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.