Thing

Stretch traces the Thing to 2010, when it was developed as a compact, lower-volume interpretation of the Fletcher Four-fin for punchier waves. The maker also presents normally sized versions as everyday performance boards across a wider variety of surf. Its bottom runs from flat into a single concave, with a small amount of vee behind the center fin.

The convertible five-fin layout allows a thruster or quad setup; Stretch recommends the thruster for most sessions and the quad when the surf is firing. It also suggests ordering about an inch shorter than a surfer's usual performance board. That is relative sizing advice: the listed stock configurations span 5 feet 8 inches to 6 feet 6 inches, with volume varying from 27 to 38.7 liters.