripping too. I don't know, I'm sure there are guys out there that just rip but I haven't really seen them surfing - it's like that everywhere.
The VISION - ATD (Al Taylor Designs) The Shaping and Manufacturing is all done by Al, a 45min drive inland from Durban at a factory in Pietermaritzburg. Each bodyboard is handmade, with the pure wave- riding knowledge of Al going directly into the shaping of every single board. This isn't a cheap, mass-produced board, it's a little piece of Al and all his years of charging some of the heaviest and most critical waves in the World!

When did you start shaping bodyboards?
Back in the early 90s, but then there was a really long period where I didn't do any shaping at all.

What is your vision for ATD?
More about making a really high performance board than about selling lots of boards. Right now the boards are hard to make anyway, so I can't make a lot - which means not everyone is going to be able to get one. But so far those that have gotten one are loving them.

You are using materials that we haven't really seen here in S.A (such as the X-Cell core), why, and what are the improvements?
The X-cell core is just what I dubbed the stuff myself, like with most any product name in bodyboard materials - for me, what I like about the core is its buoyancy, which seems to make it paddle nicely and have heaps of good trim speed - and its durability - even after busting lots of big moves on it, it has an amazing resilience towards creasing. It also maintains its rocker, whereas many other cores tend to either go banana or reverse over time.

You have a range of Boards out at the moment, namely the ATD SPEED MERCHANT SERIES, ATD RAIL 2 RAIL SERIES, KARLA COSTA TAYLOR PRO MODEL and THE SNAP! , where did you get the shapes from:
The shapes are basically just from my experience of trying different designs over the years. Karla's board is just based on her own preference. And with the SNAP, I don't DK, but my business partner Jaco is really a DK fanatic, so most of the shape input there was from him. I draw up the designs on the computer for accuracy.

Do you ride a Custom Shape or a Stock Board?
I have mostly been riding the Speed Merchant 42 regular tail, though recently and at SA champs I was riding a test board, which I might bring to market soon - it has a wider nose and higher wide point, so it's a very prone-specific shape - but it seems really fast down the line.

What does ATD have in store for the future?
Hopefully some really innovative concepts and designs with bodyboards, within the next year or so. And once the company grows, some more direct involvement and support of the bodyboarding scene.

What market are you primarily aiming for?
The high end market, riders with an awareness of what makes a good board, and who want to ride the best performing boards on the market.

What has been the biggest learning experience with ATD?
Basically I'm just learning a lot about business, which is good. I don't have a uni degree or any education in business, but the real-world experiences teach you a lot too, so it's pretty interesting.

Who do you think is the best Bodyboard shaper at the moment?
I don't really know, there are several really good shapers out there in the world today, and I have only ever worked with one or two of them. I guess the proof is in the pudding, so the board quality will reflect how good the shaper is.

Last words?
Thanks for the opportunity to do the interview, and good luck to any other aspiring board makers in SA - it's great to see our market continuing to evolve and develop.

Thanks Sean...
Al

The Boards - TESTING



The ATD Speed Merchant Model

Board Pilot: Stuart Bradford

Available in 39, 40, 41, 42 and 43" lengths

• X-Cell core
• Sealed Air skins
• Surlyn slick
• Graduated channels
• regular tail
• Finger grips

This board for me was a good opportunity to try different things. When I first received the board from Alistair I was so amped because it was so stiff even though it didn't have any stringers in it. The board is quite a bit different to what I'm used to with the almost square tail, The X-cell core, the graduated channels and the wideness of the board. So clearly I had no idea what to expect.

I found that the board did really well in all conditions. In the smaller days where the shoulder was flat the board was able to come out of manoeuvres and still have good speed to do another move. It was good over the flat sections in the waves and allowed for speed to be maintained. This is good for S.A competitive riding when you need to link your waves all the way through from the outside into the bowl or shorebreak. The board has really good projection and I found it really easy to get out of the water and into the flats on the ARS and Back-flip moves. Because of the tail and channels, the board for me did really well with big carves, spins and carving reverses, The board felt like it made really good clean lines due to good response from the rails and because of the shape of the tail. I found that the sealed air skins in the board were effective in keeping the stiffness of the board, my one is still stiff and I've had since early September. This has its pros and its cons. I found that due to the lack of flexibility from the core and skins, the board made it hard to scoop into the late waves that were really hollow and short due to the board sliding out or nose diving in the barrel, but if your line was made before entering the barrel then it had good speed in and out of the tubing section.

Overall the board really suited me and the Durban waves of outside to bowl and beach break conditions. So if you like very stiff durable all round boards then I highly recommend this board for you.

The ATD Snap Model

Board Pilot: Sean Tickner

Available in 40.5, 41.5, and 42.5" lengths

• X-Cell core
• Sealed Air skins
• Surlyn slick
• Graduated channels
• Regular tail
• Finger grips

I jumped at the opportunity to test drive one of the NEW ATD Boards, I'm always up for something new and having a look at the board when I first got it, I could see that I was going to have a lot of fun. Let the testing begin.

It has a great shape, good straight lines and a solid board for DK, the nose was a little bit wider than I was used to but still a sick shape that worked very well. Even though it is a DK Board when I got lazy and proned, it still performed, an all round good ride. The most amazing feature of the board was the ridiculous amount of POP it had off the bottom turn. You could just drive off the bottom and still have so much speed to smash the lip. I quickly got used to it and enjoyed hitting a couple fun, bowling ramps at North Beach, with some good air time. With the landings, the board felt very solid, nice and stable. I didn't have the urge to check if the board was creased every time I landed. Paddling was also a bit easier, I found it helped getting onto the waves earlier. The Board had just the right amount of control, it really held its line well when I was burying the rail and loose enough when I wanted to throw the tail out. Unfortunately I didn't get the opportunity to put the board through its paces in bigger surf but from what I could tell, it would definitely maintain.

Overall, the board had a good shape, a solid feel to it and it performed. I was happy in the knowledge that the board felt really strong, even though there aren't any stringers and having a solid board is essential for dropknee considering all the poundings it must handle. I really enjoyed testing this board out and recommend it to any up and coming DK riders.

At the moment, there are several SPECIALS on ATD Boards, check them out at www.altaylordesigns.co.za.

I'd like to THANK Al for giving Stu and I the opportunity to test out the boards.

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