During the month of July, we put together an amazing prize worth over $1,000 and raffled it amongst all the customers that shopped at Sideways. The prize included any surfboard the winner chose, a board bag, a leash, a set of fins and a sideways beach bag. Tempting, right? If you were one of the participants that entered the draw, you probably had your fingers and toes crossed for this one... Game was on!

Days rolled by quickly and the wait was over! It was time to make the announcement - We couldn't wait to share the news. The lucky winner was Tim, a legend from Tugun, carpenter, husband and father of two. Needless to say that Tim was stoked when we told him that he had just won this dream package. 

After a couple of days, we were arranging a time to meet Tim at our Sideways Tweed Heads South store and help him collect his prize. 

We introduced Tim to the whole Sideways team in store - everybody was very excited to meet the man.

"Welcome to the candy shop. You can choose any board you want from the store".

The smile on Tim's face was the same than the one you would see on a kid's face if you told him that someone had burnt down his school... 

We had been placing our bets... was he going to choose something a bit different like a twin fin? A novelty board? Or would he go for a shortboard? Tim had in mind what most of us had guessed: a mal! 

Can you blame him? 

We headed over to the surfboards and hardware section, where Jimmy was waiting to help Tim choose the best mal for him. Jimmy is our surfboard and hardware manager at the Tweed store and surely knows his stuff when it comes to surfboards, waves, and surf hardware. 

Jimmy asked a few questions to get an idea of Tim's surfing experience, the breaks he liked to surf, his style, the kind of boards he had previously surfed, and the whole lot. 

Tim is a keen surfer and has good experience riding shortboards. He was very excited about getting something completely different: a performance long board that would allow him to turn nicely and enjoy the waves when the swell is small around the Gold Coast. 

We headed to the long board section and started browsing the options that would suit Tim. The first one to be introduced was our Maywood Mal, a very popular log not only amongst our customers but also with our Sideways staff members.

Jimmy explained that the Maywood Mal has a rounder plan shape near the fin area for faster rail to rail turns when keeping the back foot over the fin. 

"The convex shape of the bottom allows for faster, little twitchy turns, making it a great option for experienced surfers."

Its clean, polished finish makes the Maywood a gorgeous craft. Needless to say that Tim was pretty sold with the first option... But we were here for a fun time, so we continued with the show... 

"This is like Pretty Woman, but with surfboards instead of clothes"

Next in line was the Free Flight Tribal Elder. 

"This is a traditional longboard with 50/50 rails, which are really good to cut through the face of the wave. It has a wider area on the nose, which will give you more lift while you are at the front of the board. Probably the best board for nose riding out of the bunch."

One of the things that makes this board different than the rest is the cloth used when glassing it. The volan cloth is much heavier than a traditional one, and it absorbs a lot of resin. This makes for a very strong and heavy board, which is great for traditional style longboards where weight is often an advantage.

"The Tribal Elder glides smoothly on the waves, cutting through the chops and bumps that some waves have."

This board also has a slightly rolled bottom shape to allow for faster transitions between turns.

"Oh man!.. Decisions, decisions... All of them sound awesome!!" 

One of the key factors that mattered to Tim was the volume of the board. The swell had been small around the Gold Coast for the last few weeks, so Tim had set his mind on a mal. Something that allowed him to get on most little waves easily.

Jimmy knew that the next board would be the one... "Let me show you the Diverse Nose Rider. Out of the bunch is got the highest of volume. I think the 9'4" is just perfect for you."

Jimmy grabbed the Nose Rider in Teal: not only an amazing board, but also very good looking.

"Keen to hang ten, Tim? If you chose this board, we will definitely chuck in a large D style fin, hatchet fin or a big raked flex fin, so the tail locks into the wave while your body weight is up on the nose. This board is also quite wide from tail to nose making it really stable, and has a single concave under the nose which gives you a lot of lift while you are nose riding."

Love at first sight... we could see on Tim's face that he was completely sold.

"Let's get you a fin and leggie for that beauty!" 

Jimmy showed Tim a few fin options, but he suggested to get a hatchet fin. 

"This FCS2 10 inch hatchet will really complement that board. It will lock into the wave while you are nose riding and will make it easy to pivot it off while you turn on waves."

Tim was quick on the leash decision making... "Keep it simple... an all black 9ft FK will be perfect"

Back on the board station, Jimmy demonstrated how to clip in the fin onto the board. 

Board bag was next! We grabbed a FK Day Bag Longboard, a great all rounder board bag that fit Tim's new Diverse Nose Rider perfectly.

"This is like Christmas morning!"

All set and looking mint! 

"A couple of pieces of wax and you are good to go, mate!" 

We all knew that someone was going to get a wax job that same night... and that wasn't Tim...!

After grabbing some FK Wax, Tim was all set! 

We grabbed one last shot for the archives. One stoked man ready to dance on the sea!

Congratulations Tim!!

And thanks to everyone that participated, we will be giving away more amazing prizes, so keep your eye out on our social media channels (sidewayssurf on Facebook, @sideways_surf on Insta)!