Editor: What is your take on the Lazor zap all these years later?

Cheyne: The Lazor Zap is one of the best boards I have ever ridden. It’s super loose, fast, and unpredictable at first. After a few waves they come into there own. Sure, the extra float is good as it stops it from sinking at lows speed, but that’s about it. The Lazor Zap is crude to us now….but it got us away from wide nose surfboards, for rip and tear….and now “boosting”

Editor: What do you think about some of the boards on todays market they call fish?

Cheyne: We see many things wrong with them…we know people are liking them and also having problems with them. The fish is a crude version of the Lazor Zap. When you have been surfing a long time variety comes into it…the fishes can be fun and they have some things that are working on them for small waves but they are crude…when you see them in 20 years you will see what was wrong with them and what was right.

Editor: What about Nuggets?

Cheyne: The improved version of the zap is the modern Nugget. It’s over 30years of refinement. While everybody went channels, concaves, reverse vee,twinzers,fishes,thin,narrow,and flip tails. We kept on grooving along with the same dome design. It took 10years to understand a little of design, it took twenty to be able to make it work the way we wanted it too….a fantastic design. Only Geoff Mccoy knows how to use it properly. We have been through the trial and error to get them into control. I tried all the other designs anyway…and have seen them all come and go. A few guys have stayed true to their designs…their own designs. There aint many…most chop and change with the next thing that comes along.

Editor: Some have said you should have ridden more modern equipment when you were on the tour and Lazor Zaps were a proven failure. What is your response to that?

Cheyne: Some look at it as a failure. I looked at also riding a thruster as killing creativity in surfing. I rode one of the first thrusters and it worked great but my make up is different. The whole world tour rode thrusters and twins while i changed fins every month…If I had ridden the thruster I would have killed creativity in pro surfing at that time.

Editor: Do you care that some think it may have cost you the Word Title?

Cheyne: I dont care about about world titles. I care about the art of surfing.

Editor: Do you still only ride single fins or do you also ride thrusters?

Cheyne: I use both thruster and single. When I’m on the single its freedom for me, cut loose and do your own thing. Singles dont go like thrusters…they go like singles. Great bottom turns with variety in the lip along with great cutbacks. The thruster loves the snap in the pocket. Sometimes I almost puke seeing snaps. I have been watching them for 20years…love to see air though.

Editor: What do you think of the boards your friend Johnny Orr has made you over the years?

Cheyne: Some of the best experiences Ive ever had surfing were on Johns boards. One in particular… hanging five in the tube deep… going past a bodysurfer in the tube both us smiling and laughing.

Editor: How did you and McCoy come up with the Lazor Zap and why do you believe it was the forerunner of the modern short board?

Cheyne: All boards were wider in the nose then the tail then. I told Mccoy I just want to jump up and never move and just start jammin so he put all the area under my feet. This changed boards forever. Everyone now rides lazor zaps…wider in the tail then the nose.

Editor: What difference do you see between your Star fin Winged Keel and the McCoy gullwing you ride?

Cheyne: I use the star-fin in mushy waves and gull wing in tubey waves.

Editor: What other boards have you tried over the years?

Cheyne: I have tried twinzers and liked them. Channels were getting stuck in the curves. Had some great sessions on Duncan Campbell’s Bonzer. Twins were ok, most twins are hard to stick it vertical. The single does everything. I use mostly single.

Editor: Thanks for the information
Cheyne: Aloha.