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.

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.

"I was there...": Chris Koerner's First Hand Account of a Nasty Paddle

Last Saturday's 20 mile Bay-to-Bay race was held in ridiculously demanding conditions. The race's route takes you from Mission Bay and runs you along Sunset Cliffs, around Point Loma and into San Diego Bay. This year the south wind blew like a pirate on rancid rum and forced all but one of the stand up paddlers on the 20 mile route to quit. Here's the lone SUP finisher's account of one hell of a paddle:

All the way in the Bay2Bay
by Chris Koerner

I really like point-to-point races. It’s always nice to see a new part of the coast and going from point A to point B almost always beats a run back to point A again. Also, I’m not the fastest person on the water and I don’t like the prospect of getting lapped on a paddle around a set course.

I’d thought about paddling the Bay to Bay race for a long time. It’s been around for 25 years, and paddle boards have been doing it since at least the mid-90’s. Because of the modest entry fee and the fact that an escort boat is not required a lot of paddleboarders have used it as a tune-up for the Catalina Classic. It’s definitely not your typical paddleboard or even outrigger club-run event in that it is open to any kind of human-powered watercraft. In fact there’s more kayak divisions than anything else.

The week leading up to the race we had a southerly blow, but by Friday it warmed up and it was like a summer day. Some of the stand-up paddle distance boards I’ve tried actually surf pretty good, and I had envisioned a paddling a course well inside the kelp and riding a few clean righthanders from OB all the way to Pt. Loma.

Saturday morning rolled around and I was up at 4:30:am and on the road to to Santa Clara Point. Unfortunately, by the time I made it to the beach I’d already missed the 6:45 paddleboard start. I was able to get a race number and hit the water just as a group of kayakers took off at 7. Right from the start there was a pretty good headwind inside Mission Bay, and when I caught up with a couple SUPs who were alternating stand-up and knee paddling I knew it was going to be a long haul.

I could barely see the kayakers in front of me but found a good line to the inlet. At this point I figured I’d see how bad it was outside and decide then if I wanted to turn and do a downwind run back to my car. I’d read theories on how fast a stand-up paddler can go downwind at various wind speeds against other craft. I think the idea was that at above 25 knots of wind with your body mass acting as a sail your speed could be even faster than an OC1 or surfski. I saw the opposite side of that theory in full effect when the guy in the tupperware kayak with the fish-hook hat and pipe blew by me like I was standing still.

I’d never been to the inlet to Mission Bay before but who would’ve thought there would be good waves there? There was a very fat left hander breaking along the inside of the south jetty a la Newport Wedge. I watched a couple nice waves roll by visualizing myself making a drop and trimming out as a big sportfisher came up behind me and it’s chest-high wake knocked me in the water. After dodging a couple more fish-hunters I made it outside the jetty and follwed a pack of ‘yakkers out to red buoy.

I’d just rounded the buoy and was heading south when I spotted a couple thigh-high dorsal fins about 50 yds away. They weren’t the friendly stubby kind but the big scary pointy variety. The seals on the buoy didn’t look too stoked about them either. I made a straight shot to the OB pier then veered off to a group of guys paddlesurfing a break to the south.

The stand up surfers were getting some good rides and from the backs the set waves looked to be about head-high. I asked one of the guys about the paddle to Pt. Loma and he figured it was 5 or 6 miles. At this point the wind was still building but you could keep a good pace between gusts and just try to hold your own when it was blowing hard. I kept moving up to the next couple packs of surfers keeping my eye out for the sneaker sets.

By about mile seven I caught up with three kayakers and kept pace with them for awhile. A couple big waves rolled under us around DTs that brought back memories of a pretty heavy session I’d had there a few years ago involving a shifty peak, a long hold-down, a close-up of the cliffs, a fast approaching marine layer and an even faster very large container ship.

Pretty soon we could make out the light at Pt. Loma and we all picked up the pace. One of the race escort boats came by to tell us to head for the boat off the point before turning into the bay. Talk about delayed gratification: that meant another mile of upwind hell, but at least there was some kelp to to keep the chop down. Once around the boat, the run started to turn downwind and the fun began.

Just off the point the big yellow RIB escort boat motored in front of me and caught a little runner into the bay. I turned around to see a chest-high wave starting to feather behind me and took step back and rode it up the channel. After the wave backed off there was a bit of chop and current for a couple hundred yards, but when I hit the calmer waters of the San Diego Bay it was straight downwind and fun little runs from the waves and boat wakes for about three miles. At this point there was about five miles to go, and the closer I got to the finish the more in-your-face the wind was again and it was back to dodging boats and crossing wakes. Pretty soon Coronado Bridge was in plain view and that was enough motivation to keep moving.

When I got to the beach I found out the other SUPs had all dropped out and I was the only one to finish. I had stopped looking at my watch at about 11:30 and I’m sure my time was over 5 ½ hrs. I know next year all the fast guys will be there and with the right conditions they will probably cut my time in half. Just watch out for the the guy in the tupperware kayak with the fish-hook hat and pipe.

Chris left out a couple of items that I'll add now:

1. Chris paddled the race on a 15' ULI inflatable board that was assembled the night before- kind of a testament to the functionality of the inflatable board I'd say!

2. I'm sure the beers tasted pretty damn good on the beach that afternoon.

Thanks for an awesome first hand account Chris!

Hobie/Hennessey's Dana Point Race Photos and Results

Andie Johnson sent me some great photos from the Hobie Hennessey's Race in Dana Point. I've been told the conditions were pretty brutal. In addition to the mixed seas rebounding off the jetty there was a nasty south wind blowing straight into the faces of the racers for about four miles of the course.

On the bright side this was a race with cash prizes for the top three finishers in each category. For a full breakdown of all of the finishers checkout the Hobie race results page.

Tim Stamps' race boards did well placing in three SUP divisions. Ernest Johnson (EJ) paddled one of the new Stamps Arrow designs and finished 3rd Overall in Stock SUP; EJ took home a few bucks for his efforts. Farmer Dave, riding the Arrow 1, finished in 1st place in the 30 - 39 year old Division of the Stock SUP category with Tim Stamps finishing 3rd in the 40 - 49 age group of the Stock SUP class.

Hot Fun in the Summer time, er... Spring time

Don't know about your part of the world but down here in San Diego it's feeling pretty darn tropical. We're talking early morning heat, bare back trunking it, three hour paddle sessions in clear blue water.

I may be nuts but it looks like there's some south in it down here- there's definitely some angle to the surf that's coming in.

Check out this shot of Seal Beach local Mitchell de Jarnett streaking at the warm water jetty, that's a Harbour stand up board he's on and it looks like it's going pretty good. I haven't seen too many Harbour SUBs around so I may have to poke my nose around up there and see what's up. (photo: Elva de Jarnett).

I'd be back on it if I didn't have some real life commitments to tend to- hope you're out there getting my share!

Wait a minute: It's 6:30pm, still light, still warm and glassy - and - it looks like the surf is building... I think I'm out there!

Farmer Dave's New Board: Stamps 9'0 - Are you kidding me?

Stamps is killing me with this board. Farmer Dave, you're a lucky man. Better keep that under wraps or I'll HAVE it!

Look at this thing. This one comes in at 9'0 x 29" x 4.25". You've paddle surfed for awhile now, can't you look at this board and mindsurf it? Check the clean outline- see how the hips pull so sweetly down into the round tail. If you want to flow, link turns and carry speed, in my opinion, the round tail is it. It's such a neutral design, you can fit it into almost any part of the wave. It'll drive through steep sections or turn out of flat spots.

The tail is pulled but not to a ridiculous extent. It's designed for what we're surfing here in Southern California. There's planing area to produce drive but enough taper to hold when you come hard off the bottom.

This really is a thoughtful design. Consider the width, even though the board is only 9'0 the gut is right at 29". Those are cool numbers, they get away from the sub 28" wide mindset that most of smaller molded boards are carrying. The result is a much more stable, short stand up board- not a wobble stick that you'll soon send down the road.

If you can, buy local and insist on custom made- same price, made to fit.

Go check 'em all at www.surfboardsbystamps.com

Sunday Surf Video and some more Hennessey's Photos

Here's a couple more Hennessey's race photos and a little clip of Sunday's pier nuggets. Somehow my breakfast of three cups of coffee and a piece of cheese danish didn't quite keep me powered for the twenty eight mile length of the race.

All of us from Imperial Beach would like to give a special thanks toBuy-Rash-Guards.com who set us up with their awesome Kore-Dry paddle shirts. These things kept us cool, protected and stoked for all twenty eight miles. Thanks guys!

Be sure to scroll down to check out the race video I posted yesterday. And, for a hilarious race account (including a fine mullet reference), go check out Brewer's BlueLine site. Funny stuff.

Top Photo: Hobie paddler Chuck Patterson. First place overall, which means all he saw was open river for three hours. I don't know, think he works out? He was one of what I call the "Manimals" (man/animal... get it?). These guys are all Unlimited Class paddlers. They just tear through this stuff on boards reaching up to eighteen feet. Funny, but I don't see any water on board - I wonder what he did for hydration?

Bottom Photo: Prone Unlimited Class Manimals. These guys have my total respect, prone paddling the entire race course- most of them in just over three hours. Ridiculous.

Check it Out: Stamps 9'0 x 28 3/4 x 4 1/4 For Sale

If you're looking to move down in size from your 12' starter SUB check this board out. It's the one I'd buy if I had an extra $1100 bucks on me- this thing is effing hot. Actually, I'm holding at 235 lbs so I might go a little bigger but for someone who's in the 175 - 215 range this board would be perfect.

A couple of things: I like the round tails on these boards- I'm finding that with the increased tail width, the round tail provides the best compromise between stability and bite. With the round tail you can bring the board all the way down into the flats, push it over and it'll hold- or you can pump a quick mid-face turn to clear a section and the board will squirt (you can see me doing both of these turns on the same wave in the last two videos posted- the Mahi 2 has a round tail and I'm stoked on it).

The curves of the tail basically fit anywhere on the wave- you may not get the kick in the ass punch of a square or diamond tail but you make it up in versatility and flow... at least that's how I see it. Secondly, I'm sold on hand-made boards - I'll never go back to a molded board. The handmade boards feel like surfboards- try one you'll instantly notice the difference.

The board is used but in perfect condition- the deck in front of the pad has been sprayed with Hula Deck so you'll never have to wax it. It's got a sanded finish so it's light- I really like this board- snag it or I will and then I'll have some serious explaining to do! Contact Tim Stamps to buy this board.

Email: stampssurf@charter.net

Better Yet: Drive on up to the Stamps Board Works, meet Cowboy, talk stand up boards and order up a new one- go on, you know you deserve it.

In the Works: What's Going On?

I've got something I'm working on, it won't be finished until spring. Here's an excerpt:

"Surfing a stand up board is like driving your grandpa’s Caddy, it’s big, plush and a lot more fun than you thought it would be. It’s never going to replace a hard-core, nitro-burning, short board, slash-fest but, then again, it was never meant to. The best stand up surfers seem to realize that in this sport, less is more. Stand up paddle surfing is all about doing it clean."

Tim Stamps has got something he's working on, and it's for me. I think it may be the agony of waiting and the anticipation of the final product that keeps bringing us back to custom made boards. There really is a bit of magic in something handmade just for you. If you haven't had a board made, and you want to get back to that pure "kid at Christmas", gnawing at your gut, feeling of anxiousness- then you should go order one up. It's beautiful pain.

Andy Gere has got something he's working on and it's taking form in Giapetto's workshop. Remember the Waveyarder, hand made, all wood, hollow board project? Well, Andy sent in these photos of his progress. In Giapetto's own words:

"I've also drilled 146 holes in the fishbone parts, shedding a
critical pound or so in the process.  This took forever, since the
location of each had to be carefully laid out, and the hole saw had
to be run slowly to keep from setting things on fire.  I had it
literally smoking on more than one occasion.  I'm now in the process
of dry fitting everything, and getting ready to start gluing the ribs
to the planks.  Stay tuned for more in the coming weeks."

I'm sure Andy's dreaming of how the final board will look and surf in its final form. His anticipation-meter must be slowly rising.

That's what we've got going on, what are you working on?

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!

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

Let the Magic Begin, Part III: Off to Paint and Glass

Once the shaping side is done the board is off to paint and glass. I like to leave the creative side of this up to the painters- after all they've done a million boards and they know what looks good. I just like to specifiy colors and for me it's greens and yellows. This is part of the fun of the custom board process- some shapers will even let you come in and throw your own paint on it if you're feeling like you need to express yourself. A tip: Less is more (Yeah that Molly Hatchet album cover might've seemed easy when you were tracing it in 8th grade- but it becomes a nightmare when you've only got one shot at it on your hot new board- simple and clean is the way to go!)

Glassing is another area where the board can be customized. You'll pay more for it, but you can ask for extra layers of glass if you think you're going to be beating your poor new stick to death. I like to pay a little more for what's called a gloss and polish. This is a final coat of resin over the epoxy and glass lamination that gets buffed out giving the board a highly polished look. I kind of dig it so I always go for it. Many contest surfers like to go for a lighter glass job and skip the gloss and polish, the board will be lighter but more then likely, less durable (most of these guys get them for free so they beat 'em to death).

In the end, the goal is to find a shaper you can talk to. I'm a fan of the new digital shaping programs; using them ensures that both shaper and surfer are in the same frame of mind. A lot of errors can be caught early when you have something tangible to look at rather then a bunch of ideas swirling around in the dusty air of a busy shaping bay.

Once you've found a shaper that you can work with, stay loyal to them. As you build your CAD file you can begin to work on variables one at a time until you've hit the mark- and you've dialed in your magic board. And that, my friend, is just the beginning!

Top two photos: Adding the good stuff that'll hopefully stop me from kooking out! Whatever it is, keep it coming.

Bottom Photo: Ready for a trick paint job and some bad ass glass. The hardest part of the whole process is the waiting!


All Photos: Cowboy


Thanks to Tim Stamps and the boys at ProCam- still waiting for the underground, double secret, good stuff!

Let the Magic Begin, Part II: Clean and Fair

The shaper brings it all to life. Once a board arrives from the mill it's up to the shaper to make it work. This is where hard earned years of experience pay off. The best make it look easy- linking curves, eyeballing rocker lines and fairing rails all while cracking a joke (or a beer).

Above: Stamps, linking the numbers. A good view of my new board, mid-scrub. Too heavy of a hand and you've just destroyed the rail, too light of a touch and the foils all wrong. Think I could do this? Nope!




2nd Photo: A California solution to the surf we've got right here. Another view of my soon to be carve machine.







3rd Photo: How sweet is the rail line and foil on this thing? Still got some beef in it to float all 220lbs of me and at 29" wide isn't going to be skittish in the chop.




All Photos: Cowboy

Let the Magic Begin, Part I: Here Comes Something New

I love the new technology that's come to board building. The CAD programs, the cutting machines, the computers- they've brought a level of quantitative certainty to the design and build process. The advances are allowing shapers, and the surfers who go to them for custom boards, to track the evolution of a design idea and lock it down on the hard drive of a laptop. Work towards that magic shape and hit Save- that's cool!

This hasn't come without some due diligence on the side of the boardsmiths. Learning to effectively use a CAD program is a wee bit different then throwing in a brush rebuild kit on the ol' Skill 100. The programs are demanding- and the shapers that have retooled themselves to use them have worked hard to get there. The effort is one hundred percent worth it. The use of precision milling machines and the programs that drive them have changed the shaper-to-surfer dynamic. Ordering up a new ride just got really interesting.

For those of us who have ordered custom boards for decades, working with a CAD proficient shaper is a whole new ball game. Shapers may come to you with wire frame printouts (see graphic above) of ideas that you've communicated with them- files can be sent back and forth over the internet; a surfer in La Jolla could easily work with a shaper in Huntington exchanging ideas like email, refining a shape until it's ready to be cut. Take a look at the top graphic of a board designed for me by Tim Stamps, for this shape I was looking for a carve machine, something that'd handle a bit of speed and size. I didn't want to be submerged up to my ankles and I didn't want to worry about balancing too much on sloppy days. At my size, finding a board that'd come down a bit in each dimension while not getting ridiculously narrow, thin or lean is impossible. With a CAD build process you can see exactly what you're going to get. For example, I was really concerned with the volume number. If you check the new board design above you can see the overall volume will come in at just about 155L which is close to a 15L drop in volume from my previous board- an acceptable and predictable volume loss. I also like the width- I'm not afraid of a 29" belly, especially since I've got the gut to turn it (ah, the beauty of the custom board).
Shapers who will work with you through the CAD design process are the exception rather than the rule. The time required to work up your custom design, communicate changes and re-check for viability is considerable. I'm fortunate to work with a guy who loves this stuff. Tim Stamps sees where this is going and recognizes the benefit it brings to both shaper and rider- he's definitely worth contacting if you're considering a custom CAD stand up board. The guy knows his stuff.

There is one common theme when a new board is in the works. It's a gut feeling. Whether it's an emailed CAD workup or the first snap shots of the cut blank (see second photo) the new board magic has a visceral impact. Can you feel it? It's killing me!

Middle Photo: Fresh from the mill and ready to be finished out- lookin' really, really good!

Last Photo: Who da' guy? Stamps, taking a second away from scrubbin' one out to clown around- now get that thing done, I'm going nuts over here!

New SUBs: Aipa Stand Up and... the Gemini (Part 2)!

This Photo: An Aipa Stand Up Board on the beach at Cardiff. Something old becomes new again; I remember looking through surf-mags in the late 70's and seeing Ben Aipa's little stingers. Seem like they've grown up- anybody ridden one yet? Give us some feedback.

Middle and Bottom Photos: You asked for it, you got it: The Gemini Part 2!

There's been some interest in checking out the rest of this board so I scoured the paddlesurf.net archives to bring you the best I've got. Check out the nose scoop on this thing, some serious foam irrigation going on there. Capt. Neg9 told me that this allows for air flowing up the wave face to get under the board and create lift.

Got some questions for Capt. Neg9? Hit the comments button at the bottom of the post and fire away- we'll see if we can pull some good info out of him.

Middle and Bottom Photos: El Tigre

Killing it In Baja Part II and... The Gemini!

I'm totally blowing it Blogger-wise. I should post really good stuff one photo at a time- really stretch it out. After all, you never know when the photo well might run dry or you might wake up in a totally vacuous state with absolutely nothing to say (my contingency plan is to revert to "board porn" you know- super close-ups of rails, fins and... tails! Ooh la la!). I can't help myself though- so here's some good stuff all at once.

You may remember Mike and Dan from the "Killing it in Baja..." piece earlier in the year. Mike just dropped me an email with these two killer photos from their trip to San Carlos in August. Mike says, " I swear we only photographed the in-between-set waves, because during the sets, whoever was photographing was too busy scrambling for the outside to take pictures!" I think it's safe to say that this trip will be logged as an A+ adventure for these guys for the remainder of their earthly years. Check the the dorsal color on the whitey in the top photo, that's fresh. How about the paddle floating in the background- I can just imagine the pandemonium that followed the gaffing... paddles askew, these guys laughing their asses off, barely able to hold steady enough to snap the photo. Michael, you gotta give us the full story!

Most Progressive Paddleboard in the water? Steve (aka Capt. Neg9) rides only Alexander Gemini shapes. Check out the stand up board he had done. How radical is this thing? There will need to be a serious question and answer forum for this shape- I know I've got mine. Check back for some shots of the bottom workings on this ride- pretty radical stuff.

Updates: Haven't forgotten about your questions regarding the board cutting process- working on my "sources". And...there may be a new Stamps Carve Machine in my future... Merry Christmas to me!

No Waves/New Boards!

The surf left us just as quickly as it showed up.

Ran down to the beach this morning with all fingers and toes crossed, hoping that I'd get a repeat of Friday's super session. No luck. The swell began building on Thursday, peaked on Friday and was gone by Saturday. Still hopped in for a killer session in waist-high glassy peaks; fun is where you find it!

Check out these freshies:

Top Photo: Mike Gillard with his 10'6" Marbella. Clean lines, pulled tail and a family set of footprints on the nose- what else do you really need? Maybe a 10'0?

Middle and Bottom Photos: Custom. What a sweet word when referring to a 10'0" Stamps, hand-made, ready and willing for some coastal wave-scalp collection sessions. Steve B. checking out his new magic ride.

For a Good Cause: Check out this strand at the Stand Up Zone- it's a paddle auction for a good cause- Save the Children.

Are you kidding me?: Good People/Good Surf

Sweet waves rolled into town. Good surf and good people out today. Mike Gillard was out on a clean Marbella 10'6" SUB. Stoked to see Mike back in the water, he rips and best of all the guy's always smiling and passing the on the stoke.

Chad Kavanaugh scored some outside bombs- using every inch of his 12'1" Laird to power all the way through into the shorebreak. Nobody turns that board like big Chad.


Here are four photos of Kelly K. on the C4 BK Pro. Kelly takes exception to Thanksgiving List #21 (Being born goofy foot) and from the side of the peak he keeps choosing, I bet you can guess why.


All Photos: Spidey

Tomorrow: I've obtained full clearance to do a little up the coast run. Swell is dying but there'll still be surf- we'll see what the super high tide does to it. Photos and report to follow!

Thanksgiving: A Paddlesurfer's Special Thanks

Thanksgiving is a great time to stop and realize how good you've got it. We should all focus on appreciating what's most important in life; family, friends and the good health that we've been blessed with this year. There may be, for us paddlesurfers, a couple of additional things we're thankful for- here's my list:

This Paddlesurfer gives thanks for:
1. Surf shops with extensive fin inventories, and the employees who tolerate me fondling them (the fins, not the employees).
2. Carbon fiber paddles- light, strong, ugly- the workhorses of our sport.
3. My first stand up board, the venerable Sean Ordonez shaped Big Red. The double vacuum bagged, hammer blow resistant, armor plated, twelve foot battleship that absorbed my first clumsy paddle strikes with nary a whine, whimper or ding- the board that sent me on my way.
4. Five minute epoxy. Stick the handle on your paddle, seal a ding or encapsulate a dead scorpion- this stuff does it all.
5. Breakfast Burritos (preferably from Los Panchos but any Alberto's or its many derivatives will do)- especially with pickled carrots, bacon, eggs and potatos- for $2.65? What's not to be thankful for?
6. Custom welded, free standing, SUB racks- clean, efficient storage, loved by me and my boards.
7. The breakaway fin screw- without it, that submerged Baja land mine would've eaten my finbox alive.
8. Sunset Cliffs: Clean rights and lefts all protected by a high tide line that cannot be broached... a paddlesurfer's dream.
9. XM ClearGrip: Going waxless never felt or worked so good.
10. The Maui Crew, the Oahu Crew or those Peruvian fishermen who paddle the reed bundles- whoever the originators of this sport are- a huge thank you!
11. The hand shaped custom stand up board- and the craftsmen with the skills to shape them. Most, in the words of T. Stamps, "Make boards not money". Support these guys.
12. My hot water outdoor shower- no sand in the drain, no tar on the floor, no squee-geeing the glass enclosure and nobody telling me that I can't brush my teeth in it... a marriage saver.
13. Lilly, my dog, who never tells me that I have too many stand up boards.
14. Stardust Donuts. Location: Palm and 7th. Hours: Whenever they damn well feel like it. Calories: Millions. Satisfaction: Complete
15. My all aluminum, single speed, beach cruiser with custom order, extra large, front basket and MULE stand up board trailer. Fours sets of tires, two new chains, two new seats and one set of fenders- still going strong after five years of daily use. Gas $25/gallon? What, me worry?
16. Hard angle south swells, the sand bars they create and the lefts that rifle down 'em!
17. Daily light savings time: but only when we "Spring Forward"!
18. Spidey: Wisdom, experience and a cool digital camera- always happy to see that guy on the beach.
19. The PSJose Crew possessors of loyalty, humility, sense of humor and extra large, pliable, hyper-functional Livers, well maybe any three out of those four qualities.
20. The friends and surfers who tolerated me "playing through" on my giant board- thanks for the patience, smiles and kind words. When you're ready to cross over to the dark side, let me know!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Oh yeah,
21. Being Born Goofy Foot