After over a year of surfing Harley Ingleby’s boards in Thundertech construction with amazing results and customer feedback, we were frothing to hear about his new channel bottom mid length called the HI Mid6. We recently caught up with Harley to get his feedback on the new model as well as his insight on model and size selection for both the Mid6 and popular Moe models. Here’s what Harley had to say:

Tell us about your new Mid 6 model...

Super excited about this new board! Mid6 is short for mid length six channel.. I'd been hassling Bill Tolhurst to make me a channel bottom for ever and a day and finally convinced him to do one and it just happened to be that i'd been riding mid lengths a lot and wanted a more pulled in better wave mid to compliment the Moe model. I think he knew once he made me a channel bottom i'd love it so much id never want anything else lol. The extra squirt out of turns when you push hard is amazing.

Where does the Mid 6 fit in your quiver? What conditions does it like best?

For me personally it's a total quiver killer. Its kind of the happy medium between what I love about my longboards with paddle power and longer rail turns but being that much shorter and having less swing weight up front you can surf super hard closer to the pocket more like a shorty.. I think a lot of people will look at the outline and assume long drawn out points but I mostly surf short punchy beach breaks on it. It's an all rounder.

What fin set up are you liking best on your Mid 6?

In fatter waves I go for my XL quad set and thats what i'd recommend for longboarders stepping down as it'll feel super loose already. I'd also recommend my XL set for the 7'6 being thicker. Otherwise i'm typically using the Reactor Lg quad set. Or I have used the Lg Accelerators with Performer med quad rears a lot too. My basic rule for quad sets is any large flat foil fronts or bigger with 80/20 med or lg quad rears. I really do think the Reactor med rears are great! Thrusters I haven't tried to much but I have had a few really good sessions on the H4 lg set! They're quick. I'm just addicted to the speed and hold of quads.

What size Mid 6 are you riding yourself?

7'0 or 7'10 conditions dependant.. 7'0 in shorter or hollower waves typically and I absolutely love the 7'10 in more open face waves. Obviously noseriding aside the 7'10 is like the best HP longboard you've ever ridden. Its flows incredibly.

The 7’10 seems a touch more stretched out and relatively narrower than the 7’6. Is there a reason for that?

Actually the 7'10 is basically a directly scaled up version on the 7'0! We didn't want to confuse people and have to many sizes but I wanted to make the 7'6 a higher volumed version and it just has quite a bit bigger rail size for customers that like more volume out wide. Very similar to what we did with the 7'2 to 7'4 Moe. It wasn't about being 2 inches longer but generally a meatier version of the same design.

Channels.... What’s the feeling you get from them on the Mid6?

They are just so positive! The grip and acceleration they give you mid arc is so addictive. The harder you push they more they come into play. Bill has balanced them really well too. They aren't too aggressive that they track or anything and there's still plenty of easy release off the pod. I think thats also why i'm using the Reactor lg quad set so much. They're a really fast upright fin set that allows you to pivot easily and change arcs mid turn and when you push hard the channels give you all the drive you need to project long lines.

After riding your HIHP, HI-4 and Moe in Thunderbolt construction it’s obvious this tech adds a lot to the boards performance and durability. What Thunderbolt techs is the Mid 6 available in and how does it improve the performance over standard PU/Poly?

For now we're just making the Mid6 in Thunderbolt Red tech.. The carbon fibre internal structure combined with the fibreglass external lam is all the strength and stiffness you need in a board that length. You really can't compare a poly and a Thunderbolt for performance unless you can afford to get single layer 4oz glass and churn through boards. A Thunderbolt is like having a super light PU but the flex response is better and wont go dead over time or cave in.

It looks like you put a lot of work into colors and finishes on the new boards. The combo of matte and gloss finish on the same board is hot!

Yes behind the scenes i've also been working on a new aesthetic for all my range. Like the trusty brushed style we have currently I wanted it to work on something that was great from a performance and production standpoint but make the overall aesthetic a little cleaner. Also something that's unique to my lineup. I love the matte with polished accents!

Last but not least, compare the Moe and the Mid 6. What’s each board good for and why would someone pick one over the other? Or do you see them both in the same quiver?

They're both absolute beasts! The Mid6 definitely hasn't superseded or replaced the Moe mid length. The Moe still reigns supreme for those who are looking for a mid length for small or under powered days primarily and the Mid6 occupies the all round to good waves days. The Moe will work in double over head surf no worries but most would find the Mid6 more comfortable in those situations. Similarly the Mid6 will absolutely go on a waist high wave but the Moe will be looser and trim along that much easier. They're really a two board mid length quiver.