Big Boy Plover

Ready to take flight. 6'2" x 23" x 3" My friend, T-Moe, told me to change the name to the "Fish Barge"

Tom Wegener on Nose Riding

I don't know when this was written, but this is an epic read for anyone who appreciates and the art of nose riding. Here's the link: http://noseriding.com/pages/TomWegenertalksWalkingonWater.htm

"Having hips towards the tail is the key to the ultimate noserider. The hips make the board ride more parallel to the wave. When you are on the nose where the boards is, say, 18 inches wide, while it is 23 inches in the hips, the attitude of the board will be more parallel with the wave thus making you travel faster across the wave. The flatter or straighter the board, the more parallel it can ride. With more width and foam in the back half of the board, there is more flotation and volume. This mass creates more tension with the fin and makes the board go faster. Also, it counters the suction created by the soft rails and lift in the tail." - Tom Wegener

Hmmmmm... Sounds an awful lot like the description of the Crane model, no? And yes, the Crane is an insane nose rider.

Another Plover

Here's another Plover.  This time for Blake.  He's going to kill it on this board.  Come get your board, Blake!  More Plovers coming in the next couple months.

Rip Curl Pro Search: San Francisco

Taylor Knox still rips.

Taj Burrow, launching...

...and getting slotted.

Another flight

Wilko ripping.

I'm not a competitive surfing fanatic, but it's not too often the worlds best surfers show up in your area to compete. So when the WCT decended upon San Francisco this past week and Kelly Slater was due to win his 11th world title, it makes for a pretty easy decision to go check out the circus.

I headed up this past Wednesday morning up the coast to SF and was greeted by dozens of unridden head high offshore peaks the entire drive, most with no one around.  It was all I could do to stay on the road.  It was clear this was going to be an epic day for the pros on Ocean Beach, SF.  You know you're at a big surfing event when the very first person you see sneaking out of the water from a free surf is Tom Curren.  Pretty cool to pass within a few feet of the retired former champ on the way to the main event.  Couldn't believe how perfect the conditions were.  Saw a few great heats, but missed Kelly's run at 11 because I had to get to work for the afternoon.  I guess the ASP miscalculated and he still technically has to win one more heat to be officially crowned the champ once again.  The contest has been on hold for a few days to let some weather pass through, but should be completed within the next couple days.  Snapped a few photos.  Nothing great, but you can see how good the conditions were.  Enjoy!

The Crane Model, Finished!

Officially introducing the Crane Model!  A modern pig/noserider.  Here's some pictures of the finished product.  This one is for one of our collaborators, Evan.  He gave a lot of insight into the design of the shape.  We finished it off with some nice color work.  9'6" x 23"x 3 5/16".  Join the Migration...

The Crane

Evan's newest longboard that we're calling the "Crane" model.  A modern pig of sorts...  Widepoint pushed back behind center gives the tail some nice hips.  The increased curve through the tail allows for better maneuverability from the tail, and can sit better in the sweet spot of the wave setting up killer noserides.  Modern teardrop concave and a bit of tail kick rounds this board into a smooth rider.  It's interesting to note that the modern shortboard took design concepts directly from the old school pig for these same reasons (minus the noseriding capabilities, of course).  This is what all the cool kids are riding.

New 5'1" Plover

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I've been extremely busy polishing surfboards this summer. In addition to working for Michel Junod at Almar Surf Works, I also started polishing at the Santa Cruz Board Builders Guild (a.k.a. "the Haut Shop") in May. Been inspired by some shapes I've worked on over there and these new inspirations will hopefully be making their way into my shapes in the near future.
Finally got back to shaping yesterday and will have a few to show over the next few weeks. Here's a new 5'1" custom Plover for Blake. This board barely fit on the racks!