Irish Surf News » Dean Geraghty

Surfing Big Waves in Ireland

jd — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:59:15 +0000

Custom shaped to order, these treble-stringer, dual leash plug, 7’6″ big-wave guns are testament to the pioneering ethos over at Surf Merchant Ireland. Recently a couple of team riders were eyeing up some of Ireland’s gnarlier reef wave set-ups. We had a look at the surfing demands of these chasmic Irish hell-waves, and had a yarn with our lead shaper, Dean Geraghty. Immediately on our wavelength, Dean refined and put into production our vision;
Classic gun dimensions with a streamlined, narrow, pin-tail profile, together with extra glassing on hi-stress areas, 2 leash plugs (in case one rips out on a catapult wipe-out!) and a pinstripe of 3 wooden stringer panels for impact-resilience, and stiffness driving through the face of monster swell-lines.

4WFS on the WCT Surf Tour

jd — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 09:18:29 +0000

Over the past 18 months, the Surf Merchant crew have sung the praises of Dean Geraghty’s innovations in surf design. Team riders have advanced their surfing on the back of his 4 Way Fin System technology and New Tech epoxy surfboard shapes. Last week at the Billabong pro in Jeffreys Bay, Sean Holmes, a local wild card entry stood out riding a Geraghty 6’1″, stamping authority in the line up right the way through to the quarter finals.

There was a tremendous amount of interest in the local favourite, and much of the chatter was about his progressive surfing equipment. Up in the commentary box, we heard surfing legends agree that with 4WFS surfers have more adaptability and performance in their fin set-up than ever before. They are not the first to acknowledge this sea of change in the surfboard design arena (FuelTV picked up on it over a year ago, as did the South African media).

For over a decade, FCS (fin control system) has had the strangle-hold on removable fins. This popular alternative to glassed-in fins allows surfers to travel without the fear of fin damage. It also opens up a range of fin options, so that surfers can try different fin permutations that contribute to the flow and ride of the surfboard. 4WFS blows FCS out the water however in its 3D interchange. Not only is there a range of removable fins to sample, with various composites, flex and shape, but the unique plug system is built for experimentation in fin direction and angle. Whereas FCS is static, fixed to the two drill plugs set into the glass, the 4wfs uni-plug swivels and tilts. Adjustment in toe-in and splay make an incredible impact your surfboard performance. Have a listen to Shaun Gossman, or hear all about 4WFS from the man himself, Dean Geraghty, in this interview from a trade expo in San Diego.

Surfboards for Ireland

jd — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 19:37:36 +0000

Surf Merchant has been around a while now, and we’ve been listening to what our Irish customers are telling us. Irish surfers are going online to find information about surfboards and when they do, they want to know where to get these surfboards in Ireland. Here’s where the disconnect occurs. There’s a plethora of websites out there singing the praises of the surfboard revolution, with new production technologies, radical surfboard design, next generation surfboard components, dynamic fin systems and fin foil mechanics. However, Ireland’s surfboard market is dominated by standardised surfboard models, from BIC and NSP mals to generic 6’4″ thruster shapes.
Surf Merchant delivers unconventional surfboard shapes to Ireland. Our focus is currently with fish shapes and hybrid mal surfboards. We work closely with world recognised Town & Country, NEV and Surf Shapes surfboard shaper, Dean Geraghty. Dean has 25+ years shaping under his belt. He is leading the charge with his performance thruster shapes, and has a number of class acts surfing on his label, including Sean Holmes, South African born Jeffreys Bay master. Geraghty is a strong advocate of new tech epoxy laminate shapes, and is pioneering a prototype fin system called 4WFS. He embraces experimental surfboard shaping and upholds quality with alternative design. There will be plenty more on this anon, but hold your breathe because there are some really exciting developments coming out of the Dark Continent, and Surf Merchant will deliver to Ireland.