Another pre-surf post

I'm looking forward to this week. The 4th of July holiday is Saturday, and my work is giving us Friday off. The weather forecast is for calm winds through the weekend, and there is a south swell mixed with some north. The tides are negative pre-dawn, so everything appears lined up for a dawn surf Friday, and then again Sunday, back at the same stretch of coast I've been enjoying lately. Not epic, but hopefully as good as its been.

I have a habit of looking at Craigslist for surfboards several times a day. I'm looking for anything interesting, affordable, and within reach. I talked to a guy about a mid-length bonzer at a good price, but couldn't coordinate a meetup that worked for both of us. I'm not sure a bonzer is really what I want/need right now, but at that price I was willing to try!  What has really been on my mind was the few waves I got on JB's Smooth Operator. The board felt really good on the few turns I had on it. It felt small compared to the TH I was riding, but I caught waves no problem. It felt secure under my feet, but reacted without resistance when I turned it hard. It reminded me of many years ago when I rode a 6'1" potato chip thruster. Back when I was able to get that board into a wave with juice, the board went wherever I wanted. All I had to do was think about what I wanted, move my body, and the board did it. (The flip side was the 95% of the waves I missed or couldn't generate enough speed on.) So I've been watching Craigslist looking for something similar to JBs board, and found something.

A guy was nearly throwing away a CI Fred Rubble. It's 6'5" thruster with Futures, and he threw in the leash and a fin set, all for $40! I figured even if the board was about to buckle and fall apart, I could get a few waves on it and help answer some questions for myself. When I met the guy and had the board in my hands I was shocked by what good shape it was in. It had clearly been ridden for many years, but all the dings had been repaired. It didn't have any delams or stress fractures, both of which are challenging to repair to the point that I don't bother. Its kinda wide for it's length, although it's stock dimensions, but that's good for me comping off the wide quads. I knew it was a popular shape before buying it, but when I got home a dove a bit deeper into some research, it turns out to be very much in-line with what I'm looking for. Its described as a middle of the road board for middle of the road conditions. I'll be taking it out to kinda juicy waves, but certainly not barrels. Its on the small side, so if I can ride it I'll know that anything bigger I'll be able to handle. I really hope this experiment is enlightening.

Last minute update. I just got word that the surf was marginal at best this morning. Time to moderate my expectations so I don't psych myself up and get disappointed.