Built to get moving early
The MLC has plenty of foam through the centre of the board, with a rolled deck and carefully thinned rails. The result is a board that paddles easily without feeling excessively chunky underfoot.
Pyzel Mid Length Crisis Surfboard
Pyzel Surfboards · Board Editorial
Mid Length Crisis
A fast, flowing Pyzel mid-length designed to combine easy paddling, down-the-line speed and smooth turning with the stability and glide needed in weaker waves.
Velocity Project
1–8ft
Single · 2+1
Speed & Flow
The Mid Length Crisis
A mid-length with much more life than the name suggests.
The Mid Length Crisis grew out of the custom mid-lengths Jon Pyzel had been shaping for surfers in Japan and for friends looking for something different from the usual high-performance shortboard.
Rather than simply making a longer board, Pyzel approached the MLC as a fast, responsive and flowing design. The wide-point-forward outline gives it plenty of stability and glide, while the clean rocker and refined rails keep the board feeling lively under your feet.
Wave Range
1–8ft
A broad wave range makes the MLC useful from smaller UK summer surf through to properly lined-up waves.
Outline
Wide Point Forward
A semi-traditional mid-length outline gives the board stability and glide while retaining a sleek, fast feel.
Bottom
Vee → Double → Vee
The Spiral Vee-style bottom contour helps the board transition smoothly from rail to rail.
Fin Setup
Single / 2+1
The single-box setup allows the MLC to be ridden as a flowing single fin or with side-bites for additional drive and control.
“
The MLC is the board you reach for when you want to surf differently — fast, smooth and flowing rather than simply trying to surf harder.
Bob Gnarly
Pyzel Mid Length Crisis · Editorial Take
What makes it work
Fast down the line. Smooth through the turn.
The Mid Length Crisis is built around speed and flow. Its long, clean rocker curve helps the board paddle efficiently and generate speed without needing a steep or powerful wave. The outline, foil and bottom contours then work together to make the board surprisingly easy to move from rail to rail.
A long, clean rocker curve
Rather than using abrupt rocker changes, the MLC carries a moderate continuous curve from nose to tail. This helps it generate speed naturally and maintain momentum down the line.
Spiral Vee for easy transitions
The mild vee incorporates double concave before flowing back towards vee. This helps the board tip smoothly from rail to rail and makes flowing turns feel natural.
The shape
A classic mid-length idea with a distinctly Pyzel approach.
The Mid Length Crisis uses a semi-traditional wide-point-forward outline, but Pyzel has kept the overall shape sleek and racey rather than simply making a long, stable board.
The foil is one of the defining characteristics of the MLC. The deck is rolled while retaining more foam through the middle, helping the board paddle efficiently. The rails are then thinned out considerably, giving the board the sensitivity and bite needed when it is put on rail.
Outline
Semi-traditional mid-length outline with the wide point forward
Rocker
Moderate, long and continuous rocker from nose to tail
Bottom
Mild vee with double concave blending through the middle — Pyzel's Spiral Vee
Rails
Medium / Standard refined rails with a thinner edge for sensitivity and bite
Fin options
Single fin or 2+1 using the single centre box and side-bites
Who is the Mid Length Crisis for?
For surfers who want to change the way they surf.
A forgiving step into mid-length surfing
The MLC gives intermediate surfers extra paddle power, stability and glide without requiring the slow, traditional feel associated with some larger boards.
A completely different tool for your quiver
For experienced surfers, the MLC offers a chance to approach familiar waves differently. Instead of relying on shortboard manoeuvres, the board rewards speed, trim, flow and smooth rail-to-rail surfing.
A seriously useful everyday option
The combination of paddle power, stability and speed makes the MLC particularly interesting for UK conditions, where waves can be fun without always having the power needed for a high-performance shortboard.
Sizing
Mid Length Crisis dimensions.
Standard dimensions currently listed by Pyzel for the Mid Length Crisis.
| Size | Width | Thickness | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6'6" | 20 3/8" | 2 9/16" | 36.30L |
| 6'8" | 20 5/8" | 2 5/8" | 38.60L |
| 6'10" | 20 7/8" | 2 3/4" | 41.90L |
| 7'0" | 21" | 2 13/16" | 44.10L |
| 7'2" | 21 1/4" | 2 7/8" | 47.00L |
| 7'4" | 21 1/2" | 3" | 50.60L |
| 7'6" | 21 3/4" | 3 1/16" | 53.40L |
| 7'10" | 22 1/4" | 3 1/8" | 58.40L |
Watch the Mid Length Crisis
Hear the story behind the shape.
Mid Length Crisis — Pyzel Velocity Project
Jon Pyzel explains the thinking behind the Mid Length Crisis and the design characteristics that make it different from a traditional mid-length.
The Mid Length Crisis
Jon talks through the characteristics and ideas behind the first of Pyzel's Velocity Project designs.
Two useful tools
Know your volume. Then build your board.
Find your ideal volume.
Not sure which Mid Length Crisis volume to start from? Our calculator gives you a recommended volume range based on your weight, surfing ability, fitness and the waves you surf most often.
Find My Volume →Build your Mid Length Crisis.
Choose your Mid Length Crisis size, work through the available options and create the board you're looking for.
Open Board Builder →Bob's Take
The MLC is a different kind of Pyzel — and that's exactly why it's interesting.
The Mid Length Crisis isn't trying to be a stretched-out shortboard. That's probably the most important thing to understand about it.
Pyzel has taken the fundamental advantages of a mid-length — paddle power, glide, stability and speed — and built them into a board that still has enough sensitivity in the rails to make turning interesting.
For UK surfers, that combination makes a lot of sense. There are plenty of days where the waves are clean enough to be fun but simply don't have the power needed to justify a conventional performance shortboard. The MLC lets you make the most of those days rather than waiting for the forecast to improve.
And then there's the fun factor. The 2+1 setup gives you the choice between a more traditional single-fin approach and the extra drive and control of side-bites. It opens up a completely different way of surfing the same wave.
If you've spent years riding shortboards, the MLC could be less about finding your next board and more about discovering a new way to surf.
Ready to ride one?
Build your Mid Length Crisis.
Start with your volume, then head into the Bob Gnarly Board Builder and create the Mid Length Crisis you're looking for.
BOB GNARLY SURF
Find Your Ideal Surfboard Volume
Tell us a little about yourself and how you surf. We'll give you a recommended volume range to help you find your first or next board.
Use this calculator as a rough guide only. Volume isn't everything. If you're unsure, hit the 'Live Chat' below and we can help.
01
How much do you weigh?
02
How would you describe your surfing?
Choose the description that sounds most like your surfing today.
03
How would you describe your fitness?
This helps us account for paddle power and how much support you may want from your board.
04
What kind of waves do you surf most often?
Think about the conditions you're most likely to encounter.
YOUR RECOMMENDED VOLUME
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