Author Topic: Lopez 9' Surf Music, I managed to go shorter and ride it!  (Read 12296 times)

SUPcheat

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Re: Lopez 9' Surf Music, I managed to go shorter and ride it!
« Reply #15 on: April 24, 2014, 11:17:55 PM »
Keep it up Carl, one step at a time.  I might be around on Sunday afternoon.  Let us know how it goes.

Thanks, Kurt.  Sunday so far is predicted to be good, albeit windy, with tide conditions good from about 12:40PM onward.  I might rent the Naish Mana 9'5", but don't know if I want to try another new board in windy conditions.

Although I could balance the 9' Lopez Surf Music pretty easily and rather quickly, I couldn't knee surf it worth a bean, it just punched through.  Standing, I never did quite figure out what it wanted.  The L41 just seems to catch anything of any description that has some force from behind and ride it on in.
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supdiscobay

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Re: Lopez 9' Surf Music, I managed to go shorter and ride it!
« Reply #16 on: April 24, 2014, 11:39:53 PM »
I enjoyed the 8'0 L41 I tried out.  It gets up and goes on everything.  Fun board.  Definitely give it another try.
8'5" Starboard Pocket Rocket, 8'0" Kazuma Fugu custom,  8'10" Kings Sidewinder, 10' Starboard Noserider, 14' BARK Carbon Dominator, SIC F16 V3, KeNalu and Quickblade paddles, 19' Eaton Prone, 67" Goode 9700

PonoBill

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Re: Lopez 9' Surf Music, I managed to go shorter and ride it!
« Reply #17 on: April 25, 2014, 01:34:24 AM »
The trick with standing on the the L41 is to come up in the right position to begin with, you need your front foot pretty far forward, and you should come up in a surf stance. I have pretty much the same board (8'8" X 32") and I'm 245 and 67. It doesn't take too long to get used to standing on the board, but I think if you start knee surfing it you'll set yourself back. Get used to paddling the board around in flatwater. When you go to get into a wave you'll probably find the board pivots pretty quickly. I start with the board parallel to the wave I want, and start paddling hard just before it gets to me. I shoot for the center of the pocket--it's much easier to catch a critical wave with this thing. Once you're in, it's a little rocket. Turns on a dime and gives you nine cents change.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

SUPcheat

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Re: Lopez 9' Surf Music, I managed to go shorter and ride it!
« Reply #18 on: April 25, 2014, 09:34:51 AM »
You're absolutely right, Pono.  I should always take these things to the harbor first for standup practice.

I'm just a space cadet and I have gotten to enjoy being on the ocean, which used to terrify me, and just fooling around anyway.

It is interesting to feel the dynamics of different boards.  A skilled surfer can probably step and trim a board to take the drop properly with just about anything.  The L41 seems to tilt down as the wave comes up from behind and then push forward into the drop almost on its own, nice for somebody like me who is a ways from that kind of skill set.

Standing up is actually easier once you are on to the balance and less work than kneesing. Unfortunately I kind of like knee paddling.  It's an uncontrolled shuttle ride and loathsome to the true surfer, but for me it's better than nothing, just a fallback crawl before walking.
« Last Edit: April 25, 2014, 09:52:58 AM by SUPcheat »
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Sunova Speeed 8'10"x29.12@131L
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Me: 6'1"@230 lbs 68 years old

mrbig

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Re: Lopez 9' Surf Music, I managed to go shorter and ride it!
« Reply #19 on: April 25, 2014, 09:49:22 AM »
Supdiscobay, Hey Kurt you wouldn't remember the width and volume on the 8' L41 you tested by any chance. Old man going short for summer is curious! No whirlpools with that bad boy..Gracias
Cleve 8)
Let it come to you..
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PonoBill

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Re: Lopez 9' Surf Music, I managed to go shorter and ride it!
« Reply #20 on: April 25, 2014, 11:03:11 AM »
At any point near max weight (rails under water) the L41 is very sensitive to pitch, the sweet spot is pretty small, so you have to get your body and your head over the balance point right away or you'll fall either forwards or backwards. I don't think I've ever fallen off the thing to the side. I look like Jesus on mine--no visible board unless you're looking down at it.

While that makes it a little tough to stay on in choppy water, it's actually a real blessing for catching waves, going fast, and turning hard. A little weight shift forward, like just thinking about it, puts the nose down. I was able to ride current backwards in the Columbia by tilting my head forward and pushing the nose down while I braced like mad with the paddle. Given that my balance sucks, that was pretty amazing. The sensitivity makes it very easy to do things on the board without a lot of moving around. But you have to be in the right spot to begin with. 
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

SUPcheat

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Re: Lopez 9' Surf Music, I managed to go shorter and ride it!
« Reply #21 on: April 25, 2014, 11:23:26 AM »
Yes, Pono, I had that impression that there was an unforgiving and relatively small sweet spot slightlty forward of the handle notch.  I was almost there the second time, I just found it hard to slide around on the slick nose while performing the last stand up, and by that time, I was tired anyway.

I think with some of these boards it is lock and key, once you get the motion it is easier to repeat, it is just getting the movement right the first time that is hard.

At my weight, the rails on the 8'8" seemed just about right, just a very light wash of water over the sides, neither sunk nor bobbing up.
« Last Edit: April 25, 2014, 11:31:29 AM by SUPcheat »
2013 Fanatic Prowave LTD 9'3"x30.5x@134L
Sunova Speeed 8'10"x29.12@131L
Sunova Flow 8'7"x30.25"@121L
Carbon 9.3x32@163L Hammer
Me: 6'1"@230 lbs 68 years old

supdiscobay

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Re: Lopez 9' Surf Music, I managed to go shorter and ride it!
« Reply #22 on: April 25, 2014, 12:15:07 PM »
Supdiscobay, Hey Kurt you wouldn't remember the width and volume on the 8' L41 you tested by any chance. Old man going short for summer is curious! No whirlpools with that bad boy..Gracias
Cleve 8)

31" and 137ltrs

And what PB says is correct.  Side to side is not an issue, for and aft is the problem.  The 8'5" GL sweetie pie was the same way.  When you paddle in a staggered stance for a long time your back leg will feel it. But that stance really helps balance on the shorter boards, no matter what width they are.
8'5" Starboard Pocket Rocket, 8'0" Kazuma Fugu custom,  8'10" Kings Sidewinder, 10' Starboard Noserider, 14' BARK Carbon Dominator, SIC F16 V3, KeNalu and Quickblade paddles, 19' Eaton Prone, 67" Goode 9700

mrbig

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Re: Lopez 9' Surf Music, I managed to go shorter and ride it!
« Reply #23 on: April 25, 2014, 01:54:00 PM »
Kurt, Thanks for the L41 info. Contacted Kirk and he responded immediately. I have noticed on my Angelo 8'8" that I morphed into a staggered stance to address the fore and aft control issues on takeoff. It is clearly not as sensitive as the L41 boards, but is short enough that fore and aft issues have appeared - in my case more of wave catching than actual splashdown. Chop will still remind me that the spirit of Tippy Wan Ken Obi is alive and well. But the waves made are worth it! 8)
Let it come to you..
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SUPcheat

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Vernor 9' 32.75" marko EPS, 21 inch tail 4+1
« Reply #24 on: May 09, 2014, 04:41:32 PM »
I got a Vernor 9' 32.75" Marko EPS, 21 inch tail 4+1 custom.  A little narrower than the Lopez Surf Music 9' (32.75 vs. 34" wide), a little thicker (4.5 " vs. 4.25"), looks like a little less nose and tail rocker. I would estimate volume to be 150 to 160. It is in tri-fin config, but can be changed over to quad or 5. It's 20 pounds which makes it really easy to handle.

Vernor is local to Santa Cruz and is better known for surf boards, but they are starting to make more SUP oriented boards.

I got it today and will take it out tomorrow. Tomorrow is supposed to be windy but we'll see. I think if I was able to ride the Surf Music, this one should be OK. I will have this one for a while to practice on, and still have four rentals from Covewater.

« Last Edit: May 09, 2014, 04:51:13 PM by SUPcheat »
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Sunova Flow 8'7"x30.25"@121L
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Me: 6'1"@230 lbs 68 years old

SUPcheat

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Re: Vernor 9' 32.75" marko EPS, 21 inch tail 4+1
« Reply #25 on: May 09, 2014, 04:49:55 PM »
?? extra post.
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Sunova Flow 8'7"x30.25"@121L
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SUPcheat

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Vernor 9' 32.75", 4.5", Marko EPS, 21 inch tail 4+1 custom
« Reply #26 on: May 10, 2014, 04:40:31 PM »
Vernor 9' 32.75", 4.5", Marko EPS, 21.25 inch tail 4+1 custom Superlite. Me, about 215 lbs, 6'1".

I had my first session with this board today. Conditions were supposed to be really windy, but were not.  It was a perfect day for a first time out with a new board. There was some glass, some chop, some shore break to wade through, and some extra wind and chop toward the end of the session. Small waves, 2 to 3 feet on low tide shoaling conditions.

Knee paddling was immediately easy with the Vernor, a good sign, not much side to side wobble at all. The session was probably 60 percent stand up and 40 percent knee paddle.

I was able to stand up on it the first time I tried, Yay!  It was definitely work, of course, since my reflexes aren't tuned to the board, but I would say it has the general stability of the 9'34" Gerry Lopez Surf Music. However, it seems to have even better secondary stability than that board.  Secondary stability is still new to me, but it seemed I could step on the rail to tip it and learn to step back without always falling off, and ride the rail a little.

The rails seemed to be sunk just about right, with a very light wash over edges as the board moved around.

 I never managed to stand up on the 8'8" 32" L41 board for any length of time, because by the time I got to learn the knee paddle and try standing up, I was already exhausted.

Catching the small waves seemed no sweat on the Vernor.  80 percent knee surfing and 20 percent stand up surfing.  This board has the smoothest, most buttery glide on the small waves that I have ever felt and it seemed to ride forever.

  These waves would never have caught the Red Paddle Mega (10'8", 36" inflatable).  I would say the wave catching is at least comparable on these small waves to the L41, and much better than i remember the Surf Music.  The Surf Music mostly just rolled under and had a much more finicky requirement for catching waves that I didn't quite figure out. The Vernor doesn't seem to need either a late start or a lot of paddling energy.  It rode white water from behind pretty well.

Presently, the Vernor has a thruster set up with a fairly long performance center fin. I have fins to convert it to a quad whenever. There was boatloads of kelp, so the "kelp braking" was abundant today. The Surf Music and the L41 that I tried both had quad setups.

Wind picked up later in the session, but I was able to bobble in the chop pretty well with the Vernor, at least as well as I remember the Surf Music. It looks like I can learn to hard paddle the Vernor pretty well, too, and it seems to have better glide than the Surf Music.

This board is a keeper for me.  With enough stability to train my balance without too much pain, I think it is the perfect transition board for me to learn a shorter hard board.  It is better than the Surf Music catching the waves I encountered, about as well as the L41 board, it has comparable balance to the Surf Music, with better secondary balance.  It also has that buttery smooth glide that I have never felt before, really something. It is also extremely light, which makes it easier to handle and carry with less risk of ding.

So this one is a buy and keep.  I still have four rentals at Covewater, so I will spend those trying other board from time to time. No, I didn't buy this one from Covewater, so I guess I am a foul and immoral rental traitor.

I'll take the Vernor out tomorrow to see if the honeymoon lasts, but I am definitely keeping it.

The Mega will be used for kelp farming, coast touring, and opportunistic surfing, and the Vernor for surf as it stands now.


« Last Edit: May 10, 2014, 05:31:18 PM by SUPcheat »
2013 Fanatic Prowave LTD 9'3"x30.5x@134L
Sunova Speeed 8'10"x29.12@131L
Sunova Flow 8'7"x30.25"@121L
Carbon 9.3x32@163L Hammer
Me: 6'1"@230 lbs 68 years old

SUPcheat

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Vernor 9' 32.75", 4.5"
« Reply #27 on: May 11, 2014, 03:13:31 PM »
Second session on Vernor 9' 32.75", 4.5", beautiful day but heavy offshore winds blowing back small waves, backwards downwinder trying to paddle into them.  Short session but balance easier than yesterday. Only fell in once.  Kneesies a lot mainly because of wind.  Seems to have some paddling glide, so not painful to go up and down the coast for different breaks.

Me like board, I think I will learn a lot on it.
« Last Edit: May 11, 2014, 03:17:41 PM by SUPcheat »
2013 Fanatic Prowave LTD 9'3"x30.5x@134L
Sunova Speeed 8'10"x29.12@131L
Sunova Flow 8'7"x30.25"@121L
Carbon 9.3x32@163L Hammer
Me: 6'1"@230 lbs 68 years old

SUPcheat

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Vernor 9' 32.75", 4.5" 150-160L
« Reply #28 on: May 27, 2014, 07:01:07 PM »
Eight sessions on the Vernor 9'32.75". 

Balancing right away isn't the same as mastering the board, still have a ways to go, but making  progress.

I am glad I didn't try to go shorter with this one, I think this size is right at the cusp of challenge and frustration for my stage of the game i.e. I can learn without torture, but still need to acquire some real new skills to manage the board.  If it were too painful and frustrating, I might feel a bit defeated and lose fun while learning.  I can have both some fun and lots of challenge with this one.

Lots of windy days.  I was surprised that because I was learning in wind, I had to keep from over compensating on the recent days without wind i.e. re-learn a bit in calm.

I am standing up on waves, getting some nice rides, trying to master a quick turn around to catch them. Board has some glide and oddly enough paddles pretty straight in spite of small size.  Maybe it is the 9 inch center fin set all the way back. I may set it up as a quad next week to avoid kelp braking. It seems like should be able to paddle reasonably long distances on non-windy days, not a touring board, but OK in spite of relatively small size.

Punched a hole in it, probably on the submerged rocks around Shark's cove, and learned to patch it already. I thought I was going to gut it before even using it because waves at Shark's sometimes have a tendency to take you right into the submerged rocks when tide is up a bit.

  On my knees, catching some waves, I found myself turning, paddling, and riding the rail laterally and connecting sections while turning back and forth on and off the rail. I understand what that is now. Not something I could do with the Mega. I  just have to do that standing up.

I wasn't going to get a hard board until middle or end of summer, but decided I was precocious enough to jump the gun.  Hope to have modest skills by summer's end.

I am getting an itch to make baby steps more into the lineup to catch better quality waves, so maybe get ready for some stink eye.
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Me: 6'1"@230 lbs 68 years old

SUPcheat

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Fin Believer
« Reply #29 on: June 01, 2014, 04:59:37 PM »
I guess I am a believer in fins, now.  I had three more sessions on my Vernor 9'32.75" the last couple of days.

The board has five boxes for quad and a center fin. The gentleman who sold me the board was a longboard aficionado, and placed a Future Fins 9 inch Performance fin all the way back in the center fin box to make it a 2+1 with a large center fin.  I guess this was for stability because he thought I was too big for the board.

I found this a bit hard to turn around between waves. I was working out techniques to stomp the back rail and reverse paddle to speed up the turning process.  Also, the big ole 9 inch fin tossed me off several times a session because of "kelp capture and anchoring" around Privates and Shark's Cove Santa Cruz.

The large center fin also makes the board a bit slower paddling into waves, and requires a healthy wave to catch anything.

I know this center fin can be placed further forward to loosen it up a bit, but I decided just to "go quad" because the hard boards I rented were quads, and I didn't want to feel the "kelp brakes" and toss offs so much.  The quads are about three inchers or so.

The first two of my most recent three sessions were with the nine inch 2+1, the last today with the quad.

Anyway, the quad setup made a big difference in the small type surf around Shark's.  I was able to turn the board much more rapidly to catch waves, get more paddling speed easier, and the board caught more of the small to medium waves for longer rides.  General stability seems about the same with the impression (maybe delusion) of somewhat better secondary rail stability.

For the first time on this board, I felt like a SUP surfer, with reasonable control, able to paddle in and catch longer rides, turning a bit on the wave, riding the rail on the wave, connecting small sections etc.etc. I could pop up from knees, turn the board rapidly, and be standing up to catch with some paddling speed rather quickly. The kelp can still be felt to snag a slight bit, but no sudden brakes or toss offs. I was able to walk to the back of the board to stall it off the wave without falling off before it hit the submerged rocks at Shark's cove.

Anyway, I guess the large center fin would be for waves in the 4 plus range in "low kelp" conditions, while the quads are keepers for the 2-5 range in "kelp abundant" condition and are gave me a better experience today with my size, the board size, smaller soft waves etc.

It's interesting to feel a variable underfoot that I can appreciate.

« Last Edit: June 01, 2014, 05:10:42 PM by SUPcheat »
2013 Fanatic Prowave LTD 9'3"x30.5x@134L
Sunova Speeed 8'10"x29.12@131L
Sunova Flow 8'7"x30.25"@121L
Carbon 9.3x32@163L Hammer
Me: 6'1"@230 lbs 68 years old

 


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