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.