Rusty Africa

01/06/2026

rustysurfboards The Griffin is a design that Rusty has been developing for the past year and has gathered excellent rider feedback from team riders and ambassadors. Yeah, Twinzers are nothing new but there’s a whole generation that has missed out on this fast and loose design, so Rusty revisited his old notes and modified a few things.
First a little background: When Wil Jobson introduced the design in the late 80s, it gained some fast traction due to a clip of Martin Potter blazing through weak T-Street on a Blue Hawaii version shaped by Glenn Minami.
That got the attention of shapers all over the globe and many were making their own version but without the correct fin placement. We were no different, but Rusty called Jobson and worked out a royalty deal to have him come down and show Rusty and the crew the proper placements and measurements. While the Twinzer never went away, it’s had moments throughout the past 40 years where it gains a little momentum. Now is one of those times. With the resurgence of twin pins the last bunch of years, why not get people back onto a design that is noticeably faster, more responsive and carries speed better than most twin fin designs? So that’s how the Griffin came to be... check it out on slide 2. More to follow. Custom orders available now, stock will soon be available on the site. Cheers and enjoy! Video courtesy of

31/05/2026

10/05/2026

Originally designed from a modified Yes Thanks for “STAB in the Dark” in 2016. Rusty puffed up the Yes Thanks a little and moved the center point slightly forward. The SD has a deep single concave that zeroes out under the rear fin and finishes with a slight vee in the tail, one smooth curve that accelerates towards the tail. Months after SITD, Rusty’s son, Clint, named it the SD. Tweaked it a little a bit with more rocker.

“For the last 5 years it has been one of our most popular designs.” -

11/04/2026

Mikey Baron pushing the Keg 100% -“felt good today in the punchier waves. So much control through turns can push super hard.” 📸 Simon Trollop

06/04/2026

MOBY FISH
Thanks to it’s size, it is a great board for beginners and is a great alternative to a longboard. As it turns out, it’s good for all ranges of ability and surf. The entry rocker is relaxed which helps with the paddle. The exit rocker is on the average plus side which helps with turning and fits into the waves better. The fuller outline provides lots of surface area: glide and speed. The rails are fuller but somewhat angular with a lower apex providing lift and control.

Design Notes

“Over 20 years ago I made the first Moby. I had ridden fishes in the early 70’s. I wanted to revisit the glide and speed of a fish. The first Moby I built, 1999, was 7’10 22.5 3.1. Volume? No idea. No matter.

It did the job in smaller surf and I rode it on some bigger days. I was quite happy with it. It made the cut on the 2 or 3 board quiver I kept in the back of my truck.

In 2005 I made my first 4 fin Moby. I really liked the feel of this ride. I had ridden it in surf up to approximately 5 foot. One day I thought the surf was pretty small, so I took my Moby down to Blacks. Nothing else. I was very fortunate to have a key. When I got to the bottom of the road, the surf looked as I thought it would. Pretty small but clean. I put on my wetsuit, pulled the Moby out of the back of my truck, closed the hatch. I looked out at the lineup and did a double take. A solid 6-foot set. Fu ! Well, it was the only board I had with me, so off I went.

My first wave, I was trippen, because I thought I would really have to pull back on the reigns. No. The board took off like a bat out of hell. It had no top end. After a few more waves, I was completely sold on this design and the versatility it had.

It’s been very popular, some of my good friends had them. What was interesting, their sons, some of the best LJ reef surfers, tried them and didn’t want to give them back. They ordered duplicates. Not smaller, leaner versions. The same boards. They actually rode them on the bigger days.” - Rusty Preisendorfer

29/03/2026

TWIN FIN
My first custom board, 1967, was a Mirandon Brothers, Surfboards La Jolla, Twin Fin. A second shorter one 6 months later. Then I shaped my first board in the Fall of 69. Guess what? Yes, it was a 6’3 twin fin with my own twists to the design. To say I have experience with Twin Fins is an understatement.

In 1979 I teamed up with Shaun Tomson to do his boards at Canyon. Shaun was a leading proponent in the Twin Fin genre. Shaun was a tough customer, but I learned a lot about twins, much of which is still incorporated in today’s designs.

While working with Shaun Tomson, I refined the bottom with the addition of a shallow single concave that feeds into the vee. The vee splits into a double in front of the fins and runs off the rail behind the wing. The double vee is different to most in that it has a slight crown. The vee runs off the tail with a slight convex. The position of the wing, the back of the fin in conjunction with the concave exiting through the wing makes for solid firm turns. The foil in the rail line is very similar to a modern performance shortboard. Don’t think of the Twin Fin as just a small wave board. I’ve had quite a few team riders over the years ride them in sizeable surf.

A very versatile design. Two fins are ridden these days on all kind of hulls. My design is more traditional with subtle updates adding to the overall performance. 🏄‍♂️Mikey Baron putting the Twin Fin to the test

18/03/2026

New China Wavepool is insane
* That Air Section is Psycho!!

01/01/2026

“A HEAVY HITTER FOR ANY ARSENAL!” - RUSTY
The “Blackbird” SR-71 is the fastest manned jet ever built. Based on that concept, we designed this board to cover ground quickly! Developed for the bigger days chasing down peaks in open waters and battling currents, this is the perfect big-wave weapon.

It features added volume, an area-forward outline, lower entry-rocker and a light vee in the nose allowing it to paddle into anything, even in the toughest of surf conditions. With a slight single to double concave bottom, running through the fins and rounded pintail, the Blackbird delivers smooth transitions and fast, clean lines. A heavy hitter for any arsenal!