Talisman (Mini Gun)

Tags: `sizing` `dim-selection`

> Most surfers in the SoCal-to-Indo travel range land between 6'10" > and 7'2". Lighter riders or head-to-overhead-only conditions can size > down toward 6'8". Heavier surfers or anyone building this for > double-overhead reef and outer-island boat trips should look at 7'4" > or longer. > > The math you use on a daily shortboard doesn't transfer cleanly. A > mini gun's volume is foiled forward of center, so a 36-liter Talisman > paddles differently than a 36-liter shortboard. Don't compare gun > volume directly to your everyday board. > > Send me your weight, where you're planning to ride this, and what > you're already on for daily surf — I'll work the dim with you before > you lock the build.

Tags: `fin-setup`

> Thruster is stock for a reason. Hold and drive on a long bottom > turn, predictable release in the pocket, no surprises when the wave > doubles up on the drop. That's the gun-canon expectation and what > most customers should run. > > Quad runs faster down-the-line and rewards a setup more weighted to > point-break or long-walling reef. Worth thinking about if the trip > you're building this for is mostly point-style surf — a Mexico > right-hander, a Tahitian reef on a smaller day. > > Five-fin convertible keeps both options open from the same board. > Cleanest if you're building one travel quiver gun and want > versatility without two builds. The trade-off is a slightly heavier > finished board (more boxes = more weight). > > Specific fin recs across Futures / FCS II / True Ames / NVS are > coming with our fin-recommendations release. Until then, start the > custom order and we'll work the recs together.

Tags: `wave-range` `use-case`

> Overhead to double-overhead, with shape and push. Real-day reef > breaks; clean point-break walls; outer-island boat trips. Mexico > points when the buoy reads double; the second reef at Macaronis > when it's actually breaking; solid overhead Blacks on a clean West > swell; North County reefs when Salt Creek is closing out at > Whittier's house. > > What it's NOT built for: your daily T-Street session, head-high > Lowers on a normal Tuesday, or knee-to-waist surf where you'd be > better off on a fish. If you're surfing this thing on a normal day > you're going to wonder why your everyday board is suddenly faster > and more responsive than the Talisman — that's correct, and that's > not the point of this board.

Tags: `design` `contour` `hydrodynamics`

> Each section of the bottom is doing a different job at a different > point on the wave. > > The flat nose section paddles cleanly into a wave that hasn't > jacked yet. Concave through the front of the board adds drag at low > speed, and on a gun your priority during paddle is wave-catching — > not loose feel. Flat wins. > > The single concave through the midsection loads the front foot > at speed. Once you're in the wave and on rail, the single concave > creates a clean compressed surface for the lead foot to drive > against. That's where the gun's fastest-line feel comes from on a > long bottom turn. > > The double concave through the tail splits water behind the fins > for predictable release. Coming out of a bottom turn into a top turn, > the double lets the tail break cleanly instead of grabbing or > pushing wash. That's what keeps the board driving when you load it > hard at speed. > > Combined with high entry and high exit rocker, the contour profile > is what makes the Talisman feel committed and confidence-inspiring on > a doubled-up takeoff but still alive through the flat middle of a > wave that has already broken once.

Tags: `build` `process` `turnaround`

> Every Talisman is built to order in San Clemente. Lock your slot > with a 25% deposit; balance is due on completion. > > Gun builds run a bit longer than shortboard builds — the heavier > glass schedule and the rocker / foiling work take more time. Add > roughly 1–2 weeks vs. a shortboard at the same finish tier. We'll > confirm timeline against the current queue when you order. > > The flow: > > 1. Start a custom order on the site or message me directly. > 2. We talk through dim, tail shape, fin setup, glass schedule, and > finish tier. I'll recommend on weight, stance, and the waves > you're building this for. > 3. CNC-cut from your spec, finished by Jack Sykes here at the shop. > 4. Final QC pass. Pickup or shipping arranged on completion. > > This isn't a buy-it-off-the-rack experience and it isn't designed > to be. The customer who orders a Talisman is usually the customer who > wants to talk shop — happy to do that.

Tags: `comparison` `competitor`

> The Pro and the Padillac are the closest production-line comparables > in the mini-gun category — that's what we benchmark against during > design, and customers asking this question are usually serious about > the spec. > > Where we line up: pulled-in round pin tail, thruster stock, gun foil > with weight forward, designed for the same use case (real overhead > surf, travel quiver, big-day reef). If you've ridden either of those > models you'll feel familiar on a Talisman. > > Where we differ: the Talisman is built to your spec rather than off > a stock pop-out program — width, thickness, volume, tail shape, glass > schedule, fin setup are dialed in for your weight and the waves > you're building it for. We can also push the contour package toward > the kind of surf you're actually going to ride: more drive-out-of- > turns or more hold on a steep face, depending on what you ask for. > > The other piece is the build itself — finished by Jack Sykes at our > San Clemente shop, not pulled from a factory queue. If knowing your > shaper matters to you, that's part of the value.

Tags: `glassing` `construction` `defaults`

> Three finish tiers: > > - $1,050 — Clear Resin Sanded. Stripped-back, fastest turnaround. > PU blank, polyester resin, sanded matte off the lam. The default for > customers who want the board doing the work and don't care about > the finish layer. > - $1,200 — Resin Tint Sanded. Color in the resin (not a paint > job), sanded matte. Gives you the visual identity without the gloss > step. > - $1,400 — Resin Tint Gloss + Polish. Top-tier finish. Resin > tint plus a gloss coat polished to show-quality. > > Glass schedule on a gun runs heavier than a daily shortboard. We > default to a 6+4 oz deck and 6 oz bottom — the gun-appropriate > baseline. Lighter is available if you're prioritizing travel weight, > but I'd talk you out of going lighter than 4+4 / 4 on a board you > plan to actually load on a real day. A glassed-too-light gun > chatters and unloads unpredictably when you're driving the rail at > speed. > > See `/build-guide/glassing-schedules` for the full theory.

Tags: `demo` `try-before-buy` `policy`

> I'm currently working on a stock-board / demo program — there isn't > a Talisman in the demo rotation yet because Talisman is a > first-of-category build for us. As soon as a stock build finishes > and goes into the rotation, I'll add it to the program. > > In the meantime: if you're local to San Clemente, come by the shop > by appointment and I'll walk you through the design. Bring your > daily board so we can talk dim. If you're building this for a > specific trip, message me with the trip details and I'll work the > spec around it. > > If you're not local — start a conversation through the contact form > and we'll go through the same conversation by message. The > last thing I want is for someone to commit to a serious-water board > they aren't going to feel confident on; if a custom isn't the right > call yet, I'll tell you that.