Lost California Mid (Black Sheep): A Complete Guide
Mark Richards and Matt Biolos stretched the California Twin's fast, turny DNA into a mid-length, built in a lighter, livelier Black Sheep construction.
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Quick Answer
The Lost California Mid is Mark Richards and Matt Biolos's mid-length extension of the California Twin — the same fast, turny fish-fin DNA, stretched out for paddle power and glide. HSS carries it in Black Sheep construction, a lightweight EPS-and-carbon-fiber build that stays lively underfoot instead of feeling like dead weight. It runs 6'3" to 7'4" (38.75L to 55L) on a 2+1 fin box, so you ride it as a loose twin in small surf or add the trailer fin for hold when it's bigger. It's built for the surfer stuck between "shortboard's too hard to paddle" and "longboard's too much board."
The Lost California Mid is a mid-length that paddles like the extra length promises, but still turns and drives off the tail like a fish. Mark Richards and Matt Biolos built it by stretching the outline of their California Twin — the small-wave twin-fin fish that put the collaboration on the map — into a longer, easier-paddling shape without losing the turning character that made the Twin work. HSS carries it in Black Sheep construction: a lightweight EPS core wrapped in carbon fiber that keeps the board feeling alive underfoot instead of stiff and heavy.
Below is everything we could verify about the board — the design, the sizes, the construction, the fin setup, and a straight answer on repair — plus Mark Richards's own words from his sit-down with Hawaiian South Shore.
What Is the Lost California Mid?
It's the board for the surfer who finds a shortboard exhausting to paddle and a longboard too much board to turn. Mark Richards designed it with Matt Biolos as the mid-length member of their California line — the same twin-fin-fish design language as the California Twin, stretched into a longer outline built for paddle power and glide.
Mark Richards isn't just Matt Biolos's collaborator on this board — he's a four-time world surfing champion (1979–1982), the first professional surfer ever to win more than one world title, and the surfer most credited with popularizing the twin-fin surfboard, riding his own twin-fin redesigns to all four of those championships. He's been shaping boards since he was a teenager, and that same twin-fin thinking is what shaped the California Twin, and now the Mid.
Richards has spent years explaining why this gap in a quiver matters. As surfers age or simply have less time in the water, a shortboard stops being fun and a longboard can feel like giving something up. The mid-length exists to close that gap without asking the rider to compromise on how the board actually surfs — a problem Richards has thought through out loud more than once, and the reason the design ended up shaped the way it did.
The board's design lineage traces directly to the California Twin: a single-to-double concave bottom, a winged swallow tail, and a 2+1 fin box that lets you run it as a loose twin or add a stabilizer for hold. On the Mid, that same DNA is spread across a longer, wider outline — a wide nose, a touch more nose rocker, and a more parallel outline built to pull you into waves when you paddle.
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Who Is the California Mid For?
If a shortboard has stopped being fun to paddle and a longboard feels like too much board, start here. Mark Richards built the Mid for the average-to-good surfer looking for exactly that middle ground — not a beginner board, and not a dedicated performance shortboard either.
It fits the returning surfer with less time in the water who wants to catch waves without a paddle battle. It fits the shortboarder who wants a genuine second board for smaller, softer days rather than fighting a board with too little volume. And it fits the rider who tried a longboard, found it didn't turn the way they wanted, and came back looking for something in between.
Richards is direct about who this board serves: an average-to-good surfer who wants something easy to ride that still performs when they push it. It isn't a training-wheel board you outgrow — it's built to be the board you keep reaching for.
Matt Biolos, who co-designed the board, has framed the fit the same way in his own public comments on the shape:
What Sizes Does the California Mid Come In?
Ten sizes, 6'3" to 7'4", confirmed against current HSS inventory. Every size runs on a 2+1 fin box.
| Size | Width | Thickness | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6'3" | 20.88" | 2.60" | 38.75 L |
| 6'4" | 21" | 2.63" | 40 L |
| 6'5" | 21.13" | 2.66" | 41.25 L |
| 6'6" | 21.25" | 2.70" | 42.5 L |
| 6'8" | 21.50" | 2.75" | 44.75 L |
| 6'9" | 21.63" | 2.78" | 46 L |
| 6'10" | 21.75" | 2.80" | 47.2 L |
| 7'0" | 21.88" | 2.88" | 50 L |
| 7'2" | 22" | 2.94" | 52 L |
| 7'4" | 22.25" | 3" | 55 L |
Volume — measured in liters — is what drives paddle power and how early you catch a wave. Matt Biolos, who co-designed the board with Richards, has described the sweet spot for this shape as an easy-riding mid-length for someone close to their own height, or a size or two over what they'd normally ride.
We do not size by weight alone — too many variables, from your ability to the waves you actually surf. Send us your height, weight, current board, and the waves you ride most, and we will point you to the right length.
How Is the California Mid Designed?
The Mid runs the same design language as the California Twin, stretched to work at mid-length. A single-to-double concave bottom, a winged swallow tail, and a stretched outline with a slightly pulled-in tail for a wider, more stable sweet spot when you're standing and turning.
Outline and Rocker
The board carries a low overall rocker for glide and paddling speed, paired with a curvy rail-line rocker so it still turns rather than running in a straight line. The outline runs wide through the nose, with slightly more nose rocker and a more parallel rail line — a shape built to pull the board into waves when you're paddling, not just after you're up and riding.
Wing Swallow Tail
The winged swallow tail controls a deep single-to-double concave running through the fins, so the board doesn't generate more lift than you can control. Here's how Matt Biolos has described that same detail in his own public comments on the design:
The Mid carries Richards's twin-fin influence layered onto Lost's swallowtail-fish design language, stretched to work at this length. Read more on the shaper behind the collaboration in our Matt Biolos profile.
How Does the 2+1 Fin Setup Work?
Every California Mid runs a 2+1 box — a center fin plus two side fins — so you choose how loose or how locked-in it feels. Run it as a pure twin (the two side fins only) for a loose, skatey feel in small, weak surf. Add the center trailer fin when the surf has more push and you want drive and hold through a turn.
Richards designed the 2+1 specifically so one board could do both jobs. As a twin, it's fast and loose. With the trailer in, it drives more like a shortboard.
The setup is flexible enough to run as a full thruster in bigger, steeper conditions if you want extra hold — it will feel a touch stiffer that way, but it locks the board in rather than letting it slide out.
We fit fins by style and how you actually surf, not by a formula — fin length and rake are a personal choice we help you dial in, not something we prescribe. Shop fins in our guides on the FCS II Mark Richards Freeride Twin Fins and the Mark Richards twin + trailer setup.
What Is Black Sheep Construction?
Black Sheep is a lightweight EPS-foam-and-carbon-fiber build made to stay lively rather than stiff. HSS carries the California Mid in this construction only. It starts with a 1.5 lb virgin EPS foam core, wrapped in an advanced non-crimp (Triax-NCF) carbon fiber layer.
What sets it apart from a simpler carbon build is where the carbon goes. It's limited to the deck rather than wrapped all the way onto the bottom, and it runs at a 45-degree orientation rather than straight down the rail. That combination is what gives the board torsional flex without making it feel stiff — you get control through the rail without the board fighting you.
Why This Build Matters on the California Mid
- Lively, not dead underfoot — carbon limited to the deck (not wrapped to the bottom) keeps the flex alive instead of locking the board stiff.
- Resists pressure dents — a real advantage if you're a heavier rider, or someone who pushes a board hard, who's put a standard EPS board through the wringer before.
- Lighter than a full carbon wrap — the non-crimp weave holds less resin, so the board stays light without giving up strength.
- Rail control that doesn't fight you — the 45° carbon orientation puts strength where foot pressure meets the rail, not just along the stringer line.
Come by 320 Ward Avenue and we'll walk you through how Black Sheep compares to feel underfoot before you buy.
What Waves Does the California Mid Handle?
Everyday small-to-average surf is the Mid's home range, and the 2+1 box gives it more range than that when conditions pick up. As a twin, it's built for the ankle-high to head-high days most surfers actually get most of the time — the paddle power gets you into waves early, and the low rocker keeps the glide going through flat sections.
Add the trailer fin and the board holds a rail through bigger, steeper faces without sliding out. It can be run as a full thruster in truly big, steep conditions for maximum hold — it will feel a little stiffer set up that way, but it won't wash out from under you.
This isn't a big-wave board and we wouldn't sell it as one. It's built to make the surf most people ride most of the time — everyday small-to-average conditions — truly fun, with enough in reserve for a bigger day than you'd expect from a mid-length.
How Do I Fix a Ding on a Black Sheep Board?
Use epoxy-only repair materials. Black Sheep is an EPS-foam core sealed with epoxy resin, and standard polyester resin — the kind in most basic ding repair kits — can react with EPS foam and make the damage worse instead of fixing it. Always check the label and confirm it's epoxy.
For small surface scratches, an epoxy-specific ding repair kit handles it. For anything deeper — a crack, a puncture, or damage through the outer shell — take it to a shop that works with epoxy and EPS construction.
You're also welcome to bring it by Hawaiian South Shore and we'll point you to the right repair option — send us a photo of the damage and we can usually tell you what it needs before you make the trip.
Watch the Mark Richards Interview
David Kelly sat down with Mark Richards for a full breakdown of the California Twin and Mid range. Richards walks through the collaboration with Matt Biolos, the SuperTwin outline the design grew from, the wing swallow tail, the concave bottom, and how the 2+1 fin system works across the whole line, including the mid-length.
Watch the full Mark Richards interview →
Mark Richards has spent his career explaining why the mid-length matters to a whole range of surfers who don't fit neatly on a shortboard or a longboard. He puts it simply:
That's the whole case for the California Mid, in his own words. If that gap sounds like the one you've been surfing around, this is the board built to close it.
Shop the California Mid at Hawaiian South Shore
320 Ward Avenue, Honolulu. Send us your height, weight, current board, and the waves you ride most — we'll tell you which size to start with and talk through twin versus 2+1.
Shop the California MidCall: (808) 597-9055 | Email: sales@hawaiiansouthshore.com | Instagram: @hwnsouthshore
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Lost California Mid?
A mid-length surfboard designed by Mark Richards and Matt Biolos, built as the mid-length extension of their California Twin. It shares the same single-to-double concave, winged swallow tail, and 2+1 fin box, stretched into a 6'3" to 7'4" outline built for paddle power and glide without losing the ability to turn.
Who is the California Mid for?
Surfers caught between a shortboard that's become too hard to paddle and a longboard that feels like too much board. It suits the average-to-good surfer Mark Richards designed it for — easy to ride, but built to still perform when pushed.
What sizes does the California Mid come in?
Ten sizes from 6'3" (38.75L) to 7'4" (55L), on a 2+1 fin box. Send us your height, weight, current board, and the waves you ride most and we'll recommend a length.
Should I ride it as a twin or a 2+1?
Both work, and the box lets you choose. As a twin (side fins only) it's loose and fast for small, weak surf. Add the center trailer fin for drive and hold when the waves have more push, or run it as a full thruster for maximum hold in bigger, steeper conditions.
What is Black Sheep construction?
A lightweight build using a 1.5 lb virgin EPS foam core wrapped in non-crimp carbon fiber, limited to the deck and set at a 45-degree orientation. The result is a board that stays lively and flexible underfoot rather than stiff, while resisting pressure dents better than a standard build.
How do I fix a ding on a Black Sheep board?
Epoxy-only repair materials — standard polyester resin can react with the EPS foam core and make the damage worse. Small scratches: an epoxy ding repair kit. Deeper damage: a shop that works with epoxy and EPS construction, or bring it by Hawaiian South Shore.
What waves does the California Mid handle?
Everyday small-to-average surf is its home range as a twin. Add the trailer fin or run it as a full thruster and it holds a rail through bigger, steeper conditions too — it isn't a big-wave board, but it has more range than a typical mid-length.
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