The Harley Ingleby Moe and Moe Mini Experience: From Stability to Agility

Dec 27, 2023 · Comments

The Harley Ingleby Moe and Moe Mini surfboards have become popular choices for surfers looking to enhance their performance on the waves. Both boards offer unique features and designs that cater to different surfing needs and styles. Let's delve into what makes each of these boards special, and how they compare to one another.

The Harley Ingleby Moe and Mini Experience: From Stability to Agility

The Harley Ingleby Moe: A Funboard for Progression

Released in 2022, the Harley Ingleby Moe quickly gained recognition for its innovative design and versatility. This funboard is ideal for surfers who want to go shorter without losing paddling power. The Moe's design shifts volume back under the chest, making it easier to paddle and enhancing foot placement toward the tail for better control. This feature reduces the need to shuffle around to find the sweet spot, making it a favorite among intermediate and advanced surfers. This high-performance funboard blends stability, speed, and maneuverability for improved surfing at all levels.

Key Features of the Moe

Construction: Built with Thunderbolt Red technology, the Moe features an ultra-lightweight EPS core that is 20% lighter than standard EPS. This construction minimizes swing weight while providing a lively feel that adds strength and response.
Performance: The Moe's pulled-in outline and wide tail enable smooth rail-to-rail transitions, making it responsive and dynamic. It performs well in a range of wave conditions, from knee-high to 3' overhead, and is particularly suited for small to medium waves.
Fin Setup: Available in sizes ranging from 7'2" to 8'0", the Moe offers both thruster and quad fin setups, allowing surfers to customize their ride according to wave conditions and personal preferences.

Dialed Dimensions for All Conditions

The Moe surfboard by Harley Ingleby is designed for progression-focused surfing, and selecting the right size is essential for optimizing its performance. The board comes in various lengths from 7’2” to 8’0”, with widths around 22” to 22 1⁄2” across the range, providing stability without excessive bulk. Key differences in size affect the board’s thickness and volume, which increase with length. The 7’2” model is slimmer with 49.4 liters of volume, while the 8’0” model is thicker with 60 liters of volume.

For smaller waves, shorter sizes like the 7’2” or 7’4” are recommended for precision and ease of maneuvering. In bigger swells, the larger 8’0” offers more float and stability. Choosing the correct size based on your weight and skill level is crucial to fully harnessing the board’s capabilities in different surf conditions.

Versatile Performance That Boosts Progression

The Moe surfboard is designed to enhance the fun of surfing by enabling tight turns and quick maneuvers, even in weaker waves, making it easier to generate speed and keep moving on the wave. According to Surf Simply coaching director Will Henry, the board's dynamic nature encourages surfers to attempt maneuvers beyond their usual abilities. Its combination of stability and responsiveness helps surfers progress quickly, allowing them to explore new areas of the wave face and perform advanced tricks like linking wraps, floating 360s, and hitting challenging sections.

The Harley Ingleby Moe Mini: Compact and Agile

The Moe Mini is the latest addition to the Thunderbolt 2024 lineup, offering the same versatile performance and stability that made the MOE mid-length range a bestseller for Hawaiian South Shore in 2022 and 2023. This surfboard is designed to provide an easy ride, good paddling, and exceptional stability and support, making it an ideal choice for surfers transitioning from a soft top to a more intermediate board.

What type of waves is the Moe Mini For?

The Moe Mini's are fun board to ride on small waves, the Moe Mini's unique design allows for seamless rail transitions and tight radius turns on the open face, thanks to its pulled-in outline and shifted volume under the chest. Despite its compact size, the Moe Mini maintains ample paddling power, making it suitable for a wide range of wave conditions, from knee-high to double overhead solid waves.

What inspired Harley to create the smaller version of the Moe Boards?

Harley Ingleby was inspired to create a smaller version of the MOE board after receiving numerous requests from smaller and lighter surfers who wanted a smaller version of the board. Additionally, shortboarders and people who don't need a full seven-foot length board also wanted a more compact version of the MOE board. The Moe Mini is designed to fit in the pocket more easily and provide a more curvy and loose ride.

The Moe Mini Construction

The Moe Mini comes in two constructions; the Thunderbolt Red construction and the Thunderbolt Black Construction. Thunderbolt Red offers a balance between traditional build and advanced performance, while Thunderbolt Black is tailored for aggressive riding with fast flex and responsiveness.

Thunderbolt Black Construction.

Thunderbolt Red Construction

What are the benefits of the flat bottom and double concave design of the Moe Mini surfboard?

The Moe Mini surfboard's bottom design, featuring a flat bottom and double concave, enhances performance across different skill levels. The flat bottom offers excellent stability and an easy ride, making it ideal for beginners or those seeking a relaxed surfing experience. The double concave channels water efficiently, providing lift and reducing drag for smoother, faster rides. This design also improves carving and maneuverability, enabling sharper turns and better control. Additionally, foiled rails enhance driving power through turns and maintain momentum, while the versatile rail transition allows the board to perform well in both calm and challenging surf conditions.

How do the rails of the Moe Mini surfboard transition along its length?

Moe Mini surfboard features a unique rail design to enhance both performance and maneuverability. Starting at the front, the rails are delicately rounded to maintain high sensitivity. This initial rounded profile gradually shifts towards a more refined edge as it approaches the fin area, optimizing grip and control.

The Harley Ingleby Moe and Mini Experience: From Stability to Agility

Beyond the fins, the rails become lower and harder, delivering increased drive during turns and stability when navigating through white water sections. This varied rail transition ensures that the surfboard performs well in a range of conditions, providing both drive and responsiveness exactly where needed.

Here’s a breakdown of the rail transition:

Front Section: Soft, rounded rails for high sensitivity.
Mid Section: Transition to a tucked edge near the fins for better grip.
Tail Section: Lower, harder rails for enhanced drive and stability.
This sophisticated rail design makes the Moe Mini an ideal surfboard for riders who demand both agility and control.

What fins would best work with the board?

The Moe Mini is only compatible with FCS fins, allowing for easy customization and a wide range of fin options. The board's fin configuration of five fins enables riders to customize their setup, choosing between a thruster or quad configuration, with many preferring the agility and speed of the quad setup. For surfers that are 190lbs and more, the FCS Harley quad set is recommended.

What is the difference between the Moe Mini and the regular version of the Moe Boards?

The Moe Mini is essentially a scale down of the MOE board, with the same rocker and template, but it becomes more curvy, making it more responsive and dynamic. The Moe Mini is designed to be more forgiving and easy to ride than the MOE board.

Both the Moe and Moe Mini offer tailored performance for different surfing styles and conditions. The Moe is ideal for those who enjoy a more traditional funboard experience with added maneuverability, while the Moe Mini caters to surfers looking for a more compact and responsive ride.

Sizing and Performance

Moe: Available in sizes from 7'2", 7'4" and 8'0", the Moe provides options for surfers of various weights and abilities. The right size will help unlock the board's full potential, allowing for progression and improved performance.
Moe Mini: Sizes 6'6" and 6'10", the Moe Mini caters to a wider range of surfers, offering more options for finding the perfect fit.

To sum it all up, the Moe Mini is an exciting addition to the Thunderbolt lineup, offering surfers a high-performance, versatile, and easy-to-ride surfboard option in the Moe Mini and Thunderbolt construction. With its innovative design, advanced construction techniques, and new size options, the Moe Mini is sure to appeal to a wide range of surfers looking to elevate their performance and progression in the water.

Don't miss out on the opportunity to elevate your surfing with the Moe Mini in Thunderbolt Red Technology and Thunderbolt Black Technology. Click here to watch reviews from Surfers who tried the Moe.