Review: TL Crusty Booger
Summary: The TL Crusty Booger is the most interesting shape I’ve tried in years. The board works well on a surprisingly wide variety of waves, but with the unique shape comes a unique style of surfing that might not be for everyone. Continue reading for the full review…
I was skeptical when I first tried a Crusty Booger at Lunch Counter. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to catch the wave, much less popup or make turns. Much to my surprise it worked great. So much so that I had Tyler make one for me that I’ve surfed all over Colorado.
The shape of the Crusty Booger mimics that of bodyboards. It’s a throwback to when you were a kid trying to standup and surf your foam boogie board. The Crusty Booger takes the bodyboard shape, scales it up to match your adult height and weight, wraps it in fiberglass and resin, and slaps some fin boxes on the bottom.
My particular Crusty Booger is 4’1″ x 21.5″ x 2.75″. It definitely lends itself to excelling more on big river waves like Glenwood or Lunch Counter than shortboard waves like Scout or RRP’s Sixx. However, the shape can be scaled down to work better on shortboard waves. I’ve tried a 3’10” x 20.5″ x 2 3/5″ version at Scout and found it worked great. That being said, my 4’1″ version worked excellent early 2024 season at Scout when the wave was flatter.
The Crusty Booger is incredibly fast. Even with my foot all the way back on the tail, it’s very hard to slow the board down. The board pretty much forces you to keep a heavy back foot and just carve turns to control your speed. It’s a unique style of surfing that may not be for everyone.
I haven’t been able to dial in the spins on the Crusty Booger. Because of how wide and thick the board is, I’ve found it difficult to really engage the rails. Without the rails engaging as much, I need bigger fins (especially on steeper waves). With bigger fins, spins become difficult. Your mileage may very depending on your weight. I tip to scales to about 160 lbs.
The Crusty Booger works at a surprisingly wide variety of waves. At Glenwood, the Crusty Booger caught river left fairly easily. Once up, it was a trip to be surfing Glenwood on a board just 4’1″ long! At Pueblo’s wave #3, the Crusty Booger is my favorite board. Its got plenty of speed to cruise all day long, and I had fun mixing it up by surfing on my knees, drop knee, or even my stomach. I even rode this board at low water RRP. There’s something about this shape that is just fun to ride while being unique and challenging.
Tyler’s construction is top notch. The Crusty Booger is not only light, but also surprisingly durable. I’ve bounced this board off the walls of Scout wave more than a few times and haven’t gotten a single ding.
While fun can be had on the Crusty Booger by riders of any level (especially if you’re happy riding on your belly), it’s probably best suited for intermediate level river surfers and above. Beginners might find it difficult to control the board with its wide tail.
In my opinion, there aren’t really any other boards that are like the Crusty Booger: very short, very fast, and very back foot heavy. If you’re looking for something different, you’ve found it. If anyone knows of a similar/comparable board to the Crusty Booger, let me know and I’ll update this post!
The Crusty Booger is a fun, unique and at times challenging board to ride. With most of the boards I get each year feeling fairly similar to other boards I’ve ridden before, it’s awesome to find something that is totally different.