Surf bus....

My favorite surf vehicle (spotted this weekend at San-O):

Southern Baja Paddle Surf Adventure: You don't know hot- like I know hot!

When you step off the plane in late September Southern Baja, it's like jumping into a Mexican sauna. The humidity is so off the charts that I formed an instant batwing. You know what a batwing is right? Allow me to explain. When it's hot and humid your skin gets really gooey and pliable. Imagine your ballzack sticking to each side of your inner thighs and then being stretched out into a thin, membranous batwing-like appendage each time you take a step- nice eh?. It's brutal- but it's also the wave season down there and knowing that makes it bearable- especially when there's a cooler full of cold Pacificos waiting for you in the pick up car.

We had slight car problems in La Paz- but hey, as long as there's a gaggle of cold, freshies in the ice box.... it's all good. Lucky for us there was a backup/upgrade plan that got us into local boy Santi's plush, 4x4, Tacoma with custom Baja expedition trailer... all I had to do was sit back and enjoy the first class ride out to the point.

Santi's sweet Baja surf trailer- I definitely want one of these things! We rallied that little trailer, full speed over all kinds of nasty dirt roads- since it's got it's own suspension it didn't bounce all over the road. I was told that I could have one made for around $200... I see one in my future!

Loaded up and ready to hit the point.

I love Baja dirt roads... there's a pot of gold at the end of most of the westward bound tracks.

Santi's friends had been surfing the point since morning and, as usual, it was much better earlier. How often have you heard the old, "Should've been here an hour ago" line? We still paddled out and surfed some fun, high tide wedges. The consensus was that it was going to build over night and be even better in the morning. Here's a few of the local La Paz surfers and ferocious guard dog hanging out with beers and a little evening snack in the that milk jug you see there. Want a peek?

Looks like octopus for dinner.

Speaking of snacks, Tim brought along a dozen empenadas from his restaurant in La Ventana. I love empenadas and these were a type I'd never had. The empenadas were filled with a sea snail called caracol burro- a big, deeper water snail that's only available part of the year. Every had abalone? These tasted very similar. Yum.

Race Review: Battle of the Paddle and Catalina SUP Festival

I ran into Starboard Team racer EJ at the DogPatch this weekend. EJ was cool enough to send me these race reports from two of the biggest races happening here on the California coast. Check 'em out and if you get a chance, check out EJ's blog at: johnsonbigstick.blogspot.com

EJ Johnson's Race Re-cap of The BOP & The Catalina SUP Festival.

The BOP was bigger and better than ever, with the largest number of paddlers to date. The open age group saw 334 paddlers on the water at one time, and was a sight to behold. The weather this year was more typical of June with a thick marine layer in the morning, which gave way to sunny skies in the afternoon. This year elite racers had to qualify for the main event, by being in the top 50% of their heat. I managed to get 37th of 63, which meant I will be board handling for another Starboard team rider, and by the way was very challenging to not get run over by competitors or other handlers. Super exciting being right there in the mix/ pit.

Elite Course Qualifying Heat # 1: 37th of 63.
138 Johnson, Ej Dana Point, Ca M 48 MElite 37 00:37:23

Sunday 9/25.


The distance race is more my thing, liking open ocean conditions and not having to run with a bad left knee. The count was 226 paddlers attempting to win or just finish this challenging 10 mile coastal run.

Conditions were very mild, with little wind and not much bump in the water,and these water starts are always a bit sketchy with people jumping the line in anticipation of getting a hole shot. It was a grueling race, with many groups of drafting trains, I fought my way past some of the packs, to get to the one with my direct competitors. I stayed with this group until we hit the last right shoulder buoy, and then it was a all out 200 meter sprint to the beach. I was stoked to hit the beach with such great athletes as Jim Terrell and Chuck Patterson, but was edged out on the beach run. I got 4th place in my age division, which was the largest group in the 14' class, and was 15th overall out of 93.

Congrats to fellow Starboard team mates.

Connor Baxtor 1st Elite and 9th Distance.
Bart De Zwart 20th Elite and 8th Distance.
Dan Gavere 34th Elite
Annabel Anderson 3rd Elite and 2nd Distance.

Distance Race 10 mile (14' Mens 40-49 age group 4th place out of 33.) ( 15th overall 14' out of 93.)
727 Johnson, Ej Dana Point, Ca M 48 4 33 01:28:36

The 1st Annual Catalina SUP Festival (Oct. 1st & 2nd 2011)


We disembarked from our home port of Dana Point on our 38' Morgan sailboat named "Librada"to the beautiful island of Catalina on friday, and were greeted to a nice smooth 39 mile crossing, seeing many Dolphin along the way.

Day #1
The race on Saturday took place at the beautiful Descanso beach club, complete with cabana's, palm trees , cobblestone beach and the clearest water on the West coast. My elite course race consisted of three one mile qualifying laps, which were totaled up for a final score. I ended up in tenth, out of 22 which they let 16 through to the final. The final was at 3:00 p.m., with a two lap course around the bay, having 7 buoys per lap. The seas were nice and lumpy, getting extra chop from the big boats coming and going from the mainland. I ended up in 9th, after having a horrible start, being in 15th at the 1st turn. It's always cool to be on the podium with such great athletes and ambassadors to our great sport of SUP.

Top 10 Men (Elite SUP Individual)

Competitor Class Gender Overall
BIB Name Hometown Age Class Rank Rank Rank Time Pace
10
Ching, Danny Redondo Beach 28 MElite
1 1 1 00:27:18
26
Trout, Slater Lahaina 16 MElite
2 2 2 00:28:02
23
Terrell, Jim Newport Beach 46 MElite
3 3 3 00:28:33
15
Pelkey, Rob Dana Point 44 MElite
4 4 4 00:28:45
24
Armstrong, John 40 MElite
5 5 5 00:28:47
11
Kahn, Mitchell San Clemente 51 MElite
6 6 6 00:28:53
7
Maximus, Thomas San Clemente 42 MElite
7 7 7 00:28:55
29
Patterson, Chuck Dana Point 42 MElite
8 8 8 00:28:57
18
Johnson, Ej Dana Point 48 MElite
9 9 9 00:29:00
25
Fielder, Chance Dana Point 39 MElite
10 10 10


Day #2
The distance race was from Descanso Bay to Long Point and back, which is right around 10 miles. It is typically downwind from the point, but due to tropical weather it was all over the place. It was a mass start, with open racers joining us for part of the journey, but turning back at mile 3. I took my own line the whole race not getting involved with the typical drafting packs, and felt strong. The scenery is so beautiful, that your mind starts to wonder a bit, but when you hear the splashing of another board, it sends you back into overdrive. And if you don't know, SUP racing is always a full out sprint, with no breaks unless you count switching your paddle from side to side. Mitch Kahn and I had a great race trading positions a few times, and a sprint to the finish.
Once again, stoked to come in 7th against these tough competitors. I will put this event at top five of the season, and looking forward to this one again in 2012.

Top 10 Men (Elite SUP Individual)
Competitor Class Gender Overall
BIB Name Hometown Age Class Rank Rank Rank Time Pace
10
Ching, Danny Redondo Beach 28 MElite
1 1 1 00:27:18
26
Trout, Slater Lahaina 16 MElite
2 2 2 00:28:02
23
Terrell, Jim Newport Beach 46 MElite
3 3 3 00:28:33
15
Pelkey, Rob Dana Point 44 MElite
4 4 4 00:28:45
24
Armstrong, John 40 MElite
5 5 5 00:28:47
11
Kahn, Mitchell San Clemente 51 MElite
6 6 6 00:28:53
7
Maximus, Thomas San Clemente 42 MElite
7 7 7 00:28:55
29
Patterson, Chuck Dana Point 42 MElite
8 8 8 00:28:57
18
Johnson, Ej Dana Point 48 MElite
9 9 9 00:29:00
25
Fielder, Chance Dana Point 39 MElite
10 10 10 00:29:10

Top 10 Men (Elite Distance SUP Individual)
Competitor Class Gender Overall
BIB Name Hometown Age Class Rank Rank Rank Time Pace
31
Ching, Danny Redondo Beach, Ca 28 MElite
1 1 1 01:36:25
45
Trout, Slater Lahaina, Ca 16 MElite
2 2 2 01:42:34
24
Armstrong, John New Zealand 40 MElite
3 3 3 01:43:19
46
Maximus, Thomas San Clemente, Ca 42 MElite
4 4 4 01:44:08
35
Pelkey, Rob Dana Point, Ca 44 MElite
5 5 5 01:44:58
36
Kahn, Mitch San Clemente, Ca 51 MElite
6 6 6 01:45:13
34
Johnson, Ej Dana Point, Ca 48 MElite
7 7 7 01:45:21
38
Patterson, Chiuck Dana Point, Ca 42 MElite
8 8 8 01:46:25
43
Fielder, Chance Dana Point, Ca 39 MElite
9 9 9 01:49:04
50
Gallager, Thomas Long Beach, Ca 51 MElite
10 10 10 01:50:52

Respectfully
EJ Johnson

Stamps 8.4 photos!

Check it out- this thing rules:

Posted from my iPhone

New Stamps 8.4

Just picked up my new surf stand up- an 8'4 masterpiece from Tim Stamps. Surfed it twice this weekend - this board is giving me what I was looking for.... A really drivey, fast and responsive board- this ones gonna take some adjusting to because things happen so much faster on it. Pics are coming- I'm blogging from my iPhone so I'm still figuring out how to add photos... Don't worry, though- I'll snap a bunch!

Photo: Testing iPhone blogging capabilities - this shot was from my home beach during the last big swell.

Sweating in Southern Baja Part II: Enter the Dragon- TJ's airport

When you hear that somebody is flying out of the Tijuana's international airport you usually think one of two things: 1. "Dude, are you crazy? TJ's insanely dangerous, if the cartel doesn't cut your head off than you'll probably crash on take off 'cause those dudes don't know how to fly" or 2. "Oh, so you know about Volaris, eh? Nice work." 

Response 2 shows you're a savvy traveler. Response 1 indicates you don't get away from surfing South Garbage very much, do you? Flying out of TJ's airport is a piece of cake, as long as you approach the process with the right frame of mind and a couple of strategies to help you through it all. Mainly, be flexible- be sure to smile a lot and most importantly get there early. Also, you'll find that the Mexican government is doing its best to attract foreign travel so there will be helpers around to assist you in the sometimes chaotic airport. Do what I do and when you're confused, just look kind of spacey and lost; before you know it someone will come along to help you out. 

Yeah, it looks crazy with lines snaking all over the place but, in reality, it's no worse than a crowded day at LAX- it's just all in Spanish. The airport was undergoing renovations while I was there so it was even more confusing than usual- I'm told there will soon be a pedestrian bridge over the border with secure parking on the US side and a walkway directly to the airport. Even amidst the confusion and chaos- the locals were super helpful and polite- good people.

There's a few good reasons to fly Volaris out of TJ. First of all, the fares can be ridiculously low. I paid $130 round trip with taxes to get down to La Paz- that's a great deal and it can't be matched by any US carriers. Second, the Volaris jets are brand new, the pilots highly skilled and the beer and tequila is free. Really. And finally, the help is easy on the eyes- and they have the coolest uniforms around. I present to you, the women of Volaris. Yummy.

Sweating it out: Stand Up Paddle Surfing Southern Baja Part I

Had a horrible time trying to get the word out about my latest trip paddle surfing southern Baja- sorry for the delay. Here's the report:

Day 1: Getting ready to cross the border. I love donuts- and luckily I was able to bribe my buddy Pilgy with a couple to drive me to the border so that I could fly out of Tijuana. Sound crazy? It's not- the Mexican airline Volaris has brand new jets, hot attendants and cheap fares. A couple of donuts, a cup of coffee and we were off to the border. 

At the border: Once you walk through the clanker (my name for the turnstyle in the background) you're not coming back easily. 

I was tossing around all kinds of options for getting down south and nabbing some waves off the latest hurricane to spin off down there. Option 1 is to drive down.  Driving gives you lots of flexibility during your trip. For one, you're mobile which is important down there where surf and wind conditions change quickly. Option 2 is the fly-in option. Flying is really nice because it only takes a couple of hours (and a couple of beers) and you're there (driving is a 20 hour expedition). I went for the second choice. There were a couple of reasons for this: 1. My compadre Timoteo down at Palapas Ventana dropped me a note saying he was all set up to pick me up and get me right into some good stuff and 2. The round trip airfare out of TJ was $130 dollars, round trip including tax! Wow- that was a no brainer, gas is at least twice that amount each way- and with my good buddy all dialed in and set to grab me, I was in. 

Now I just had to figure out my border crossing logistics. This is what the gate looks like when you're getting set to walk into Mexico- at the last minute I decided to bring my custom Stamps 6'4- I've got boards (SUP and prone) down there- and had to planned to just use what was there- but in the end, my surfer instincts wouldn't let me leave without bringing along something and so I grabbed my trusty prone board, took a deep breath, braved the clanker and stepped into Mexico. I was in and the adventure was on- nothing to do now but let it happen.

Still here- having trouble uploading... have faith, dear readers, have faith!

Dear Readers,

I've got the goods for you- but can't upload! Internet really wacky. Have surfed, eaten marine snails, tongue, rib (and watched my friend eat an eyeball taco... really). Waves have been fun- not great, but fun. And empty- which makes fun waves into great waves.


Swam with a whale shark six miles offshore in 80 degree water- sucker towed me around like a piece of toilet paper stuck to your heel. It's all coming- photos of hot flight attendants, wacky Mexican car stuff- all the things you love. Will post when I can. Heading further south in two days. More to come.

A backpack and a duffel bag

Just got done packing for my two week surf trip. Feeling a little weird- this will be the first time that I don't bring any type of board with me- I feel slightly naked. My down south connection, and close friend, Tim Hatler at Palapas Ventana has been watching the numbers and swears that this next week will be a good one for hitting up a couple mysto-point breaks (we're talking islands in the Sea of Cortez here folks... surfed those? I didn't think so) so I'm going for it. Walking across the border Sunday morning with just a couple bags, a wad of pesos and an open mind. I do have a few boards (standup and prone) stashed down there but they're from three years, and several design changes, in the past- a little heavier and longer than I'm used to but you can't beat the convenience. Don't worry, I'm also bringing a camera and a laptop- so check back for updates of my barebones southern surf adventure.

Finish line in sight.... a million steps still to take!

Man- funny how things get piled on just before you're about to take a surf trip. I'm fighting my way through last minute changes, paperwork snafus, a lost debit card and a convoluted itinerary... but I'm getting there. And coming my way is a big ol' south swell... let it happen! I'm ready to get the eff out of here!

Do-able on a stand up board? And if so, why?

Check this clip out of a spot in Africa.

I actually don't think this wave could be surfed well on a stand up board. Make no mistake, I think a stando would be fun out there- I just don't think a stand up paddler would be able to pull into and ride the tube as deeply and as cleanly as these guys are doing on conventional boards. I might actually consider it a waste if your stand up board was going so fast (common on steep, powerful waves like these) that even hanging everything you've got out to slow down (paddle, ass, arm... kitchen sink) didn't put you deeply into those insanely throaty, grindily-perfect left hand tubes. I recall reading that this wave is very difficult to get to- so why go to all the hassle if you're only going to get the blade of your dragging paddle shacked while you sit barely in the mouth of the thing?

I'm not saying I wouldn't give it a shot- it's just that I think the best choice of equipment for that wave would be a nice, narrow board that can sit tightly in the pocket and that can be accelerated and, more importantly decelerated quickly. The simple fact is that even the 24 - 26" wide boards out there that we stando surfers call narrow are barges compared to the 18 -19" wide thruster that I'd probably ride out there. This begs the question- should you do it anyway? Garret McNamara recently attempted to ride a stando out at maxing Cloudbreak- every shot I saw of him had him skipping down the face, on his back, paddle in hand heading for a two wave hold down. Sure, he could paddle into one of those monsters but for the most part the equipment limited him. So why do it? 

My feeling is that as your skills as a stand up paddler develop, you should also consciously develop your abilities in the other surfing disciplines: prone short and long board, windsurfing, kitesurfing, body surfing and let's not forget body boarding which is insanely fun on those super hollow, offshore days. As stando surfers we are continually seeking understanding from our prone brothers- wondering why they are not more open minded about our choice of wave riding equipment. Well, I'd like to challenge you: How often have you expanded your surfing horizons? If it's good for them to open their minds to stand up paddling, then you should open yours too. When was the last time you paddled out on a shortboard? Hopefully it was when your local break was going off its face with six foot, reeling left hand tubes... kind of like the video you just watched.

Come Compete! Dempsey Holder Ocean Festival... Stand Up Paddle Surf Division!

Want to stand up paddle surf in your first non-threatening contest? This is the one for you! WildCoast the world's premiere coastal conservation organization is once again holding their annual surf competition with a division just for us. Come on down to my town and let's get out and support WildCoast and their causes- and let's rip some turns too!. REGISTER HERE

Click here for more information.

What a difference a year makes: Back to racing... and feeling good!

The Chainsaw Massacre is a local 6.5 mile prone/stand up race held annually here in Coronado. It's a fun, open water out-and-back type race that takes you to the buoy off Point Loma and features a bit of downwind action for the return to Coronado Shores. Importantly for me, the race marks my racing "birthday"; the Chainsaw was the first race I competed in one year ago. 

I was a bigger boy a year ago- a little more than thirty pounds heavier than I am today and a whole lot more inexperienced with racing than I am now. I was looking forward to the race- hoping to better last year's time of 1:33. Unfortunately, I was also dealing with a mysterious shoulder injury that limited the movement of my right arm. It wasn't until my friend Kiwi heard me complaining about my arm and commented about the strange smell of kitty litter that was following me around that I fully committed to the race. He had sufficiently shamed me- I was in. 

There she is... The Poison Arrow- pointing the way. Major thanks to my sponsors: Stamps surfboards- Tim makes unreal surfing standos and, of course, my Poison Arrow- which rocks! Emerald City Surf Shop in Coronado who keep me in wetsuits and gear and Future Fins who hook me up with great fins for both racing and surfing. Here's a no-brainer if you want to get faster, pick up Futures Weed Fin for racing- that thing works great!

I ended up really happy with my result. I was the fifth stand up paddler to the beach (behind the two Shoemakers on their unlimited boards, Kiwi, who took 1st place in stock SUP and Mike Richards who grabbed second in stock SUP) and third in the Stock SUP division. Best of all I beat last years time by 13 minutes with a time of 1:20. It was the first time I'd paddled my new Stamps 12'6 Stock Class stand up board (I call her the Poison Arrow) on the open ocean and just like I thought- this board is a performer- she blazes downwind! At the turnaround buoy I was even with a paddler on an unlimited prone board- once we pointed downwind, I never saw the guy again. I was able to catch and pick off two other stock paddlers who had passed me going upwind- that's a great feeling, reeling them in and passing them. Revenge!

Game day with the Poison Arrow- not your average race board.

Just a comment about the design of my board. The Poison Arrow does not resemble any other board on the water. There's no dug-in cockpit, no canoe type bow, her bottom is radically contoured- I haven't seen a bottom like it anywhere, and she's wider by an inch than most raceboards out there (30") wide. Most telling- her tail is very wide, voluminous and boxy. I'm telling you this board is unconventional. Which is exactly what I wanted. When Stamps went about designing the hull I stressed that I needed a board that was scale to my 210 lb frame- I was tired of dealing with balance issues that were robbing me of power. I was finding that if I couldn't be comfortable on the board in moderate sea states- I could not lay down the power that I knew I was capable of. This was very frustrating for me because I knew I could produce better results but was wasting energy just staying upright. At this level of experience I needed a board that was stable- and here she is, I really like this board and hope that the importance of communicating your particular needs to your shaper comes through here. Be honest with yourself and get a board that you're comfortable on. 

A year ago I set a goal for myself to lose weight, complete ten races and improve my performance. So far, I've got all three checked off. Now it's time to reevaluate and set new goals for the coming winter race season. I've got the board, the time and the water... now all I've got to find is the will. That's the tough part. I'll keep you posted.

New Stamps Custom 8'4: Check the tail on this one... my new freshy!

Well- here it is: 8'4, light, stable and floaty enough for big guys like me (210lbs)- that's the plan and this weekend we'll find out how she goes. CANNOT wait to get her in the water. Like the shape? Check out Stamps' other stando shapes at www.surfboardsbystamps.com

If you've been following this blog since the beginning (wow- four, five years ago... something like that!) the color scheme I have going on here will bring you back. Get it? It's the same colors as the original 10'6 Mahi Stamps made for me way back when- if you told me I'd be surfing an 8'4" stando as my go-to board I'd say you were smokin' crack... well who's been smoking now?

R&D SUP testing 8'0 Squeaky and 8'6" channel bottom

1st I will tell you guys about Squeaky. This board was built for our crappy average Florida conditions here in New Smyrna Beach inlet. It is meant to grab whatever wave power is there and collect it for maximum speed for maneuvers in conditions that would other wise dictate you just glide and grovel. Curvy fishy type outline, a blown up prone fish basically single wing diamond tail 9" point to point on the diamond. The rocker is low but of spherical design and almost equal nose and tail. 4.5" in the nose and 4.25" in the tail. It has vee nose to tail to add rocker on the rail line and also make it possible to go rail to rail easily. I find the forward vee with the nose widths of SUPs really gets that nose out of the way without going narrower in the nose width. There is a single concave in the nose coming back to the front foot area. Edges are hard from 1' from the nose to the tail. The rails are full. The thickness is 4.675" and for my current weight 190lbs I could take .5-.75" out of the thickness. But it does what it supposed to do it rides crappy waves like no other board. Allowing me to bang the lip cutback and even pull little airs on very weak conditions. It craves sloping waves with a little base to them. It is awesome for our shallows at the inlet. I would love to ride this thing at dog patch, or Cardiff.

Now on waves with a little power it becomes a handful, skipping, sliding, and reacting somewhat violently when pushed up into a pitching lip. I find it hard to keep the board down to its prime maneuvering speed on decent waves with a bit of power. On some powerful waves it feels as if you take off like a bottle rocket shot across the ground hopping, skipping, jumping, and out of control. Its crazy and a challenge. But what a fun little SUP I have been riding this thing quite a bit and its a blast for everyday so so weak waves.
Got the next one on the shape stands already that will be a bit more friendly to some juicier conditions. It will be thinner and a bit more nose rocker and a little less tail width with a winged round tail. It will be done soon. I can't wait of course it will be the first one done at the factory this week as I cannot sleep or do any thing else when I have my own new board drawn out.


Squeaky smacking it...




Foot work...

The 8'6" below is made for surf and it handles it like a fine surgical instrument. Seriously Its as if squeaky is a machete and the 8'6" trench bottom is a laser scalpel. I have some time on this board and know it well but from the first ride, first wave on it, I knew it was magic. It will go vertical with ease and really likes steep pockets allowing for some interesting maneuvers and recoveries. The outline is pulled in a bit nose and tail. From the tail to about 3' forward it is almost a normal prone board with a 15.25" tail width round pin. HEAVY VEE all the way through and really heavy vee off the tail, it goes rail to rail better than a lot of prone boards I have ridden. With the channels and outline it is exceptionally controllable and quick to respond to where you want to be on the wave. The reaction time is very quick and responsive.

The rocker is some what extreme even for a SUP. 10.5" in the nose and 4.5" in the tail. It actually is not a even rocker throughout, but kicked in the nose and subtle through the mid with a heavy kick tail last 6 inches or so. Just my way of getting the board to fit on a vertical reentry. Its hard to stuff the nose on this board. Yeah I can say on so so weak waves its a bit slow and hard to get going but what channel bottom isn't. On a wave with a little power it is a dream feels much smaller than it is. If I am getting on a plane to go surf somewhere where the waves are good this is going in the board bag first.


This sequence is backwards but you get the idea... Pic 4

Pic 3

Pic 2

From here go UP. Fitting it in a little late...

Thanks blogger this would be pic 5.


Nice angles on this lip smack...





And then Swish and water goes flying. I love throwing CHUNKS!....

I am Really Stoked on surfing SUPs and building them, what a blast... It pains me to see guys and girls struggling with their giant sups out in the surf, specially when they get hit by them. Smaller, lighter, more maneuverable SUPs does not necessarily mean they have to be unstable.. I am not telling anyone this is the way everyone should go with there next board, as there are millions of ways to skin the proverbial SUP surf cat and a lot of good shapers who can put you on the next level. My advice to everyone as a shaper myself is be honest about your overall ability, and clear of what you want the board for and what you want it to be able to do.
Peace and Share the Stoke,
Capt Ron

Check it out: Tim Stamps in SUP Mag!

Stoked to see my shaper Tim Stamps get a shot in the new SUP Mag- grab a copy and see what he has to say about SUP design and construction.

The Tim Stamps Experience.... building THE BEST stand up boards out there!

Sup surf Design R&D

As many of you guys know I build these things here in Florida and after 5 years of riding SUPs and building 100's of them. I have come to some conclusions. We are all getting better at surfing SUPs and in turn the shapes are getting refined in to actual surf friendly boards that are allowing for some prone surf style maneuvers and feel.

I have played extensively with size, outline shape, bottom contours, and rockers and have come to the conclusion that I want to surf. What I mean by this is we have so-so conditions here a lot of wind chop and multiple swell directions at the same time. Which makes it difficult to stay on top of a micro SUP. I seemingly spend more energy zapping time balancing on a short sub 8' SUP than actually riding waves on it. Unless the conditions are like say the pacific side long period swell well defined glassy conditions which seem to be common place out there. I would ride a micro SUP all the time if that were the case here in my back yard. But its not the case.

SUP surfing is starting to finally take off here and guys are getting better and going shorter on boards all the time. From all the boards I have made myself I ask is shorter in the micro range sub 7'10" really better?

Yeah they seemingly surf better but I find it difficult to say that they will take SUP to the next level. A refinement is taking place in SUP surf design. I have been refining the sizes and shapes I really like and enjoy the most, slowly turning them from a stock sports car into a proverbial fighter jet. Its working, much like how prone boards have undergone a 30 year period of refinement, SUP design is happening much faster than that. Those prone board design lessons are playing right into the SUP design with some wave ski and surf kayak design plays a role in SUP surf design. The differences are things can work in a SUP that do not work well on prone boards, like excessive Vee and extreme rockers flips and kicks.

Here are some of the things I have found are good to a point. Lighter is better until the offshore wind gets over 10nts then you get blown out a lot and spend more time trying to stay on the wave than actually surfing it. When I say light I have SUPs down in the 11lb range. I found 14-17lbs is ideal all around. You will find the same shape size SUP at 17lbs will have more glide and projection than the 14lb SUP but the lighter SUP will be easier to flick and throw around and feel looser.

Vee verses con caves, quad verses tri fin, hard rail edges verses soft rail edges, rocker variations, balanced foil and unbalanced foil and combinations of all this stuff. I use variations of all the design characteristics I mention above so are any one of these things perfect uh no, but all are necessary. In what order and placement just depends on your personal surf style. With all these variables is there any one perfect board? Apparently no that board has not been shaped yet, when I show up to the beach there are usually 2 or 3 boards on the car for any one given day. BUT there is a perfect board for a certain condition. So does this mean we all should have a quiver. No but those of us whom surfing is our life we will have a quiver and the search for that perfect board will never end.

In the end it all boils down to "The Most Fun" with that ask yourself what board is the most fun for me? And ride that one and have a blast... Find yourself a good shaper there are quite a few out there building AWESOME SUP's. From my experience I firmly believe that is the only way to dial your board in. It may take a few boards to get that perfect one but it will happen.

Peace and go surfing have a Fun time,

Ron Neff

Absolute Trip

Getting Closer: Sept. 9 - 11th U.S. Open of Stand Up Paddle

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I can see it now: Miami Beach, crystal clear water, beautiful people- killer food, stand up boards... sign me up, I want to go!

SUPer fun at DogPatch

Spent the weekend surfing my brains out at DogPatch... love that spot! Where else can you have a stand up friendly zone inhabited by a surfer-friendly white shark with a beach scene unmatched in all of California (you wanna see cool surfer vans... this is the place). Thanks to the DogPatch locals for the friendly vibe and welcome and thanks to the big New Zealand swell for making it interesting. By the way, if you want to see some real stand up paddle ripping (in a word: CD Kinley... homeboy kills it) get yourself down to the Patch- these guys make somethin' out of nothing (Patch is pretty soft)- it's pretty inspiring.

The world around me is swirling like the closeout section on the inside of my toilet...

I read that on a trip down to Punta San Jose. Those words were written on the inside wall of the ramshackle outhouse that used to stand on the windblown cliff. That was until the hole below the thing swallowed it like Rosie O'donnell scarfing a KitKat. I used to wonder what the guy (girl?) was talking about. I think I know now. Piece of advice: when you feel like it's all swirling and spiraling downward- flush it... and go surfing. And that's what I'm gonna do.

Don't let it eat you alive.