March '03 -
Description:
Framework is Carbon Fiber reinforced plywood...
The deck and bottom are Cedar/Balsa...
The fin is cedar/fir...
Rails are laminated Cork and Bending Plywood ...
Epoxy/S-glass...
Built to ride...
Surf Report: 4-28-03
I got to the beach at first light…just
as the tide was at maximum ebb…
From the bluff the waves looked
reasonable, not too big, not too small, and groomed with the SCA east winds…The
swell was as predicted 5’ @ 13 sec. straight west…I ran back to my van,
un-bagged the board, put in the vent screw and suited up, still wearing gloves
for one more week…
The skyline to the east was radically
lit up with the clouds near Mt. Rainier saturated with fiery yellows, orange and
reds …Overhead the clouds were flamingo …
I walked the dune / bluff, jumped to
sea level, and said my regular pre-surf prayer at waters edge…I slipped on the
leash, and stepped into the shallows…
The first time paddling out on any new
board is very confirming…The 2.375” thickness is just fine for my 200#…A
realization that hollows float thicker than their numbers might suggest…The
width was centered and balanced, the nose full enough and the tail provided
enough lift for an easy paddle out…
I was sure to stay just far enough
away from the jetty so that fin encounters of the rocky kind are avoided, but
still enough in the liquid escalator that makes the out paddle a lot like
floating down a choppy river…
Paddling out of the rip to the takeoff
zone, with no one else out, is one of those essentially soulful experiences that
reward those who are committed to the dawn patrol…One man in the sea…Take
any wave…No hurry…So basic…
That first wave came fast…The set
lifted over the outer sandbars, staying high until forward momentum, a shallower
sandbar, gravity and a healthy offshore wind, turn the mass of energy in the
form of water to a ramp to pleasure…I was under the lip enough to negate the
offshore winds tendency to lift the boards nose and bar me from entry…But this
one was meant to be ridden…The wind blew spray in my eyes, so I was going on
instinct from the start...A 6’ right…I felt the board start to drop, let my
feet follow it down, and mid-face grabbed the shoreward rail with my left hand,
and pulled a hard backside turn, angling under the speeding lip…The
acceleration from the board was instantaneous…The flex fin added some spring
and it was off to the races…Like a lot of waves, I can’t remember exactly
how the whole ride went, but I do remember kicking out thinking, this board is
fast…
The 200 yard paddle back to the line
up afforded me time to analyze the boards characteristics…The thinness adds
sensitivity… the tucked under edge mid board adds some bite…The flex fin is
so alive…And most strikingly, the carbon fiber understructure make this board
incredibly responsive…Stiffer in the sense that it’s firm underfoot, easily
the strongest board I’ve ever owned…The ¼” of tail vee loosens it up just
enough, and the round tail is so smooth…It all came together on this board…
To shorten what could be a very long
story, I surfed good waves for 4 hours, so stoked to be out on a day and on a
board that I’ll remember for a very long time…
After I got out and un-suited, I took some pictures…Here’s a representation of the day…
Later…Paul
Lee Vanderhurst sent me the side fins...
They are a perfect match for the board...!!!...
Thank you, Lee...!!!...
Board 5 disappeared in the dark of night while driving through heavy crosswinds near San Luis Reservoir...