Beater boards are beginning to invade lineups everywhere nowadays thanks to their sleek, retro designs.
We invite you to check out this mini shredder that looks more like a rainbow tombstone than an actual surfboard.
Catch Surf Beater
The soft-top Catch Surf Beater was created in order to make average days out in the water epic days out in the water.
This eclectic summertime fun gun not your typical surfboard of course, though you can definitely ride it like one, as well as like a bodyboard or skimboard. George Arzente, Catch Surf’s creator, credited the Beater board to the company’s shift into the popular surf market.
The Shift To Soft-Top
Before finding out about Catch Surf Beater boards, we could already see a pretty obvious shift to soft-top boards.
What were once unbearable foam logs have now become powerful surfing tools, even for some of the biggest surfers in the world.
Foam tops are great for many reasons.
They’re much easier for beginners to learn on, they’re a lot less expensive than fiberglass boards, and they can ride pretty casually when the waves are small.
Blackball Surfing
The Catch Surf Company has the slogan, “If you can’t join ‘em, Beat ‘em”.
This is referring to certain beaches on the west coast that are “blackballed” during summer, meaning they are too packed with swimming crowds for the lifeguards to allow hardtop boards in the water.
Because the Catch Surf boards are soft-top, finless boards, they are the exception. Surfers know that even if surfing is legally banned in certain locations during certain times, they can still go out and shred with their Beaters.
The Slop
Riding a Beater is all about enjoying the slop, and many big surfers like that. The guys at Catch Surf don’t take themselves too seriously. They know their boards are built for fun and are made to ride in conditions that are sub par, or those that you couldn’t take a normal board out into. Because of the laughably short length and twin fin build, you can easily rocket down the line and maneuver like nothing else.
The board is built with a high-density PE bottom that makes it very durable. The longer ones are much better for actually standing up and riding prone, while the smaller ones are much better for bodyboard-style riding.
Catch Surf Pros
Bet you didn’t think Catch Surf had a serious team, did you?
There is no shortage of pros that have been seen flaunting their Beaters out in the slop. Top shredders such as Jamie O’Brien and Kalani Robb have been riding these things for quite some time. There are even videos of surfers like Taj Burrow ripping the signature 54 special on an otherworldly boat trip to Indonesia.
Most of these dudes are frequenting competitions and hitting the biggest waves in the world, so to see them stoked to have summer fun with their Beaters is pretty awesome.
Retro Surf Culture
The 1980s were crazy times for fashion and surfers more than anyone liked to share in the zany and eclectic. From bright neon wetsuits to reflective to sunglasses, surf culture in the 80s seemed to be more about fashion than functionality. Bodyboarding had even reached its peak in the 80s with teams beginning to hit spots like the Wedge.
The Catch Surf Beater definitely reflects the retro surf culture of the 1980s and is probably the reason why they stand out so much. Some of the available Beater colors include Lettuce Green, Pop Yellow, Water Blue, and, well, you get the picture.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re on your stomach, knees, butt, or feet, riding a Catch Surf Beater is endless fun. It’s a bit like hybrid surfing and is definitely one for the experimental realm of surfing.
You can even bust out little tricks like shuv-its if you get your practice in. It’s the perfect little shredder for beginner surfers or little ones and an absolute ripper for those advanced surfers who want to explore its possibilities.
Not only that, you can easily toss this thing in the back of your car and transport it to the beach without hassle. Be apart of the Beater revolution and remember, “If you can’t join ‘em, Beat ‘em”.
