THE MAGIC NUMBER: How much volume does your board really need?

When you're broke and can't buy custom, you're lucky to have friends who can. 

     I’m sure you’ve been there yourself at one time or another, or maybe you’ve seen someone else on the wrong board. Think back to that tiny day of surf when you saw that one guy struggling on a potato chip, unable to paddle into waves. For me, I recall ten years ago, asking my brother to let me borrow his shortboards. Oh, what patience he must’ve had not to give me a surf lecture. Instead, he just smirked, and handed over a 6’0” C.I. board. If that smirk could have talked…

     So I went to the beach, paddled out at the tanks at Porto, and just kept getting pitched over and over again. Perhaps that was a different case of using the wrong board for my experience level, but it still relates to how much volume we actually need per the conditions as well as our experience levels. After struggling on my Motorboat Too, which has the following dimensions: 5’9,    19 ¼, 2 3/8 @ 27.9 L, I wanted to sample something with a little more meat, so I borrowed Klaude’s Don Kadowaki shaped Rocket.

Not the most classic of conditions, but at least it's something. Churches not faring so well on the high tide. 

     On Thursday, Sept. 24^th, I went to Churches to catch a short-period south swell. I was stoked to see energy in the water, but the tide was already about to top out, despite getting there by 0700. The surf was about 4FT, decent Motorboat Too conditions, but I was so eager to try the Rocket that I plucked that board out from the two, which is 5’8, 19 ½, 2 11/16. I don’t know how many liters it has, but I’d guess it to be at 30.

A major must-have for me for soft and small days: quads

Let the Rocket trials begin...

     I fluctuate between 160 – 165 lbs., so immediately upon duck diving the first set, I was caught off guard with how corky the Rocket is. It reminded me of a few Zippi Fishes that I had sampled in the past. Aside from getting worked a little, I made it out to my favorite peak at North Churches and caught a few waves. The thick rails were hard to get used to at first. My turns were a bit sluggish, and I lacked that snappier release that I get with my other boards. On a positive note, I was popping up and getting into waves with ease. If anything, I was able to get down the line on it with minimum effort, but I felt like I just had too much board.

     In the afternoon, I swapped back to the Motorboat Too. The conditions had deteriorated, but the size was still there. In the choppy conditions, I felt much more comfortable on my older board.

I got impatient waiting for a set, so I just went ahead and snapped a pic. Not only does the weather look hot, but it was just as worse as the heat in the South Bay. #merciless. Summer, you're kicking me ass. Are you ready for wetsuits yet?

How can I not try my hand at freelancing when I have beach access like this? Who needs a million-dollar home at the beach?

 

Tried a different sushi spot, Sake 2 Me in Cerritos. 

    This test run wasn’t given in the most ideal conditions, though. I’m looking for a board that will work in 1-2 FT surf, and that Thursday just had too much size.

     Over the weekend, I switched between both boards respectively. The Saturday session was small and inconsistent, so it didn’t count because the surf was that inactive. On Sunday, the shape was better and the surf more consistent. On the Rocket, I still got down the line well and landed a bunch of floaters, but I still had a hard time adjusting to the thickness of the rails on my turns.

45th Street. Back to my roots. Don't you love the wind swells here? Usually a something-for-nothing trade off. 

     This morning I paddled back to Porto and surfed 45^th. There was a small windswell with scattered peaks. Even though the surf looked like crap from the hill, I was pleasantly met with a barrage of good waves. The session became a wave buffet.

     I had planned to be a lone wolf and keep to myself, but I was so stoked that I even had to talk to Mark AKA Surfing Santa who’s been surfing here as long as I can remember.

     “You’re getting into a lot of waves for being on a shortboard,” he said.

     And he was right. I somehow managed to be in position for some 3FT rights. Just like the prior days, I got down the line no problem, but even on the open faces where I’d usually crank a bank-hand snap, the board, once again, bogged down on the turns. My snaps off the top were weak; I was tossing out thimbles.

     Now I’m not knocking the board. Don’s the man, the King of 26^th Street, and everyone in the South Bay knows that, but I just think the dimensions are wrong for me. I wish I could sample this board just a hair wider at 19 ¾, an inch or two shorter, and no thicker than 2 ½ inches. I’m not sure how many liters that would come down to, but I’d like to guess that 29 would be my magic number for a groveler.

     Until then, I’ll still be on the Motorboat Too. Regrets? If I could order this board again, another liter would help, and I’d want a five-fin setup, which I really feel like I’m missing out on, especially on the mooshier days. Craigslist here I come. I’ll be on the lookout for another groveler candidate. Dumpster Diver, where are you?

Sessions Tracked:

Churches-9/24: 3-4FT

26^th Street-9/25,26: 1-3FT

El Porto 45^th St.-9/29: 1-3FT, hot, consistent, red tide

I can't praise San Clemente Public Library enough. Without their excellent facility and free wifi, I'd be forced to sit inside a Starbucks. I'm truly blessed to have freelance work that allows me the opportunity to work where the surf is. Always grateful. 

WED 23SEPT2015

Loc: Manhattan Beach, 26^th Street

Time: 0800-0910      

Crew: Bri

Conditions: 1-3 FT, variable wind, high tide, backwashy

Board: Motorboat Too

     What the fuck? I know that the primary swell is from the south, but how about a little wrap-around energy? I should have known it was a bad sign when barely any of the regulars were out. I spotted Oscar south of the tower, and so was the guy who had run over Bri one time. He was on his Costco foamie. I didn’t want to surf by him, so I moved us in front of the brick house.

     That one short stocky dude who helps coach the surf team was doing well on his funboard. Foam, maybe that’s what I needed. Even Bri struggled on her Hopper, which is blessed with volume.

     After a wave, she came back and said, “I just noticed this now.” She pointed to her deck. A line was going across the nose. The deck had a slight crack in it. It was flexed. “I think I nosedived it inside.”

     “You mean purled,” I said.

     One of the set waves was worthy for a pull in. It closed out from the backwash, but it was fun just to get gobbled by a wave that size.

     A squad of grom bodyboarders paddled out. I caught a left, a good one, and one of the kids was standing right in my line, filming me with his GoPro, so I had to kick out.

     “My bad!” he said.

     Last wave to go in, I wasn’t expecting much, but I paddled into a right that actually had a shoulder, at least a single hitter, but I didn’t even get a chance to wind up for the snap because my fiancé snaked me. Fuckin’ A. I guess that’s what marriage is about, letting someone snake you on your wave.

TUE 22SEPT2015

Loc: Manhattan Beach, 26^th Street

Time: 0800-0910      

Conditions: 2-3 FT, glassy, warm, inconsistent

Board: Motorboat Too, large fins

     During the Labor Day camp trip, someone had told me, “Small board, big fins. Big board, small to medium fins.” With that in mind, and without much swell on tap, I thought it would be nice to experiment, so I grabbed the set of large Futures that Rick had given me to donate in Indo, which I didn’t, and slapped those suckers on the Motorboat Too. They have much more surface area than the medium Blackstix that KK had loaned me.

     As I said, I wasn’t expecting much, so I even showed up late for the second shift. To my demise, there was no street parking. I circled around and caught glimpses of the high schoolers on what looked like decent peaks. My anxiety grew looking for a spot, and I finally lucked out on Marine.

     I grabbed the MB Too and headed across The Strand, and there they were. Peaks, though fast, they were pretty consistent just south of 26^th Street. Unfortunately, that’s where the majority of the surfers were sitting.

     I paddled out at the tower and scratched into my first wave. Don K., The King, had to back out for me. I anticipated a zippy ride on my board, but as soon as I got to my feet, my board felt so sluggish and just got stuck. Man, I mean, like it was just shackled. Starved for momentum, all I could do was head dip the lip as the shoulder took off without me. Oh . . . how lame. Ha! And for The King of 26^th Street to have to back out for me on that one? For shame. . .

     And that’s how the rest of the session went. I watched that one good peak break. One dude, who I had never seen before, was just merry-go-rounding it one wave after another, small rides but still fun.

     My best wave was just a pumper where I got down the line, but I cursed the big fins. Yeah, there comes a good time for experimentation, but sometimes it just doesn’t work out. Like going to your favorite restaurant and trying out a different dish. You ever do that? I have, and most of the time I regret not just sticking to the staples: beef chow fun, eggplant with garlic sauce, salt and pepper pork chops. However, if you don’t try, you never know.