2 down one more to go

Okay, so my last update said I was offing 2 of my boards. Update: The bonzer is gone to a stoked guy who looked like he weighed less than me and was in better shape. He's probably gonna really enjoy that board. I am also selling the Daisy Junod, and I've had some interest but nobody has seen it yet.

The third board is the small Schrodel twinzer. I took it out on a head high day when the waves had juice, but not too much. I got a wide open face about head high and the board wiggled and squirmed but didn't go forward very well. It was the third and final time I will ride the board. It has been returned to my dad, who it belongs to, and he's gonna return it to the guy who tries to get his kid to ride it. It's a terrible board to learn on but that's okay cause I don't think this kid wants to surf anyway.

I'm still trying to sell the Daisy. I took it out that same day for a second try at the waves that proved the Schrodel wasn't for me. Got a few waves but one bottomed out when it hit the sandbar. The board flipped under me and I landed on the fins. Luckily it was the top of my foot that took the hit and nothing is broken. The worst of it is that 4 days later and it's still a bit swollen and sore. I still got some surf since then so it's not a problem, but maybe another hint that I should let that board go.

And since then, the next day actually, while I was surfing I took another hit. I was trying to power myself and my board through the wave face under the lip of a closeout. I was kneeboarding and since I'm lower to the water, the board is closer to my face. As I powered the turn the board made it around and up the face and into my face. Wham! My thoughts as I'm thrashing around in the white water bumping on the reef are as follows, "Lower lip owwww. Feel for hole, no hole, Check Teeth! all there." Then I came up and did the spit test as I was paddling back out. Very little blood in the spit. Great, let's surf. As I continued to surf my lip started to throb a little and tingle. By the time I got back to my car and said hello to my wife my lip was double in size. She screeached, I shrugged. That night I saw myself in the mirror. The inside of my lip is a nasty shade of purple. One more day off before work, I hope clears up enough that I don't have to tell the story to anyone.

As for the plan of replacing the Haut Quad, my general kookyness lately has me wondering if that's the right direction to go. It's quite a bit of money for me to spend right now and there's no telling if I'll still be just as big a kook on the board. If I'm gonna be a kook I should get myself a soft top with a rubber fin. (Probably be cheaper and last longer.)

Here's my guilty admission for the day. A quality swell should be lighting up the reefs about 1 1/2 hours south of here. The weather is good, the waves are good, I'm at work. I don't really want to make the drive to go surf. I feel tired, hurt, and not up to hassling with the crowds.

Jeez, I AM a kook.

Quiver Minus 2

It all started when...

Last weekend had the waves and weather I dream about. Warm and sunny with offshore winds all weekend. Record breaking warmth in November. The wave were cooperating too being overhead Saturday and headhigh Sunday. I watched so many barrels ridden it was ridiculous. I surfed two sessions on Saturday and one on Sunday with a total time in the water of upwards of 8 hours. But I'm not smiling.

I took the bonzer out all weekend and couldn't beat the current on the small board. I'd be paddling to a spot and have to rest and drift away before a set came. I'd paddle for a wave only to find one of the many many people out surfing had already caught it and was coming my way fast. I ended up without a single wave that I rode that sticks in my memory, and so many I watched that do. That's it, I'm done with the bonzer.

And while I'm at it I'm trying to sell the Daisy too. Already got a few interested people. $450 for the bonzer, $300 for the Daisy and if I sell both I'm ordering another Haut Quad to replace the one I retired. I'll have it glassed a bit heavier, maybe stronger foam and wider stringer too. Why mess around with other boards when I had so much fun on that board.

Well, since I brought it up, I already know the answer. The answer is that I get board no matter what. If I have the perfect board in perfect waves after a few days I'll be wondering what else there is. Before I had ridden the Haut in Santa Cruz a few times a week for a year. When I moved up to Oakland I got great waves at OB with it too. Then it started to breakdown and I was looking for a replacement board. I ended up with the Three Bears situation where one was to big, one was too small. Then I stopped before I had one that was just right. Now I'm selling off Papa Bears surfboard and Mama Bears surfboard and gonna buy me a Baby Bear board. But I still have several oddball surfboards in my closet to ride when I've gotten my fill of good waves on a good board.

Bonzer Ride Report

It's been a long, choppy summer. This last week saw the wind calming down long enough for the NW chop to mellow and the big beach to clean up. I wasn't the first on it, I didn't surf 9 hours (I'm calling bull$hit on that claim anyway) but I got enough to put a smile on my face.

The prior few sessions ranged from depressing to simply maintenance surf. On Thursday morning I got out for two hours of fun waist to shoulder high waves in dead glass with some organization. Not perfect, I would find a peak that was good, ride 2-3 waves and the sand would shift or something and it would be gone. After that I would peer up and down the beach trying to decide which way to paddle to try to find the next bit of magic.

I've been on the nearly-fish Junod (Daisy) for the last few go outs and have been unhappy with the way the board feels. It feels so wide and buoyant that I think that I'm outrunning the pocket all the time. So, I went to the opposite extreme with the board that normally feels too small for me, the minty green bonzer. I had some trouble adjusting to the lack of wave catching ability this board has, but in truth I think it was a benefit given the conditions. Most of the time I was sitting just outside of the sandbar. If I chased a small one too far in all I got for my effort was a brown dumper wall. The larger waves would get me up and running before the sandy closeout and sometimes hit the bar and enough of an angle for a speed run.

This bonzer, when under my feet, likes to pearl. I don't mean I'm paddling for the wave and the nose sinks when the wave picks me up. While that does happen it's far less often and I can sometimes recover. What I mean is that I get to my feet on a late/steep drop and hit the bottom of the wave and down goes the nose. When I first got this board I wasn't expecting it and would often be looking down the line and trying to project my bottom turn when "fump" would go the nose and off I'd go, flying through the air. This was something foreign to me, something I had forgotten about because it happens so rarely to me. But there I was, doing it time and again.

So onto Thursday's session and my first good wave. Up and down and "whua whua whua" I made it. Luckily the wave was just a jacking peak because I was completely out of control trying to handle the drop without sending the forward 1/3 of my board into the sand. A few more like it throughout the session. It made me think about the last time I experienced that, which was trying to make a longboard work at a jacking reefbreak. Which reminded me of a comment someone once made of the bonzer, that it had "longboard rocker." I don't consider this guy much of a surfer, he's the once every other month maybe type of surfer, but I was interested by his comment and asked him what he meant. He explained that modern shortboards have two part rocker and longboards have three. If you don't know what I'm talking about then I'm not the right person to explain. If you DO know what I'm talking about I'd like to have someone comment on that idea.

Besides all that, I find the bonzer a nice change from my wider/fishier boards when I'm in the mood to surf close to the wall with few turns. There were a few lips flying through the air and I managed to get 1/2 way under one (and dodge in fear from another) through the day. Other waves I enjoyed by just sitting in the pocket on the tail flipping the board from bottom turn to top turn, never really changing direction completely.

I think it's the wide point forward and narrow tail of this board that makes it work better for pocket stalling and worse for out to the shoulder roundhouse cutbacks.

Surf Travel Changing Again

http://www.latimes.com/news/la-fi-surfboardfees22-2008aug22,0,2880131.story

This article from the LA Times talks about the continuing increase in fees that airlines charge for surfboards. It makes me think about the evolution of surf travel. As a disclaimer, I am a lightweight when it comes to surf travel. The first time I got on a plane to surf was in this decade, so I'm not much of an authority on the subject. But, nobody reads my blog so I don't expect to get any negative comments. :P

Back in the day of wooden kook boxes it seems like just getting to the beach was surf travel. Later, in the early 60's guys could sleep on the beach at Malibu and eat seafood from the cobble reef. To me that sounds like surf travel. California surfers rode steamships as a cheap way to get to Hawaii. I remember a movie with Greg Noll flying to Mazatlan, MX and finding surf. The Endless summer had Bruce Brown and company traveling by plane and auto all the way around the planet searching for surf, asking for directions, and finding so good waves.
The 70's was a time of tune in, turn on, and drop out. Feral Aussie surfers posting up in Indo breaks risking malaria and starvation for barreling waves the likes of which I've never seen. California surfers exploring Baja and mainland Mexico. Travel down every path that looks like it leads to the ocean.
The 80's seems like it was a time of more access, more travel, more magazine coverage but still an inequality of information.
The 90's and the internet brought the ability to research and pass along information on a massive scale. No longer did someone have to overhear a conversation, search for a map and bit's of travel information. The internet allowed one slip of the lip to result in 100s or 1000s of other people learning. Then they could search for more info on the net. The golden age of surf travel (unless you were one of the older crew who worked hard to find remote surf spots that now all of a sudden everyone knew about!)
Then the turn of the century, 2000! Not long after I jump into the surf travel scene with a trip to Puerto Rico planned perfectly between two great winter swells. Waist high waves for 5 days strait, me with my 6'4" potato chip and I could hardly catch a wave. A few years later was Panama. Better waves but harder to get to. The waves weren't better than what I had left behind but the water was warmer and seeing how people from another country lived really opened my eyes and changed my perspective forever. (I'm digressing)
So on to today. USA is in a recession leaving less money in everyone's "travel account", gas prices have jumped leading to increased costs for flying. The base tickets are more expensive, now they are gonna charge you for a pillow and a cup of soda. And to top it off, up to $300 per board per direction! Are we headed towards the 70's again? Are we going to have to take local buses through mainland Mexico and walk the last 5 miles to camp on the sand and live off hermit crabs and coconuts just to surf somewhere else?
Anyway, my surf travel account is only large enough for me to make it to the nearest beach once a week so the rising cost of bringing a board on a plane doesn't really affect me. :)

In this years election, I'm voting for the surfer...

www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/08/barack_obamas_bodysurfing_vide.html

That's enough for me right there. Although, I had no problem with John Kerry windsurfing and that seemed to cost him some votes.

I wonder who those voters are? What is the thought process?

"Look at that guy, he's having fun, outside. I'm not gonna vote for someone like that."

"That there fool is on one of them new fangled surfy boards ridin' the wind!"

I wonder if Obama in the ocean will hurt his politics. I guess I'll never be president.

Contests

To be honest I've never been much of a contestant myself. I didn't play organized competitive sports until high school and never did again after. During high school I played water polo for the "tied for worst" team in the league. I was also on the swim team and enjoyed practice more than the meets. On to the topic of surfing contests.

Who the eff cares? Well obviously quite a few people. To be honest when I was first learning to surf in the late 80's early 90's I was excited to go see the Cold Water Classic. I remember Gary "Kong" Elkerton getting shafted in the finals by Tom Curran. Kong nailed a solid vertical lip bash late into the lip of an 8' wave. Curran had more turns on his waves. I felt like I missed a chance to go surf somewhere else. The finals were during low tide, I should have been surfing.

I'll still poke around a contest these days, but I'm never satisfied with what I see. Even the brotherhood/no sponsor ones turn me off. I've spectated at ASP, high school, Grom, kneeboarder, kayak, skimboarding. All the same when you break it down.

The worst was a weekday morning when the man on the loudspeaker reminded those of us surfing before the contest that there was "GOING TO BE A CONTEST" and that in one hour we would "HAVE TO EXIT THE WATER" he continued to remind us what felt to me every 2 minutes. The surf was good, the weather was good, the contest was bad.

Then there was the Surfline "Contest" in Mexico that amounted to a bunch of guys buying the beach so they could surf with their friends. Everyone was upset. Several people complained that it wasn't even a contest. As far as I'm concerned it didn't matter, it was the same story whether it be a company and "Pro Surfers" or a group of individuals. They're still excluding others.

And the latest contest detail that got under my skin, I was watching a clip from the "Somewhere in Bali" contest that I think was Rip Curl, and between the repetitive whack the lip, whack the lip, whack the lip, was a clip of a contestant climbing onto the back of a jet ski and heading back to the line-up. I may be mistaken, but it seems to me like this is becoming more and more common in contests. Chauffeured professional surfers. It's one more step towards golf! And one more step away from my personal surfing experience.

End of Rant.

Retro

Here's a link with a (fictional) story that's been lighting up the web world lately.

http://www.surfline.com/surfnews/article_bamp_400_v03.cfm?id=17437

I thought I'd put my two cents in at an out of the way place where it wont bother anyone else, here!

Most, if not all of the boards in my quiver would most likely be considered retro by the author of the story. That being said, the GeeBee is a new idea based on an old board. The Bonzer has been continually refined since it's invention. The Junod Daisy is basically a fat tri-fin that I think works better with large outside fins. The Wheelwright (is that one up yet?) is truly retro because my dad and I are guessing it was made in the mid-70s. I also have a board at my dad's house that is modern built but truly retro because we had Junod shape it to exactly match a board from the 60s that I liked. He told my dad all the ways he could make the board ride better but we were determined to remake the old board. Anyway, they're nearly all "retro."

So why do I ride retro boards?

1) Wave quality. The majority of the waves I ride are soft and small. I'm not happy about it but that's the reality. Retro boards typically have more floatation and work better in small, weak waves. This fact was conceded in the story. But there are exceptions to this rule in my quiver. The Bonzer is for good waves. Narrow tail, design that works better in good waves. The Wheelwright is somewhat of a Cali gun, so I expect it to handle size alright. The Strech flexspoon kneeboard has almost no floatation and needs a powerful wave to work at all. Still, the Haut Quad, the GeeBee, the Junod Daisy all work better than a modern tri would when the waves are small and week.

2) Style. I spent 10+ years on very large longboards. That approach lead me to a down the line style with few turns. I didn't do a square off the bottom hit the lip combo for the first 8 or so years of my surfing. To this day I am front foot heavy more concerned with staying ahead of the lip than bashing it. Not that this is the way I want to surf. I'd love to be able to surf like the pro's when I wanted to. Anyway, the front footed, rounded turns style doesn't work well on modern tri-fined boards.

3) Wave count. Retro = more float = more waves. Not always true, such as a sudden barrel over a shelf reef, but see point 1) for why this is normally true.

4) Education. I like trying as many different styles of boards as I can and try to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each shape. Understanding the progress that has been made, why certain shapes have been at the forefront, where different styles of surfing came from and where they're going. These are all things I value. "North Shore" was a silly movie, but I always thought it was interesting when the Arizona kid was forced to ride all the old boards as part of his surfing education. I'm trying to do that on my own.

5) Mistake? What if there is a shape or style that was actually a good idea but was dropped because everyone wanted something else? What if a shape will only really work with modern materials? Or materials yet to be used?

All that being said, I've felt a hole in my quiver lately. I'm strapped for cash so I won't be able to fill that hole anytime soon. That hole is a modern tri, somewhere around 6'4" with a touch more tail width, but far from fish dimensions. I rode my friends Merrick this spring for only a few waves but was amazed at my ability to make late drops and hit the lip on the thing. Maybe it was a fluke, but I'll never know until I get another board and give it a go.

Surf report!

An excerpt from my local surf report,
"The onshore breeze continues today putting chop and texture on the ocean and the surf continues its downward spiral of getting smaller and smaller. The waves look to be in the ankle to maybe chest high range with very weak, crumbling, blah conditions at the moment and foreseeable future."
Yea!

So what I do when I can't surf is comb the interwebs for surfboards I can't afford. Here's one from the Mollusk Venice shop. It's 8' and gunny and a board I wouldn't have much chance to ride around here. It also fits into the "looks good, doesn't ride good" category that I described in my "Most ridiculous post"

It was shaped by Hynson, who I think is shaping for Rainbow, but I'm not sure. Anyway, if I had money and somewhere to display it on the wall, only to be ridden a few times a year, well... I might buy it.

Go surf (if you can)

Blah

Blah blah blah.

Maybe nobody reads the words.

Maybe there's only photos.

Blah blah blah.

Not surfing makes me sad.

I flew a kite on sunday. It didn't substitute well for surfing.

Disapointment

Sunday was not nearly as exciting as I hoped for. It started with me waiting at the place where our group was supposed to meet. It was 15min after everyone was supposed to meet and nobody had showed up and I was getting ready to solo it to where we were supposed to surf. Just then I got a call asking where I was and was I going to join them surfing the other spot.

"What!?! Yeah, I'll be right over."

They had changed the meeting place and the surfing place. I wanted to say forget it, I'm going where the waves will be GOOD, but it was a special occasion and I didn't want to throw a tantrum. It was our friends "Leaving Cali" last surf and it was the only time that all 6 of us who work together and "surf" were together. I put surf in quotes because one is a pure beginner, two surf a few times a year, one is in a kayak, and the guy who was leaving was the only one who would join me when the waves got over 3' tall.

When we got there the waves were smaller than I surfed Saturday. The wind was blowing worse than Saturday. The crowd was 4 times larger than Saturday. I tried to let it go and followed the group to the peak where the waves were hardly breaking before disappearing into deep water. I "rode" three waves and sat around and then just paddled in.

It wasn't much of a going away surf but it was nice to get all the pieces together for once. Without him I doubt the other guys will surf much since he was the one who would talk them into joining us. I would rather not invite them since it often means going where the waves are more suitable for beginers.

Looking to the future I'll be surfing alone before work now. This means a larger hit to the thin wallet and nothing holding me back from getting to the beach at first light, surfing where I want, when I want. My productivity at work may go up without having someone to recap the surf with, or maybe I'll sink into the web-surf world looking for an outlet to share the stoke.

Ride Report, Junod and Fineline

On Tuesday I went down to the beach. The waves were small and a bit junky but there was no wind and only one guy out. I'd been dry for too long so I went out anyway. I was on the Junod fat-tri with the large 512 sides and the mini center fin. Although there wasn't much to the waves, mostly closeouts, I was able to find a few corners and make a few speed runs. The new large fins work great for generating speed on a bottom turn and I'm not noticing them stiffening up the board. I started standing a bit further back on the board and it really loosened up. It got to the point where I was wiggling the board all over on a wave that wasn't doing anything but I couldn't stop the board from turning this way or that. So, now I know how far back is too far back. It was a so-so session in so-so waves.

This morning was a repeat at this same spot only with sunshine and 50+ more people scattered about. I still got plenty of waves since everything was so disorganized and everyone was spread out. Similar conditions but this time on the Fineline GeeBee. It took a few waves to get used to how the GB feels compared to the fat-tri. The board doesn't let you just lean over and make a quick turn, you really have to take your time and make it happen. I have to add more body english. I also noticed, and this may be my imagination, but I had one wave where I tried to stand on the tail on the take-off to stall in the pocket. I think it was all the width in the tail but the board just shot off down the face of the wave and I almost fell off the back. Maybe I would have had more luck if I pointed the board down the line before I try to tail stall. I did manage to get a tiny bit of air coming off the lip of a close-out, but I didn't manage to land it. Another so-so session in so-so waves.

Planing on surfing again tomorrow, this time somewhere different. Either of these two boards would work where I'm headed, and maybe I'll bring both and switch-off. Or maybe it's time to try the mat again... No reason I can't bring all three!

The end of cool

I've been waiting for it to come around again. Surfing gets mainstream attention every 5-10 years and becomes cool. This brings more people into the water, few of whom are going to stick with it. Some get good (teenagers, mostly) but many are just fair surfers and get in the way. The good part of it is that there are often more surf shops around, which means more selection. The bad parts are too numerous to mention. It seems like this last string of "Surfing is Cool" has lasted since the mid-90's with only a few minor drops in popularity. I've been waiting for the cool to go out of surfing and people to leave, I've been feeling it lately, but I've been looking for a sign. Well, today I found it, and here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLVjyDvH11c

This is it, the end of surfing being cool. I've only seen this preview but if the movie is anything like the preview then nobody who sees this movie will think surfing is cool. Surfers will go back to being seen as dumb, lazy stoners. Great!

I'm a generally nice person and appreciate beginners and others who are enjoying the ocean that we all share. I never give people a hard time and almost always welcome people to the peak I'm surfing with a smile. But deep down inside I'm protective and greedy with the waves.

Early 90's GOTCHA add:
"If you don't surf, don't start. If you surf, never stop."

---------------------------------------------------------------
Late Addition!

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24061768-462,00.html

Mr Hyman said manufacturers had over-produced following predictions of an undersupply. "We've been hit by the double whammy of a huge glut of surfboards and the economy taking a dive," he said.

Surf Mat

Dimensions: Bout 4' x 2.5' x 4" or something like that. The point of this thing is that it has no dimensions. Gas is defined as a fluid that expands or contracts to fill it's container, and that's a pretty good description of the surf mat. Surf mats aren't as obscure as they were when I first got one, but some people may not know much about them. One misconception I often get is that they are blown up tight. They're not, in fact they're rather soft. Not floppy, but you can bend one to a 90deg angle when their in the correct inflation range. Skipping the rest for now, I'll give a ride report.

I bought a surf mat looking for the fastest thing on a wave. The back-up justification is that they are ultimately portable. Good thing for the back-up because I can't get going very fast at all. There is a good sensation of speed because you're right at the waters level, but bodyboarding as a kid and body surfing give a similar feeling.

It's hard to describe what it's like to ride one, but I can compare it to other surfing. Compared to bodysurfing you're getting the same feel as being a little at the mercy of the wave. Without fins attached to the bottom you can't make the thing go square off the bottom or do a ripping cutback. But like bodysurfing it forces you to accept the wave and work with it. Unlike body surfing you can get out of the curl or ride softer waves. I had fun on a 2' day of slow rollers on the mat. Full on longboarding waves that I was able to cruse around on.

Mats also don't have a rail. On a bodyboard or paipo the rail is doing what fins do on a stand-up board. On the surf mat the best chance you have of grabbing an edge is to use your swim fins dragging behind you.

Before you even get to learn about the limits in control on a wave you have to learn the limits of control while trying to paddle the thing out. If you've ever tried to surfpaddle an inflatable pool toy you have an idea of what it's like. If not, imaging trying to climb on top of a giant rubber ball, covered with grease. Well, it's not really that bad, and by now I have the hang of it pretty well.

I haven't met to many other surf mat-ers in person so I don't really know if I'm a good or bad mat-er, but I have the basics down.

The thing is, I don't love it. It's cool that I've learned a different perspective on wave riding and I feel that I have a better understanding of waves and surfing because of it, but I hardly ever ride the thing. It is ULTIMATELY portable and goes on every vacation with me, and I'll never sell it, so that's something.

Pros: Portable, gives a whole new perspective on surfing.

Cons: The relative lack of control and difficulty in paddling through waves is more than I can handle when I only get to surf once a week or less.

If anyone wants to take it out for a spin, let me know and we'll meet up. I even have a decent selection of swim fins to offer.

To learn more http://neumaticsurfcraft.homestead.com/

http://www.vagabondsurf.com/SummingUpSurfmats.html

http://23breaths.blogspot.com/

http://surfmatz.com/

Coulda, but shoulda?

Can't really tell if it would have been worth it. From home at 3:30am this morning the surf didn't look good anywhere. Around 9am when I talked to my south and west surf reporters that was verified, but throughout the day there were moments where I thought it would get better. Never enough to pull the trigger though. Maybe it would have been good enough somewhere.

Looks like we're supposed to get a steady stream of small souths, if the wind ever let's up around here I'll go surfing.

I noticed that in some of the last photos you can see our cat in the frame. I thought I should share another photo. See, she has her own opinions and isn't afraid to express them. I'm not sure if she didn't like the foiling on the side runners, thought she should make it into a 5-fin, or if she's just retro hipster beyond bonzer and only goes single.

Either way, no harm was done to the fins.

"If it didn't work, we just kicked it off." - Dale Velzy

Freeline Kneeboard

The kneeboard. Shapers dimensions 5'8", 16" nose, 21 1/4" wide, 13" tail, 2 7/16" thick. I first got to thinking about a kneeboard while living in New York on Long Island for a few years. My closest beach was a real snappy beach break. Often smaller than 4" with waves that would throw and race away from me on my chippy thruster before I could get to my feet and in control. To make matters worse I wasn't getting to surf very often due to the distance, workload at school, and incosistancy of waves, so I wasn't enjoying surfing very much. I spent a lot of time on the internet and started learning about alternate ways of surfing. Kneeboarding, bodysurfing, mat surfing, paipos, handboards, pieces of driftwood. I found a kneeboarder that had a board to loan me and I gave it a try. We got lucky on a head high day during the week and we were the only ones out at a left hander that was a touch mushy. I had no problem catching and making waves right from the start. When I got back to California I bought one of my own.

For awhile I was riding this kneeboard several times a week. I learned of a hard breaking reef break that barreled. I surfed it first on a kneeboard and had a great time in the very challenging waves. I came back with a stand-up board and couldn't make the drop, or if I did couldn't make the bottom turn to get to the face before the lip came over. Back to the kneeboard and I was just fine, pushing myself into the barrel. I met another kneeboarder and we surfed other spots together, often just the two of us in waves with real kick. For me the kneeboard allows me to make late drops in complete control. It allows me to get into a small crouch and try for the barrel. Also, paddling a kneeboard you can use your arms or your swim fins, or both when the wave is picking you up to catch it. Because of this I can catch waves earlier that most shortboarders, and just as late if not later because I'm so stable on the kneeboard. A win-win.

Pros: Catch more waves, stay out longer cause I can use my arms and legs to paddle, make late drops and pull into barrels, solid and stable when the lip hits me so I can make it through whitewater sections.

Cons: Hassling from other surfers, really needs powerful waves to appreciate, harder to do cut backs, floaters, and other "tricks" that I'm not doing much of anyway.

South Swell Due

There's a south due in over the weekend. Unfortunately there's also 30kt NW winds forecast as well. That leaves me with two options, drive north for 1.5 hours or drive south for 1.5 hours. Driving north means 2-3ft beachbreak with likely offshore winds, a beginner crowd with a smattering of so-so longboarders who think they are the best surfers around, which they are, but that's cause most of the other surfers are raw beginners. Anyway, it's not hard to get away from the crowd and find good waves to yourself, if that's what you want. Plus, offshore wind is a rare treat for me.
The other option is drive south, towards the crowds. The good thing about south is there will be many options. One spot rarely gets good and when it does there's only a few surfers out at a time. Another spot may be 4ft unmakable walls with only a handful trying. Fun to try. Yet another spot could be empty at dawn and a thumping cove beachbreak, as mentioned in an earlier post. South also means I could do some board repair with my dad, and just about every board I own could use some ding fixes. I'll probably head south with a carload of boards.

Lately I've been riding my Junod "Daisy" with a new set of 5.25" side fins and a mini center fin. The extra fin surface area has been great for solid bottom turns and projection. I could ride that board at any of the spots, but it may be a little fat for the bowly cove.

I took photos of all the rest of my boards but haven't yet uploaded them. I'll try to get a description of the boards, with photos, that I don't have up yet.

I've been watching craigslist lately and it may be my imagination but it seems like there are some cool retro type boards for sale at good prices, that don't seem to be selling. Maybe it's the economy, maybe people are realizing that retro isn't for everyone, maybe I'm just board hungry and imagining things. As I said before I can't buy another until I clear out one first, so I shouldn't even be looking.

Spring Blues

Onshore winds. Onshore winds. Onshore winds. Brief reprieve of no wind and crappy windswell. Onshore winds.

Or maybe I'm just out of touch. I HAVE been working more lately, and the thought of driving the extra distance to the wind protected spots has carried with it the reality of $4/gal gas, so maybe I'm missing the boat. Surprisingly, not surfing hasn't freed up time to update this blog. Go figure.

Anyway, to revive my surf stoke I went out and bought a board. It was $75 and my approach was f-it, lets give it a try. The only dimension I have for it is that it's about 6'9", but it's thick with the width forward of center. It has a fin box but no leash attachment, which puts it in the late 60's early 70's vintage. It has no logos, only a hand written name of Wheelwright. I've taken it out once and had a good time in peaks that jacked up, slammed, then disappeared. (Odd item of note, I traded boards with my buddy and caught a few waves on his 6'4" Merrick thruster. I did surprisingly well, so maybe the waves were just better than they looked.) I'll have to spend the time to give the full rundown on this board once I get some more free time.

I also need to give the run down on my surf-mat which I did get out once on while in Mexico. The short story is that matting is a trip, and one that not everyone will appreciate. More on that later.

One additional item of note, this new board is the kind of single fin I was referring to in the previous post. It looks to me like one of those boards that works great as long as you don't want to cut back. Although, this one has more tail width then the other boards I've ridden in this category, which may help it carry speed through the turn. The tail thickness and overall tail volume may also allow me to surf it more from the tail, which helps to initiate cutbacks better.

Also, check this out!

This isn't the board I bought but I might have if I saw it first. It looks too small for me but besides that, WOW. It's like an over done McCoy Zap, which I've been interested in but never had the chance to try one. I don't think I can fit another surfboard in my closet, the new one is already living outside in the hall of our apartment complex and I know I'm gonna get hassled by the landlord if my wife doesn't start in on me first. The closet is full, I can't buy any more boards. I guess it's time to move to a larger apartment.

The Most Rediculous Post

What board looks best under your arm?





WTF right? Well yeah I know, but since nobody is reading this blog I can be stupid without getting caught.

So I was looking at old photos and thinking how cool those old 70's era single-fin boards look under the arm. Guys standing at the waterline with drawn out spears held loosely under one arm gazing out to some tropical line-up.




Image from iconsofsurf.com

That mental image doesn't always match the awkwardness that results when the boards are being ridden. Sure, in perfect waves they go great, but ever tried to cut back on one? You have to plan ahead and make a reservation. Once you've done a cutback you're dead in the water and need to pray to Poseidon that the wave picks you up gently and gets you up to speed before the lip catches up. Don't even think about rebounding off the whitewater, not gonna happen.

I've ridden a 7'-ish spear built back in the mid-70's and enjoy the ride. Of course I have a hard time negotiating the drop competing with better surfers riding shorter boards with modern rockers. But if I can sneak one in at just the right time, and it's got a wall to ride, that board is fun. Of course at the end of the wall if I want to cut back, well, that's a different story. It's better sometimes to just kick out and not look back. (That next section wasn't gonna be good anyway.)

I think this is part of the reason I bought the Bonzer I have. It's got similar lines to the 70's single fin guns. It also has me struggling to make late drops. Of course the bonzer does maintain speed a bit better on a cutback, but maybe that's because it's shorter and I can bring it around quicker, staying in the pocket better... hmmmm

Can't Surf?

My board quiver is noticeably missing a Kiteboard or a Skateboard or a Snowboard. These are all options to get a boarding fix when the ocean just isn't cooperating. For me I'd rather use my extra money to buy more surfboards than get any of these other boards. That leaves me with few options during times such as these when I can't figure out how or where to go surfing.

One option is board repair. Bad surf is usually a good time to repair all those minor dings that aren't worth fixing if it means missing waves. My problem is that I have nowhere to do board repair at home so I either have to sneak into work on the weekends and try to do board repair without being spotted by the boss, or drive 1.5 hours each way to my parents house.

Another option is to go shopping. For the most part I hate "shopping." I see it as a rich persons diversion and wasteful beyond forgiveness. By "shopping" I mean wandering around looking for something you didn't know you needed or just trying to find some way to spend your extra money and time. Why did I mention it? Well shopping for surfboards is something I do when ever I can't surf. Even if I don't have money I'm always looking around at what's out there. As soon as I have $300 extra saved up I start looking seriously. By the time $500 is in my pocket I've narrowed my search down to like 5 boards and I'm ready to pull the trigger. It's a disease and it's only cure is to surf until I don't care any more.

Where I "Shop"
http://www.mollusksurfshop.com/ dodge the hipsters to find something interesting
http://swaylocks.com/ mostly researching what's out there.
http://craigslist.org/ maybe I can make it work even though you can't
http://surfysurfy.blogspot.com/ mostly just dreaming
http://www.hesssurfboards.com/ seriously dreaming

Of course I could always spend a day looking for a nook or cranny that's picking up some swell and isn't getting worked over by the wind.

What do you do when the onshores have been blowing for weeks? Or the ocean is dead flat?

Post Surf Trip Ramble

The Junod did the job. We posted up at a long left hand point break in Mexico. The swell was changing the whole time we were there so we got to see many faces of the place. First few days were solid overhead and long lined up all the way through. The Junod had the speed I needed to just stand there and make most sections, but loose enough to drop around the occasional overly eager section.
A few days later there was a NW on top of the S and the size dropped to shoulder to head. The NW caused the sections to be a bit faster. On my backside I couldn't do the thruster style tic-tac and had to move off to the shoulder to the other side of the top section. I borrowed some 550 vector Futures and put in a tiny trailer riding the board as a Twin-ish with trailer. This gave me solid drive off the bottom and more holding power if I was to get caught by the section and try to rail grab pull through the white water.
Last few days of the trip the south was warbly and sectiony. Shorter rides but gave me a chance to try to get tubed on the bowly sections. I had a couple dump on me once inside so they sorta counted, but since my eyes were closed expecting to get killed I'm not counting them. Backside on high tight barrels when I don't get tubes, ever, isn't easy.

Overall we got offshore winds and 8 strait days of good morning surf. I got a chance to work on my backside riding, and I'm definitely getting some larger side fins for the Junod, maybe not 550's, but I'll have to do more research on what all fins are available from Futures since there website is lacking details. Standing on the inside rail for speed made it hard to wrap around and do a cutback without some foot movement. I attribute part of this to the tail width of the board, but it was something I was starting to account for as the days ticked by.

Want to know where I was? Well, here's a hint, square burritos. I'll give more to someone who shows me there's first.

Oh, photos. Well the resident photog wouldn't start shooting until later in the morning when I left the water and the rippers had taken over. There was a traveling photog who got several shots of me, but when she gave me a DVD it was blank when I got home! She also got video and said she'd email it later so maybe I'll update then. Or, more likely, I'll see how big of a kook I look like and not post any photos. :)
The photog was part of this group http://www.gringoinvasion.com/, they're a fun loving bunch of travelers on a bus trip to Costa Rica.

Long Rambling Pre Surf-Trip post about nothing in particular

Leaving for Mexico this Friday, mainland, Pacific side. I'm bringing the Junod because I'm guessing I can ride it in just about everything I'd want to surf anyway. If I bring one board I can cram it in a board bag with the other guys and pay for 1/3 of the total, $50. OR, I can bring a second board and my own board bag and pay $75 each way. I can think of too many reasons to bring a second board and too many reasons not to. I think I'll have to go with my gut and bring the Bonzer.

Why? Cause I think that my Bonzer is similar to the Russ Short models that the Campbell brothers are making now (narrow tailed Light Vehicles) and I saw some fun looking footage from the 70's of Russ Short in Mexico.

It's possible he was in the same region I'm going to. I'm not thinking it's a karmic connection, I'm thinking he was getting good rides on a board similar to what I'm considering bringing. (It also helped that I had a fun session on the bonzer just a few days ago.)

Still haven't packed, not even sure I can get these two boards in the board bag I have. The only forethought I've had was I ordered this super expensive sunblock that's supposed to be actually waterproof. Dr. Martins of Maui. It's about $5/oz after shipping! but it claims 30spf and 20spf after 6 hours in the water. If it works I'll get a lot more waves since I wont have to get out of the sun at 9AM only to return after 5pm. I may be able to add a few hours of surf per day!

Not sure if I'll bring a camera, maybe a disposable waterproof one, but those are only good if you get REALLY close to the object of the shot, and I don't want to be hanging around the impact zone trying to take photos of my friends surf when I could be surfing.

I'll be taking the surf mat and a pair of flippers. That lets me body surf and play around on weak waves or onshore wind blown point breaks. I think I'll be covered as long as it's not huge.

Bonzer Ride Report

Got the bonzer out at a tight little pocket cove with a bowling takeoff. After that the wave will do one of several different things, like sometimes just dissolve under you, line up a tapered wall, tapered barrel, close-out, and sometimes another peak will crank towards you. I started out with the fin pushed to the front of the box thinking I'd see if it would loosen up the board. This puts the center fin in about an inch overlap with the side runners. On one left and one right I felt no hold or drive from the fin and it quickly washed out when the whitewater hit me. I went into where the water was waist deep and, thanks to the wonderbolt I was using, readjusted the fin to the center point where there was about 1/4" gap with the side runners and was back to the peak before the next set came.

I had good waves after that. I was burying the nose on the takeoff a few times, which is something I don't normally do. This could be the sudden steepness of the bowl, the offshore winds hanging me up, the flatness of the rocker or a combination of them all. I was also wondering if the side-runner fins also cause more drag at low speeds resulting in a slight hang up on the lip. Besides those times, I was having fun catching the small (3') bowls and sitting in the pocket to see what would happen. I've been trying some home made wax and this batch was super slippery so I wasn't able to crank any cutbacks, but I enjoyed the waves for the most part.

I was noticing that even though the board is only 6', I could catch smaller waves than the thrusters in the water, and also enjoy the small zippers more than they were. The result is that I was often sitting inside by myself catching wave after wave. Not doing much on the waves, just kinda cruising in the pocket trying to cram myself into the occasional barrel, but having a good time anyway.

Campbell Brothers Bonzer

This is the Bonzer. To be specific it's a "Light Vehicle" model. No shapers dimensions, but my measuring is 6'2" with 14.5" nose, 20" widest point (forward of center) and 14" tail. The photos are not the same as the prior ones cause I stole these off of a website from where I bought the board. This board was bought after having a session or two with really steep hollow waves in the 8' range. The other boards I have worked alright, but I was wishing I could stall up into the barrel. I figure a narrower tail would allow that, so I picked up this board.

I was also interested in how a bonzer would work as a short board. I have ridden bonzers as longboards made by Mike Eaton and they don't have much glide but are really fast and loose in the juice. I think they're a good choice for longboarding in big waves.

The first couple sessions I had it out were with very light crowds. I felt that it was a bit harder to ride waves on it because it has a narrower range of where I can catch waves. Not too early, not too late. It didn't seem like a big deal until I was riding it at a more crowded spot. I just couldn't compete. I was so frustrated I tried to sell the board that day and dropped it off at the shop on consignment. I've since retrieved the board from the shop and I'm willing to give it another chance.

Besides not catching waves well, it has a different feel that the Haut Quad, which is the board I had been riding most prior. It's more single fin in the way it makes a bottom turn. Where on the quad I could drop late and lean over to the face and catch the fins and start gaining speed down the line with little effort, this board wants a more solid bottom turn. It still likes to be pumped down the line for speed but then has a different feel when you cut it back. It does feel more in control on the steep part of the wave than the quad did. And, I was able to connect sections (both soft and steep) on a wave that resulted in about a 400yard ride (no joke.) The wave wasn't reeling the whole time, but it's still a kick to go that far.

Overall my impression is that it rides like a short single fin with more speed and looseness.

The Good!

Hey look, I have a Campbell Brothers Bonzer! A different feel to get used to. Potential to get tighter to the pocket. The longest ride I've ever gotten at one of the longest waves in my area. Another board with a fin box to play with all those odd center fins I've "borrowed" from my dad over the years.

The Bad :(

Narrow range of when/where I can successfully make the drop. Seems to have a bit lighter glass job than I might like, doesn't feel as loose as some of my other boards.

Feedback please.

One Board Quiver

For some it's the ideal, for most it's something that was left behind during there first years of surfing, never to return. The one board quiver. Can it work?

I was spending some time trying to fit 7 boards into the tiny closet space my wife allows me for boards. The only way I could fit them all in was with some creative jimmying and removal of the majority of the fins. I realize that, of the removable fins, I wanted to leave the fins on my newest board and had to work around to get things to fit. Why was I willing to put in the extra effort? Because that board is the one I'm most likely to surf for the next few sessions. So why do I have all these other boards?

I'm also going on a surf trip to Mexico for 10days. The cost of the trip, while cheap, is more than I should be spending now and the thought of spending extra money to take extra boards seems wasteful. Not to mention the more boards I bring the more boards I risk all the hazards of travel.

All this leads me to wonder if a one board quiver isn't the way to go? I have only one wetsuit (not counting the old ones I use only as loaners) so why so many boards. Wouldn't I gain from concentrating my energy on one board? Wouldn't I do better if I learned how to make one board go in a variety of conditions?

Strech/Homemade Spoon

This one gets an extra photos cause it needs some 'splainin. Based on the George Greenough series of flexable kneeboards, shaped by Strech out of Santa Cruz. It was glassed with a single layer of fiberglass and a single layer of carbon fiber. No dimentions were on board so, as I measure, 5', 17" nose, 21.5", 18.5 tail. The first time I had this board out I broke the rail AND got a in-out barrel a few waves later. I was really into the way the board twisted under me to form to the face of the wave. I was really upset that I broke it so quickly but didn't want to give up so I decided to take matters into my own hands (and my dad's) and add many layers of glass to strengthen the board. I have a whole series of posts at flexspoon.com describing the saga of this board and I wont repeat it here. The board needs to be sanded and "tuned" as the flexspooners say so I'll keep my comments short.

The Good!

Something to do when the surf is flat (sanding, always sanding,) home made, something very different to try, I'll eventually "tune" it to my liking.

The Bad :(

Needs work still, has essentially no floatation, very few people understand these boards so I have a hard time getting advice and I've only ever seen someone else ride one in person once.

What can you say?

Fineline GeeBee

My longboard. No shapers dimensions on this one, so by my best effort we have 6'2", 17.5" nose, 22", 17" tail. As you can see, this is a wide one. It's in the category of hull with it's belly and sharp 50/50 rails but it's not an extreme version. Brian Hilbers is Fineline, but this board was a combined effort of him and Kirk Putnam, who is known in the Hull Circle. It is said to be modeled after George Greenoughs Velo (flexspoon kneeboard) and it has some characteristics even I can see. For instance the bullet shape, the angular belly towards the front half of the board which is known as tri-plane, and the flat bottom going out the tail. I ride it with a L-Flex fin pushed all the way to the fronty front of that box. It's my first choice for small or very weak waves but I have had success with it in hollow'ish waves in the 4-6' range. If you've ever ridden a classic longboard then you'd recognize the feel of this thing. It's glassed heavy and you have to ease the bottom turn using the full rail. I'm still figuring out how to cut back on this board.

The Good!
Wave magnet/hog/catcher, with all that width I can catch a ripple, stable, takes a single fin so I can play with all those odd center fins I've stolen from my dad, can handle that good set wave that comes through on a crappy day, or all the waves on a good day for that matter, Solid (extra glass) glass job so it'll last me years.

The Bad :(
Hard to duck dive with the width and volume, critical drops typically end in wipeouts, I'm not impressing anyone with my moves (unless they appreciate the flow of longboarding,) funny looks in the parking lot, or questions about it when I'm trying to go catch some waves.

A keeper, am I wrong?

Junod Fishy Tri

This is my most recently bought board. Shapers dimensions written on the board are 6'2" 2 5/8" thick, 15" nose, 21", 15.5" tail. Used (as are most of my boards) and repaired well. It's supposed to replace my Haut quad (thus the similar dimensions) and give me a feel something slightly different. To my amature eye it seems to have more volume (width and thickness) further forward than the Haut quad. The tail stinger is deeper and there's only one. I've only taken it out once in bad waves so I can't say much about it except it felt like I needed more fin surface area. It has three stringers nearly touching at the nose with the outer ones going to the tips of the fish tail, and it's heavier than the Haut quad.

The Good!

Only cost me $300. Potential since I havn't ridden it much yet.

The Bad :(

Bigger than what I was looking for and I'm not sure about the tri-fin, although it's supposed to be ridden with two large outside fins (lager than what is on it now) and a small trailer. Nothing solid to report.

Let me know what you think.

Haut Quad

I'll start with my favorite board. The shaper's dimensions written on the board are 6'0" 2 3/8" thick, 15.5 nose x 20.5 x 16 tail. Goes well in all but the very smallest of waves. I have trouble keeping it in the pocket cause it wants to run but it cuts back fine. It has good drive off the bottom and fits well with my forward stance style. I never could excel with small tailed thrusters, at best I would be getting vertical twice a session. While I don't get vertical with this board, I have a blast going everywhere else on the face of the wave.

The Good!
Drops in early, drops in late, always in control (almost always.) Speed to make sections, speed from the first second I'm standing. Duckdives fine. Float so I can get into waves early or catch small waves.

The Bad :(
Maybe a touch to much volume for me. So much speed I can't always cut back until I'm way out on the shoulder, or I outrun the pocket of the wave. I think I've fractured the stringer and there's pleanty of heel dents up and down the deck. (This is a problem common to most boards but I want to move towards more durable boards so I'll mention it now.)


If anyone wants more specifics I can provide them to a degree. As you can tell by the photos I'm limited to a small living space and no board racks. I have no calipers and measuring rocker would be done from the floor.


Please tell me what you think.

Is anybody out there?

Oh yeah, I was trying to start a blog, wasn't I. In the last month I bought a board, tried to sell it, bought another board, decided not to sell the first one, and booked a trip to Mexico.

Quiver Overview:
6'2" Fishy Junod Thruster 6'2" x 21" x 2 5.8"
6'2" Bonzer Light Vehicle 3 fin bonzer from Campbell Bros. Narrowest tailed board I own
6' Fishy Haut Quad 6' x 20.5" x 2 3/8"
6' Fineline GeeBee 6' x 21" x ? This is a 6' "longboard", wide throughout with knifey rails
5'10"? Schrodel Twinzer
5'8" Freeline twinzer kneeboard
5'6" Flexspoon (unfinished) Strech/Homemade effort
3'?" Neumatic Surfmat
1' Homemade handboard

The Junod is the new board, riden once in head high mixed up windswell. Couldn't tell much about it except it duckdives okay and catches waves okay. I think I need more fin surface area, but a friend that rode it one day disagrees.

The Bonzer is the one I tried to sell but now am having second thoughts. My impression of it was that it's like a single fin improved. Faster and more agile than a single but far more single fin like than the Haut quad I'd been riding. I wanted to sell it cause it has a narrow window of take-off zone so I have a real hard time in a crowd.

The Haut quad is an awesome board for me. Great float without being too much, great wave catching and manuverability, great drive off the bottom and very fast. I think I fractured the stringer so it's been put to the back of the closet only to be brought out to serve as an original to be cloned.

Fineline GeeBee can be called a stub, hull, thumb, or stupid looking thing. I call it my longboard. It's got alot of features of a clasic longboard. Belly, 50/50 rails, flat rocker, width throughout, and a big single fin. I can make it go in good waves but I need an extra second on the drop to get control and make a bottom turn.

Schrodel Twinzer. To be honest I havn't given this one a fair shake so I won't talk about it.

Freeline kneeboard. Yes, I kneeboard, and I'm not afraid to admit it. (I'd also ride a bodyboard if I had one.) I've gotten some great rides on this thing. I can make super late drops, I can pull into small barrels, I can surf all day without ever loosing control. I've even riden it stand-up and enjoy that ride as well, although it's hard to catch waves without the help of swim-fins.

Flexspoon kneeboard. Shaped by Strech, I broke the rail on the second wave I got, was barreled later that day. I decided to add more glass to it, way more, and sand down to tune it. I don't have much opportunity to ride it lately, or sand on it either, but it's an ongoing project never to be forgotten compleatly.

Neumatic Surfmat. Ultimatly portable so I'll never get rid of it, but I havn't ever gotten a great ride on it. No skegs, soft inflation -> no edge, a whole different approach to wave riding.

Handboard, homemade, simple with a crappy skeg on it. Seems basic enough but it's surprising how it improves my bodysurfing experience when the waves are more than just whomping closeouts.

Well, that's the overview of what's in my closet. I never really thought about it before but I've got a lot of boards! There are also a few boards that are at my parents house cause they're technically my dad's property, but he doesn't (and wont ever) ride them, and cause my closet is full of the ones I'm most interested in right now.

Is anybody out there?

Opening Salvo

Opening Salvo

The point of this blog is to open a dialog with other surfers who ride similar surfboards to what I ride. The dialog is intended to help spread information on characteristics of particular shapes. My goal is to provide photos of my various boards, some information on them such as shape characteristics and how they ride, and then to try to get some feedback from others that have similar boards.

Now back to work making money to buy gas to get to the beach!