Barrelmeisters – the Holy Grail of Bodysurfing

Finally, the Holy Grail of Bodysurfing! Swim Faster, Make More Waves n Barrels – Get Radical!

Help out via Crowd Funding below.

Where it all Started

When I was young I loved the beach, but the shorebreak even more so, it always drew me back in with the hypnotic rythmic pull of the barrel. Starting out in the crumblers of Waimanalo on the Windward side, advancing onto the endless variety of Makapuu, and then graduating onto Sandy’s with its daily explosive machine-like barrelfest. Sandy’s taught me a lot about bodysurfing and about barrels, especially the importance of holding your edge while positioning in the barrel and especially about respecting powerful waves breaking in shallow water. As I graduated from high school, my Barrel Studies took a decade long hiatus as I moved to the mainland for college and stayed on for work.

Then I moved back home to Hawaii 4 years ago, and my Barrel Studies kicked back into full swing while living on “the Land” under the tutelage of distinguished Professor Kohl Christensen and the rest of the bomb squad. It was nice and especially refreshing to be back in Hawaii with buddies from high school, ones who had been pushing the limits of performance in big waves while carving out a unique lifestyle path that embodies the principles of sustainability and simplicity.

I had a lot of catching up to do! While I was maneuvering my mouse through spreadsheets in a 42 story skyscraper, they were maneuvering through triple overhead bone crunching barrels, while I was learning about high growth startups and the vagaries of creeping corporate bureaucracy, they were learning about boards, breaks, keyholes, conditions and all those factors that need to line up for epic conditions and mind-blowing experiences.

What was I gonna do to catch up?

I figured the best way I was going to catch up would be to bodysurf as much as I could so that I would get my fitness level up to be able to handle larger conditions and feel comfortable even if I lost my board. So that’s what I did, and in the process it reignited my love for bodysurfing!

Well that was all fine and dandy as long as the conditions were below 3 ft Hawaiian, but once it gets past 4-5 ft you begin to have difficulty holding your line and so you slide down the face and burn all your speed and crash, the ride is over. Well this definitely WAS a technical problem that needed to be solved and that’s what gave birth to THZ WaveTech and the handboard set – Barrelmeisters!!!

“Barrelmeisters not only allows you to swim faster and so catch more and bigger waves, but also to hold your line. This enables a more performance oriented interaction with the wave – one that can be more precisely choreographed, which means you are gonna make more waves and more barrels.”

-Menko

THZ Test Pilot

Designer of Barrelmeisters

A Cautionary Note on the Current State of

Handboard Design

Before embarking on the process of designing a handboard that would improve your riding, a few different handboard models were trialed. During this period we realized that pretty much every handboard on the market is WAY TOO BIG! It quickly became apparent to us that this is actually quite dangerous, not so much if you are riding in knee to waist high crumblers, but as soon as the waves begin to get larger and more powerful.

IMAGINE: You are swimming out to the lineup and dragging this large cumbersome item attached to one of your arms which makes it difficult to swim so you’re going to get worked more often. Then while you are getting thrashed by a powerful set, your arm begins to get ripped around and you injure your shoulder joint.

You could let go of the board, but since they are so big and clunky you end up getting forcefully hit in the face or neck. Without a leash you are swimming into shore after your board. You run both the risk of injury while in the impact zone and ergonomic/repetitive strain/stress due to the bulk, weight, and bad design.

Continued swimming use will cause shoulder strain and lead to the development of physical asymmetries which can lead to a whole host of other physiological problems. If you are interested in bodysurfing serious surf, and care about the health of your upper body – hang your old model on the wall as art and start radically improving your bodysurfing performance with Barrelmeisters!

Introducing a Revolution in Handboard Design

After lots of problem solving, numerous prototypes and a ton of testing over the last 3+ years Barrelmeisters are here!

THZ Barrelmiesters

Hold your Line Bodysurfing

Fluid Extension of your Body’s Mechanics

Weighing in at a jaw-droppingly slim 3 oz and 45 square inches! They help you swim faster and don’t burn out your shoulders!

Barrelmeisters doesn’t compromise your bodysurfing style, they enhance your bodysurfing skills and ability to position on the wave. They don’t get in the way, and they give you that precious edge!

As we tested and refined the Barrelmeisters concept over the past 3+ years we realized that by using two handboards A WHOLE REALM OF INCREASED PERFORMANCE OPENS UP!

We’re almost there! Mahalo for going HERE