Everyone loves the MR boards. These boards are really interesting with a lot of old school design packed in. They have always been intriguing but I didn't really get why everyone is so passionate about the MR shapes til I took the 1980s out for a surf. This board is so buttery. It has foam through the entire board so it feels really balanced and it glides when you paddle. When you get up on a wave there is a quick jolt of initial speed and then that glide comes back into play. Put it on rail and guess want it arcs out a fully connected carve. When you push really hard the tail does not want to sink and pivot but carve and accelerate. You have to be way back on the tail if you want the 1980s Retro to pivot around.

I surfed this board on a few waist to chest high days. When it was weak, it caught waves easily and when it had more power, the board gripped and raced down the line. Really fun board that makes you want to surf it more. It draws all these classic lines but also has the performance and feel of a modern board.

As recommend by MR, I used the MR twin fin set with the small trailer fin. I found the board to have more get up and go with the trailer fin in it and as a twin fin it was looser.

This board is best suited as a one board do everything quiver. You could get this board as a do everything shortboard or you can add it to your pile of boards because it is bad ass and works in everything. I can't wait to get it out on a big draining day to trim a high line through the barrel.

-Review by Matt Nuzzo