Fourth Surfboards BP Mini Base Construction FCS II 5-Fin Surfboard

It’s always exciting when Fourth Surfboards bring out a new model, but we’re really frothing about this one! Combining mid-length flow and paddle power with shortboard-like responsiveness and an emphasis on performance, the BP Mini is unlike anything else on the market right now.

Features:

• Outline: Mid-length surfboard with a bullet template, i.e. straighter rail line through the mid-section with a slight “hip” just before the fins, pulling in the tail
• Rider Ability: All levels. It’s been designed with intermediate to advanced surfers and dynamic, up-and-down performance in mind, but the volume and width make it suitable for beginners too
• Suitable Conditions: Great in pretty much anything – that’s the wonderful thing about a mid-length. Obviously you’ve got a decent amount of volume and surface area which translates into glide and wave-catching ability in smaller surf, but what a lot of people don’t realise is that mid-lengths make brilliant step-up boards when the swell picks up. You can get into big waves early and easily, and the longer rail line is prefect for handling the sizier faces. (Check the clip below for evidence of its amazing range.)
• Tail Shape: A very rounded squash tail or “thumb” tail
• Rails: 60/40 i.e. slightly turned down, with the apex lower than halfway – 60% of the rail above the apex and 40% below, which is more typical of a shortboard
• Rocker: When you compare it to a standard shortboard it’s fairly low, but compared to a normal mid-length it’s definitely high, helping facilitate critical turns and giving you a bit more of a shortboard sensation.
• Concave: (From nose to tail) Vee to double-vee to double to vee, a forgiving set-up that aids smooth transitions between rails.
• Fin Set-Up: 5-fin (surf as a tri-fin or a quad)
• Fin System: FCS II (fins not included)
• Construction: Fourth’s Base construction is standard PU construction by another name. It consists of a polyurethane blank (supplied by the industry-leading US Blanks) laminated with Hexcel cloth and Silmar polyester resin. These are all premium materials, and what’s more the boards are finished in 24/7 heat-controlled conditions to optimise both durability and performance.

Mid-lengths are taking over! Surfers of all abilities and styles have seen the mid-length light, finding they catch more waves and have more fun on these cruisey paddle machines.

But the BP Mini is no ordinary mid-length. Fourth shaper Luke Hart has taken a mid-length, kept its superior flow and glide, and made it easier to ride, more functional, as performance-oriented as possible.

Who’s the BP Mini for? Longtime shortboarders who are fed up of a single-figure wave count but still want to surf dynamically and smack a few lips; mid-length enthusiasts who miss the sensation of a tight turn in the pocket; longboarders who want something they can fit in the car and ride more easily in hollower waves; anyone struggling with water time and fitness… The list goes on. But originally it was just for Luke himself, and he probably puts it best:

“I don’t care what other people think about my surfing and I don’t care about getting better, I just want to make sure that I’m having fun. And if your aspiration isn’t necessarily to improve, it’s just to make the most of your surfing, then by default you probably will improve.”

Dimensions: