Topics

16

Sessions / Santa Cruz second GoPro HD effort (stills)

« on: January 08, 2010, 10:59:14 PM »

Waded through about 800 to get a handful of keepers.  Sad thing is I forgot to turn the camera on for some of the best waves.  Got to get the adrenaline under control...

17

Gear Talk / GoPro paddle cam set up: which side of the paddle shaft?

« on: December 26, 2009, 08:46:02 PM »

Santa brought me a sweet new GoPro HD Surf Hero, and I'm putting together a paddle mount for it.  What are the pros and cons of mounting on the power side of the paddle shaft vs. the non-power (back) side of the shaft?

18

Sessions / Santa Cruz today

« on: November 07, 2009, 10:02:55 PM »

Big swell today, but not what I'd call good...at least where I was.  Paddled a lot, made some waves, and conditions got better near sunset when the wind and tide both dropped.

Here's a shot my wife took of a nice set at the Cold Water Classic this afternoon.  The paddling conditions on the inside were so gnarly they were shuttling contestants back out to the line up on wave runners so they wouldn't spend the entire heat paddling.  This photo is really deceiving.



Here's one she shot of me, just inside the contest venue.  Tough conditions, to say the least.

19

Sessions / NW doesn't live up to the hype, but delivers the stoke

« on: October 24, 2009, 09:09:52 PM »

Hit it before daylight today at Spot X, hoping to get some of the much hyped NW swell.  The tide was on the high side, and as the dawn broke the fog rollled in, thick and gloomy.  I ran into Frank at the stairs and we paddled out to see what was what.  An early set provided some promise and a few fun rides, but it was inconsistent at best.  The fog hinted at burning off, then came in thick and heavy, making the cliffs disappear from the line up.  With just the two of us out, it was tough to stay on the peak, but mostly we felt our way along and managed.  The lack of crowds was an unexpected bonus, and the peaceful quiet of the fog made the session a relaxing one.  Eventually we drifted down to Spot Y, and the waves were a little better there, and only 5 or 6 guys out.  A little more walled up on the sets, a bit faster, and creeping above the waist high standard of the day.  It got fun for a while as the low tide hit (albeit a pretty high 3.5'), and when all was said and done, I paddled back in after nearly 4 hours of surfing, relaxed, tired and feeling good.  Afterwards, I had the pleasure of meeting master shaper Ed Angulo, who custom built my current 9'-11".  It was great talking with him about board design, construction, home-built paddles and all things SUP.  Ed is one of the true gentlemen of the sport, and as down to earth as they come.

20

Sessions / Fall South Swell

« on: October 20, 2009, 10:04:44 PM »

Tonight things came together pretty well:  Solid south swell, calm winds, and a super low tide hitting early evening.  I managed to escape the office at a decent hour, did the fast turn and was heading for the waves by 5:30.  In the interest of maximizing daylight, I stayed on the west side, paddling in at Cowells but heading directly to Indicator to find a few juicy ones without the crowds.  The strategy paid off with the small pack there huddled in near the cliffs, I had my pick of just about anything that swung a little wide.  The swell is super consistent, so there was plenty to go around.  The low tide, storm cleared kelp and solid swell made for ideal conditions, and most waves were walled up, moving fast and super fun.  Wave of the day was a bomb that I turned and burned on after another guy blew the take off.  I rode it from well outside of the Indies statue all the way to the Dream Inn, with (and this is a small miracle) no drop ins! Big wall, lots of turns and a long noseride on the inside section. Plenty more fun ones after that, and the crowd thinned quickly as dusk settled in.  Vis was good even as it got dark, so I hung around and took another half dozen from the cypress grove and thereabouts, finally hitting the beach around 7:35 when it was getting really too dark to see the sets coming.  When I got out, the Yankees had a 5-1 lead, icing on the cake.

21

SUP General / Cape Codders

« on: July 30, 2009, 10:40:21 AM »

I'll be back in my old stomping grounds for a few weeks in August (9-23) but will be there sans SUP.  I've got some traditional longboards at my folks' place in Eastham, but I know I'll be jonesing to get out on a SUP once I'm there.  If any of you fellow Zoners have a spare board and are willing to meet me for a surf session or two (or flatwater paddle as conditions dictate), I'd be eternally grateful, and would be happy to return the favor here on the West Coast.

Andy

22

Gear Talk / Short Leash

« on: May 16, 2009, 08:36:54 PM »

I switched out the 10 foot DaKine 5/16" leash I'd been using on my custom 9-11 Angulo for an 8 footer, and really like it.  With a calf cuff (swapped in from another DaKine leash) it's plenty long to hang all 10 piggies with a bit of slack.  With the 10 footer, I always felt like I was swimming after my board; the 8 footer keeps it close, but not too close.  The 8 footer rarely tangles in the kelp, which is a huge improvement.  I was ready to buy a 9 footer, but the fine folks at Freeline Design in Santa Cruz suggested I bring my board into the shop and compare with the 8.  Glad I did.

What leash length are most folks using?  Actual length with rail savers seems to be a lot longer than the label length on most brands.

23

Sessions / Cowells Miracle

« on: February 20, 2009, 09:29:16 PM »

Doctor's appointment for post-surgery check up got me out of the office early, and the doc gave me the green light to get back in the water after a month on the sidelines.  Did the drive by, saw it was a sellout at Cowells, but nice conditions, and really big everywhere else. Good surf everywhere, but I'm rusty and out of shape since the op, so I opted for the cove. With daylight burning fast, I did the quick turnaround and was at the beach in about 45 minutes expecting to get in line with the huddled masses.  Walking down the beach, I nearly fell over in disbelief: The place is empty with about half a dozen surfers scattered across a few peaks.

Shaking off the cobwebs on a few smaller waves, I moved to the outside and feasted on several set waves, all to myself.  The middle section was mushing out with the rising tide, so I took one in and just killed it for about 45 minutes on the fast inside section until fatigue set in.  I finished up with a few long, fun outside waves (crowd down to 2 now) and grabbed one last bomb from the cypress grove to the beach as it got dark.  My wife remarked that I haven't been in this good of a mood for weeks...

24

Sessions / It pays to check it yourself

« on: December 13, 2008, 10:01:26 PM »

Here's the Surfline report for one of the popular town spots where I live:

Hey, this is Sherwood with the report for Saturday afternoon at 12:30PM.
SURF:
Flat and poor conditions.

PM REGIONAL OVERVIEW: Pretty much flat here this afternoon thanks to a 6.8' high tide that came through around 10AM. Expect inconsistent 1-2' lines at the best breaks. Winds are out of the NW with textured, crumbly conditions.

Living in sight of the ocean and keeping tabs on it daily, I knew different.  I also have the benefit of getting very accurate "amateur" forecasts from a fellow SUP surfer who has uncanny accuracy.

The full moon has some big tide swings in play, and this morning's extreme high had things super swamped out.  Knowing that the afternoon low was a -1.8, I timed my go out to catch it a 3 feet and falling.  Pulling into the little car park, I was stoked to see zero cars, with the same number of people in the water.  Having rolled the 4/3 on at the house, it was a quick deployment and I was stroking into my first clean little waist high peeler 5 minutes later.  I'm guessing the unusually cold weather, forecast storms and a lot of holiday shopping all contributed to the empty line up.  Conditions seemed to change about every 15 minutes, with a building offshore wind first hollowing things out, then later blasting me head on and fighting me on the drop ins.  For a while I was watching black rain squalls marching ominously across the bay in one direction, while sun-drenched blue sky was visible in the other.  Things cleaned up again, and more size filled in, with several chest high sets rolling through, all mine for the taking.  The offshores were doing their thing, standing up the waves and holding off a closeout on a section that isn't usually makable.  Lots of long, clean rides, hollow walls and nobody but me and the sea otters to enjoy it. Wave count was through the roof, nature's show was terrific, and all the hustle and hassle of the holiday season just melted away.  I just love it when Surfline blows the call...

25

Gear Talk / Pearson Arrow Laird model

« on: September 17, 2008, 05:16:14 PM »

Has anybody ridden one of these?  I stopped in the shop today and took a look at one (there was an 11-6 on the rack), and it's a radical departure to the longboard/tandem style SUPs that Bob has typically shaped.  The nose on this board is much thinner, and pulled in slightly more.  The big difference is the really narrow tail and 2+1 fin set up.  The tail of this board looks different than any other I've seen. Bob Pearson generally knows what he's doing in the shaping room, and that guy Laird something or other has some experience on stand up boards, so I'm curious how these ride.  I'm pretty sure my wife needs a board now that she's ridden my Waveyarder...

http://www.arrowsurfshop.com/surfboards/speciality.html

26

Gear Talk / Leash Length

« on: May 05, 2008, 11:09:32 PM »

What length leash are most folks using in average surf conditions (relative to the length of your board)? On of the Santa Cruz SUP locals advised me against looking for a 12' leash for my 11'6" noserider project, saying it's a lot of extra drag and hassle.  With a rail saver on the leash and leash plugs 6" off the tail, is a 10 footer the right size?

27

Gear Talk / Pearson Arrow Custom SUPs

« on: May 05, 2008, 06:31:38 PM »

I just stopped by the Arrow surf shop in Santa Cruz, and they've got all their custom EPS/epoxy SUPs on sale for $999.  The shapes look nice, and the price is $400 off of normal retail.  Anybody riding an Arrow, and if so, what are your impressions?  Stock lengths were 10-6 to 12-0, mostly single fin set ups.

28

The Shape Shack / Source for wide S-2 fiberglass cloth

« on: March 07, 2008, 05:28:43 PM »

I'm having a hard time finding wider widths of S-2 fiberglass cloth to laminate my HWS SUP.  Ideally, I need at least 34" wide, and prefer 3.6 to 4.4 oz S glass.  Anybody have a source?  I've already tried Fiberglass Hawaii, Fiberglass Supply, US Composites, Foam EZ and others.  Any pro builders out there have a supply that they'd be willing to resell to a back yard builder in small quantities (8-15 yards)?

29

Gear Talk / Fin set up for 11'-6"

« on: November 09, 2007, 06:56:43 PM »

I'm building an 11'-6" hollow wood SUP and I'm trying to decide how to fin it.  Initially, I was planning a single 10.5" box, but now I'm seeing a lot of production boards in the same size/volume range running 2+1 fin set ups.  Examples include the Boardworks/Bill Stewart 11-6 http://www.boardworkssurf.com/shapers/bill_stewart/sup.php and the Southpoint Timpone/Kalama 11-6 http://www.surfindustries.com/products/southpointTimpone_sup.php and the C4 11-6 http://www.boardworkssurf.com/shapers/c4_waterman/sup.php  I am now thinking of adding FCS side bites to the board, and would like input from the experts on weather they are necessary or will improve performance.  If so, how should they be placed in relation to the rails and center box?

The board will be used in point break surf on small to medium waves, and generally good quality (Santa Cruz, CA).  It will also be used for cruising and fitness runs when the surf is flat.  As a point of reference, my 9-0 and 10-0 longboards both run 2+1 set ups, with cutaway fins in the center.  I like the way these boards ride at the spots I go to most often.

More details on the board project can be found here:
http://www.grainsurf.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=554
http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=245.0

30

Gear Talk / Bass/Pine SUP paddle

« on: September 19, 2007, 04:26:00 PM »

I've been making a bit of sawdust in the garage, and here are the results (on left), with final lamination, hot coat and varnishing still to do.  Many thanks to contributors to this forum who informed the design, as well as those on Swaylocks.  The Gillespie canoe paddle that I took some design cues from is next to it.  I'll publish final photos and performance impressions (assuming I can poach a board to ride) as soon as it's complete.



Length: 77-1/2"
Blade Width: 8-1/2"
Blade Length: 18"

Basswood shaft and grip, offset 14 degrees.  Spanish Oak stringers and blade tip on clear pine blades, laminated in 6 oz. cloth set in epoxy, with an additional layer of 6 oz. tape running from the blade tip to 12" or so up the paddle shaft.

For the whole story and some more details, go to http://www.grainsurf.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=506