TESTIMONIALS
Heres what people have to say about MILLER SURFBOARDS....
Nice to surf at puts the weekend I picked her up and meet 2 other Miller Sims in the lineup!
Jonathan Castro Orellana- 5'4 Blimp
I have to say that my 5.4 Blimp has quickly become my favourite board!"
Ben Ashfold- N.Devon- 5'6 Po'Boy
"My semi gun gazes from the garage rafters at the squat Po’ Boy nestled in the rack below with the imperious disdain that a super model reserves for the ‘ordinary’ folk. The Po’Boy gleams back with the self-assurance of a beautifully crafted board who knows its place in the line-up. Guess which one gets invited out most?
Admittedly short on the sleek shapes of its rarely used neighbour, the Po’Boy has so much more to recommend it to the British surfer. The short and stout outline of this mini simmons/fish hybrid fits our slopey waves as closely as a ‘pig’ skateboard does the contours of a Californian pool. Saunton, mid tide Croyde, Lynmouth or head height Downed Point all embrace this little platform in a way that no other board has done for me.
The buoyant hull gives early entry into these waves despite the lack of length. It starts to plane instantaneously due to the characteristically frugal ‘Miller’ rocker allowing a quicker pick up than one may expect. The glide can be modified into a lively squirt by the single to double concave underneath. The best part is the silly speed produced by these processes. Lateral surfing never felt so good. Lengthy sections, crumbly shoulders and waves with pool coping all turn into fluffy pillows to land on or to bypass depending on the options presented further down the line.
Now, as I alluded to previously my little friend is somewhat broad of the hip. With many designs this can hamper even the deftest of us from burying a rail. Not so with the Po’Boy. The down rails, Vee’d tail, and shallow swallow tail combine to allow it to slice into the wave. Round house cut backs are an exquisite pleasure. The speed allows you to go far out onto the flats and maintain all the way back to the curl. The best part is the clout you can serve up to the said fluffy pillows. The keels give that drift and skatey feel of all twin fins that the some of my pre thruster/pivot generation hanker for.
Ellie delivers her boards with a finish so rarely found in this era of mass produced ‘customs’ and imports. The 6oz glassing is perfect for those of us that are unlikely to do a slob air anytime soon. The resin tints will soon be the envy of every carpark gathering up and down the Devonian coast. Ellie is an artisan with rare gifts and a breath of fresh air to the British surf scene.
Thanks Ellie, The Miller Po’Boy has just shoved the semi guns’s bonny old ass further into the depths of the rafters.
Eric Brice - Kimmeridge- 9'6 Slider
" I have a 9’6 Slider (with beautiful red resin work and volan tail patch) I bought second hand. The board's immaculate for having so much use and I can safely say it goes like a dream! Absolutely beautifully crafted, great on the nose, and so easy to throw around! I Put a big 11.5" salty merchants flex fin in her and she just slingshots out of turns when the waves got a bit of punch…a perfect match for the long Moroccan walls! a slightly smaller flex fun really works in the smaller stuff I get at home in Kimmeridge.! Next time I order a new board I'll definitely get in touch with Ellie
Pete Robinson - North Devon- 5'4 Blimp
"Ellie Miller has done what no other shaper in the UK or abroad has ever done for me before - that's get me off longboards & on to a sub six foot board as my go-to rider! At 53 I'm stoked to be riding a 5' 4" Miller Simmons as my main board. It is buttery smooth, fast as a Cheater & the craftswomanship is outstanding. It was great working with Ellie on the Simmons tail design & the dark art of fabric inlays. This board has completely reinvigorated my passion for surfing & I can't wait to get my next Miller under my feet! Aloha"
Ben Lille- Glocestershire - 9'4 DB Pig
"I have one of Ellie’s DB Pigs. I am a big guy, 6ft 6, 110 kilos (on a good day!) and a really average surfer. Going for a 9.4 board felt like a bit of a risk, but boy am I glad I did. The float and feel of the board is unmatched by anything else I currently surf, so much so that I have sold most of my other boards as the Miller Pig has become my 'go to' no brainer. That first turn on the face is like power steering and your away, clean and green. The craft and finish on this board is stunning. I’ve owned Carsons, Diplocks, Blackers etc and this is right up there. Ellie is a master craftswoman, her attention to detail shines through. I have finally found what I was looking for in a longboard. Thanks Ellie!…..hmm, what else have you got to transform my surfing?"
James Corrigan - Dorset - 5'4 Blimp
" I was after a mini-simmons after seeing videos of the Tyler Warren bar of soap. It still seemed to maintain the grace, flow and style of long boarding but offered something a bit different.
I had been researching shapers and to my surprise Mini-simmons surfboards hadn't really gone mainstream. You could see hints of it in some shapes but few were pure to the original form and a lot had fins in the wrong places at the wrong angles.. I have always kept an eye on the Magicseaweed for sale Forum and up popped a Miller blimp. . The board looked well finished and the comments on there were highly complimentary. Shortly after I contacted Miller surfboards ready to discuss further.
I then came down to Devon to meet Ellie. ( At the time I think she had the flu but still took the time to talk to me about the boards and what size I should get.) I ended up ordering a 5'4 with a blue resin tint, and lokboxes with removable keels as I planned for it to be a travel board.
I came down with my cousin to collect my finished board as he was picking up a 5'6 version at the same time. On picking up the board I managed to drop it and put a small crack on the tail which meant I wasn't able to take it out for an afternoon Putsborough session! My cousin spent the whole session with a massive grin on his face. He did offer to swap but I wanted my first Miller mini simmons experience to be on my own board. I didn't have to wait long and soon enough I repaired the ding and was out in the water…. however I wasn't prepared for the experience. It was such a departure from anything I'd surfed before. The speed, glide and ease of turning. It all felt, fluid, natural and effortless.I really bonded with the board during a two week road trip from Cherbourg to Biarritz and back. We took them out in waves of all sizes and conditions. I have never felt so much freedom on a wave before. It was like having a blank canvas to play on and is a day I won't forget soon. I can't imagine a board better suited to it than the blimp I was riding. Although it proved a challenge in the faster beach breaks of the south, not once did it spin out… The issue was, because they are so fast on the take off, it's going with or without you!
On returning to the UK I then spent the summer riding it. I found myself leaving my longboard at home to play in 1-2ft slop on the mini simmons. One day someone paddled over to me. They'd been teaching surf lessons and seen me run out with my mini-simmons and thought I would be lucky to catch anything on it. It was picking up everything and he just wanted to know what it was I was riding. Generally people were always asking questions and I would happily let them try it. They would always return it with a smile on their face. For Bournemouth it is the ideal summer board and its no surprise there are more and more mini simmons appearing down there. This winter I had my longest ride at Bournemouth on the blimp. I took off from the east side of the main pier and made it all the way to the first groin. The reason why was because it had so much speed you can make sections that weren't previously possible.
I really could go on about how good this board is. It is always fun and I can't think of a bad session I've had on it. I have tried a few other people's mini-simmons but am yet to find one with the refinement of the Miller. On the Miller the acceleration can feel unlimited and the turning effortless. I really would recommend getting a board from Ellie. The board is not only a delight to ride but the quality is top notch."
John Polkey- Northumberland- 9'4 styler & 5'8 Blimp
I first became aware of Ellie a couple of years ago whilst continuing my constant search for a shaper in the UK that was making the kind of boards that I would like to ride. I wanted to find some one with a strong interest and knowledge in boards from the past that I was becoming more and more drawn to but with limited knowledge myself I needed a shaper who would understand my wants regardless of my limited education.
You only need take one look at Ellies work to know she has that knowledge and passion and not only that but she has taken it and refined it into truly stunning boards that retain the ascetics of generations of surfboard history and by God do they surf like a dream.
I had it in my mind that I wanted a Pig but it took Ellie all of five minutes listening to me explain what I wanted out of the board to convince me that I would be better off with a Styler and why and I knew straight away I was in safe hands. Ellie has a calmness and a humble gentleness you warm to instantly.
When I picked up my 9,4 Styler I was blown away by the quality of what was in front of me but not as blown away as I was when I went for my first surf. I paddled out in shoulder high surf at Saunton and blasted through white water my much lighter 9'1 performance board would have bounced off. Paddling into my first wave was the smoothest take off ever and the speed and glide was just beautiful, like a hot knife through butter. Im not the best nose rider but the steady rock solid platform of the Styler just begs you to step forward and fly. Cutting back into the pocket is smooth and seamless and the Volan glass really adds to the glide. I finally have a heavy single fin log that rides the way I want and it is pure stoke and I love it.
So my 5'8 Blimp! I never meant to order another board with in a couple of months of the Styler but I couldn't help it. I have had an interest in the mini Simmons for some time but again had yet to see anything that fit in with what I wanted. Talking through it with Ellie and listening to her fantastic explanation of the ride and the Blimps characteristics I knew I had to have one. I then told Ellie I would like it green but other than that do as you please and I was not disappointed. The quality of the finish and the glassed in keel fins are a thing of beauty a work of art. That's what these boards are, art! I feel as though I have a piece of art under my feet every time I surf. If you have never ridden a Blimp then you are missing out, what a board. Its a turbo charged shred machine. Catches wave with ease, takes off like lightning , you plant your feet and you can go any where on that wave you want, its so smooth you just want more.
I have finally found the shaper for me and look forward to the years ahead with many a Miller under my feet.
Trev Bryan - Braunton- 9'6 custom pintail
"I first noticed Miller surfboards when sat out back at Saunton. There was often a buzz going on when people were getting excited about trying out new boards, and a few conversations later over a period of few weeks led me to discover a new local shaper was around responsible for this buzz. At the time in my quiver was a nth hand 10ft Gulfstream triple stringer which for various reasons was in need of replacement. I didn't know Ellie too well at the time but a request to try one the boards everyone had been raving about was met with a friendly response. Boards were swapped in the line up and I was immediately gob smacked at how easy it was to catch on (6" shorter than my existing log but even easier) ,how well it made the bottom turn & trimmed, and let a clumpy overweight slightly balance challenged chump like me step gracefully to her nose. I was hooked.
So as soon as I sold the GS, I invested in 'Christine'… a 9'6" nose riding beauty who handles anything from 6" to 4ft. The drop in is so stable and the bottom turn easier than you could imagine. Saunton is my local break, and Christine was designed to maximise my wave and smile count at breaks such as this. Ellie is a shaper with a difference. All her boards are truly designed with a real knowledge of the conditions the board would be used in, and with that she incorporates the untenable feelings that the owners were looking for. I cant wait to begin the process of specifying a replacement for my 9ft performance longboard. Ellie doesn’t make’ A’ board, she make’s’ YOUR’ board."