surfers unite.

[Lockedin]

What a gorgeous board! Really dig the yellow tint.

I see boards like that at the points around here, & always admire them.

New board issues - invariably seems to be a big project or no waves whenever a new board is bought!

 

[Lockedin]

I interviewed for a new job recently. While enjoying a cigar with my potential employer he says, "You know there's a lot of travel involved with this job, I need to know how well we travel together before we can commit to anything."
Having had many jobs on location before, I told him I agreed completely. Suddenly, he looks at me and says, "What are you doing this weekend? Can you take Friday off? Do you have a valid passport?"

This is Punta Achiote, Costa Rica - It doesn't look like much in this pic, but was well overhead on the outside. I was on a borrowed 7'3" & had a BLAST

​

Long story short, spent last weekend in Costa Rica, and I put in my 2 weeks notice at my current office...

 

[FL shaver]

Wow! How sweet is that! Lots of waves in your future! I've gotta get down to Costa Rica soon.

Ran out to the island (Captiva) for some clean waist to stomach north lines after work. All I can say is that this board works as good as it looks! I'm just ecstatic with how it performs. It is fast and skatey and gets to where you want it to be before you think about it. It's going to be hard to bring anything else to the beach for awhile.

By the way, the homemade wax works great!

 

[Lockedin]

Congrats on both counts!

I was looking at the pics of your board again - nearly drooled on the keyboard!

Looks like a wave catching machine that will perform well!
What fins are you running for the quad set up?



Paddled Malibu 1st point last night - left shore @ 8:30 & didn't stop till midnight.
Chest to Head high with a few overhead sets and perfect shape - a lot of get out & walk back waves

That Bonzer I picked up is perfect for this type of wave - racy, steep, barreling sections.

 

[FL shaver]

Took advantage of a pretty big moon, did ya?! We do a lot of walking here, too... because of the monster drift and onshore conditions! Wish it was due to reeling point break waves, but...

I have FCS M-7 fins up front and GL in the back. Held on a couple of steep drops and projected well out of turns. Plenty of drive. I don't know... These are basic fins and they will work for my conditions, but I know another guy with this same board on the East Coast upgraded to TC Aqualines and loves them.

I keep looking at the pictures, too.

 

[Lockedin]

I've heard nothing but good about the TC's. The M-7 / GL setup sounds good - similar to what I run in my 5'11" which is a Mayhem quad set. To stiffen it up & take a bit of the wildness out of it I'll run my longboard's side bites as trailers. Sounds counter intuitive since I'm reducing fin area, but I think it works because they're set back on the tabs & widen the gap between the lead & trailing fins.

 

[FL shaver]

Thanks for the experience. I have done really no experimenting with fins and this is my first quad setup. I am curious to see how changing them affects performance. Just need waves!

 

[Lockedin]

I found that (at least on my quad) it took some fiddling to get the set up right, but once I did it was magic.

Enjoy!

 

[Lockedin]

Anybody have advice on renting a board in Barbados vs. flying my own?

Thanks!

 

[FL shaver]

You're killing me, man! Costa Rica one week, Soup Bowls the next?!?!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgrzN8ELIxI
I have no advice about traveling with your board. I took mine once from Boston to Sarasota, of all possible surf destinations, spent the first day fixing a ding on a corner of my squash tail, but got clean cold front waves the next day at Lido, a block from where my M-I-L was staying, in January of 1989. I knew then I would be moving to FL soon, and I did in May of the next year. This was back when you could take a board at no extra cost, though, so I doubt I would travel with a board now. I think I would rent there. Curious to see how you make out...

 

[FL shaver]

First tropical stuff possibly late week...

 

[Lockedin]

Stuck at the Barbados Airport right now - problem with my ticket.

On my day off conditions were garbage - 30kts of sideshore wind.

Ended up renting a board (flying it was just too expensive) yesterday and surfing 1-3 foot windswell behind the hotel - had a BLAST! It's going to be hard to put on the wetsuit when I get home on Wednesday!

Pics to come

 

[FL shaver]

Reading this stuck in the Lisbon airport! Unfortunately, no waves in my future.

It's crazy what some of the airlines want to stow a board. $150 each way?! C'mon! Last summer I was in RI, not expecting to surf, but the day we went to the beach it was coming in clean at waist to chest. The local shop has a box truck with rentals in the summer. For $20 each we rented an epoxy funshape and longboard. And they worked great!

Looking forward to your pics!

 

[Hangten]

When I traveled a lot for "work" I brought along with me a Pope Bisect board. Never got charged for it by the airlines because the thought it was a display case. Great for most surf but vibrated and felt like it would snap in half in anything over head high. Now a days I too just rent. Easier and dings by airline staff don't leave the first day of your vacation doing repair work...

 

[FL shaver]

Flat as can be back home, but there has been a persistent ESE wind the last few days here in Barcelona. Went down to Barcelonetta, passing boards on the way. I wasn't expecting it to be good, but I thought it might be ridable. Yellow flags were flying. Lifeguard warnings were coming over the loudspeaker in many languages. Clothing was optional (nothing to do with surfing, but I had to sneak it in!) on this man made beach covered with coarse brown sand shipped in from Egypt for the '92 Barcelona Games. We could see SUPs and surfboards in the cove up from the breakwater by the Surf Escola. We watched it awhile. Short rides thigh to waist. Had to rent a stick and try it! Rented a 6'8" epoxy something or other for 3 hours for €21. Barely ridable, but had fun surfing the Mediterranean windswell. Water about 70 (wetsuits?!), air 80 with an ESE wind of 15 or so.

 

[Lockedin]

Looks like we're getting that El Nino everyone's talking about - the water here has been 67-69 all week. Had a few good sessions a bit north of the 'bu, mostly waist to chest high beachbreak and a lot of fun - looks like this weekend will be a bit bigger - bring on the crowds!

 

[Lockedin]

FL Shaver - Spain eh? That sounds like fun!

Hang Ten - I've only read about the bisect boards - never had hands on one - great idea!

It looks like I'm going to be back in Barbados at some point this summer - might be there long enough to make flying the Bonzer worth the cost - most airlines allow up to 3 boards in a coffin, so maybe a 8' Walden as well; it's a great all around board.

 

[FL shaver]

We thought we were lucky to get a few waves Sunday. Take a look at what the Northwest Mediterranean produced today! Barcelona is supposed to be flat in summer!
http://www.gulfster.com/Daily/2014PictureGallery/070414spain/index.html
The locals were throwing around phrases like "Epic," and "All time." Yes....in English!

 

[Hangten]

Currently in the middle of a week long SUP surf trip. So far decent conditions. This morning was shoulder to head high and good shape for a beach break. A ton of fun. Sorry for the distant pic.

 

[FL shaver]

Looks fun! Where are you??!!