With NWF coming up this weekend we thought we would take this opportunity to catch up with Jon Kennett, the man behind Moo Custom, to find out more about the brand new board he’s designed for Allan Cross…

When Allan Cross the main man behind the NWF approached me about getting himself a custom board built to promote the festival I was quite shocked…if Allan was a stick of rock it would read Starboard all the way through!! But, as he explained he would have the freedom of a promotional independent board away form major branding.

The next hurdle was the inclusion of green in the graphics, I usually shy away from green in board building as it is considered bad luck in maritime situations. But as custom board building is part art I believe we can allow superstitions into the process; as luck would have it the only bad luck was the fact that the carrier TNT decided to pick the board up then return it a good few days later saying it was too big for their system! Ironic really as they had already collected it in a large truck and returned it in a small van! He did get it eventually, but a week is a long time in the new board excitement stakes.

Allan’s brief was good, he knew exactly what he wanted from a board…

Fast, early planing, super light, with a slight bias to back foot blasting (not one to be burned off by his sailing buddies!) with the ability to work well and get into his new local surroundings or a Daymer Bay type situation in 6.0m – 5.3m conditions, with a bit of gusty 4.7 thrown in.

The Moo solution was full carbon for lightness early planing and crisp performance in the slighter lighter winds, measuring 235cm by 64cm and 102L, fitted with a power box and two slot boxes a fine set of Maui Ultra Fins, forming a Single/Thruster set up with of course the power box for single fin use, all on a get up and go Moo Custom rocker number two, weighing in at only 6.00kg and certainly feeling right.

To finish the look the carbon was left as naked as possible with a heavy sanded black lacquer. Sporting the National Watersports Festival based livery designed for the board by the up and coming new Michael Eskimo of board graphics, Geoff Hautman.

The NWF Moo will be hanging in the bar at the festival so come on down and check it all out…