New Stuff From Stu Kenson

Stu's got other things going on besides the Zapper. Here's a couple of shots from a trip I just made up to the shop. Check 'em out:

Top Photo: Here are a couple in the 10' range. I've paddled and surfed one of Stu's new 10'2"s- the thing went insane! I managed to luck into one of the best lefts of the morning, drove the thing straight down and square off the bottom- not a warble. The diamond tail held and juiced me down the line- his new shapes have speed to burn and yet retain an enormous amount of stability. Check 'em out if you get a chance.

Bottom Photo: Just look at the 10'er next to Stu- don't even start to ask me about what that six channel Byrne is doing there... naked for all to see. Don't even ask me why Allan Byrne stopped by while I was there and chatted with Stu about things I'm not supposed to talk about... don't even ask.

Here's something else I'm not technically supposed to talk about. It's called KookBox. I can tell you this- it's a Joel Tudor/Stu K. collaboration. You're going to see Joel on them soon- boards with designs that are all over the map. And I may just have a couple of semi-authorized photos. Check Back!

New BeachSurf photos click it, kook.

Paddle Surfing Baja: Scorpion Bay Report

Check out these photos of Scorpion Bay- are you kidding me??? The place was made for stand up boards. Many thanks to Tom English of www.alohawealth.com for the pictures.

Tom and his friends just returned from a trip down to San Juanico- from the looks of it they pretty much scored. I think this is another validation of my belief that a stand up board can save any surf trip.

The stand up board takes the wave anxiety away- even if it's flat, you know you've got something fun to do. And if there's even a ripple in the water- you're on it!

I contacted Tom to ask him about airline travel with stand up boards. I've been a fan of his homegrown travel and SUP videos- the guy's been all over the place and he's always got a big old SUB with him. I figured if anybody knew the true scoop on flying with big boards it'd be him.

I needed to know if I could fly Alaska airlines with a 10' board. The airline's guidelines state that boards are restricted to lengths no longer than 9'6". In August, I'm heading to a spot in mainland Mexico that looks perfect for a stand up board- it's a left point that runs for a few hundred yards- the kind of spot that's just begging to be stand up paddled. It's an absolute necessity that my stand up board gets loaded onto that flight.

I was stoked to hear that Tom flew Alaska airlines with two stand up boards and that both violated the length restriction. That's the kind of real information I can use- believe me, I'm sleeping better at night knowing my board's coming along.

Top Three Photos: Scorpion Bay and riders with the English party doing their respective things down in Baja.

Photo Four: A couple of my buddies were down there at the same time as Tom English- here's Stukey cruising a six-incher on a twelve footer. The stand up board can save any surf trip.

Photo Five: Just how long do you think this waves is. Right. Now double that and you're just about there.

More Zapper Data: I've received some inquiries regarding the Zapper's dimensions. I'll give you the numbers that I know: 10' x 29.5" x 4.25" sorry but I don't know the tail and nose numbers. What I do know is that it looks SICK!!

The latest BeachSurf photos right here!

Stu Kenson Paddle Boards: The Zapper

BeachSurf Photos Click Here!

Want to see the board that's captured my attention for the last two weeks? Check out these photos. This is Stu Kenson's latest creation: The Zapper.

I was able to get a first hand look at this one in my buddy Trent's garage. Trent's stoked on it. Unfortunately, he took a nasty hit from a stingray right to the joint of his big toe and the complications from the subsequent infection have kept him off the board for a month. One look in his eyes though and you can tell he's dying to ride this thing- shoot, so am I!

Trent ordered this one up specifically for carving fat, high tide sections. The guy's regular ride is a little Kenson potato chip fish- so you can see the world he's coming from. Trent's no cruiser, he's not into the point and shoot, post up like a hood ornament groove. He doesn't want to noseride.

Trent's got that Archie speed demon thing going on. He's more into pumping down the line and violent redirection. After working through the learning curve on more traditionally shaped stand up boards Trent got together with Stu and talked about where he wanted to go with his next board. The product is the Zapper.

If you think the thing looks like something Cheyne Horan was riding in the early '80's you're right on track- anybody remember the Laser Zap? True to the original design, the Zapper's built to be driven off the tail.

Stu put this one together with the wide point well back from his normal stand up shape. In addition, the foil on this board puts the volume back toward the wide point, lowering the swing weight and also opening up the sweet spot.

The result is a board that whips around very quickly while remaining an extremely paddleable platform.

Stu's going to have to send one of these down to the beach for "testing" purposes because the Zapper's definitely caught the attention of everyone paddling down here!

Don't forget check the Beach Surf Link for beach life and surf photos!

Looking for stand up paddle surf lessons in San Diego? Contact us at paddlesurfbaja@gmail.com or (619) 213-6622. We can also set up stand up paddle board rentals with drop off and delivery. Click here for more information.

December Morning Bonus: Good Times

Woke up this morning to clear blue skies and fun 3 foot waves with a slight offshore breeze. Zipped down to the end of the street and here's what we got:

Also, I was stoked to paddle Kelly's new Stu Kenson stand up board (the yellow one 9'10"x 28" x 3.75"). I really didn't think the board had enough in it to float me so I was totally blown away when I hopped right up on it and caught three fun waves. Stu's got something going on with his decks, the boards way more stable then you'd expect. At 220lbs I had only slight wobbles paddling it around in relatively glassy conditions- give me two weeks on that board and I think I'd have it nailed. The board's a little ripper. I busted one of the biggest floaters of my life on it on my last wave. We're lucky to have such a cool little community of paddlers down here, lot's of boards to pass around. On it again tomorrow!

Que Onda? Stu Kenson Shows Us What's Up

Hours are lost in at the surfboard factory. But that's a huge part of the fun and it's also why your custom board is taking so long to get made, guys like me keep gumming up the works. Here's a short clip of our little visit to the SK factory. Stu's crazier then ever about making these boards and this last batch looks super fun. I'm going to poach both Kelly's (yellow) and Kiwi's (blue) and do a full report. Going to be interesting to see what the volume is on the yellow board and how it does with a big guy (220lbs) on board. More to come.

How'd you like that last video of Pavones? More importantly did anybody catch the video that I was ripping off with that composition. It's my favorite all time surf video, the guy who made it was a crazy Californian (I heard a story about him showing up way down in Baja with nothing but his camera, his girlfriend and a space blanket) who's since passed away and the section that I'm snaking features Stuart Caden S-turning on a fat left. Way too many hints, who knows which video I'm talking about?

New Boards: Stu Kenson's latest

Kiwi's got his. Trent, yours is almost done and Kelly, your board looks so good it's almost unfair.

Some fresh ones straight out of the SK factory. Hot looking shapes. This is going to be a big weekend of board swapping.



Top and Bottom Photos: Kelly's = yellow, Trent's = green, Kiwi's = blue.
Don't we all deserve new boards?

And, yes I was made privy to some proprietary information. Think bullet proof but custom.

All Photos: El Tigre

Stu Kenson Stand Up Boards: Kiwi's New Custom Shape

Kiwi's torturous wait is over. His new custom SK stand up board is ready for pick up. Tomorrow, we're out there! Good for Kiwi and great for me because I've been due for a trip back to the magician's shop. Stu's always got something new brewing up there and if I can get a peek at it, that's a good thing for me and you.

Now I'm not going to reveal any trade secrets but I will tell you that I am going equipped with my trusty spy cam and syringe of sodium penathol. Shoot, if I have to water board the guy, I will. I'm looking for follow up information regarding the develoment of new blanks and some vacuum bagging lamination schedule that he dropped on me a few months ago (and you thought I wasn't really listening- gimme a break). We'll see how it works out. Check back tomorrow evening for the full scoop.

Top Photo: Stu-dizzle fo'shizzle- or, whatever.

Photo: Chuck Forsbergentoff


Bottom Photo: You likey, I likey- man, I like them all; board fetish anybody?

Photo: Gustav Klimpt