Stand Up Journal Exclusive: Gerry Lopez surfs HUGE Oregon Coast

This one was just too hot to hold onto any longer. Read this Gerry Lopez piece and tell me how you feel. Talk about that sinking feeling.... the realization that, well, it's really, VERY, big. I don't know about you but when I see there's a Lopez piece in a surf mag, I go directly for it. The guy writes like he surfs; a clean line from start to finish- no useless embellishment, no head snaps, no claims... I'm a big fan. Check this out:



Clang, clang, clang... here's where I'm at: "...send not to know for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee". Thanks to Clay Feeter at Stand Up Journal for sending me this piece from the upcoming Spring Issue (you'll have to wait until March 21st for it to hit bookstores and surf shops, if you subscribe it's on the way today).

Just a note on Feeter: Here's how I find out about this piece. Clay drops an email in my box- homeboy is absolutely frothing, going nuts, "John, get this one out there, it's going to turn everyone's guts". Oooh, I like stuff like that. I'm like a shark- a little scent of excitement and I get whipped into a frenzy too... here's to feeding the stoke! And, oh yeah, I've got a couple of behind the scenes photos of that crew over there coming any day now.

9'8" Ninja Bump Five Boxer... yeowww!

Ouch. Here's that 9'8" that was getting done up at the same time as mine. All finished out now. How fun would this thing be at a full figured wave like the Dog Patch? This one looks stable, paddle worthy and rippeable... don't you just want to surf 'em all?



Photo: My favorite shot: Dog and board! Especially when it's the shop foreman... Cowboy, claiming. SUP dog?



Photo: Go for the bump- you'll like it. Say it with me: Release. Ah, feels good doesn't it?



Photo: Pull the ends thin... a little less boaty but a lot more turny... are turny and boaty even words?



Photo: Dig it.

Sneak Peek: Spring Stand Up Journal Snaps... Wow!

Dream job... travel the world with a board, paddle, camera and a laptop. Corporate credit card. Sat. phone with internet connectivity (yep, file that story from the Fiesta deck of the S.S. Isurfalot) and one of those big passports- the supersized version with room for lots of stamps. Reality? Probably not, but somebody's doing something close to that... at least that's what it seems like every time I bop on over to the bookstore and take a gander at the Stand Up Journal- that mag is stupid good. Here's a couple sneaky-sneaky preview shots:



Photo: Trow, Galapagos Islands... the story we've all been waiting for. How about this guy? One of the BlueLine/Paddle Surf Hawaii crew up in Santa Barbara... cross over from RIPPING on a kite (the one guy, besides Josh Mulcoy who makes wave-kiting look, well, like surfing... no dangle-spin, monkey-tricks from these guys!) to solo-poaching scary, big, cold, Central Cal. mackers... gnarly stuff from a guy who lets his surfing do the talking. Can't wait to read about what happened to these guys... from what I heard the gnarliest stuff happened out of the water!



Photo: What... bikinis out there too?



Photo: Charging...



Photo: Crazy...

Season of the Leper...

The Strand Leper... gettin' some right out the front door. All photos courtesy of Brian McGovern.



Photo: Such a clean wave and a left... screw foot paradise.



Photo: The Leper and I had a nice chat about this photo. One of the challenges of getting barreled on a stand up board is controlling your speed. These boards are just fast, they're so wide and get in so early that unless you can scrub speed you'll shoot right past a potential barrel. Here, the Leper brings it out onto the flats, pauses a beat and lays it over- hoping for a better position in the hook and for a bit slower entry into the pocket. Nice line, Mr. Leper.



Photo: The waiting game... watching the lip line, hoping the bottom drops out and willing the curtain to fall.



Photo: Cool photo... the Leper, great day, clean wave. Nice job.

9'1 Vike Bump: First Impressions

A new board deserves a fair shot and sometimes that means that you've got to be patient and wait for a day that will let it shine. Unfortunately, what we've had for the last couple of days has been big, gnarly and blown out, definitely not the type of conditions that you want to paddle a new board into.



Above: Check out this little video clip shot from the driver's seat of my truck the day after I picked up my new board. That's what we've been dealing with down here- nasty stuff.



Photo: Such a sweet figure... Bumps to break up the outline, pivot points... good stuff. Don't know if I'm so stoked about handles though- I'm used to throwing that thing up on my shoulder old school style... jury is still out on handles in surfboards... I'll keep you posted.

I had to wait a few days but I finally got my chance to surf it today. In all, I rode five waves- not enough to completely figure out the board but enough to make an impression on me. The surf was four to six foot with a healthy amount of cross chop on the face. These weren't clean glassy conditions but it was the best I'd seen it in three days and I was dying to get her out and let it rip.

In a word, this one is a flyer. The board's outline produces a very loose, pivoty feel. If you've surfed conventional (prone) short boards you'll feel right at home on the Vike Bump. The board is foiled to produce an insanely light feeling in the nose and tail; just a hint of front foot pressure brings you screaming down into the pit, power off your back foot and you're flying up the face. This is what we were going after with this shape- we wanted a fast, twitchy, beach break machine... my initial feeling is that this one is going to work out really well for that purpose.



Photo: I've already spoken about volume- check out how that volume is distributed through the nose- that's why this thing has such a light feel off the nose... and hopefully why I'll be swinging that thing around much more quickly than before....SNAP.

One last observation, the board produces tremendous drive. There's definitely a bit of squirt off the bottom. On one particular wedging left, I dropped in too late, coming way down onto the flats deep behind an already broken section racing off in front of me. Normally, this would've been a write-off wave. Having nothing to loose, and wanting to see what this thing could do, I decided to lay it over and see how far a couple of pumps off the bottom would get me. Wham! Talk about POWER ON- I didn't even need the second cycle of compression and release. The inside fin instantly powered up and I could feel myself skating across the flats riding the foil and flex of that inner fin- and beating the section to continue on down the line. Insanely cool.



Photo: Super interested in running this one as a quad- with the way the fins are set up and the little wing off the tail- I think this thing my just come to LIFE with a set of four back there.

As always, I'd rather have the board and it's performance speak for itself- hopefully I'll be surfing fast, beating sections and crushing the lip- in that case, only time (and a bunch more sessions) will tell. My initial gut feeling, however, is that this is going to be a good one. Thanks Stamps!

Got myself a new one!

Had a great little road trip up the coast with my friend Kiwi. We pulled out just as the rain started pouring down. There were lots of accidents on the freeway; spin outs, rear enders and even a couple flipped vehicles.

The report was for big, out of control surf. It looked small most of the day but the surf forecast was correct, it did get big:



Photo: You know it's big when you can see white wash at the end of the road.

Happily, we made it to Tim Stamps' surf board factory uneventfully. This is always the best part, you know there's something killer in there for you and in a couple of minutes it's going to be yours...at this point, the waiting is delicious!



Photo: Seems like every time I run by the Stamps factory he's got four or five SUPs going through the doors- always full custom... and that means full custom paint as well. Check out the leopard print... that's going to be one mean kitty.



Photo: I peeked into the shape room and there she was... stoked!!!!



Photo: How cool is this new back foot pad... a little bump to let you know when you're really back there.



Photo: We're really stoked on how this one came out. It's hard to see from photos but there is a lot going on here. If you just look at numbers you'd say, "Dude, you just came down three inches on length... big deal" And you'd wrong... this is a totally different beast- built for a totally different application.



Photo: Here's what I really like, I can fit two stand ups in the back of my regular sized pick up truck (yes, regular is an 8' bed).



Photo: Today the sun came out but the surf was just too big and basically out of control- not to mention polluted. I did get a chance to paddle the Vike Bump and the volume is right on- CAD programs rule.

Here's my opinion on volume. If you're building a board primarily for surfing, you want the least amount of volume that will still allow you to stand on the board and catch waves. When I'm on this board, I'm sinking it. My feet are not high and dry. If I hold still the deck is barely above water, the water line is the bottom edge of the deck pad. If you want to rip, you want less board not more- like my friend Sheldon told me, "If you want to lay rail, you've got to drop volume". Agreed.

This is not a "do it all" board. The board was designed for ripping beach break waves in a wave field a couple blocks long. We're not expecting to paddle this thing for miles. This is a surfer's stand up board- it's meant to be driven, not cruised.

Now it's just a matter of waiting for the right day to let her rip... I'll keep you posted.

Last of the Build Photos... because I'm picking it up tomorrow!

Tomorrow's the day! Going to do a little surf check- see if I can snag a few and then bolt up north to the Stamps Board Factory. Can't wait to see how the new one has come out... A couple more shots:



Photo: Cool to see two of these getting done at once... and how rad is that spray on the 9'8"? I'd love to see a couple of photos of that big one in action so if you're the owner, send a couple my way! Pura Vida!



Photo: Six weeks start to finish... Thanks Stamps!

Hooked SUP: Alex Aguera's Omilu... fish tacos?

Here's a killer photo of a fish that Alex Aguera hooked on his new stand up fishing board. If you haven't checked out his site yet, click on over and check out what he's got going on; lots of additional pictures and info for fishing fanatics. By the way, look for an interview with Alex coming soon. Here's what he had to say about his catch:



Photo: "Here is a pic of a fish in the jack (ulua) family which is very tasty here in Hawaii called an Omilu. This one I caught windsurf trolling on the Hooked SUP protoype last summer on the outside reef at Paia, Maui.This one is quite large for a typical Omilu and weighed in at 16 lbs. This fish is a great fighter!"



Photo: So I'd like to know- what's the local style of preparing this fish? I did a couple classes at UH, Manoa one summer a local kid I met out surfing told me how to cook a triggerfish. According to him, all you need to do is: Gut it, fill it up with mayonaise, chopped onions, garlic and bacon, wrap it in foil and bury it in some coals. Sounded great to me! What's the plan with this one?



Photo: Nice job Alex! Is it wrong that my asian side wants to eat that fish's face?

More Oaron goodness: SoBa Surf Shots!

Oaron: Oar + Moron = oaron.... get it? This is the handle the guys down there wear with pride... it's funny to them, and me too.



Photo: SoBa... Southern Baja, get it? Love this shot... wide angle, pulled back, setting the mood... baja dreaming.



Photo: Looks pretty rippable.



Photo: That's Tim Hatler on Mahi version 2. I've scattered those boards north and south, Mahi 1 lives with my brother in Santa Cruz, Mahi 3 lives in the back of my truck.... hard to believe that next weekend, I'll be picking up the fourth generation Mahi. We've come from 10' x 30" all the way down to 9'1 x 30" with big changes to both nose, tail and rocker (and probably a bunch of other things that my "dumb eye" can't see). Continual improvement through refinement... now where did I read that before?

1 week countdown: Here it comes, Viking Bump

Just got this photo tonight from Tim Stamps... my new 9'1" Viking Bump should be done by next weekend. Getting glassed as we speak... counting down the days!



Photo: Standard mahi paint job... four Futures boxes and a fifth fin box to be installed... keeping the options open.



Photo: A couple of older photos of the board in progress, sweet lines!

Attack of the La Ventana Oarons: Southern Baja Paddle Surfing

Ouch. Sitting here, thinking about all that cold water moving around down at the end of the street- there's some good ones out there but you're going to pay a price chasing them down. Then, this little folder pops up in my email inbox: "La Ventana Oarons"... sent to me by my good buddy Tim from Palapas Ventana. Ouch is right, pinch me, send me back! Check these out (all photos courtesy of Julie Grieve):



Photo: Miguel coming off the bottom and setting up to fly down the line, trunks, smiles, blue water... what else do you need? Oh yeah, that's right... those are sitting in the cooler on the tailgate getting colder by the minute.



Photos: Here's Norm- everytime I see this guy he's got a big old grin on his face- kind of like the one he's sporting right here! A nice guy- and a paddle junky!



Photo: Just another sweet shot of Miguel coming off the bottom on his little Paddle Surf Hawaii... love the sand in the foreground.



Photo: Another one of the alpha males in the L.V. Oaron Clan, this is Kent (on the inside) looking like he's getting ready to lay that Sub Vector over and go ShhhWack off that little inside section... or maybe he's just wondering how he's going to get around the dude in front of him.



Photo: Miguel again, bringing it around. Nope, won't tell you where this spot is but I will give you a hint: It's the right on the other side of the left that's about two hours from the peak that I surfed above the right down near Cerritos. Does that work for you?

Southern Baja's a treasure hunt.... get out there and find your spot.

Hooked SUP: Alex Aguera's new fishing SUP... I want one!

Just when you thought your quiver was complete... along comes something that makes so much sense that you try to think of reasons NOT to buy one. Check out what Alex Aguera (world famous windsurfer/board designer/craftsman) has been building on Maui.... Hooked SUP stand up boards built for fishing:



Photo: Here's the basic idea, wide, stable and manueverable and, oh yeah, lots of rod holders.



Photo: Killer Logo for the boards.



Photo: I had a chance to meet and talk to Alex at the La Ventana Classic, he filled me in on some of his ideas about fishing SUPs. In this shot you can see how full the rail is- Alex's conclusion is if you're not surfing these things why do you need a surfing-type (lower volume) rail? The rail is fairly boxy and makes for a super stable fishing platform.



Photo: Look at that ass! Exciting stuff. I'm going to have to see what's up with this stand up fishing thing- sight casting to some of the Bay-locked bonefish that live here in San Diego sounds pretty darn fun to me....



Photo: You should know that not only is this a great sneak peak at what's going to be a cool offshoot of our sport but your also getting a rare look into the Jimmy Lewis shape room. Alex works with Jimmy and uses his factory to design his boards and fins- we're stoked and thankful to both Alex and Jimmy for sharing these photos with us.

Check back: Fruits of Labor... I've got a couple of cool photos of what's for dinner, courtesy of the Hooked SUP!

New Board: Stamps 9'1 Viking Bump- shaped out, ready for paint and glass...

When the man says six weeks, the man means it! Stamps told me this one would be ready in six and here we are at two weeks and it's well on its way- unreal. Check it out:



Photo: Little bump down there, break up the outline, create a release point... my beach break board.



Photo: Love to see that!



Photo: Set up for quad... and thruster. I'm a big fan of the thruster, 2 + 1, fin box set up (in whatever configuration you might want to run) but I'm curious about the four fin movement. We'll see....

Something on my mind: Prop Fin!

Box comes in the mail. Full of fins. Crazy fins, exotic fins, workhorse fins, conventional fins, fiberglass fins, resin fins, carbon/kevlar fins.... all bitchin' but I'm captivated... by the Prop Fin. Thanks Futures guys... drowning me in the fin vortex again. And I happily submit.



Photo: Overview. Elevon (Eleven?) prop fins in carbon/kevlar.... "Don't lend them out, you'll never get them back".



Photo: Side/top view. These things have this silky, curvy flow to them- everything blends together. Light as a feather.



Photo: They remind me of those vertical winglets you see on jet planes. Didn't I read something about those winglets? Yeah, something about increasing efficiency, something about cleaning the flow around the surface, something about vortices around wingtips. Vortices are little turbulent spirals that suck and drag at the tip of the wing; swirling fluid at the wing tip... creating low pressure behind the fin, sapping speed...



Photo: How does this fin affect a surfboard? It looks like it might create lift in the tail. Is that good on a stand up board? It looks like it might track along the wave face... do we want that? It looks.... really effing interesting! Can't wait to get it in the water.



Photo: So.... I surfed it. I've logged some data points. Damn rains been stinking up the water lately or I'd have it in the water right now- I'd like to see how these go in bigger stuff. Just one session, limited exposure but I've definitely got something to say about these fins... and I will. Soon.