Don’t know what a mini mal is Beachy, but in my world, that’s a decent sized longboard, albeit a definite performance version I guess... I sink anything smaller like lipsyncing sank Milli Vanilli
Regulation size for a LB starts at 9ft. I know what you mean though. Maybe it’s a mini LB or funshape.
It’s a good question actually - I bought it used but it’s a Beal custom for a local guy. My 9’4” is a ledgerunner, the 8’4” I’ve been incorrectly calling a fish is a cougar (someone called it a “big boy fish”) and the 10’DelRay is what it is, but it’s got aggressive rocker, hard rails all the way to midships, a hydro bottom and five fin boxes and that pointed nose. A lot of custom stuff I’d say. I’ll be seeing him so I’ll ask - good to learn something new
"Minimal" is shorthand for "mini Malibu"... or a scaled down longboard. Very similar to a funshape, except a minmal usually has all of the longboard design traits, while a funboard is usually just a big, floaty dog in terms of what it can and can't do. Funboards are just wave catching machines, so they have very simple bottoms and relaxed rockers to reduce drag... which also limits their performance. But they can catch a fart ripple.
Great info LB. so I’m gonna say it’s defintely A mini LB but pretty performance built... it’s pretty thick at 3.25” but it’s mostly forward of center so it floats me enough so I can be aggressive in how far forward I am on the boart when I paddle for a wave - explains why it’s a machine for me but will only surf what’s there... no fart ripples lol It concaves from a flat bottom probably 1/3 the way back from nose, then goes into a hydro all the way to the tail and the rails get hard like I said from about mid board back so it is responsive ass hell. It pumps along around closeout whitewater by twisting at the hips in short, quick movements - I don’t even know if I’m doing it correctly but I mimiced what I see and it works awesome... but only on that board
In the 50's/60's the aussie boards were garbage, so when the californians visited with real boards that were good the aussies called their longboards malibus, because malibu was the best known break in cal. Then shortboards happened so the aussies just kept calling longboards mals, and they still do today. Hence mini mal for anything under 9'0" but too big for a shortboard. I have an 8'0" board shaped like a Bing Lightweight Pintail. Mini Mal. Totally hot stick.
That’s one of the all time classiciest lines on this site!!!! Me, I’m kinda partial to xhamster myself.