Toniks’ two ankle-chomping junior team riders

Standing at four-foot-nothing and boasting voices higher than a church ceiling, Billy and Tom Harrison, aged 8 and 10 respectively are quite possibly the keenest wave-riding brothers ever to set foot on fibreglass.

The brothers have been running rampant at Thirteenth Beach since they learnt to doggy paddle and when Tonik’s talent scout noticed their excellence in wave shreddery, the micro-squealers were on-board!

Juggling school, swimming lessons, football and surf life saving, the Harrison boys still manage to squeeze in at least one surf a day at the crack of dawn and if the wind’s northeast, the likelihood of them rocking up to school on time is pretty slim.

Whether they’re jetting up the coast to catch a swell, road-tripping to Phillip Island for the state titles or pulling in at Beacon, you can be assured they do so with the Tonik spirit!

So head down to Thirteenth Beach to see the little frothers do their thing or if for some unforeseen absurdity they aren’t in the water(30 knot southerlies don’t stop these kids), you might be lucky enough to catch them hanging out in-store at Tonik!

Scroll down to suss out mini profiles of Tom and Billy plus a quick interview with the micro-grommets.

Tom Harrison
Age: 10
Years surfing: 4
Stance: Goofy
Favourite wave: Winki and 13th

Billy Harrison
Age: 8
Years surfing: 3
Stance: Goofy
Favourite wave: Beacon

After three hours of tearing apart a little left-bank at Hutto’s I managed to drag the Harrisons out of the ocean and into the car park for a breather. While I had their devoted attention I shoved a voice recorder in their gobs and picked their young brains for some grommet wisdom.

What do you love about surfing?
Tom: I like surfing with all my friends and having a good time.
Billy: Surfing good waves with my friends.

Which do you enjoy most – comp surfing or free-surfing?
Tom: I like free-surfing better because when you’re in a comp you have to be more serious about it all.
Billy: Yeah, comp surfing sucks because you can only surf for 20 minutes.

What are the best waves you’ve ever had?
Billy: Noosa was barrelling all the way to the shore, I got one little tube! (Froths)
Tom: The last time we went up there (Noosa) it was about three foot and just peeling all the way, really long walls with heaps of barrels.

Who is your inspiration?
Billy: What does that mean? (Giggles)
Tom: Well my inspiration is Joel Parkinson because he’s a good surfer and he’s doing really well right now.
Billy: Oh, Owen Wright because I like his airs and all that.

You both list Beacon in your favourite waves, what is so special about the wave?
Tom: It’s a fun, fast wave and it’s good to get barrels.
Billy: There are heaps of breaks with lots of peaks that have lefts and rights everywhere.

Have you been on any epic surf trips?
Tom: Yep, we went to Byron Bay, Crescent Head, Snapper and Noosa Points. Even though they’re all on my backhand I loved them.
Billy: We got good waves nearly everyday!

Which one of you is a better surfer?
Tom: Definitely me because I beat Billy all the time!
Billy: What! Tom, I beat you at Gunnamatta, you’re a sloppy surfer!

Fists are thrown and the boys’ attention span maxes out, ending the interview.

Photos & Words by James Jacobi

Unfortunately, Tonik surfboards are like money and don’t grow on trees, instead they are shaped by our go-to foam-man Simon Forward.

Fordy spent his early years roaming the Mornington Peninsula, surfing ridiculous finger banks and winning a truckload of junior state crowns.

As an Open surfer he racked up several Victorian titles, a third place at the Billabong Pro Junior and extensively travelled the globe in search of perfect waves before turning his hand to shaping.

Mornington Peninsula legend Paul Trigger and underground ghost-shaper Kenny Reimers paved the way for Fordy and taught him the ins and outs of mowing foam.

With a platform set, Fordy decided to leave the land of triangle banks to relocate to the other side of the bay to Ocean Grove where he has been shaping 4D surfboards for the past decade.

The beauty of getting your next shooter through Tonik is Fordy’s high-tech computer controlled shaping machines.

I recently caught up with the planer-wielding natural footer to get an insight into his renowned machines and also got the inside scoop on the next big thing to come out of the 4D factory.

“The computer machines are more effective than hand shaping because of the accuracy and repetition achievable. You can replicate a board a lot easier from a computer than hand and get it spot on.” Fordy says.

It turns out state-of-the-art machines aren’t the only big happenings at the 4D factory, a brand new range of epoxy boards are just about to be released!

“We are starting to use polystyrene foam with plastic PVC stringers instead of timber which is lighter and doesn’t break as easily. By the time you put the epoxy resin on it’s usually a harder board and a bit more lively under foot.”

Drop into our Barwon Heads Tonik store to give the new epoxy design a test run on the shop’s 6’1 demo board.

Also, duck into Fordy’s Ocean Grove factory to talk boards and you may even be lucky enough to see the mysterious Kenny Reimers floating around the joint!

Fact File

Nickname: Fordy
Years shaping: 12
Mentors: Paul Trigger and Kenny Reimers
Favourite wave in the area: Bancoora Point
Shaping Bay: 9-11 Sinclair St, Ocean Grove

Words and photos by James Jacobi