Tolhurst Surfboards Mid 6 HI Review

The Tolhurst Surfboards Mid 6 is built in the Thunderbolt Technologies (more on that later) construction with a 5 fin set up and an always sexy 6 channel, it’s a board that looks fast on face value. With a traditional early 70’s single shape where you’ll find the wide point up front and then pulling into a trusty rounded pin, its a shape made for clean lines and long walls. And in those conditions it did not disappoint.

It was the rails that made the Tolhurst Surfboards Mid 6 feel more like a performance mid length than a beginners mini mal though. The rails are more refined and knifey. When the board is put on rail at high speeds they don’t let you down, with minimal bounce or chatter felt through turns. Which makes this board a dream for those who go enjoy going to rail to rail and aren’t suffering from a stutter. That said, they are forgiving enough that if you don’t quite nail your huge ocean displacing chris brown wrap around it isn’t going to ruin your wave.

Greenmount, Winki-Pop, Lennox, Raglan, Balangan. These are the types of waves you want to be surfing the Tolhurst Surfboards Mid 6 on. Long drawn out bottom turns and swooping top turn carves are its bread and butter.

Given the boards length (7’0) it doesn’t mind a bit of size and with the channels and quad fin set up (most ideal for this board) it holds beautifully. The best part of this board is its paddle power on these types of point breaks, being a mid length it’s going to have more volume than your everyday driver and in turn going to be an absolute dream boat to paddle in the sweep. I got the very best out of this board at 4 foot Burleigh Rocky and even when it felt long it still fit the wave and drove through turns.

Overall Best Conditions:
2-3ft chubby waves that have a couple of fast and slow sections. Preferably on your forehand with a slight offshore or onshore. Bonus points if the sun is out and it’s warm to make it feel super fun and summery. Or if you’re the charger type, 4-5ft surf with some tubes.

I’ve been reluctant to say it in the previous paragraphs but the Tolhurst Surfboards Mid 6 is cheating. Dead set.

If you’re a surfer that likes to catch a lot of waves, go really fast and do carves, than this is the board for you. Amongst any crowd you’ll end up (more of then not) catching more waves with your paddle power, whether that is getting into waves or paddling past the crowd in the sweep. The channels and quad fin combo hold regardless of the pressure your chicken bone thighs throw at them.

Speaking of fins, I used AM’s (here) in the front and Reactors in the rear on my model. Harley suggested using the FCS Reactor Quad set (here), or just aim to have large flat foiled front fins and rear fins with an 80/20 foil. If you’re a longboarder stepping down, Harley said you’re probably better off with his FCS XL Quad Set (here).

Being right back on the tail the board feels like a high performance shortboard but being up on the front feels like a single fin trimming machine. It really is a beautiful mix that meets in the middle of tradition and performance. Give the length I rode, it did have moments where it was hard to fit the board into super sucky waves, or go vertical – although I’m not sure if that’s the board, or me?! ha. 

If your someone who doesn’t care about throwing nooners out there on the regular, but still enjoys being on rail and pushing hard you will thoroughly enjoy this board. 

Maybe you’ve just had your first kid and can no longer have the 5 to 10 board quiver you once had, or you don’t surf as often either. This is the board for you. It’ll keep surfing FUN for when you do get out there when its pumping but it will also give you the glimpses of the good old days to keep you thinking your ripping.

OR 

It’s the perfect addition for someone who likes to have variety in the quiver but still wants to have some performance added into there highline trims. 

The Wins:
*Paddle power (more waves baby!)
*Channels (they always. ALWAYS. Look good)
*Performance meets tradition. You can feel like a hipster without losing your performance. 

The Challenges:
*Going vertical**. The length and wide nose does limits your nooner ability
*Price. It’s at the top end of the avg price bracket for Mid Lengths.

If you’re not quite sold on the Tolhurst Surfboards Mid 6 but are interested in getting a mid-length check out our recent Mid Length Surfboards Buyers Guide here. 

— — — — —

**Extra info via Harley came through in the form of –
“a longboader coming down (who are used to a 9ft+ rail line in little waves) it’ll probably be super easy to go vert on. Big chunk of our business are Longboarders stepping down.”