Coconut Harry’s Board Swap Saturday in Nosara, Costa Rica Episode 2
In Episode 2 of 'Board Swap Saturday' from Nosara, Costa Rica, Coconut Harry tests three fish-style surfboards — a WRV with a trailer fin, a Mod Pod with twin fins, and a Ricky Carroll — in crowded conditions. The WRV with the trailer fin was a disappointment, while the Ricky Carroll and Mod Pod performed well. Harry reflects on his fin choices and vows to return the WRV to a twin fin setup.
Summary
The episode opens with Coconut Harry introducing the theme of 'fishes midlengths' for Board Swap Saturday. He presents three boards: a WRV fish he plans to ride with a trailer fin, a Mod Pod (described as small for him at 6'3") set up with twin fins, and a Ricky Carroll, which he praises extensively for its chimed rail design, similar to a Steuart Hydro Hull or Magic Walden, making it fast and versatile as both a thruster and quad.
Harry outlines his strategy for the session: rather than competing for set waves in the crowded lineup, he plans to sit inside and link sections, which he recommends as a practical approach for surfing in crowds. He explains his specific goals for each board — wanting the WRV to feel loose and groovy with figure-eight maneuvers and controlled slides, using the Ricky Carroll for rail work, and riding the Mod Pod as a fun twin fin on smaller waves.
In the post-session review, Harry admits the day did not go as planned. The Mod Pod (5'10") performed fine despite being small for his frame. The Ricky Carroll once again delivered, earning two thumbs up. However, the WRV with the trailer fin was the major disappointment — Harry says he knew immediately upon standing up that it wasn't working, citing poor paddling capacity and no meaningful benefit from the trailer fin in the non-throwing conditions. He speculates that trailer fins only make sense in more powerful, barreling surf. He also acknowledges that his fondness for WRV boards from his college days may have clouded his expectations, and vows to ride the WRV as a twin fin in future sessions unless waves are throwing.
Key Insights
- Harry argues that trailer fins only provide meaningful benefit when waves are powerful or barreling, and that they are generally overused — the non-throwing Nosara conditions exposed the trailer fin's lack of paddling capacity and drive on the WRV.
- Harry claims the Ricky Carroll's chimed rail — similar to a Steuart Hydro Hull or Magic Walden — makes it uniquely fast, section-linking, and versatile, calling it a complete all-arounder that both turns and nose rides.
- Harry contends that surfers generally misuse fins and use too many of them, though he acknowledges a session the previous day where a twin fin left him sliding around in bigger surf, suggesting a trailer would have helped.
- Harry recommends sitting inside the crowd and linking sections as a surfing strategy, arguing that most set waves close out and competing for them in a crowded lineup is inefficient.
- Harry attributes part of his disappointment with the WRV to nostalgia bias, admitting his positive memories of WRV boards from college likely inflated his expectations for the session.
Topics
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