My Blog

 

July 17th, 2010 Windnsea surf club hosted their 10th Annual Day at the Beach.

 It was an event where volunteers from the Windnsea surf club, come out to help special needs athletes get in the water and learn to surf.

 

 

Recently, I was over at the Rusty factory where I picked up my new 10' Rusty noserider.  Hoy Runnel and I, discussed what I wanted in a noserider.  With summer coming I mentioned that I wanted a board that I can noseride small summer point breaks on as well as smaller mushy surf.  The board has a slight entry concave into a displacement bottom with 50/50 knify rails.  Its thin and wide, with special tail rockers.   This board works best between 9'6" and 10'2" and is made for waves chest high and below.  Here is a little video of some small waves in La Jolla, CA.  

 

 

Pacific Beach Surf Shop wil be hosting a full lineup of musicians, who will be performing live as a benefit for Surf Aid. Musicians include Mattson2, Parker Macy Blues and Allensworth. And for those who don't know, Surfaid is a charitable organization working on malaria prevention, water and sanitation, disaster preparedness, and community health programs.

 

Steve Boehne has been around for quite somtime, but here is when the age-ladden experience lands its hands on a blank without the intent of sticking protruding fiberglass to the board's bottom.

The Cove Breaks 2010

 

It seems that everytime I look at a new surfboard by Josh Oldenburg (whether it be a fish, longboard, or a yet to be named model) I'm thrown into a theoretical inquiry about board design. The last one was about scooped tail on a longboard. And here it's about pinched wings.

If you look carefully, you'll notice that this board doesn't have wings proper, but slightly pinched wings. In principle, wings are supposed to boost maneruverability while still allowing the board to have more volume higher up for bouyancy, stability and faster paddle.

In light of that, how do you think the pinched wings affect that equation? Here again, Josh Oldenburg has thrown a curve ball and I'm not quite sure I can catch it. But perhaps, just like before, there will be riders and shapers coming around the corner, avowing for its effectivness in boosting performance and the thrill of the ride. I'm befuddled, so I turn it to you. Thoughts?

Swimmers: forget what Duke says, pool time is much more thrilling than riding waves. The surf is inconsistent, there are no lanes to organize surfers, and the risk of getting seriously hurt is much higher. The pool is undoubtedly the better choice.  

"Duke Kahanamoku, considered by many to be the original 'father of surfing,' interviewed here by Bruce Brown, the director of 'Endless Summer'. This interview was conducted in December of 1965, at the first annual Duke Kahanamoku invitational surfing competition. Jeff Hakman, Mickey Dora, Butch Van Artsdalen, Greg Noll, Mike Hynson, and many more were in attendance."

A few weeks ago, we stopped by Donald Takayama's shop in Oceanside, San Diego to shoot for a TV episode and, if you ever met Donald, you know how charismatic and entertaining he is. We were there to talk about some new board designs, but, before we got into it, he told us some great stories about ancient Hawaiian boards and some different wood/glass work that he's been doing on them.

To my own dismay, I don't remember the name of these boards, and I'm quite sure they are not alaias. Plus, I'm also not entirely positive on the wood type, although I suspect it might be red wood, but I got my suspicions.

And continuing on the ride of ignorance, Donald (on the photo above) is posing like an old-school Hawaiian surfer, who has been depicted in several photos and artwork, and whose protrait is engraved in the middle of the board -- look closely and you'll be able to see it.

And that's yet another board, perhaps the same model, but definitely made out of a different type of wood. So now that I've completely laid out my oblivion, who knows, perhaps Donald can take me to Harrah's casino to grace me with some of his knowledge -- by the way, Harrah's was his suggestion of location for a shoot for My Local Lineup TV. I don't know about the whole gamgle thing, but the different restaurants are without a doubt a temptation. 

Mike Tuten shared these photos with us of his New Pipeliner/Hotcurl 10'8" Balsa. This fin will arguably do a great job keeping you from sliding sideways on the face of a macking wave when doing the bottom turn and in small surf when riding the nose. But I'm not quite sure how it would perform in big surf in terms of maneuvrability. Any thoughts here?

 

Here is a gem I found online. "Having started with wood as a lad in '50s San Diego, on through to shaping sleek Phil Edwards Models, to the now - where he finds himself an in-demand builder of boards of all denominations for Hobie- Terry Martin is the consummate craftsman."

Can this surfboard work finless? Jeff Doc Lausch shared these photos with My Local Lineup and got me thinking. A few thoughts come to mind on the finless project. Alaias, retrospective endearment but performance debacle. Modern attempts, thrilling possibilities but mission still to be accomplished. Perhaps, this is the one ...

 

 

 

Surfindian is putting on another show, this time with Micah Wood and Skye Walker, no not the one of George Lucas' creations. Nevertheless, whether it ends up being a starry night, here is a teaser to the enterprise (more about event ).

There has been a lot of talk about fin's lately. Whenever the surf comes up everyone seems to be lost on the placement of their fin's. It's a lot easier when the surf gets small to not mess with the fin's because there isn't enough speed to really utilize the fin. However, when the surf gets big a common thing I see is people sliding their fin's back. Although the theory is true on some single fin's, most of the time when the center fin is in the correct position the waves can be big or small and the board will work and turn well without ever moving it. I cant ever just say a fin set up is right or wrong because everyone has their own style. My brother Micah and I can ride the same board but need totally different fin setups to match our style on that board. I know for a fact what works for him does not work for me which is why this blog is more about the characteristics of small and big fins as well as a small insight on how to set up your fins so that hopefully you can get a feel for what works for you...

Depending on a surfers style the side fins usually become a pivot point for the rear fin to carve around. Side fins can really change the way a board drives and reacts out of turns.

How to find which side fins work for you?
A good way to find out which better suits your style, if you have smaller side fins add larger side fins to the set up that you are currently riding... ride it...Get a feel for how this rides. Depending on center fin size, the board may feel like there is too much fin (almost like a parachute effect). This is good, because now you can move to a smaller center fin, no more then 1/2 an inch at a time. Shortening the center fin allows both side and rear fins to release easier, but not drag as much as the larger center fin.

Characteristics of a smaller fins
This usually makes the board turn fast, have faster bursts of speed and livelier feel. Although, some of the benefits of small fins can be faster with turns and more forgiving the down falls can be slower in straight lines or trying to maintain speed through the flat sections.

Characteristics of large side fins or lack of center fin
If the board feels fast down the line but doesn't turn well, this may be from side fins that are too large and creating the main drive and not allowing the rear fin to pivot around them. For instance tipping over on cut backs, not gaining speed on turns or not transition smoothly from rail to rail. Most of these characteristics of a board can usually be blamed on not enough Fin either center, sides or a combination of both.

Characteristics of a Large center fin.
Unfortunately, fins can also go the other way by the center fin being so big that the side fins just drag along. The center fin then becomes the speed...not the two fins working together. A board that feels directional can also be caused by the side fins not being large enough to create drive. because the center fin never breaks loose so the board becomes tipsy and less forgiving but can have a more stable feel, drive smoother and faster as well as noseride better. Drive is what is sometimes lost when moving the fin back. To much center fin may be fast and drive well, but it isnt very forgiving and tends to have a tipsy feel when turning.

The way I find side fins is first find my center fin placement using the method from my previous blog (by marking the center fin 1-5). After the best spot is found remove the side fins and replace with bigger fin's. What this will do, is change the way the 3 fins break in the water. It will cause the side fins to be deeper in the water, causing drive off the rail when turning. If the fin is too small the board may loose all drive and feel dead when turning.

I like to have 3 of the same size fin for a short board feel on my 9'0" comp boards. Although lacking on stability, the boards have quick little bursts of speed and snappy exits out of turns and an overall more forgiving feel when doing 'off-the-lips'.

On my 9'2' to 9'4" (my bigger boards) I like to have 2 1/2 inch side fin's with a 7 1/2 to 8" center fin. This gives me the feeling of a single fin while noseriding, but the drive and turning of a shorter longboard. Anything over 9'6" tends to loose the feel of a tri-fin due to the length and weight of the board. The tri-fin set up still works, but the size of the 3 fin's together become way more critical to the way the board reacts and feels.

I have found with my single and tri-fins...the bigger the base on the center fin, the more drive can be generated. A drawback to having a large base is turning gets drawn out, so it is good to find a fair medium of flex, base and length. The next blog will explain base and flex and how each effects the way each fin works and why.

Simply spetacular conditions for the Gathering of the Tribes 2010: sunshine, swell, calm winds, and great camaraderie between participants and organizers. Below is a teaser of the photos from the event, for more check out the My Local Lineup Album  and stay tuned for upcoming photos from other contributing photographers.

photos

• My Local Lineup
• Michelle Connelly
• Ron Greene (1 ) (2 )
• Tom English (1 ) (2 ) (3 ) 

 

Jay Alders, a New Jersey Native and now New York resident, is already well-known enough, but everytime I stumble on his work and I get reminded of why I appreciate his artwork so much. I love the accentuated lines and the play on contrast.

 

 

At first (in all honesty) I was completely thrown off by the ice cream cones, the 60's or 50's graphics, and the unexpected lines and tone of the voice over. But after that knee jerk reaction, which is probably the result of 1,000 run of the mill surf films, I simply came to "dig" this movie by Mitch Abshere and Mason Dyer -- love the experimental board angle, too.

After looking at it on a wave, one can't help but ask: why would anyone ever ride an alaia? Obviously, performance-wise not only historically, that ancient Hawaiian plank is decades behind a finned surfboard, especially when compared to, say, a thruster, or even a keel for that matter. So why ride it? ... Could it be that it's not all about performance?

Coming up next week is the first episode of 2010, featuring Longboard TV with Joel Tudor, Steve Benedict, Erin Lewis, Josh Hall, Isaac Wood, Billy Harris, plus some questions about surfers and girls, beach bums, and more.

My Local Lineup TV airs on iTV San Diego, ch. 16 on Mon 7p, Fri 6:30p, Sat 8a, and Sun 5pm in all San Diego, plus Mo-Fr 12am.

Being a shaper and Mitch Absheres right hand man at Captain Fin Co I tend to be pretty picky about what fins go in my boards these days. I read Issac Woods post a month or so back and figured id give a little run down of what I have been messing with recently. Here are a few examples of what i have been riding the last few months:

Classic style D fin:

This 9.5 inch beauty was designed b y Mr. Andy Davis of Ando and Friends for us at captan fin Co.  I was really hesitant to put this in my noserider because it is MASSIVE! My first session was a little waist high churches day on my 10 footer. I was an instant believer. In anything from knee high to about stomach(maybe chest high) this is magical. It holds so well on the nose and turns surprisingly well. I took it out in a quicker juicier day in oceanside when it was about shoulder to overhead on sets and it does drag a little in bigger surf but in chest and below little peelers she is magical. 

Brian BEnt "Bent Eyes fin"

 

This 9.75 fin was designed by Brian Bent. This has been my go to fin for about a year now in my noserider. It has the base of a Nuuhiwa style noserider fin but then it rakes back in the tip. I found this fin noserides like a  traditional Nuuhiwa style keel fin but turns sooooo much better. The rake and tip really allow you to lay into your turns. I have also found that with the extra rake I can ride my log in much bigger surf than  I normally would ride it in. It is the best all around longboard fin I have ever had.

Flex Fins:

First off I will start with the one on the left. This 8 inch gem was a Alex knost creation. It is foiled a little thinner in the tip than most traditional flex fins. This gives it a ton of flex. I ride this in a 7-2 hull bottom that I made. The added flex really allows you to generate more speed out of turns. The fin flexes (loads up) on bottom turns and releases as you come out of the turn and in a way sling shots you out of the turn. I have had some really fun Churches and Swamis sessions with this fin.

Then next fin is that crazy witches finger looking fin on the right. It look interesting to say the least. This fin too was designed by Alex Knost. Like the D fin this is one that I just had to try. I have a 9-6 double ender "speed shape" style longboard that I made for my self for bigger surf. I ride it at the cliffs from time to time but it is really made for bigger hallow surf. i have found riding that board that most traditional style single fins can really slow the board down and smaller fins slide out in hallow surf. This fin has similar flex properties to the one on the left only it is obviously much larger. On big days it allows you to really put your board on rail and know you are not going to slide out while also knowing it your fin isnt slowing you down.

hopefully you found this to be informative.  Thanks for reading

 

Mason Dyer