E's Surf Report

I’m 5’10”, weigh 185 pounds (during the season) and will be 40 this Christmas.

Boards I currently ride with ranges of conditions:

9’6” triple stringer Long board, custom-shaped by Scott Miller
Primary board for under head-high surf but I might paddle it out in 1.5 O + if it’s high-tide-ish.

7’6” Bonzer EP, off-the-rack, Mike Eaton
Overhead to Double O + cleaner, steeper surf. Some smaller days if it is hollow.

8’0” Bonzer UEO, custom-ordered, Mike Eaton
Head-high to Double O +, especially on softer, fatter days, or when a stiff offshore is going to make you want more paddling speed.

8’10” Trifin-thruster Gun, custom-shaped by Scott Miller
Double O and up. Of course I have been over gunned in 1.5 O stuff with this thing as well.

I have ridden the last three of these in Double to Triple overhead surf. Before buying the Gun about 5 years ago, I rode other similar Longboards and other similar Bonzers in Double O plus.

Doof’s quiver and wave experience are similar to mine with regard to Bonzers, but he owns no Longboards. He does own and ride a Surfteck faux-balsa pop-out on occasion. 5 years ago, he paddled it out with me on my 9’6” LB in the foggy dark and the swell had jumped prodigiously overnight. We didn’t figure this out until we were outside dodging apartment buildings. I was happy to get down and around one of the smaller set waves, and I rode that long shoulder all the way in. I watched from the parking lot, Longboard in hand, as Doof caught two absolutely screaming Triple-Overhead Freight train rights one right after another on that porked-out funboard thruster thing.

Is it the surfer or the board?

I want the red one in front...

them boards sure are purty.

i have only gotten one sesh on a borrowed
bonzer. 7'0" shaped by malcolm campbell.
caught a few waves in the just overhead range.
the speed and abililty of that board to maintain
or increase speed over the course of a turn was
remarkable. seeing the walls rolling in last sunday,
i can only imagine how sweet my buddies 8'0"
would be in those conditions.

its the board AND the balls i think friend #1

to friend#1's question....

a bit of both...
but there's nothing like a good board.

Does anyone out there have a single fin shortboard?? I have my eye on one at aqua, it's a channel island 6'2. I have never surfed one and I just need some advice. Thanks

Karma's a bitch.

B/c i took the day off to surf all day, my third session was ruined by a weekend-warrior fat dude and his fat longboard crashing into mine. Fuuuuuuuck. Huge gash on the rail, cut on the deck, just in time for all of these swells coming thru. All i got was a "sorry bro" Fucking tool.

Oh well, needed to hop back on my old board anyway...which was an all together different fun this mornin'

At least it was your third and not your first session.

It is nice to have back-ups.

BTW, I misremembered, it was two huge lefts in a row. The first one, Doof raised his arms to to roof and almost fell. There were 2.5 to three of him on the face even with his arms up. I was amazed that he didn't quit at one, but he popped back out and caught the next set in almost the same spot, same ride.

Also my board vs surfer querie goes out to some of yesterday's posters.

hello niceness. thanks for posting the pics.

the trip was fun. taiwan is a pretty amazing place. only got surf once. just missed a typhoon by a few days.

check out this pic of the tallest building in the world in taipei.

Forget the boards who are the guy's!?
Is this a "gay surfer" website? Cool.
I write poetry. Hi Kaiser!

My surfing sucks, so heck as long as it's at least temporarilly in one piece I'll try anything. Pretty fun so far.

Took a neighbor's LB for a spin last weekend... beautiful board but good lord, huuuuuge. Just pitching it over some dinky whitewater was a chore. So wide I could hardly carry it. Flat rocker. I felt like I was trying to surf my front door. Farking ginormous. I bet you could do headstands and cartwheels on that thing. Can't wait to see my neighbor paddle it out at the beach. .. though knowing him it'll take like 3 seconds.

Welcome back, Lerm...

dude, scored overhead waves in mushachusettes dp. busted out the full 6/4 suit of armor. i will never complain again about west coast cold surfing, parking lot changes in freezing temps is a bitch, but caught some sick waves. one right that just fired right out of neptune's gun. shot down the line into a fully leaned cutback, cruised down the line, hand in face.

being in grad school, it's nice to come across a legit academic study:

origin of dude

Ego-centric and arrogant?!! Oh, it's opposites day! Then, you're absolutely right, and I am delighted to be taking a long weather-forced break from the waves, and what's more I totally rip!

my 2cents on boards vs. ability......

good boards help. but if you don't have your fundamentals down your wasting your money. no matter what you ride, if you can't postion your existing board where you want on a given wave, no boards gonna do it for you.
"love the one your with"

curren heat next

3to5, I bodyboarded for years and then started surfing on a 7'2 funboard. It took a lot longer to get comfortable with taking off on it than if I had started with like an 8' longboard. So at least while learning, board selection makes a big difference in how long it takes to get decent.

Just catching up on this journal today, seems like a lot of negativity. I was just thinking today of an October session mid-week with only a few people around, meeting complete strangers and giving each other waves. Great times.

curren got robbed

occy!

??? - re your question on single-fin shortboards, here's my $0.02...

i have a single-fin CI 6'5. i bought it 'cuz i wanted something "different". for the first couple of months, i rode it almost exclusively to get used to it. it didn't paddle as well as i had expected and wasn't any easier to get into waves (my "normal" shortboard is a 6'8 thruster), but, once up, it is fast and smooth and does glide through flat spots super well. after riding it for a few months, i rode my thruster for the first time in ages and was amazed at how easily the thruster turned in comparison.

i now realize that i likely got the single-fin a little earlier than my skill justified. however, i do think it has helped me progress and it certainly has helped be appreciate the differences between boards (and appreciate the performance of my thruster!). that said...it is butter on the right wave. i surfed it on a couple of glassy, rampy, multi-character reefs a couple of weeks back and it was amazing.

my net take is this: right wave...great board. wrong wave...you'll want something different.

Ouch!!!

??? - re your question on single-fin shortboards, here's my $0.02...

i have a single-fin CI 6'5. i bought it 'cuz i wanted something "different". for the first couple of months, i rode it almost exclusively to get used to it. it didn't paddle as well as i had expected and wasn't any easier to get into waves (my "normal" shortboard is a 6'8 thruster), but, once up, it is fast and smooth and does glide through flat spots super well. after riding it for a few months, i rode my thruster for the first time in ages and was amazed at how easily the thruster turned in comparison.

i now realize that i likely got the single-fin a little earlier than my skill justified. however, i do think it has helped me progress and it certainly has helped be appreciate the differences between boards (and appreciate the performance of my thruster!). that said...it is butter on the right wave. i surfed it on a couple of glassy, rampy, multi-character reefs a couple of weeks back and it was amazing.

my net take is this: right wave...great board. wrong wave...you'll want something different.

sorry 'bout the double-post. pc issues.

A friend in the neighborhood bought a single recently. Took it back to the shop for a thruster. Couldn't turn the single sufficiently. It is a common experience.

It gets a little better with a flex fin. But there is a reason single fin boards disappeared from production in the 70s. Too stiff for turning, and too difficult, if not impossible, to generate speed on. The nostalgia wave is getting kinda thick, I predict there will be REAMS of used singlefins for sale in a year or so - or however long it takes to surf it about a dozen times.

For most people who haven't ridden singles and want to try one, ask around and borrow one first. A $600+ Channel Islands board that you'll probably ride 6 times and never want again is not bargain.

Here is some good footage of my home break......I guess you all will now know why I surf the tube so well but what the heck...I'm all about the niceness.

http://www.surfline.com/video/vids/2004/dec/jsps/newyork_dl_wm.cfm

One God, One Country, One fin.

OK, only if we are talking longboards.

As the first post, my quiver must sound like some sort of manifesto or challenge.

Yesterday someone doubted that people rode bonzers in triple OH beach surf, so I'm picking up a lost thread.

I was actually hoping people would chime in on what they ride. I guess I should have beem more explicit on that. And skipped the board vs surfer crap.

I ride weird rotating fin boards.

Before that, all thrusters. Mostly.

In my garage now, a 7'9" RFS funboard, a 9'10" Mavs thruster by David Craig, a 6'3" RFS converted from thruster RP, a 6'6" Hickey that I ride most of the time, and I have an 8'0" RFS Schultze still coming still coming John where's my board?

I don't like anything bigger than the 6'6" until wave faces are 12 ft plus. I don't like funboards or longboards at the beach. Except Elvis...

Curren rode his tiny fish (5'9"?) in OB DOH surf next to guys on 8 and 9 ft guns, and he got all the waves, and SHREDDED them.

I also suggest that we skip back a couple of days to klooless' comment about wearing running tights w/the wetsuit. The question is: wear 'em inside, or outside?

Please......

Hey Blakestah
How often do you surf Mavs?

i have a limited edition crouch twin fin 5'10 fish model shaped in 2004

and 2 ci 6'5 machine boards one has alot of holes and one is narrower (the one i like the least) and has a shitty fin system (dont buy OAM)

i also have a beat up "fluid drive" 7'0 circa 1989

i charge triple overhead mavs on my mcdonalds tray, naked, at night. sometimes i bring my miners helmet

anyone selling a reasonable longboard?

I tried a friend's 5'10 fish on a recent smaller day. Paddled really easy, take offs needed to be precisely under the lip. It was a lot of fun but a little too small for me (length, not float). Kooked out on one takeoff by putting my back foot right off the back of the tail, hehe. Also tried a 9' longboard and was not impressed with the inability to turn although maybe it would be fun in waist-high conditions. I think 7'6 is the longest board I'll ever get. Love the turning of a thruster.

I've surfed Mavs zero times this year and last year.

Hey ck, thanks for your input. So, here's my dilema Should I get a fish or single fin shortboard??

Oh, and just for perspective sake, give me your age, height and weight along with your quiver details.

My quiver is down to a 6'7" swallow with a small center fin that I ride up until DOH when I pull out the 7'6" JC. Should soon have a 6'3" quad fin retro fish a 6'7" squash which will replace my current board as I feel too "husky" for the current board and dont' like its rails.

I second Bagel - NEVER BUY OAM!!!!!! (I have wasted money on a leash that would never stay on and a board bag which I managed to pull all the handles off of on the first week of use)

28
6'3"
200LBS

Can anyone recommend the dimensions of a beefed up
6'8" thruster- It seems like the potato chip board of the 90's are out (which is great in my opinion).

It seems that many regular high performance thrusters instead of the old 18.25- 18.5 / 2.25
are now 20" 2.5.

Does anyone have a 6'8"-9" 20" 2.5" and how does this beefed up, paddling demon compare to the older waifier boards. A good travel board head high to DOH that can paddle well & take a beating!

For the past few winters out here typically I trade off from a 7'2" semi gun to a 8'6" gun. You really can't go wrong with a bigger board out @ the beach come Dec-Mar!

Oh yeah I have a Eaton Zinger (Bonzer) 9'0" and while I've surfed that thing up to DOH+ It's too loose above that size! you can't beat a solid gun out there when it gets serious

I'm 6'2" 185lbs

34 years old
5'9
160 lbs

6'4 swallow tail thruster
6'6 modern fish
6'11 pin tail
7'8 semi gun
9'0 long board

P.s. I'm thinking about selling a kindey to buy more boards!!

Blakestah - I don't know if Doof would consider Elvis to be a funboard. 7'6" thruster shaped for him in Hawaii by a friend of Peter Pope. Doof's quiver consists of the 8 foot surfteck, a 8'6" Country Gun, and I think 4 different 7'6" boards: Elvis, a Campbell Bro's bonzers, a pseudo-bonzer custom shaped by Scott Miller, and a Country funboard.

6'3", 180, 37 years.

I love talking about boards. My quiver currently holds a 7'0" pearson swallow tail (pretty narrow) thruster that is for sale. its dinged but repaired, and thick (2-7/8?) so its handful to duckdive when the waves get bigger.

Also a big (6-8) John Schultze custom semi fish thruster with a rounded nose that catches a lot of waves in the summer but also works in bigger waves.

A weird wide 6-6 rusty rounded pin C-5 board that I bought off a used rack a few years ago and never rode much until last year when I discovered I kind of liked it. I think it was ordered custom, signed by Stu Kenson for Mike Rowbotham (who I think was one of the guys mentioned in the New Yorker article about OB)

A machine CI 6-4 swallow tail thruster that I just bought (flyer II), it really works well in lots of waves, I've ridden it from knee high to a couple feet overhead this fall and its great.

Couple feet overhead is about as big as I like waves, kind of depends on shape though too. Also, I'm a kook in case you couldn't guess. 34 yrs 5-10, 160 lbs.

Running tights--why not both inside and outside? Live a little! (Seriously, inside, and it seemed to work; it's basically just a lower-half rashie . . .)

I'm 41, 5'11", 155lbs. I have two boards: my trusty blade "Ding", which is a 6'6" x 18 3/4 x 2 1/2 Nev regular shorty shape, and a 7'4" x 19 x 2 5/8 Coffey semi-gun, both thrusters. I've only ever surfed these boards plus an 8' funboard and 9' longboard that I've gotten rid of. As for detailed comparitive assessments: in my humble opinion, the semi is approximately ten inches longer and a little thicker than the shortboard. Plus, unlike the shortboard, the semi has parts that are blue.

26yo
6"
180lbs

one board for all conditions: 42.5" pool toy
(replaced yearly, suggested retail $180 but i get 'em all free nyuk nyuk nyuk)

"Thou who dies with the most surfboards in one's quiver wins...."

I own 7. I don't have enough time to go into the details. Narrowest one is 19.5 inches wide. Skinniest one is 2.5 inches thick. Shortest is 6'4''. Longest is a 7'10''. They are all different colors.

Futures for me from now on. Screw FCS.

Has anyone here ever used a Mac Tray??? I heard they were popular back in the day.

boards...boards...i love boards!

6'2" Steve Brom fish
6'8" CI machine mx round pin
6'8" Estrada Round pin (will Probably sell the ci)
7'0" Nev round tail
7'6" SF semi gun
9'0" Stewart LSP LB

5'9" 175 34 years

Would buy more if I could come up with the scratch and hide them from my wife

Eric
Can you tell me more about the custom Schultze 6'8"? I have been pondering getting a board like for travel...works well in small waves and size...more details please!

jdz, let's go in on an outer sunset storage closet together and get more boards...

I'm pretty sure the Shultze 6'8" is his standard fish template with thruster fins board. He grabbed a template off the infamous Curren fish (from Litmus and the Search) while Tom was in town, and scaled it up to a wider thruster. Quite popular in the avenues when guns are not needed.

??? - funny that you mention the single-fin vs. twin-fin (i'm assuming given the retro theme) fish dilemma. i was originally going down the twin-fin fish path when i opted for the single-fin. i went single as it seems that the twin fin requires almost constant pumping/super loose surfing style and that, frankly, seemed beyond me. short story was that the single-fin seemed like a good way to try something new without getting too far out of my comfort zone. as for blakestah's comment that you'll problably only ride a single-fin a half dozen times, that's likely fair, but i think it depends on your perspective and what you want out of surfing. if you want max performance, then he's probably right. however, if you think it's fun to try out different boards and see how they ride even if it hinders performance at times you'll be surprised how often you'll grab the single (or, i imagine, the fish if you go that way). this is especially true in the summer when, let's face it, a little change-up is needed to keep things interesting.

jdz...i've never surfed a round tail (a rounded pin, yes, but not a round tail). how do you like it? how would you contrast it to a rounded pin or squash?

Fishies rule -- one of the most memorable days of the last 5 weeks (there were plenty) was when I took out a 5'6 surftech twinzer into some overhead wind-swept outerbar waves along the middle aves. I think Curren has been surfing something even shorter than 5'9. The trick is you have to have your feet perfectly planted on the drop otherwise you (I) have no control.

my quiver...kook #1 and havin' fun

Jdz - its pretty wide maybe 20.5" in the middle, 15" tail, pretty flat rocker. Glassed pretty heavy, futures fins. If I ordered it again I'd get it shorter, maybe 6-4. Only thing I don't like about the wider nose is on steeper drops where you need to turn quick to make the wave, the nose catches sometimes. It gets into waves pretty early though and it does well in mush.

oops, forgot
age: 35
height: 5'4
weight: 112

hey ??? -- sorry in advance for the long post, but i think it is relevant to your question so here goes.

i am an rfs rider, and i definitely recommend that you think about getting an rfs setup if the single fin template is appealing. mine is 6'7" 2-5/8 19.25 with the centerpoint 2" forward. i like the meatier retro dimensions for ob fall-winter. it may not meet expectations compared to thrusters for higher-performance inner bar action, but i'm not good enough to say fo-sho. it otherwise fit nicely into my quiver. haven't even tried it yet on reef/points, but seems promising.

if i had buckets of $ i'd also try to get an rfs in a roundy pin at around the 6'2" - check out the 6'3" demo board for a taste of that.

my quiver
9' asd performance lb
7'8" syco semi-gun (ridden only 5-7 times)
6'11" suaritch rounded pin
6'7" rfs pintail (slightly rounded)
6'5" prodanovich reality check - factory double wing swallow, 2.45 / 20.25
also still have my first board, 8' encinitas surfboards funboard - in 2 pieces, thanks ob...

i'm
36
165
5'10"
and in my 2nd year of shortboarding, 7th surfing

i plan to buy a bonzer/quad fish around 6' (jobson or mandala) for the spring/summer to round things out, and then maybe a funboard in the 7'0 range, which i would probably equip with an rfs. and later, maybe a squash or rounded pin thruster around 6'8", depending on if i continue to get better...

i had been generally lackluster about my prodanovich but as blakestah also found, i'm appreciating it much more after time on the rfs ... although impressions are probably impacted by fact that i'm surfing 4-5 times per week lately - hard to tell if it's me or the board that is performing better.

You guys are boring the FUCKING SHIT OUT OF ME!

"Give me 3 fins or give me death....."

A legitimate study with fiindings that benefit BOTH women and men. Truly amazing....

http://www.sharonlee.net/daoc/cnn.html

legend

blakestah...not a bad idea on the storage...gonna definitely need it in a few years if i keep up the pack rat routine.

ck...i should be more precise...it's kinda a rounded squash if you will. Not quite a squash, not quite a round pin, somewhere in between. I have no complaints with it...will let you try it if our paths cross again...

legend

thks...eric...

Duane Allman Ripped! R.I.P.

hope this isnt a repost

http://surfermag.com/features/onlineexclusives/hynsonintrvu/

Kaiser, where did you find the shot of the Campbell brothers?

flea


>img src="http://seth.sysum-online.com/h/14.jpg">

http://seth.sysum-online.com/

great photos seth!

i like this one too

and this one

the mighty OCC!

Kit, www.bonzer5.com, their website.

Recycled but who cares...

thanks E.

cutty

Seth, sweet fotos and very well put togethor site. Your shots are very original. I particularly like this one, although I have no idea why (which is good, I mean not to no why...) Yah

and this

These two what I'd call trendy dudes paddle out all stinking like after shave and shampoo on their Thomas Cambell/Joel Tumor "fun[k] fish all with hoods and all sly but they aint no fucking match for the beefer waves and they get blasted - swamped, and I'm laughing - trend of no substance.
Perfect. IN YER FUCKING FACE.
Fucking transplant cunts. You desereve every lickin' you get.
Show the wave I name the spot.
FUK YOU CAVDREAVER.

Hey AGNES
get back to work in the cellar
repairing dings on my board
it got a workout in november
you ART HAG

it's malcolm and duncan "local" 415....

and the campbell bros have been on the
bonzer tip for 30 years. ride one. it ain't a fad.

damn i am SO bummed i have been in critiques
all day on the hilltop.....all this good board discussion.

5'11"
165
34 yrs so far

6'0" twinzer fish
6'4" ...lost jason ribbinck SA style 20.5 wide swallow tail
6'8" bilt jason ribbinck SA style 19.5 wide swallow tail
9'0" schultze pin tail longboard
9'6" stewart hydro hull

in the works...
and a 7'7" crouch knife 18 wide that is gonna get
planed this weekend. YAHOO!!

fcs DOES suck. blew a plug in Hb with Hb
a few weeks ago. fcs would not have done it at all.

hey E....

don't fergit warren. warren haynes.
best slide since duane.

oh yeah....all ya'll guitar freaks
steve kimock band great american 28th and 29th
of december....will RIP ROCK ROLL and BLOW you
away.....

cheers.

jeez guys, i missed it..

im, 34, 24,36

nah, just kidding

but seriously.
im 8'2" and fat.
i weigh somewhere close to 389lbs.
and i still love to surf.

my quiver is:
6'5" malolo, (wide and thin, glass on)
6'8" rfs pin tail (a pig on a diet)
7'7" pinner (not so wide and future)

soon to be.
6' Awesome" (Experiment double template tuna fin)
7' (single, volan and green, turtle butt)

motorhead.

245pm Minus tide and a 17 second period NW ground swell.

I would like to invite the afterwork crowd to Ft Point under the golden gate bridge for a glorious session today. I promise not to drop in on you and there will be no abusive language or mean stares.

Now a word from out sponsors....

Board Bag issues?

OAM does suck. Heres what ive got and hasnt fallen apart on me.

Call the guys at Killer Dana and ask about the new Pro-Lite travel bags.

Julie Designs out of San Diego have been good to me as well.

sheesh

i want white sand beaches. our are poo brown at the moment and, probably poo filled.

ours

Note: tides at the Fort are 30-45 minutes later than tides at the coast.

I just saw a tow-in on the mavs cam at 9:50 AM

Hey Bakedstah:

SHUT THE HELL UP.

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