Coconut Harry’s Board Swap Saturday in Nosara, Costa Rica Episode 4
Coconut Harry hosts Episode 4 of Board Swap Saturday in Nosara, Costa Rica, revisiting two surfboards — a beloved Ricky Carol and a previously disliked WRV. He experiments with fin setups, particularly removing fins to loosen up boards, and ends the session riding one of his original longboards after exhausting himself.
Summary
In this episode of Board Swap Saturday, Coconut Harry revisits two surfboards at a wave spot called Keones in Nosara, Costa Rica. The first is a Ricky Carol board he has ridden before and loves, citing its chime rails, pin tail, and use of foam as standout features. He rode it earlier in the week and was impressed by its strong cutbacks in weak sections, and he enthusiastically recommends it, calling shaper Ricky Carol a 'badass shaper' and expressing a desire to get another one.
The second board is a WRV (Wave Riding Vehicles) that he disliked in the previous episode. He attributes his negative experience to having too much fin, which he believes made the board feel sluggish. For this session, he decides to remove the trailer fin and ride it as a twin, hoping to loosen it up and give it a second chance. He also makes a broader observation that surfers generally use too much fin, especially in the conditions at this location.
A third board mentioned is a Takoro quad fin, and Harry notes the boards in play are 7'6", 6'6", 6'6", and 5'8". During the session, he comically forgets to remove the middle fin from the WRV before paddling out, undermining his own pre-session talk. After an exhausting session that involved jogging to the beach and surfing extensively, Harry ends up riding one of his original longboards — described as a 'res eight' — noted for being indestructible, wrapping up the episode on a lighthearted note.
Key Insights
- Harry argues that the Ricky Carol board's chime rails, pin tail, and foam distribution make it exceptionally functional, delivering strong cutbacks even in weak wave sections at Keones.
- Harry claims his dislike of the WRV board in the previous episode was due to too much fin rather than the board itself, and believes riding it as a twin will unlock its true character.
- Harry makes a broad assertion that surfers in general — and especially at this location — use too much fin, calling it a recurring mistake he now actively warns people about.
- Harry admits he forgot to remove the middle fin from the WRV before paddling out, directly contradicting his own pre-session plan and attributing it to 'talking too much smack.'
- After an exhausting session, Harry ends up on one of his original longboards — a 'res eight' — described by those present as indestructible, signaling the board took over the session by necessity.
Topics
Transcript
[0:07] All right, board swap Saturday redo. I've taken this Ricky Carol before. I talk about all the time. Absolutely love it. Rode it this week as a try. It is fantastic. Had very strong cutbacks in the weak sections at Keones. I strongly recommend it. Chime derail. I want to get another one of these. Ricky, Carol, come down to Nasar, bring something or somebody bring one for us. That's a redo cuz I love it so much. It's functional and somebody else is going to try it. This is a redo for me cuz I love WRVs historically, but last week I did not [0:38] like this board whatsoever. I rode it within a second I knew I…
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