CJ Nelson vågsurfingbräda Oracle Thunderbolt 10'6

In 2016, Thomas Campbell loaned CJ his Skip Frye Eagle to help him get through the Santa Cruz summer. At that point CJ's glider experience was almost none, with the exception of riding his fathers 10'3" Phil Edwards Waikiki.

The speed and glide CJ got on the Eagle changed his outlook on what longboards in general should feel like. The long swoops and simplistic flow had him hooked, but he always thought they could operate more like a traditional log. Could they noseride, pivot, and slash, turning a novelty board into a daily driver?

Designing this glider project has been a long time coming. We turned a point-and-shoot glider into a well rounded performance longboard. For years, CJ has been dabbling in glider surfing, having the top glider shapers from around the world build him boards. The thing that bothers him that mostly all gliders have in common is that they are very temperamental and hard to ride. Easy to catch waves on, for sure, but hard to navigate once you're up. We wanted to break this chain and build a glider that catches waves with ease, but performs like no other. The Oracle has a generous rocker to eliminate hangups, a performance rail, more tail flip for nose work, and a light, manageable glass job to accentuate performance. If you want to surf well into your 80s, better start mastering a glider. A must have for everyone.

Thanks to Skip Frye, Dane Purlee, Thomas Campbell and Josh Hall for all the years of glider tutelage.

Concept designed by: CJ X Ryan Engle

RECOMMENDED FINS
INVOLVEMENT, POWER FLEX
RECOMMENDED CONDITIONS
WORKS BEST IN ANKLE TO SHOULDER HIGH SURF


THUNDERBOLT SILVER / TRADITIONAL PERFORMANCE
Fiberglass hand Lamination
Traditional Weight & performanceFlex
Hand-Crafted

Thunderbolt Silver was designed to offer a well-balanced blend of traditional performance, flex, and durability. Our Silver blank construction features fiberglass internal flex components hand laminated with 6oz x 2oz fiberglass cloth on both the top and bottom. Although Thunderbolt Silver is the most “traditional” feeling technology we offer it does still have the most amount of flex which turns up the performance value way beyond any PU board on the market. Thunderbolt Silver construction is versatile and predictable making it suitable for a wide variety of wave conditions and skill levels. If you love the feeling of a traditional PU surfboard and want to turn up its natural performance value than this is a great technology for you.

OUR BLANKS
All Thunderbolt surfboards typically start with our high-quality EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) foam core blank. The foam is lightweight and buoyant, making the board easier to paddle and maneuver. EPS is made of small, bead-like foam pellets that are fused together. EPS is lightweight, durable, and provides a responsive feel underfoot.

Thunderbolt surfboards have no central wooden stringer, which is traditionally used for strength in surfboards. Instead, we rely on modern construction methods like carbon fiber and or fiberglass elements for strength, stiffness and flex control. The standout features of a Thunderbolt surfboards are the advanced material flex components that we build into our blanks. Our blanks are designed with specific flex characteristics that mimic the feel of a traditional surfboard blank but with enhanced feel and elevated performance. Our flex patterns vary depending on the model, catering to different surfing styles and conditions. We offer a range of shapes, from high-performance shortboards to classic longboards. Each shape is designed to take advantage of Thunderbolt’s technology, providing surfers of all skill levels with an elevated surfing experience in any waves they choose to ride.

Depending on the construction (Black, Red, or Silver), carbon fiber or fiberglass flex components are applied into the blank in our “A-beam” - “V-beam” and “T-stringer” configuration. These elements are the heart and soul of our surfboards and provide the flex characteristics that we are known for.