KELLY TESTING QUIVER

And Kelly on his 2009 boards...



Enjoy, Ta NCN.

Slyde.

Joel Tudor Duct Tape Invitational - VANS

I love the way Surfline wrote about the Vans Duc Tape Invitational, this is the coolest event that I have seen in a long time. It is something that I alluded to in the KZN Longboard trials, just a bunch of people doing what they love, Longboarding is the new counter culture of surfing, no brands, no gnarly moves, just happiness :)

Text from Surfline article: http://www.surfline.com/surf-news/joel-tudor-brings-vans-duct-tape-invitational-to-santa-cruz-alex-knost-takes-first_51713/

It sounds counter-intuitive, but Longboarding is the new punk. Think about it for a second. Making it as a pro surfer today means riding a sticker swather 5'11 thruster, sporting logos head-to-toe, endlessly battling for ASP ratings and submitting the most popular innersctions part.

Those that stray from the formula, rarely make a name for themselves in surfing. Not only do Longboarders deviate from the prototype simply by choosing to ride un-evolved craft, but they cringe at flashy logos, rarely compete and hardly make a buck.

Event winner Alex Knost.

The DIY image stems from necessity -- but they've embraced it, making a whole new culture within surfing.

Aside from timed heats and judges to score rides, the Duct Tape Invitational doesn't boast the rules of a conventional surf competition. Instead, boards must weigh at least 12 pounds, single fins only, no leashes permitted and burning other contestants is encouraged.

And Joel Tudor couldn't have asked for a better event. "Most contests, you don't have this kind of environment where everyone hangs out afterwards and skates," said the 34-year-old. "For me, that was the highlight of the entire thing -- everyone hanging out on the grassy knoll, watching each other skate."

"I think that if you can make a check from surfing, that's great," continued Joel. "But it's more fun to hang out with your friends than the guy who caught the best wave."

No one's judging whether it's better to exist inside or outside the pro surfer model. It's just refreshing to see something different. And showing some regard for surfing's forefathers and innovators is always nice.

Love the double wave prize!

Slyde

LOGGING ON...



Today I participated in the first of the Natal Longboard Trials, which will decide the team for SA Champs, to be held in Durban this coming May. What a great social occasion, all the best people, doing what they love, there are no ego's, its just a bunch of young and old who dig the vibe of the glide, who want to swop board dimensions, fin characteristics, to encourage the grom's, support a family member or just hang out and catch up with old friends.

It’s not all about heat scores and placings, we all want to make the team, don’t get me wrong. It’s an important place, if surfing is what you are passionate about.

I got the opportunity to check out some longboards and one of Hugh Thompson's Natural Curve boards caught my eye, a great looking all round board, that looks like it’s got the full bag of tricks, nose riding to tail blocking. Some of the guys took this board for a bang and all the reports were positive, Hugh himself rode it in his heat, which says a lot, a man with enough local and national surfing trophies in his cupboard to rival Kelly.

Hugh Thompson standing next to the much talked about board, and some other pics of the 9'0 x 22 1/2 x 2 1/2 (dimensions mentioned from memory) Natural Curve, it has a box fin with trailors.

I bought the new H1 FCS fins, they look great, and have the new Nexus technology (stiff bottom for drive and flexy tip for the vorsprung durch technik). They seem to going really well, they pretty big, although seem to have a lot of flex, I super keen to try them in big surf!

That being said, I also tried a mate's FCS H2 setup, the set up made the board surprisingly loose, i thought that due to the splay of the fins, it would have made the board stiff and tight. I prefer my set up, it allows me the heavier guy more control, and I have the extra beef to push the bigger fins around. But if you are lighter chappy, then the below setup may be for you.

and finally some other fin set up's that caught my eye: H2 Quad set up, and new the Ignition FCS single fin with FCS GX 0 trailors.

It was a great day!

FIN ME UP SCOTTY

Fins! Choosing the right kind of fin is like trying to decode your medical aid contract or buying life insurance, its so damn difficult to figure out the small print. I have just invested in some fin technology that you need a science degree to operate and a gold card to acquire (I wish my wallet was bulging like my stomach after a gluttony fueled Xmas).


So what did I mortgage my house for, the FCS H3 Nexus, there are only 20 sets of these mofo's in the country, so I have a golden surfing orb that is supposed to take my surfing into the stratosphere ( I hope!!). These suckers are supposed to propell you forward into the realm of Kelly Slater and co, lets see what the marketing shpeal is all about:

 

"The FCS H3 Nexus fins give me a burst of speed and acceleration right before I hit the lip. It's a fast fin, and when you have speed you have more options" - Dion Agius


From the moment you ride the FCS H3 Nexus you’ll realize this fin has something special.
This transition between turns is where most surfers struggle to maintain speed. FCS has solved this problem by designing the H3 Nexus, a fin with a highly efficient template, material stability, minimal drag characteristics, and above all, unparalleled flex properties!


Sh*t, at approx R850 for a set, these puppies better make me coffee!


These fins are constructed, from what must be parts from an aborted Apollo space mission:
FCS H3 Nexus Foil: Super Efficient = better drive, hold and stability
FCS H3 Nexus Template: Low Aspect w/ Elliptical Template = increased speed and drive through minimal water disturbance
FCS H3 Nexus Construction: Bi-axial Carbon and Uni-directional Kevlar = increases stiffness in the base of the fin, and helps to distribute pressure away from the plugs by reducing the twisting forces on the fin tabs
The waves have been kak, so I havnt taken them out for a test drive, I hope they work!


Check out video of some emo oke discussing the FCS H3 NEXUS.





And the FCS version, with no emo douche.





This is not a product placement, this is hoping that technology will improve my glide.


Slyde.

SPEED = PERFORMANCE

Why do the pro's all use jet ski's to yank them into waves when their handlers sponsors want promo shots, because speed give you the ability to surf like superman at a disco jol!

One man who understands this and is pushing the limits is Dan Thompson, “For me, it’s all about top end speed. The more speed I can generate; the more radical my performance potential becomes”. He has designed a range of boards called the MPH (Modern Planing Hull), basically this is a design category for modern high performance surfing.

One the boards called a TOMO (MPH), "The TOMO MPH is like an extension of a surfers body. A mind surfing experience…. just pick your lines, and the board does the rest. Almost, like you can forget about a board beneath your feet altogether and just interact with the energy in the wave."

Check these boards out, they look like the bad boys I have being trying to develop:

Dan Thompson is pushing the technological side of surfboards (if you don’t know check out his shapes at http://tomosurfboards.com/). He is not that shabby at surfing either, he tests all his innovative creations. Dan shreds his home point break in Australia on a 5’4 tri fin planing hull called the Nano. According to Dan this board is “a 6’0 hp thruster with 4 inches chopped from the tail and 4 inches chopped from the nose. With only the functional parts remaining. Outline has then been straightened and foiled for drive and to maximising planing speed. Result is shorter, compact board with plenty of drive and control when its needed. Higher speeds + higher control = higher performance.”



This post was allowed due to Nig, and http://www.korduroy.tv/category/blog

Slyde.

Dan Malloy & Dane Reynolds Board Swap

Ride shotgun with Dan Malloy and Dane Reynolds as they cruise from their Ventura homes to Emma Wood State Beach for a quiver swap. This insider look at their modes of surfing comes to a head as they trade—and ride—everything from homemade hunks to foiled Fryes.

Thanks to a mate for letting me onto this, you know.



For more check out www.surfersjournal.com.

Slyde.

CHANNEL ISLANDS DEMO DAY

Sunday 2nd of Jan, I walk onto Cape St. Francis beachy to find a second coming Xmas, under a tee pee of love, embedded in sand were 10-12 of the hottest honey's, a bunch of Channel Island boards to test drive all day, FOR FREE! I almost creamed my pants!

I checked out all the honeys and then rode them all in small 2 foot shorey with nice long walls if you got the right wave, I surfed these CI babies all day long, my arms, chest, tits and back were wrecked come day end.

MY TOPS: POD
Deep concaves with a foiled nose and a swallow tail keep the Pod lively and maintains its high performance. The “snub” nose puts volume forward, allowing for maximum planing and wave catching. The wide, curvy outline makes the Pod friendly for all levels of surfers. Punts, turns, you can do it all. A summer favorite!

I also made love too rode:
Dumspter Diver - Short, wide and ugly, but fun and fast.
The Biscuit - Fat bitch, you catch waves easy peasy, but you have to be Rob Machado to look good on this beast!
The Whip (red rails in pic above) - I didnt ride this board, but it looks great, i would go as far to say that its a better looking board than the Dumpster, this board is kinda fat, faster and forgiving, shi*t what more do you want! If you’re looking for a board that excels when your shortboard seems to bog, this is the board for you.

At the end of the day, these boards are all great, really great, but I have just had a session on my new Inflight (The Mullet in below pic) and it rocketed down the line and off the lip, it felt great, and made me look good. That board cost me (all in) approx R1700, I bought the blank myself, bought the fin plugs myself and paid for Vaughn Maccink to shape it and glass it. What I am trying to get at is, is a Channel Islands worth R4500? I dont think so (in my opinion), the boards are great, really great, I just dig turning over new boards and ultimately cant afford the Channel Island price tag.

Here's to a good year of waves.

Slyde.