SCHOOLED

J Bay Friday 24 December 6am, I am sitting on the Super Tubes steps admiring the view that only Supers can deliver, and the waves are pumping, the conditions were are bit sea sick and cleaning up, lets do this (I thought), before the locals start taking the lions share of the sets.

I decided on taking out my long board, high tide had made the waves wide, soft and fast in places, I knew that I was going to get drilled going out, but what the hell, if you dont go you wont know. A grom in front of me turns and says to his mate, "That doos is going on his ballie board, he is going to get schooled".

I was the first out and I surfed well, the log was a good choice, dropping in steep and banking nice turns on the big wide walls, I got worked a couple times, but enjoyed it!

Then I saw little big mouth grom pulling out and getting properly cleaned by the sets, pumishment, he got out and I asked him if I was getting schooled with a big grin on my face, gallentlty he apologized and said my surfing had got him out, second best Xmas present that comment, nice to know this old guy still has some legs.

Toes over this Xmas.

Slyde

LOST & FOUND: THE MULLET

Oops!
... I did it again.
Oh, baby; baby.
Oops!
(Britney Baby, when she was still hot, and when guys still wanted to get into her brookies)

What did I do again, I slutted myself, in the only way my girl understands, I got another board, and she’s a doozy (both board and girl).

Hand shaped from a 6’5 fish blank, we (Vaughn Mackink and I) created a 5’9 x 2 ¾ x 20 ½ wide diamond tail short board (I called it The Mullet, business upfront,party out back), using the LOST… Rocket as inspiration. I wanted something like my Errol Hickman Flying Vee, but with more manoeuvrability and short board characteristics with the advantages of the Flying Vee (short fat girl, paddling and getting into waves), my version of the Lost… Rocket has more rocker and has more rolled rails and a really sharp speed rail by the five fin setup.

I took the board directly from the shaping bay and into the surf I was so amped, I rode it as a thruster with FCS Chilli fins. It paddled so well, when I first felt the rails of the finished product I was worried we had gone too thick, but it floated me like I was on my longboard and paddled well into waves and gave me the stability I wanted, the shortness gave me the responsiveness I craved that my Flying Vee can’t give me. I did one hella off the top, that made me stop and think…

It was a short surf in 2 – 3ft bowl conditions and I caught 3 waves, and am confident that we did good here, one wave I did 2 nice round house cutties, that felt solid, so I was happy in the overall performance. It provided me with a shortboard ride that my Vee cant give me, the Vee is more of a down the line, bigger turning arc board, where The Mullet is tighter in the pocket. So same, same but different as the Balinese would say!

(See previous blog to check out the vibe of the Errol Hickman Flying Vee)

I have just arrived in J-Bay (from Durban) and I am itching to put this baby to test on the point in some small fun stuff.

See a vid of Chris Ward, taking the Lost... Rocket for a spin, his rocker on this Rocket is more like my Flying Vee, check out the DVD LOST...5'5 redux if you want to check out some crazy Fish/Rocket style surfing, its an insane DVD to have in your collection.



Some more pics of Vaughn hand shaping The Mullet.

 
Have a sweet time this festive season.

Slyde.

IN THE BAY - DANE'S PROTON

Its always exciting seeing something in the flesh, after seeing it on the interweb, its why we collect (read pay big smackers) goofball shit like Star Wars light sabres used in When the Empire Strikes Back, that gear doesn’t do it for me, what does is boards, especially boards used by guys I dig to see surfing them.

Recently I bumped into a Dane Reynolds’s board that he gave to Jordy to use, a 5’11x19 ½ x 2 3/8 Channel Islands Proton.

I am told that this is one of the more marketable CI models, as its more versatile in conditions with more push, a mate bought one recently for the North Coast for that very reason, and is very happy.

Lets have a look at what Channel Islands website says about the 2009 Board of the year, voted by SIMA:

“Original and truly unique from any other board in our line, this board has continuous rocker throughout. The bottom consists of a deep single concave, and full rails. Dane normally rides a 2 3/8” and orders his Protons at 2 ¼”, so order yours a 1/8” thinner.

FEEDBACK
“I like the responsive, quick feeling I get out of the Proton, and I am excited to have this board as my model.” - Dane Reynolds

DESIGNED FOR
Advanced to expert surfers in punchy waist high to well overhead surf. Can also be custom ordered as a step-up board."

That’s awesome, what do I think:
I think the board looks like a pin up model, although I would like to see more curve on the hips (up by nose), basically for me, I would go wider, for the paddle in and stability on take off and slightly thicker maybe 2 ½ , we all don’t surf like Dane/Jordy, thus we need that extra helping hand. The rocker is what excites me, its kinda flat and sqaure in the middle, and then the rocker kicks slightly out from the centre to the wider nose with more volume and tail. Its said to be for advanced surfers although with my added width and volume, probably could be surfed by a competent rider.

The board felt great in my hands and I felt like running out of the shaping bay with it!

Check out Al Merrick chatting about Dane's Proton, as well as click this link of Dane Blog to some insane surfing (Marine Layer: http://www.marinelayerproductions.com/)


Hot diggidy dawg, Dane surf's crazy!
Slyde.

Kelly Slater on the future of the Surfboard

Kneelo's helped coin part of the shortboard revolution!!?

George Greenough rides a kneeboard and an air mattress, but don't let that fool you. He is one of the most influential people in the evolution of modern surfing. He hasn't stood on a surfboard since 1961, yet he is credited as the inspiration for the modern surfboard fin, in-the-tube water photography and the entire shortboard revolution. In response, Greenough just shrugs and goes about his business, which is innovation and reinvention.

Crystal Voyager is a 1973 surf film directed by David Elfick. It was filmed, written and narrated by surfer, photographer and filmmaker George Greenough who had previously made the 1970 surfing film The Innermost Limits Of Pure Fun.

The film is structured as a loose biography of Greenough and was shot largely in California. It documents Greenough’s search for uncrowded waves, which led to the construction of his 37-foot ocean-going yacht (pre The Search). It also feature Greenough's surfing friends, Californian Richie West and Australian world champion Nat Young. Some insane wave's and wicked cool tunes, take some time out, get a cuppa joe and watch some history that is still evolving today. Thanks Hugh for tipping me off!!

NATURAL CURVE TRUNK BOARD

So I took the Natural Curve trunk board out last night and what a ride, its a 5,8 x 21 1/2 x 2 5/8, this pink piel rocketed thought the flat sections and my turns were solid and flowed, there was a distinct difference to my Flying Vee in the sense that due to my FV having no stringer it has less rocker, thus tends to bog slightly.

Natural Curves Trunk, has a more pulled in tail to my FV and the proportions are more sculpted, is the ride better on the NC Trunk, mmmm mmm maybe, I would like to say different, but I definitely felt good on that Trunk.

The conditions were super flat with the odd cracker wave pulling through with all and sundry at North Beach scrambling for it, although the pink piel (NC Trunk) paddled easily and smoothly with this fat kid on it. I spoke to Hugh Thompson (who is Natural Curve) and he mentioned that the guy who this pinky was shaped for actually is now riding a 5'6 Trunky, fantastic!

A huge thumbs up for the Natural Curves (http://www.naturalcurve.co.za/) version of the Trunk, it’s a testament to Hugh Thompsons experience, I am just frothing to take this thing down  the line at J bay, I might keep it!

Some pics of the NC pink piel

Slyde Mcglide.

Going Vertical

You cant go forward without knowing where we have been...

I just dig listening to old stories of balie surfers talking about "back then". The Bustin' Down the Door movie, knocked me backwards, and I met Shaun Thompson and spoke to him about it, I actually had an interesting experience recently in the water when some old nemesis of his from Bay of Plenty days tuned him in the water, talk about holding onto a grudge!

There is a new (old school) movie out, Going Vertical, the film discusses the never-ending debate regarding just who is responsible for the invention of the Shortboard, which has “Revolutionized” professional surfing competition.

Check out some video clips of some of the Bob Mctavish, Dick Brewer and Mike Hynson talk about the development and controversy around the early days of the innovation of the shortboard. As well as the trailor to a super sick feature film about this very topic, I am hoping to source this for a Xmas gift for myself,(http://www.goingverticalmovie.com/)

Movie Clip Links
http://vimeo.com/10538748 (Going Vertical interviews with Bob, Dick and Mike - 25 minutes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSoDu-Ai4lU (Corona presents Bob Mctavish goes vertical )
http://vimeo.com/9819888 (Going Vertical Trailor)

(I am still trying to figure out how to upload videos properly so bear with me and click on the above links, I  was tipped off about Going Vertical on blog http://www.korduroy.tv/category/blog).

S.

TOO MUCH JUNK IN MY TRUNK

On my usual cruise (read: perv) through shapers bays, I came across this weird stubby looking board with a batman tail, I was intrigued much like a teenager at a lingerie show, I wanted to touch and play with it, but the boards in question were samples being sent away for approval, before going into production.

I wanted to try this bad boy so bad, just to check out the ride, I asked A) what the board was and B) if there were any blanks left over and BAM! I got a blank and was told that the board is called a Trunk Board.

The concept of how the board was created is pretty interesting. The surfers in Japan wanted a board small enough to fit in their tiny trunks or small enough to bring along on train rides so Cole Simler designed a board with short board volume compressed into a short stubby board, hence the Trunk board was born.

I have a stringer less Flying Vee, shaped by Errol Hickman and this board is insane, I have ridden it all over the place in crazy conditions to clean bowls and just cant get enough of this ride, super fast and responsive. So will the Trunk beat the Flying Vee (below)?

My Flying Vee is a 5’8 x 21 ½ x 2 (quad) and with like a 12 inch tail, its nickname is sponge-bob square pants because of its massive square tail, the board has two massive concaves on the bottom that kinda act like hydro-planes, these concaves generate massive speeds and the shortness (weirdly) allows me to turn the board on a dime. The sponge bob tail allows me the comfort of stability which allows me massive confidence on take off. The Trunk on the other hand, had a bat man (thingy) tail and was 5’11 x 20 ¾ x 2 ¼ (quad/thruster). When riding my Trunk the immediate problem was the length, the board felt tight and wouldn’t turn like my Flying Vee, bottom line it was too tall and I was bitterly disappointed and felt that I had wasted my hard earned dosh on this stick. The shaper graciously took the board back because of a fin plug defect, so I got my cash back.

These types of small rockets need to be SHORT, that’s the point, I still think my flying vee is too tall at 5’8, these boards should be max 5’5, I am just a heavy bastard and need the extra length to carry my beastly body.

(Top Tip: speak to your shapers they will readily take a board back if the feedback is constructive, they will sell the board off their racks and get the custom order right for you!)

I then started chatting to Natural Curve (NC) about the concept of the Trunk Board and NC being a retro crazy dude like me, digged the idea and came up with his own version, which he said went crazy good!! I think the trick to these wide/retro/hybrid stubby babies is length vs. width, you have to get the proportions right, I am going to steal the NC version and give it a tonk, I can’t wait!!!

Let’s tally up the scores:

Flying Vee: 1, my Trunk: 0, lets see if NC’s trunk hits the mark!

Hit the lip!

Slyde Mcglide

CHANNEL ISLANDS VS. JOE SCHMO SURF INC.

As a South Africa based surfer, I really only intuitively understand the nuances of this surfboard environment, and I have been super interested in the introduction of Channel Islands (CI) Surfboards into SA, people who have shelled out the $$ for them have raved about them and will not be swayed by the argument that any local board manufacturer can dare equal the ride of a CI. To the disagreement of other local shapers that claim, its marketing scam.

I have never ridden a CI, although is it the “best board ever”? Surly its foam, glass and fins, does the brand make your ability to ride a wave that much better?

At the same time, I am grinding my teeth keen to try out a CI Dumspter, Pod, Proton, Black Flag, Motor Boat (I want to do the Motor Boat mmm mmm mmm) CI really is a revolutionary company based on the worlds most radical test drive team, and the beauty of it is that Al Merrick attributes all his ideas to his team riders.

The Dumspter was Dane Reynolds idea, wanting a chunky summer fun board that they hacked the tail of a bigger board and he liked the look of it and just rolled with the super wide square tail, and wham we have one of the fastest selling board design in donkeys years (so they story goes), a model which has been scanned and attempted to replicate by hordes of other international and local shapers. Good on ya, Dane and Al, for moving the shaping boundaries. I don’t even want to get into the progressions that Kelly Slater has introduced to the sport, that dude is crazy.

To be honest in my own cash strapped way, I went to local shaper Vaughn and tried to get a Dumpster style board shaped for me, we used the basic premise of the Dumpster, chunky all through to the nose (2 ½’ ), wide (20’ ) and short 5’10, with a nice square wide tail. I weigh 90kg’s and this shape helped me paddle into mush, get through sections better and yes my surfing improved! Why, because my new Fat Girl was a board more suited to me than the whipper stick I was surfing, the dimensions of my old board were not far off, but what was far off was how far up the nose the volume was pushed, haw far back the tail kept the chunk, and the extra width which helped me get onto the wave. I am now going shorter, I have just ordered a 5’9 ½ x 20 ¾ x 2 ¾ with a diamond tail so that the rail of the board will actually only be 5’8, and the tip of the diamond tail will be the full 5’9 ½ (I will get into tails, that’s a whole different vibe). What’s insane is that throughout the 90’s/early 2000’s we were forced to ride 18 ¾ wide boards, the shaping mind shift has changed so that we can now go wider, fatter and it doesn’t slow down the turns, the vert, the slide or glide, I have more confidence in the water, because I can get onto waves that grom’s could only paddle onto. What’s priceless is that I have kinda found what works for me and I feel like a grom again! Imagine how I am going to feel when I continue exploring…

Bottom line is CI is the world leader of design at the moment in my mind, due to his crazy skilled demo team, his genuine ability to attract and keep these guys on the CI programme, his willingness to listen to them. What this does is push the general Joe Schmo Shaper and surfer. I know I am stoked, but I can’t justify the price, its gnarly, do I want one, YES! But I trust my shaper and we will draw on CI elements when I slut myself again for another board.

Slyde Mcglide.

Links:

http://www.cisurfboards.com/sb_Dumpster-Diver.asp

http://www.cisurfboards.com/sb_proton.asp

http://www.cisurfboards.com/sb_Black-Flag.asp

http://www.cisurfboards.com/sb_Motor-Boat.asp

MY FAT BOTTOM SCHTICK

Art of the Glide.

Ever since I have started surfing, I have been fascinated by the design and creation process of surfboards; to me it’s as mind blowing as pulling a solid turn. Walking into a surfboard showroom is like a strip club to me, I will throw greenbacks at those babies until I am dancing on their tails, the curves and lines make me want to buy them a drink and take em for a dance.

I have explored some crazy designs, ridden everything that my pocket allows me to spurge on.

It’s just a rad feeling, creating something new, and then learning about its glide.

So follow me, learn about some new underground shapers, the pro's and con's of different shapes and shapers, hustle with me when trying to get the best price on boards, learn what boards the pro's are riding, and most importantly what board works for you!

This all from a guy that is no pro surfer, just a passionate admirer of artists at work.

Slyde McGlide.