After receiving a sizeable order for these peculiar-shaped boards inspired by the legend, Bob Simmons, Matt embraced the challenge of designing and building his version of the Simmons shape.

After weeks of research and discussions with team riders and fellow craftsmen during one of the best winters of surf this coast has seen in over a decade, Matt started building his first Mini Simmons prototypes.

Each one to be tested in some of the best sandbars the South Bay of Los Angeles has to offer. While most guys were dusting off their thruster step-ups, Matt dedicated himself for an entire season to surfing upwards of 10 Simmons prototypes until he established what he thought was the best balance of volume, rocker, rail shape and fin design. He not only wanted to create an easy-riding Simmons-inspired design – but a super functional and versatile board that could handle anything from ankle-slappers to overhead reeling beach breaks.

Matt’s goal was to make this model as functional as possible in his own interpretation of Bob Simmons’ original design.  Adopting Simmons’ relatively flat rocker and S-deck design, the Bing Mini Simmons has a slight displacement and belly in the nose that goes into a flat and slight concave in the tail.  Instead of following the traditional short length design, Matt found that by keeping the rails thin he could accomplish two critical design features: (1) Keep the dimensions friendlier and slightly longer to enhance glide and paddle and (2) Despite its wide outline, the rider would be able to keep the board on a rail through turns, keeping the board maneuverable. 

Veering from the traditional Simmons square tail design, Matt adopted an arc tail making the board looser and more responsive.  For fins, instead of trying to use more fin surface area like the traditional half-moon templates to turn the board, he discovered that the smaller base and straightness of the Gephart template allowed the board to release a lot more off each turn.

The end result is a Simmons-inspired shape that is faster and has more glide with more responsiveness than a standard keel fish. With its straight outline, this model can dominate small and weak wave conditions and is also versatile enough to surf head high, more challenging waves. Ride this model 2-4” shorter than your regular fish or ride it longer as a transition from your longboard.