So the only Mitsven we've ridden is much larger than the Christenson Racer's we've ridden (from 4'10-5'6), so its a bit of an apples to oranges comparison due to them being vastly different sizes, but a few things really stood out: - * Christenson * = more "traditional" mini-simmons. Much flatter, and almost always ridden as short as possible. - * Mitsven *= has more rocker than you'd usually see in a mini-simmons. Due to the size of this one, the rocker in no way made this board feel slow or made it die in the flats; there's quite a bit of volume packed in here and a longer profile so it carried speed very well. The rocker did, however, seem to help loosen up the board/ make it easier to start engaging turns, despite its size. - * Both *: Very fast/ carries well in the flats or in mushy waves. Very slide-y, not carve-y/ pivot-y (or more like you can turn your body to pivot around quickly, and the back comes around quick and easy, but the back slides around instead of digging in as a pivot point). - * Overall * = I found the Ocean racer to be a great go-to board for most days. Despite most people liking it for mushier waves, I actually enjoyed it most in pitchier surf (if you can survive the death drop or get in early enough). The slidey- factor become super fun when you get some speed and pitch to the wave. This is probably the most "Skateboard-ey" surfboard I've ever ridden and I personally absolutely love it. The Mitsven was a tool for me on different days - I particularly liked it during swamped tides. I could catch the waves super early before they broke (due to the size of the board), and then still had the looseness to bring the board all the way around on top turns. One thing I really liked was the feeling of a board this big slideing around on a turn, something really special with that kind of floatey slide. I also found that while trying to carve a hard rail turn on these boards was next to impossible, the Mitsven rails were a little more user friendly, probably just because it was such a longer effective edge due to the length of the board. - * Who will like it * = People who want a different feeling than a normal surfboard. Someone who wants a skatey feeling, and likes the "slide". People who want something fun for mushier waves or want something different in their quiver for below average to slightly above average surf days - * Who won't like it * = People who like traditional performance surfing and nothing else / "performance pure-ists". If you're looking to do a hardcore pivot turn with a firm plant and snap, or to laydown a wicked rail carve, look elsewhere. This is all about slidey fun. Hope this helps, just my two cents. We rode the Mitsven maybe a dozen times and the ocean racers maybe 2 dozen times (three different sizes), so enough to get a good feel dialing them in, but not enough to feel like they're an extension of our body yet :).

Thank you for the thoughtful reply. I have had a Joe bauguess Simmons for a bit and would like to try something little different. if you find you have a mitsven and the ocean racer in the shop that I can demo it would be greatly appreciated. both shapes look good. I'm not a top to bottom surfer- @@thesurfersguild

Thanks @@user-tz2ee5hb4v ! Right now we've sold all the Ocean Racers and the Mitsven from this video, but we do get them in fairly regularly. We do have other mini-simmons in stock for rental and demo though (we have a section in our quiver devoted to them). Right now we have a 5'7 Ben McTavish Mini-simmons and a 5'2.5" varial foam Album Plasmic, as well as a Mandala Arctail Quad (5'4) and a Almond Secret Menu 5'4 (foamie). Thanks for checking us out!🤙

Thank you. if possible keep my info when large Ocean racer walks in store. Cheers @@thesurfersguild

Totally agree! We sold this one, but our new one has the A flex in it :). I usually run a slightly bigger A flex personally, just feels a little better for me on the bottom turns. The 4a is great all rounder too, we run it on several of our set ups 🤙

TLDR: I think the 5'9 will be good for you in the holy grail, and is a great size (although depending on preference, you may want to go even 5'10 or 6'0). A general rule of thumb is about 4-6lbs per liter of volume (you are about 154lbs - so aim for 25.6 - 38.5 liters of volume. The holy grail at 5'9 is 29.5 liters, which is right in the sweet spot for you. For reference your 5'8 hypto is 31 liters) Detailed info: So the hypto at 5'8 is going to be a little big for you which may contribute to that stiffness feeling -. I'm 160-165 (about 74kg compared to your 70kg) and rode both a 5'6 in PE and 5'8 in future flex. The 5'8 FF was good, but definitely too big and I definitely started feeling that stiffness you talk about. The 5'6 was much looser and fun and I preferred it over the 5'8. It was able to handle just about everything up to head high (in a little over head high I would grab the 5'8 for the added volume, but it wouldn't be my first board choice in those waves anyways, unless they were mushy waves). I've heard from multiple people that oversizing the hypto results in a much less fun surfing experience, and I would tend to agree. Note that epoxy or Future flex construction will add some float as well vs. traditional PU. The holy grail is a much different board than the hypto - much more performance oriented and much less volume under the nose than the hypto. A very generous concave does give it lots of float and paddle power though which is nice. I ride a 5'8 stock dims in future flex for the grail (compared to my 5'6 hypto), and it feels spot on (although it is probably even less volume than the 5'6 hypto). It handles surf up to head high very well, although I honestly wouldn't mind a little more volume for better days (at head high it starts to feel a little on the smaller size for getting into the waves). If i was using it as more of a step up, I'd definitely go for a 5'10 or even 6'0 - My buddy who is only 150lbs/ 67kg rode a 6'0 in Hawaii in well overhead waves and LOVED it. If in doubt, always go more volume, especially if looking for more of a step up. I'd recommend a 5'10 or 6'0 for you in the grail, but a 5'9 will definitely be super fine for almost all conditions.

@@thesurfersguild Thanks! Yeah, I also think that more volume works better for me, but on the shorter side, a 5'9 seem right. 6'0 for shortboards is as long as I go. I feel that when the ratio board length x surfer height it starts to require lots of adjustments in the body placement between paddling out and paddling in).

If the hypto feels stiff it might be worth trying it as a 2+1 (Noel Salas mentions this in his hypto review) especially in smaller waves.

@@lachlanjames123 This is a genius idea! I am going to try this next time i get another hypto in and will report back! Noel Salas does some incredible break downs of boards, if he recommends it, I bet it's fire!

GET IT!!! We've sold two, and I dearly miss both! To this day, the Ocean Racer is still my favorite mini-simmons model out there- you can't go wrong! The 5'5 is a very good size for most; although depending on your weight & skill level you can generally go even smaller, the float is quite good on them (FWIW - I'm 6'0 165lbs and rode both a 4'10 and 5'6 quite a bit, both were very fun, but I generally liked the smaller one better on most days due to the extreme skatey-ness of it, although the 5'6 i preferred when the waves had a little more power.... If i were to get one custom for myself, I'd probably shoot for around 5'2). Have fun out there with it!!!🏄🙌

@@thesurfersguild ---Christenson VS Mitsven Mini. what would be the difference between these and the Joe bauguess mini?

Let your wife know we appreciate her and hope you enjoy it! ❤

We're about to get one and will update this video soon! As a huge fan of both the hypto and holy grail, i think it could be a winning combination and really performance up the hypto a little (which i found to be a great daily driver board, but a little lacking if you want a true performance board). We'll update you soon!

Yeww, Thanks Nick! That means a lot, we're just huge fans of hand shaping and stoked Logan was willing to show us the ropes on our first board

Yes! Love the quad set up, feels just like every mini simmons I've ridden!

@@thesurfersguild ----mitsven vs christenson --I already have the Joe bauguess mini simmons.

Hi! Thanks for your commment and questions, we'll do our best to point you in the right direction! Yes, a Serena would be a good bet for larger, still longboardable waves. The pintail should give you good hold and the overall shape is very flowey/glidey. You honestly can't go wrong with an Andreini, and if you are ordering one custom from Marc, he will actually take the time to get to know you and recommend the right shape for your specific style of surfing and the breaks you go to. If buying one used, just keep in mind that while the boards to have a good amount of versatility, they are generally designed to excel in a specific type of surfing style and wave shape/size. The Serena would be my personal best bet for larger longboarding waves, but you may also want to try the Special K (looser in the back and able to do more aggressive turns), or if you want to try something smaller, the MP or Serena Pocket Rocket - it really depends on your style of riding. The Vaquero rides like a miniature longboard which is super fun and it catches everything for its size while still being quite maneuverable; the MP will be like a glidey shortboard or a "step down" from a traditional longboard that you can whip around more for performance riding (not recommended if looking for a true longboard); the Pocket rocket will ride like a miniature step up or performance shortboard in larger dimensions (good for performance riding as well, but more agressive than the MP, and usually small), the Serena Pin will ride like a performance pintail-longboard with good hold and clean cut lines; and the Special K like a funner longboard you can still turn easily (a vaquero thats a little looser in the back/easier to turn). Hope this helps, let us know any follow up questions and we'll be happy to answer!

Haha, ya, it was a boat in this size! If you're in SD come ride it for free at our demo shop! Yes, for size, we got it used for our shop (otherwise I would have probably ordered something around 5'3 for myself), but it looked fun so I had to take it out! It was surprisingly fun down the line on bigger waves, even tho it was grossly oversized. I have heard from a few buddies that they also thought it turned a little slow even when riding it in their size tho, so I think the turning comment still holds true and isn't necessarily volume specific. That being said, next time I get my hands on a small one I'll have to update the review with my second impressions as it looks a little simmons-y which I love, so maybe a smaller one will open up more...to be continued!

@@thesurfersguild wish I could. I live in Hawaii! Lol. Just doing a deep dive on the plasmic bc I want to shape something like it for myself. Do you remember what thickness it was? His flat decks and beak noses hold more volume than what my 'surfboard volume calculator app' would suggest

@@SmilinMikeable Hawaii for the win! Love it there man, good on ya for the good life choices 🙌. Yes, the thickness was 2.75". Exact dims are 6'0 x 22.5" x 2.75". No volume written, but I'd say it felt like the volume of a small canoe :).

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We think you probably can! We have not attempted to dye these ourselves, but it is a 100% cotton that should accept dye, especially if you bleach it first. But please keep in mind, most dyes and bleach aren't the best for the environment, so please try to use eco-friendly dyes if trying this out. Let us know if you try dying it, we'd love to see how it looks!

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thanks so much!

Wohooo, Thanks for the order! We'll throw in a small gift with your order to spread the stoke your way! If you have any feedback on the poncho, let us know, we love customer input! Hope you catch some good swell too! 🏄🏼‍♂️

Yep, 100% wool! We're also getting a few new styles made in wool, they should be available soon here: www.westpath.com/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage%2Ccollection&options%5Bprefix%5D=last&q=wool+blanket

We love Sonora! All our blankets are handmade in various parts of Mexico, usually farther south in the mainland Mexico :)

Wohoooo! Have fun, and we hope you catch some stellar waves when you're done!

Thanks so much! "Happy days and Party Waves!"

Love you guys!

Thanks Bridge!