NC Paddle Surfer
Sunday Morning
Sorry, this one was too funny not to post.
You'll have to suffer with lots of photos of me today.
Dwight this Morning
Jacky is M.I.A. The shore break was taller than she was. The 9'3 Hokua
Z man, the New Surf Machine?
On his new 9'2 custom Sub Vector
Brian Autry, Formerly Known as Surf Machine
Brannon Smith this Morning
On his Sub Vector
Demo ride on the 9'5 Mana
Brad this Morning
Bad-ass Naish Quad
The 8'10 is now a quad. Time for Jacky to get some air!
Swiped and Enhanced
Brad watching, me surfing the Mana
8'0 Naish
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyma6jaEBEc 
Great Weekend of Surfing
Although not much proof of how good it was. Beyond camera range today at CB Inlet. Autry has better water shots from Yesterday at Masonboro and soon he should have some shots from today.
Autry above 
8'4 Naish Video
Sunday at the Pier
Jacky on her 8'10 Naish today at the CB pier. It was so windy off shore today, I didn't think we'd be able to catch anything, but it turned out to be pretty easy surfing.
Wave of the day and too deep. Darn! 
Desperate Quad Test
No waves, but it was still fun trying. They felt good.
Q-1 FCS same as Controller/PSH Trailer??
This one looks close to me.
New PSH Fins
Very cool to see PSH likes pivot trailers too. Those Futures Controllers, all us Sub Vector guys fell in love with had pivot trailers. Maybe the Sub Vector posse was onto something.
The Naish 9'3 Quad is Ready to Rip
I just hope the rider can match the boards performance
9'3 Naish Bagged
Here it is Curtis. Breather cloth and bag removed. You are looking at wet peal ply. Tomorrow the peal ply will get ripped off. The red is a pigmented cab-o-sil and epoxy mix. It was needed this time because my boxes were not the exact cant angle I needed for this board. So I tilted the boxes and added filler. With painted boards, you can add pigment, which makes working with epoxy a lot easier. I learned the pigment trick from the Nelson factory.
Why FCS Fusion Boxes
I was asked why I used FCS Fusion fin boxes. http://www.surffcs.com/truth/ Click “Testing” tab, then “Impact Testing” Watch the videos 
EPS Quality
Can you spot the differences? Each sample is from a different supplier.
A) From Cobra in Thailand. The best fused EPS I've ever seen. Waterproof. Amazing quality.
B) From China. Close to sample A. Quality fusion of beads. Also looks waterproof
C) USA foam from Carpenter. Construction grade EPS. Not waterproof.
9'3 Naish Quad
Setting the toe below
Waves only a SUPer could love
Igor and Jacky
Sweet Wood Lam Shortboards
Here are the sweet vacuum bagged shortboards by Dennis. Dennis helped me with my first vacuum bagged raceboard. Look for Dennis at WB on this new stick
Sunrise Test
The quads work. It seemed to paddle fast. Waves too small to telling anything. Igor was out this morning too. He had fun yesterday on his Mana. He's stoked.
Naish Wood Lamination
Here is a tiny sample of the laminated wood layer covering the entire bottom of my Naish Mana. This piece of wood was removed when I routed out the quad fin boxes. It looks very much like what's inside a snowboard or ski. It sure makes for one tough as hell bottom skin. You won't find dimples or shell cuts in this boards bottom. I pealed away the inner layer of glass to expose the wood. The wood is sandwiched between layers of glass forming a tough as nails outer skin. I'm stoked by how tough this non divinycell (PVC) style of construction is. I can understand Blane's stoke on wood laminates.
Almost all Naish boards have wood laminations. Some Starboards, and now the semi-custom PSHs. Lots of windsurf boards have it too.
Dennis, if you read this, send me photos of your wood lam shortboard project.
The Quad 9'5 Naish Mana is Here
and it's all mine
More Yellow in the House
This bad boy is 9'3 and 18 lbs
Warmer Weather and Downwind Fun
The summer wind returns. It was wonderful today.
8'4 Naish
Look at this 209 lb guy on the 8'4 Naish.
Jacky and I Share the 8'10 Today
Dwight, Jacky, then Brian Autry below
Bagging the Patches
Quad 9'5 Naish Mana
Today's project was to quad my Mana. I can, so why not. It's fun and gives me more things to play with. First up is the layout. I tape over the existing front fins and recreate the shapers dots. Once I have the front fin marks, I can layout the rear fins off those. I choose to use Stretch's quad placement for the rears. Stretch moves his rear fins in 3/4" farther than his fronts (off the rail). This gives a quad more drive. The last photo shows the fins set in epoxy tinted with red pigment. Tomorrow the boxes get glass over patches.
I learned some interesting stuff about the Naish construction routing the holes. I could see 1mm thick wood vacuum bagged to the entire bottom. You can see the stripes of the wood grain if you look closely at the photos. There appears to be no gel coat, just primer and paint. That is great news. We all know gel coat chips and falls off in huge junks on the rails of some SUPs from 2 years ago. Gel coat is that thick tan colored crap used when placing a board in a mold. It fills the gaps. Yuk! I'm very impressed with the Naish construction. With a wood bottom it shouldn't get the bottom dimples you get with PVC foam bottoms.
Fun Surf this Morning
Waterman's Challenge combined with Intra Coastal SUP Cup
A new race course. Higher entry fees. I can't complain though, Coastal Urge runs an impressive event and it's worth every penny. We're lucky to have such a first class event in our own backyard.
The race is open to everyone
http://www.intracoastalsupcup.com/race.htm
EJ and Brandi will be doing the paddle clinic. http://www.intracoastalsupcup.com/clinics.htm
The new PRO's only Waterman Challenge, following the SUP race on the same day. (I wish I could do the windsurf and kitesurfing legs) http://www.intracoastalsupcup.com/waterman.htmCoastal Urge’s 1st Annual Waterman’s Challenge is a race incorporating kiteboarding, standup paddleboarding, windsurfing, and OC-1. This is an invite-only race with the top board, paddle, kite, and sail manufacturers in the world competing against each other. They will be utilizing their best waterman or woman to test their skills in all four disciplines.The Waterman’s Challenge will be held on the afternoon of May 15th 2010 at Wrightsville Beach, NC. The exact location is beach access #33 in front of the Blockade Runner Beach Resort on the Atlantic Ocean. Proceeds benefit SUP Cleanup.Invited: Airush, Bark, Bic, Best, C4 Waterman, Cabrinha, F-1, Flexifoil, Hobie, Jimmy Lewis, Kialoa, Liquid Force, Mistral, Naish, North Kiteboarding, North Sails, Ohana, Oxbow, Paddle Surf Hawaii, Quick Blade , RRD, Rusty, Sandwich Island Composites, Slingshot, Starboard, Surftech, Wainman Hawaii, Werner. 
Weekend Project
Guess what's getting quadded this weekend? Check back tomorrow for progress photos. The FCS Fusion plugs with jig.
Oh Crap! this is the hotel I stay at when in Pakistan
Pakistan police parade six Taliban terrorists – and 26 hand grenades, suicide vest and detonators to be used for attack on luxury hotel, Pearl Continental
Daily Mail: Last updated at 12:52 AM on 09th February 2010
Pakistan police claim to have foiled a bomb attack on five-star hotel, Pearl Continental as they paraded six suspected Taliban militants along with an arsenal of suicide vests, hand grenades and detonators.
The militants arrested on the outskirts of Lahore included a 14-year-old boy and a prayer leader from Pakistan's Khyber tribal area near the Afghan border, said police official Zulfikar Hameed.
Police seized an explosive-laden suicide vest, 26 hand grenades and five detonators from the suspects, who were travelling by car and motorcycle, said Mr Hameed.
The prayer leader was wearing the suicide vest. They told police they were targeting Americans at the Pearl Continental hotel in Lahore, the country's cultural capital, he said.
Despite their intentions, the men did not know for certain whether any Americans were staying at the hotel, Mr Hameed said. 
OMG the new 8'4 Naish
Could Jacky surf this one? Hummmmm 8'4 x 27 1/2 x 4 3/8
Sunday Fun
There were some bombs out there today. It blew hard NE early, then died and left the ocean big and messy. These were the conditions that entered my mind when I demoed that 9'5 Mana. I was thinking wow, this board is so stable it would be like cheating on days like this.
4 Hours of Fun and Carnage
Surf Machine (a.k.a. Brian Autry) doesn't ever hold back!
Surf Machine aborts just in time! 10'0 Sub Vector 
Time to pay the piper for Mr Smith 
Brads turn to pay up 
On to the good shots now. First up Todd on the 9'0 Bat tail 
Dwight on the 9'5 Mana 
Dwight on the 8'10 Hokua
Dwight on the 9'5 Mana again
Brad on a 9'0 custom Sub Vector
Sunset Session
Fun sunset session at the house. I tried the 8'10 first. That didn't go too well. I caught 2 waves and fell 10 times. A little too choppy out there from the all day NNE wind for that little ripper. Photos on the 9'5 tonight. If you look closely, you can get an idea of how much rocker this board has.
My best Autry imitation. I'm still working on it!
Strange, but this blunt nose board punches through waves with the ease of a pointy nose. By the way, I didn't fall.
Don't Miss This One
Demos again! Sounds fun
What You Missed?
Boo…. if you did miss it 
Sunday Session at CB Inlet
This video was shot using Autry's method. So most of the video I'm not in the cameras view. After editing there is not much to show you. The wool lined Patagonia made it possible to surf today (temps in the 30s) and have fun. If you are a cold weather wimp, spoil yourself with wool.
The Friday Downwind Run
Someone asked what's up with the baggy wetsuit. It's a windsurf specific wetsuit designed with baggy arms to prevent fatigue. Perfect for downwinding and windsurfing. 
NEW Sub Vector $500 BELOW Retail
My new 9'2 custom EPS Epoxy Sub Vector is now sitting on the rack at Surf House in Carolina Beach priced at $500 below retail.
Hurry if you want to take advantage of my momentary bout of insanity.
You can also pick your deck pad color
BTW, the wait for these is 4 months
This is Z mans custom Sub Vector (identical to mine) with his personalized tail slogan.
Why the Yellow Boards Rip
I measured the 9'5 Mana rocker today.
4″ tail rocker
6″ nose scoop
These are numbers you would normally associate with boards designed to rip. They are more than most boards I have measured recently for a board that size, and a lot more than some boards put in production just 2 years ago. That's why this longboard style SUP turns like a ripper model.
The 8'10 also has big rocker numbers
Igor sent me a text today. He picked up his 9'5 Mana during lunch and headed straight to the water. He caught a fun little session that confirmed his findings during the demo. He loved it.
Tonight I rushed home to get some of that strong summer wind to test my down wind board. The wind died on me.
YELLOW, our new favorite color
Our new Naish boards arrived today.
We took advantage of the manufacturer demos offered during the Cold Stroke by Coastal Urge. That turned out to be an expensive decision, because I fell in love with 2 boards. The 8'10 and 9'5 Naish.
The 8'10 is the real deal. A SUP that looks like a real shortboard, and comes pretty darn close to the feel of one. Jacky on the 8'10
Then came the 9'5, a longboard that actually rips. Not just a lazy log on the water. To cap it off, it's the most stable board I've ever SUPed on. Igor also had a blast on it. If ever there was a board you could pass around to your buddies and say try it, this is the one. You're an instant SUP surfer with this board. No balance required.
In one day I went from a guy who thought one all around board (the Sub Vector) was all I needed, to a guy who had to have the most radical shortboard SUP, and easiest longboard SUP, I've ever had under my feet.
The value of the Naish package helped with the painful decision to sell off our Sub Vectors and make the switch. Each Naish comes with a FREE "padded" board bag and sweet wood core fins.
Go Yellow, I'm converted!
The Most Advanced Race SUPs now Built in SC ??
Anyone remember Berky Composites from Islamorada Florida? The most advanced slalom boards built in the US during the 90s. Jacky and I owned 2 of them. All carbon fiber and built using higher pressure forming than the industry norm.
http://www.lmshape.com/page05.html
Well the guy behind that brand has resurfaced in South Carolina. He built a 38' trimaran. Now he's doing race SUPs. This is someone to watch out for. He designed for the top world touring pros of windsurfing. If you're looking for an edge, this is a guy worth checking out.
Interesting News this Week
This week I met with some old friends from Pakistan. I worked on a job there with them in 2006. I learned my friends were hit by a bomb in their offices and survived, but were thrown across the room. This happened just a few months ago. Everyday life is tough for them. They protected us like secret agents. Now I understand their protective measures were no joke. These photos show my daily routine and the measures they took to protect us.
Every morning they picked us up at the hotel in 3 identical white cars. We drove across town to a location where we hid behind a concrete wall. Behind the wall 3 identical buses arrived and we switched from the cars to a bus. The other buses were loaded with local Pakistani workers. We mixed in with locals. These buses had the windows covered with curtains to hide us. The buses took us to the work site. Coming home in the evening we did the reverse. Musical buses to cars! By the way, I enjoyed working there. Nice warm people.
Hiding on the bus behind curtains
Checking our bus for bombs
Barbershop
Checking for bombs
Chuck Patterson's Race Report
http://chuckpattersonsports.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/2nd-annual-cold-strokes-classic/ 
Naish Demo Day
The van loaded with Naish boards. All for me and Igor. Nobody else braved the temps in the 30s.
Matt from Naish getting the 8'10 ready
The 9'5
Notice the lonely mast foot. The 10'6 we had was missing the foot insert
8′10 fins
8′10
9′3 bottom showing the V. This is likely why the 9'3 is only a little more stable than the much smaller 8'10. The 8'10 is single concave.
Custom Sub Vectors Arriving Next Week
A batch of sweet looking custom Sub Vectors arrive next week at the Surf House. There is an extra un-claimed one in the batch. Stop by and check it out. I love the color of this copper one.
9'0 Sub Vector For Sale CHEAP
This board was made by C4 in California. It sells for $1725 new. It's hand shaped EPS/epoxy construction. Never dinged. It won't paint chip, ever. Jacky is going smaller. Time to unload quick so she can get another board.
email fishersfortblog@bellsouth.net for price
I can box and ship ground freight.
It was shaped thinner than the production models. But it's still way more stable than boards much bigger.
Jacky's Prize
Jacky on the Race Course
Chuck Patterson chatting with the racers on the course
Cold Stroke Race Report
Costal Urge Rocks!
Everyone who raced took home a prize. All 83 racers. About 100 entered, but some didn't show. Temp was in the 20s today.
Chuck Patterson joined the recreational racers for fun. He was cruising around the fleet chatting with everyone. Taking photos and having a blast. We enjoyed it too. He chatted with me and Jacky on the course. He'd drift back in the pack to chat with people, then zoom ahead and chat with others, almost effortlessly.
Womens Elite 12'6 Class
Mens Elite 12'6 Class
Unlimited Recreation Class Mens and Womens Winners
That is Jacky on the top step holding her prize. A Naish carbon shaft/wood blade paddle. It is gorgeous and light!
12′6 Recreational Men's and Women's Podium
First place mens won a JL Mano
First place womens won a Surftech Laird
Paddle for other places
Kialoa booth. Check out the new paddle blade graphics.
The Starboard Teams race board. Dead flat for most of it's length. Interesting for sure.
The new JL race board, production model
Come to the Cold Stroke Saturday (94 racers as of tonight)
I was at Dockside this afternoon and the parking lot looked like a trade show. It seemed like all the brands had tents setup. New boards were being taken from the wrappers everywhere I looked. All in preparation for heading to the trade show in Florida after the race.
All area SUPers should come check out the manufacturer displays tomorrow. It should be fun. I spent 4 hours surfing a lot of Naish board todays. Super fun day. The 8'10 is sick!
PSH Boards Coming to Town?
(Jan 7, Encinitas Ca) Boardworks announced that Blane Chambers of Paddle Surf Hawaii has signed on to be the latest addition to the newly formed SUP division.
The puzzling part of this new development is what will happen to the price of PSH boards? They can’t continue to sell at bargain basement prices. They’ll have to fall more in-line with others. It’s hard on the consumer when they retail for $1250 one season, then $1550 the next, then down to $950. Now what will the price be? This should be better in the long run. Stability of pricing equals better resale value. Wider brand accessibility for all. 
The Basin is CLOSED
The remodeling project has begun. When it's finished, we won't have to worry about people running over kite lines, because vehicles won't have beach access anymore. Those lazy people who couldn't walk 100 feet to the water will be pissed. haha on them.
New Sub Vector Color
I like it.
By the way, C4 went back to painted rails. Fine by me, much prettier.
We Felt the Freak
We understand what the Super Freak is all about now.
We windsurfed the Basin in 20-25 NE wind this morning. That folks, is dead off shore wind and gusty as hell by coastal standards. We rigged the sails for heavy wind and slogged to the wind line. We prepared to get yanked around, and have another frustrating session, as we try to adapt to gear 10 years advanced over what we rode last. To our total shock, the Freaks made the wind butter smooth and soft as a kitty. Like going from C kites to bow kites. Well done Jeff Henderson. No wonder all the locals ride Super Freaks.
We also dialed in the boards perfect too. I never would have thought moving the mast foot 1 inch would make a huge difference. These new super short boards are far more trim sensitive than boards were 10 years ago.
More Boards Coming
Coming this Spring to Surf House? Rusty hooks up with Boardworks to bring 3 models. 9'8 to 10'8.
Also coming are Dennis Pang's race boards.
Todays Downwind Run
The camera is mounted on my belt 
Wool Lined Wetsuit
My wool lined wetsuit turned inside out below. This is one wild looking wetsuit.
Now for the story behind this suit. If you haven't been to the Surf House yet, let me warn you, it's the most expensive place you'll ever eat at. You'll understand that comment if you've been there with the wife. If you haven't, let me explain the genius behind the Surf House Cafe/Retail concept.
Every time you stop by for a bite to eat, the wife ends up browsing the retail section. $$$, she always finds some new item she wants. Genius huh!
Well yesterday my male will power against shopping failed me. This arctic blast we're having at the moment, combined with yesterdays huge swell, made me weak. I was feeling sorry for myself and my lack of desire to get wet in this bitter weather. With my will power barely in check, I decided to try this wool lined suit on. Just for grins and giggles to see what all the fuss is about. The plan is to not like it, because it isn't cheap! Then I could continue with my excuse for not going surfing in arctic weather.
Where the plan goes to shit. The suit felt like a cozy layer of my favorite snowboarding underwear. So warm, and so wonderful feeling. It slides on nice with the wool against your skin. It fit like a glove, probably better than any suit I've ever owned. The flexibility feels better than anything I've tried before. Maybe because it only uses thin neoprene due to the thick wool layer built in. Somehow it just felt so good I couldn't walk out without it.
If you're feeling the need to spoil yourself, you need to try this suit on! http://www.surfhousenc.com/
The wool lining is thick and plush
Dual neck seals. Notice the inner and outer pieces you pull over your head.
Patagonia
For the NY Crew
Us windsurfing the Finger Lakes of NY
For the Charlotte Crew
Me windsurfing Lake Norman in front of the place were we lived
The Good Old Days
Jacky wave sailing the real Corncake Inlet. Before hurricane Fran closed it. Corncake was windsurfing nirvana. Side off wind and clean rights all day long. She's using a Hot Sails Maui sail.
Smoke on the water at the Basin. Me on my custom Angulo 
Our Competition Years
Jacky and Martin, mens and womens winner of the NC speed contest
The Islamorada Pro-Am contest from the air
The contestants take over the entire Holiday Isle Resort
Jacky hanging with Robby Naish and his wife
Jacky leading the women's fleet
This one's for Jeff H.
My Hood sail by Jeff Henderson. This sail was ahead of its time. Very cool looking material.
The Beginning
Jacky and I met hang gliding in 1979. This is me hang gliding above a sailplane at Harris Hill NY. Soaring Capital and home of the soaring museum. The black cord in the photo is my CB radio. It was the only way Jacky could find me after going cross country. During one cross country flight, she didn't find me until late at night sleeping along side the road freezing my butt off.
Now I Know
I've often wondered what it looks like to learn forward loops!
Windy Wednesday
Epic for windsurfing on Wednesday. Photo from the 4WD only Fort Fisher Recreation Area
Surf House Christmas Party
The party with live band….
Accidental Stability Check
We had wonderful NNE wind at 20-25 this morning, but the temp was only 40. So I waited until late morning, hoping to time my downwind run just before the wind died and right as the temps rose.
That didn't work out as planned. The wind was about 0-3. About the worst conditions you could ask for, after a morning blow from the NNE. The ultimate balance challenge. Lumpy seas left over from the morning wind and no wind now.
Notice my feet almost hanging over the rail. At 26.5 wide, there isn't much room for my natural stance width.
The run is nothing exciting, but I am excited by the insane stability of my newest shape. I did the entire run without getting wet. I could go down to 25.5 wide without any issues on the next board. Crazy!
Freestyle is the Most Shocking Difference in Windsurfing
My how windsurfing has changed in 10 years. Unbelievable. Sorry to my kiting friends, but this is way more fun to watch than handle pass twisty thingy tricks. Kitesurfing is struggling to reinvent the pro circuit to make it more interesting.
I Love This!
No More Strap Toe Jam
Oh the agony of booties and straps. Thursdays windsurf session brought this memory back. With kiting, booties and straps are comfortable. But windsurfing, oh boy does it stink. The load on the straps windsurfing is nothing like kiting. Imagine a supermodel in high heels with pointed toes, then you'll get an idea of what it feels like. The sail load drives your toes into the booties with high force. TOE JAM!
Vibram Five Finger booites prevent the dreaded strap toe jam. The catch is, you have to widen your screw spacing big time. The Vibram bootie is very wide at the front. It spreads your toes, so the front of your foot is very wide.
Sunrise Windsurf Mission
Rigged and waiting for the sun to rise. The wind switched on just after 8am, but didn't get great until 9:30. I've been waiting 2 weeks for a good basin day to get the new gear dialed in.
Wow, I've Been Discovered
Jeff Henderson wrote about me on his blog. Jeff is the owner and designer of Hot Sails Maui. I'm a fan of Hot Sails going back to my prior life as a windsurfer. I owned one of Jeff's original sail designs from Hood Sails when he lived on the east coast. He took the knowledge he gained in sail design as a young man and followed his dream. He moved to Maui and created Hot Sails Maui. That was like 20-25 years ago? I like sticking with a sail designer with experience! I avoid sail brands that change designers like they change underwear.
That old original Hood sail was redesigned by me into a camber induced sail, right when the camber inducer was invented. I wrote an article about how to make your own camber inducer and modify the sail. The article was published in a magazine and they gave me a lifetime free subscription for it. The mag folded a few years later.
Here is Jeff's blog http://www.hotsailsmaui.com/blog/2009/11/new-fades-on-super-freaks.html 
Wide Tails
Photo from last weekends Miami Pro-Am windsurf race. Believe it or not, these are the latest designs for light wind racing.
Jacky and I did a SUP ocean downwind run today. The new boards are so much fun.
The Hatteras Ferry Terminal Today
Jacky trying to sail a 4.7 with wind gusts to 42 showing at the terminal. That doesn't work! We heard about the wind readings after we finished windsurfing.
Me taking Jacky's 4.7 for a spin
The view looking up and down the beach 
This One is a Freak
My latest race board finally gets wet. Tested in this afternoons SW wind of 8-10 mph.
At 26 1/2 wide, it's as stable as my original (personal) 28" wide yellow board. That board and this board have wide tails, with this one having an "extra" wide tail. Wide tails rule for down wind runs in my opinion. All my wide tail boards excel at staying on a plane while walking the deck to trim the nose. Pin tails don't have that luxury. Wide tails just run and run, like the Energizer Bunny.
I’m claiming this one as my personal board. My next and final board, will be Jacky's. It will likely be 25 1/2 to 25 3/4 wide. Then I'll retire from board building until next Winter.
Thanksgiving, Like Summer at the Beach
Wonderful Memories
Ah, the joys of windsurfing I had forgotten about.
1) Don't kick the fin when water starting
2) Be prepared to loose skin during light wind water starts
It’s good to be back…..
Enhanced Oldies
Brad
Autry
Sexy Beast
My sexy new 5.8 Hot Sail Superfreak getting tested by CB1 this morning. Wohooo……
It’s fun to be back into windsurfing after a 10 year absence.
The North End was rockin
Awesome Kite Jump
A Real Race Fin
This is my new race fin. Custom made by Maui CNC. Maui CNC is the company making fins for the world tour pros (windsurfer) under various brand names, including Tectonics, MFC, Maui Ultra. These are the best built fins you can get. They specialize in fast turnaround of custom CNC G-10 fins made in Maui. I heard Ken Winner once ordered 2 or 3 grand in custom fins for race board development a year or so back.
These are so much better than the junk surf fins made from 3/8 fiberglass slabs that some guy with a grinder rounds the leading edge and tapers the back. Leaving the middle un-foiled and dead flat with no regard to anything resembling a proper foil.
Will it make me faster? Probably not, but at least I'll know my fin isn't slowing me down.
New Race Board Done
Race boards number 4 and 5 completed. On the left we have 14'6 x 26.5 with extra wide tail. On the right we have 14'6 x 27 with wide tail.
Wide tail model
Extra wide tail model 
Sunday Morning
Surfmachine was on fire this morning
Surfmachine pays for it
Jacky
This doesn't look good like a good ending is coming up
Ouch! Hunter gets taken out….
Hunter 
Big and Clean
The second wave hold down coming up!
Oops!
I see a PR Winter Vacation in our Future
Could this be us soon?
I've been burned out and bored by kiting this past year. I haven't touched a windsurfer in 10 years, after doing it for 20 years. Now that I've pulled my head out of the sand, I'm blown away by how much the sport has progressed in the last 10 years and now I'm hot to try it again. I'm going to take CB1s rig for a test session and see if the fire has returned.
North End Sunday Morning
Jacky's laughing at my falls…..
Pulled the Bag Today
Sealed the Blank Today
Almost Windsurfing
Hot Sails Super Freaks are here
A Real Race Fin
This is my new race fin. Custom made by Maui CNC. Maui CNC is the company making fins for the world tour pros (windsurfer) under various brand names, including Tectonics, MFC, Maui Ultra. These are the best built fins you can get. They specialize in fast turnaround of custom CNC G-10 fins made in Maui. I heard Ken Winner once ordered 2 or 3 grand in custom fins for race board development a year or so back.
These are so much better than the junk surf fins made from 3/8 fiberglass slabs that some guy with a grinder rounds the leading edge and tapers the back. Leaving the middle un-foiled and dead flat with no regard to anything resembling a proper foil.
Will it make me faster? Probably not, but at least I'll know my fin isn't slowing me down.
New Race Board Done
Race boards number 4 and 5 completed. On the left we have 14'6 x 26.5 with extra wide tail. On the right we have 14'6 x 27 with wide tail.
Wide tail model
Extra wide tail model
Sunday Morning
Surfmachine was on fire this morning
Surfmachine pays for it
Jacky
This doesn't look good like a good ending is coming up
Ouch! Hunter gets taken out….
Hunter
Big and Clean
The second wave hold down coming up!
Oops!
I see a PR Winter Vacation in our Future
Could this be us soon?
I've been burned out and bored by kiting this past year. I haven't touched a windsurfer in 10 years, after doing it for 20 years. Now that I've pulled my head out of the sand, I'm blown away by how much the sport has progressed in the last 10 years and now I'm hot to try it again. I'm going to take CB1s rig for a test session and see if the fire has returned.
North End Sunday Morning
Jacky's laughing at my falls…..
Pulled the Bag Today
Afternoon Session Bigger than Morning Session
Unfortunately, I missed it because I was buried in EPS snow. Z and Jacky surfed at the house. Z said some sets were double over Jacky's head. They were both wired on adrenaline when they finished. Oh, and it was pure glass too. Painful to hear about.
Everyone Wants to Be Like Surfmachine
Surfmachine returns (a.k.a. Autry)
Z, who's your daddy?
Back to Surfmachine
Brad showing Surfmachine he can do it too
Surfmachine again
Surfmachine’s secret identity was revealed when I spotted Z's entry for Autry in his iPhone. Brian Surfmachine. 
Hot Wire Cutting the Next Board
Race board number 5 is under way. 26 1/2 x 14'6 
New Race Board from Jimmy Lewis
Hunter's Blog
I just discovered Hunter's blog. Focus is the brand of custom kites Hunter and Paul founded. They design and build them in-house. I've been so far out of the loop since picking up SUP, I had no idea.
http://focuskites.blogspot.com/
http://www.focuskites.com/
Those are dam good looking kites!
More Sunday Photos
One Interesting Idea I Might Test Myself
This handle idea has my interest.
Sam Pa'e did a nice job with this video at Makaha. PonoBill on Maui is also a fan of tail handles.
They swear waves just wash right over you and no leash rides.
Opinions… 
Random Morning Shots
Jacky foreground. Autry on the wave.We missed you out there Brad!
Brian, are you sure you want to stand up right now?
Who's that over there?
Z man
Brian Autry
One Wave by Surf Machine
a.k.a. Brian AutryWe drove north this morning for ideal conditions.9'3 Sub Vector
The End. Finally! 
Greenroom Factory Open House
We went to the open house this afternoon. We didn't win the raffle for a free board. Darn! The guy who won had just ordered a custom board hours earlier.
Lots of blanks
Laminating room.
Shaping room
There is a paint room too, but didn't take a photo of that.
Lots of goodies on sale at the open house. We scored $10 changing robes, $30 shoes, $22 traction pads. Lots of sweet deals at the factory. If you missed it, you screwed up.
Rough and Sloppy Morning
They Work!
I normally go all Winter without booties. Deck pads and booties don't like each other. I surf like a stumble bum with booties. But these Five Finger booties really do seem to make a difference. I picked these up at Coastal Urge Friday.
Arctic Downwinder
What happened to our weather? 85 last Saturday, 50 this Saturday.
The fisherman like it
Boy does 23 lbs feel nice!
All 14'6 of her. It's a real nice ride.
By the way, it was yellow last weekend. I decided I liked windsurfer classic white better, so I sanded it down and repainted it this week. 
Greenroom Factory Open House
Next Saturday, do yourself a favor and check out the Greenroom surfboard factory. This may be Wilmington's best kept secret. It's not located where you think. This is not the Greenroom on South College Road. This is their factory, hidden behind the back door of the dry cleaners next to Buffalo Wild Wings at Monkey Junction. Hidden behind that unmarked door, is a huge surfboard factory occupying 3/4 of that retail space. The dry cleaner only has a tiny space inside the building.
The Greenroom makes and markets their own epoxy resin, all over the US. Their epoxy is one of the best on the market.
The Greenroom also builds one of the highest quality custom boards out there. A little known secret, is that most all surfboards are made with E cloth. But, the Greenroom uses lots of S cloth in their boards. S cloth is twice the cost of E, so 90% of surfboards do not contain any S cloth. But not at the Greenroom. They use the best stuff out there. Check them out next Saturday. You'll be glad you did.
I get my supplies there. You can pick up a custom board, or buy a kit for building one yourself and maybe get a few tips while there. Jimmy is very generous when it comes to helping home builders.
P.S. I hope everyone caught the fantastic surf tonight. The best session we've caught since the hurricanes were in town. 
No title
Discover how working with a professional shaper can drastically improve your surfing. 
LOCATED IN THE HANGERS BUILDING IN MONKEY JUNCTION OCTOBER 24 th 11am-6pm RAFFLE FOR FREE CUSTOM SURFBOARD TICKETS AVAILABLE AT FACTORY AND SHOP
TAKE YOUR SURFING TO THE NEXT LEVEL. JOIN US AT THE BOARD FACTORY FOR FREE FOOD, A $5 CHANCE TO WIN A FREE SURFBOARD (DRAWING AT 4) & A Q&A WITH LOCAL SHAPER, JIMMY KEITH. L earn how we utilize carbon fiber, parabolic stringers, marko eps blanks, and the aerialite glassing system to improve maneuverability, drive, and durability . BOARDSPORTS 910.799.2772 / FACTORY 910.791.8136
This is so Cool
Look at this photo of EJ racing on his Star-Board prototype. The nose is throwing a huge bow wave like a “motor boat”. It is just amazing to see these displacement designs advancing to the point they throw a bow wave that huge. I can only imagine how fast he must be going. 
Why I'm Not Shaping a Surfing SUP
I just realized I forgot to answer NCBA on this one. The short answer, I’m not qualified. Sure I could shape up something that looked like a surfboard, but that doesn’t mean it would satisfy me. More than likely it would do one thing well, and three things not so great. This would send me on a quest to shape more. It would never end. Look at me now with downwind boards! At least with downwind boards I have a knowledge base that is applicable. Downwind planing hulls are not surfboards. They are more like windsurfers you power with a paddle. I’ve been measuring windsurf rockers for 30 years. Being an engineer, I always had to know what the bottom details of every board I owned were. Just so I understood why they performed like they did. At the top levels of the sport, the shapers with the windsurf backgrounds are leading the way for “downwind planing shapes”. Foote a windsurf guy, Richard Greene, a legendary windsurf raceboard guy (SIC), and Harold Iggy (Naish). And now Peter Thommen (shaper to 8 or 9x world champion Dunkerbeck) has joined the SUP chase. We’ve got all the best of the best windsurf guys doing it now. It’s this windsurf connection that provides the roots of my love for planing and down-winding. 
New Board Gets Tested
We made two down wind runs today. The video was shot on the first run. On the second run, the wind hit 20 knots, but I didn't take the camera.
Jacky and I concluded the older board generates higher bust speeds, while the new board gets up to speed and holds the speed easier. The original (older) board is capable of a higher top speed than anything on the water we have tried. It's a rocketship, that constantly slams into the back of the next wave. That is the biggest challenge with the older board. How to manage the acceleration and keep the plane going. With the new board, it gets going easier, and keeps going easier, but doesn't get the turbo boost. In a distance race, the new board would win due to its ability to maintain speed.
Knowing exactly how these two boards differ in shape, I can make some assumptions about why this is. Although, I'm no expert, so I could be wrong.
The two boards tested today are the same width, same tail rocker and same nose rocker. But, how these rockers get from the tail to the mid point, and mid point to nose, is very different. On the new board, the rocker is more gradual through the middle, making it very efficient standing in the middle. To make a rocker more gradual through the middle, the curve must accelerate more to reach the total tail rocker value. The older board has a rocker more gradual in the area you stand at, when you take a step or two back. When you flatten the rocker "curve" back there, it makes the transition through the middle of the board more curved. Compromising performance in the middle, but increasing it a step or two back.
On the next board, I will tweak the rocker one more time and try to get a compromise between both boards.
Brian Autry, regarding the 12'6 racing class. All 12'6 racing shapes will be displacement within 2 years. I'd also guess the proliferation of displacement hulls 2 years from now, will cause a "surfboard" racing class to emerge. Just so the casual racer can show up with their surfboard, and not feel like they have to buy a race board to have fun. It takes about a year for the production boards to catch up and get displacement hulls in shops.
I think planing racing hulls will become a niche board, used in windy places. We'll probably see down wind races only become a reality in the traditional hots spots for windsurfers and kitesurfers, like Corpus Christi, Hood River, and Maui.
Not anti-flat water
It appears I upset some because I don't like flat water SUPing. I live on the ocean, so the ocean is what I like to do. If I had a home on the waterway, I'd probably build a flat water board.
I’m not into competition racing, so that style board would not be worthwhile for me. I was never an athlete. I've always been the tall skinny dork. I'll leave competition to the athletes.
Now its time to get back to building my board.
Another SUP give away
I’m giving my 14ft Race board away for $599 too. My new race board is almost done. There is no room for it on my racks in the garage. 
SUP give away
Get this thing out of my garage. $599 takes it.
Jacky’s 9'0 bat tail 
Primer Today
White paint goes on Friday. Yellow paint and pinstripe Saturday. Water test Sunday. Color scheme will match Zs sub vector. 
Finbox Installation for Mark
The yellow foam block sitting on the deck is what I embedded in the EPS blank at the finbox location. This particular piece is for the second board I'll be building. This yellow foam is rock hard PVC foam, a.k.a Divinycell.
Tonight I routed the hole in the deck for the finbox. You can see the hole in this photo.
Next I level the board and set the finbox in the hole using epoxy and cab-o-sil.
A junk fin and tape holds the box true. It's really just that simple. This is how windsurf boxes are set, not surfboards. This box installation is much stronger than a surfboard installation. For one, it's a windsurf box, not a surfboard box. Windsurf boxes by Chinook use fiberglass filled Dupont Zytel. It's so dam tough, it's near impossible to sand flush after setting. A surfboard box is cheap plastic, usually a 2 piece box and doesn't have the high glass fill.
I don't have to glass over the box because the PVC foam is so hard, and the box so tough.
Autry, no flat water race boards are in the cards. Why build a board for use on 4 days a year. The 4 Coastal Urge races. I'd never paddle flat water, if it wasn't for those 4 races.
This board is built for one thing, planing, and planing only happens with wind or waves at your back in the ocean. Super fun. 
Weight 20 lbs
Sanding tonight, yuk. The only part that is not fun.
Weight after hot coat is 20 lbs. That means the weight with finbox and paint should be around 23 lbs. Not to shabby for a 14'6 garage special. If my memory is correct, Randy's 14'0 Foote carbon board was 22 lbs. 
Sealed the Blank Today
Afternoon Session Bigger than Morning Session
Unfortunately, I missed it because I was buried in EPS snow. Z and Jacky surfed at the house. Z said some sets were double over Jacky's head. They were both wired on adrenaline when they finished. Oh, and it was pure glass too. Painful to hear about.
Everyone Wants to Be Like Surfmachine
Surfmachine returns (a.k.a. Autry)
Z, who's your daddy?
Back to Surfmachine
Brad showing Surfmachine he can do it too
Surfmachine again
Surfmachine’s secret identity was revealed when I spotted Z's entry for Autry in his iPhone. Brian Surfmachine.
Hot Wire Cutting the Next Board
Race board number 5 is under way. 26 1/2 x 14'6
New Race Board from Jimmy Lewis
Hunter's Blog
I just discovered Hunter's blog. Focus is the brand of custom kites Hunter and Paul founded. They design and build them in-house. I've been so far out of the loop since picking up SUP, I had no idea.
http://focuskites.blogspot.com/
http://www.focuskites.com/
Those are dam good looking kites!
More Sunday Photos
One Interesting Idea I Might Test Myself
This handle idea has my interest.
Sam Pa'e did a nice job with this video at Makaha. PonoBill on Maui is also a fan of tail handles.
They swear waves just wash right over you and no leash rides.
Opinions…
Random Morning Shots
Jacky foreground. Autry on the wave.We missed you out there Brad!
Brian, are you sure you want to stand up right now?
Who's that over there?
Z man
Brian Autry
One Wave by Surf Machine
a.k.a. Brian AutryWe drove north this morning for ideal conditions.9'3 Sub Vector
The End. Finally!
Greenroom Factory Open House
We went to the open house this afternoon. We didn't win the raffle for a free board. Darn! The guy who won had just ordered a custom board hours earlier.
Lots of blanks
Laminating room.
Shaping room
There is a paint room too, but didn't take a photo of that.
Lots of goodies on sale at the open house. We scored $10 changing robes, $30 shoes, $22 traction pads. Lots of sweet deals at the factory. If you missed it, you screwed up.
Rough and Sloppy Morning
They Work!
I normally go all Winter without booties. Deck pads and booties don't like each other. I surf like a stumble bum with booties. But these Five Finger booties really do seem to make a difference. I picked these up at Coastal Urge Friday.
Arctic Downwinder
What happened to our weather? 85 last Saturday, 50 this Saturday.
The fisherman like it
Boy does 23 lbs feel nice!
All 14'6 of her. It's a real nice ride.
By the way, it was yellow last weekend. I decided I liked windsurfer classic white better, so I sanded it down and repainted it this week.
Greenroom Factory Open House
Next Saturday, do yourself a favor and check out the Greenroom surfboard factory. This may be Wilmington's best kept secret. It's not located where you think. This is not the Greenroom on South College Road. This is their factory, hidden behind the back door of the dry cleaners next to Buffalo Wild Wings at Monkey Junction. Hidden behind that unmarked door, is a huge surfboard factory occupying 3/4 of that retail space. The dry cleaner only has a tiny space inside the building.
The Greenroom makes and markets their own epoxy resin, all over the US. Their epoxy is one of the best on the market.
The Greenroom also builds one of the highest quality custom boards out there. A little known secret, is that most all surfboards are made with E cloth. But, the Greenroom uses lots of S cloth in their boards. S cloth is twice the cost of E, so 90% of surfboards do not contain any S cloth. But not at the Greenroom. They use the best stuff out there. Check them out next Saturday. You'll be glad you did.
I get my supplies there. You can pick up a custom board, or buy a kit for building one yourself and maybe get a few tips while there. Jimmy is very generous when it comes to helping home builders.
P.S. I hope everyone caught the fantastic surf tonight. The best session we've caught since the hurricanes were in town.
No title
Discover how working with a professional shaper can drastically improve your surfing.
LOCATED IN THE HANGERS BUILDING IN MONKEY JUNCTION OCTOBER 24 th 11am-6pm RAFFLE FOR FREE CUSTOM SURFBOARD TICKETS AVAILABLE AT FACTORY AND SHOP
TAKE YOUR SURFING TO THE NEXT LEVEL. JOIN US AT THE BOARD FACTORY FOR FREE FOOD, A $5 CHANCE TO WIN A FREE SURFBOARD (DRAWING AT 4) & A Q&A WITH LOCAL SHAPER, JIMMY KEITH. L earn how we utilize carbon fiber, parabolic stringers, marko eps blanks, and the aerialite glassing system to improve maneuverability, drive, and durability . BOARDSPORTS 910.799.2772 / FACTORY 910.791.8136
This is so Cool
Look at this photo of EJ racing on his Star-Board prototype. The nose is throwing a huge bow wave like a “motor boat”. It is just amazing to see these displacement designs advancing to the point they throw a bow wave that huge. I can only imagine how fast he must be going.
Why I'm Not Shaping a Surfing SUP
I just realized I forgot to answer NCBA on this one. The short answer, I’m not qualified. Sure I could shape up something that looked like a surfboard, but that doesn’t mean it would satisfy me. More than likely it would do one thing well, and three things not so great. This would send me on a quest to shape more. It would never end. Look at me now with downwind boards! At least with downwind boards I have a knowledge base that is applicable. Downwind planing hulls are not surfboards. They are more like windsurfers you power with a paddle. I’ve been measuring windsurf rockers for 30 years. Being an engineer, I always had to know what the bottom details of every board I owned were. Just so I understood why they performed like they did. At the top levels of the sport, the shapers with the windsurf backgrounds are leading the way for “downwind planing shapes”. Foote a windsurf guy, Richard Greene, a legendary windsurf raceboard guy (SIC), and Harold Iggy (Naish). And now Peter Thommen (shaper to 8 or 9x world champion Dunkerbeck) has joined the SUP chase. We’ve got all the best of the best windsurf guys doing it now. It’s this windsurf connection that provides the roots of my love for planing and down-winding.
New Board Gets Tested
We made two down wind runs today. The video was shot on the first run. On the second run, the wind hit 20 knots, but I didn't take the camera.
Jacky and I concluded the older board generates higher bust speeds, while the new board gets up to speed and holds the speed easier. The original (older) board is capable of a higher top speed than anything on the water we have tried. It's a rocketship, that constantly slams into the back of the next wave. That is the biggest challenge with the older board. How to manage the acceleration and keep the plane going. With the new board, it gets going easier, and keeps going easier, but doesn't get the turbo boost. In a distance race, the new board would win due to its ability to maintain speed.
Knowing exactly how these two boards differ in shape, I can make some assumptions about why this is. Although, I'm no expert, so I could be wrong.
The two boards tested today are the same width, same tail rocker and same nose rocker. But, how these rockers get from the tail to the mid point, and mid point to nose, is very different. On the new board, the rocker is more gradual through the middle, making it very efficient standing in the middle. To make a rocker more gradual through the middle, the curve must accelerate more to reach the total tail rocker value. The older board has a rocker more gradual in the area you stand at, when you take a step or two back. When you flatten the rocker "curve" back there, it makes the transition through the middle of the board more curved. Compromising performance in the middle, but increasing it a step or two back.
On the next board, I will tweak the rocker one more time and try to get a compromise between both boards.
Brian Autry, regarding the 12'6 racing class. All 12'6 racing shapes will be displacement within 2 years. I'd also guess the proliferation of displacement hulls 2 years from now, will cause a "surfboard" racing class to emerge. Just so the casual racer can show up with their surfboard, and not feel like they have to buy a race board to have fun. It takes about a year for the production boards to catch up and get displacement hulls in shops.
I think planing racing hulls will become a niche board, used in windy places. We'll probably see down wind races only become a reality in the traditional hots spots for windsurfers and kitesurfers, like Corpus Christi, Hood River, and Maui.
Not anti-flat water
It appears I upset some because I don't like flat water SUPing. I live on the ocean, so the ocean is what I like to do. If I had a home on the waterway, I'd probably build a flat water board.
I’m not into competition racing, so that style board would not be worthwhile for me. I was never an athlete. I've always been the tall skinny dork. I'll leave competition to the athletes.
Now its time to get back to building my board.
Another SUP give away
I’m giving my 14ft Race board away for $599 too. My new race board is almost done. There is no room for it on my racks in the garage.
SUP give away
Get this thing out of my garage. $599 takes it.
Jacky’s 9'0 bat tail
Primer Today
White paint goes on Friday. Yellow paint and pinstripe Saturday. Water test Sunday. Color scheme will match Zs sub vector.
Finbox Installation for Mark
The yellow foam block sitting on the deck is what I embedded in the EPS blank at the finbox location. This particular piece is for the second board I'll be building. This yellow foam is rock hard PVC foam, a.k.a Divinycell.
Tonight I routed the hole in the deck for the finbox. You can see the hole in this photo.
Next I level the board and set the finbox in the hole using epoxy and cab-o-sil.
A junk fin and tape holds the box true. It's really just that simple. This is how windsurf boxes are set, not surfboards. This box installation is much stronger than a surfboard installation. For one, it's a windsurf box, not a surfboard box. Windsurf boxes by Chinook use fiberglass filled Dupont Zytel. It's so dam tough, it's near impossible to sand flush after setting. A surfboard box is cheap plastic, usually a 2 piece box and doesn't have the high glass fill.
I don't have to glass over the box because the PVC foam is so hard, and the box so tough.
Autry, no flat water race boards are in the cards. Why build a board for use on 4 days a year. The 4 Coastal Urge races. I'd never paddle flat water, if it wasn't for those 4 races.
This board is built for one thing, planing, and planing only happens with wind or waves at your back in the ocean. Super fun.
Weight 20 lbs
Sanding tonight, yuk. The only part that is not fun.
Weight after hot coat is 20 lbs. That means the weight with finbox and paint should be around 23 lbs. Not to shabby for a 14'6 garage special. If my memory is correct, Randy's 14'0 Foote carbon board was 22 lbs.
Removed from Bag
Here is the board just after removal from the bag. Shown bottom side up. You can see the peal ply and breather fabric.
Here I'm ripping off the layers of peal ply and breather fabric. The final laminate is smooth and pretty.
I'm following the Nelson Factory build procedure. They squeegee cab-o-sil and epoxy, tinted yellow, to fill the weave. Here you can see how brilliant this technique is. The yellow tint provides excellent visual help in determining where the epoxy is filling as needed and where it needs to be squeegeed more. This yellow ring is where my Divinycell insert is located for the leash plug.
After the yellow cab-o-sil epoxy step, I applied plain epoxy tinted blue. The blue epoxy is the true hot coat. All applied by squeegee. Tomorrow the spot putty coats will be applied. All this extra work to apply a hot coat is just to save weight. With standard surfboard construction, the hot coat is applied with a brush to allow it to flow level and finish out pretty. The problem with that method is epoxy is very thick, so the hot coat ends up being thick and heavy. Using the Nelson Factory (windsurfer) technique allowed me to use about 1/8 the resin I used on my previous board, done the standard surfboard way.
The board weighs 17.5 lbs straight out of the bag. Tomorrow I'll know the weight with hot coat and then I'll have a good guess at the final weight with fin box and paint. 
Deck Bagged
Board pulled from the bag and rocker being checked. It matches the rocker stick perfectly.A few bubbles in the lam, but better than my previous attempt.
Thanks go to Dennis for the help today. Today we worked from 7 am to 2 pm. 
2-3 feet per Swell Info – WRONG!
Jacky visible through the spray
Jacky
I didn't have the good camera because it was only 2-3 feet!!!!! 
Bottom Bagged
Prep for bagging done. You are looking at everything cut and laying on the board. Carbon, E glass, peal ply, breather fabric, and bag.
Bagging complete and sitting on the rocker jig
The rocker jig/table supporting the rocker
A big thanks to Dennis and Bryan for the help today. These guys are future baggers. 
Surfhouse
Just tried the new meat loaf sandwich. It's to die for. You must try it, you'll be blown away. Tell them you heard it here. 
Download this iPhone App
http://www.uquery.com/apps/327041514 A wonderful app from Swell Info. I loaded Carolina Beach, Wrightsville Beach, and Holden Beach. 
Vacuum Bagging Magic
Here is a video that shows how amazingly tough a board is when vacuum bagged.
Some conclusions drawn from two practice runs with vacuum bagging:
1) Thin vacuum bags work better than thick.2) Be neat with the masking tape. It becomes your enemy when sliding the bag over the board.3) I love pre-wetting the cloth on a table. Much neater and less wasteful of resin.4) A vacuum regulator is much nicer to use than just venting with a needle valve. Safer too, for the board. 
SE SUP Championship
Here are the finish times of the top racers.
Jeremy Riggs of Maui won.
Local boy Chris Hill came very close to winning. He lead most of the race on his newly acquired Holoholo, against some very tricked out custom displacement hulls. The top 3 stayed lined up drafting each other for much of the race. Jeremy spotted a boat wake and used his mastery of down winding to catch a runner and pull ahead by 100 feet, and that was the difference.
Coastal Urge put on another first class event. If you missed it, you missed another fun event.
The winner of each class.
Jeremy Riggs with his huge trophy. I wonder how that will travel on the plane home to Maui!
Lets Make a Deal
We'll be racing both these boards at Saturdays race. Let's make a deal. If you're curious, just ask and you can try either one. We're there for fun only. I've got no problem jumping off mid race and swapping boards. Or just ask after the race for a demo paddle. You won't find a cheaper way to get into down-wind racing. In case you're wondering why 14 feet, 14 feet is generally considered the minimum length for fun ocean down wind runs. At 12'6 you just don't get the glides or speed. Anything over 14 feet requires a rudder. 14 is the magic length for coastal off shore cruising.
Generally this is how to pick your race board:
1) Displacement (round bottom) hulls beat planing (flat bottom) hulls in flat water circuit races.2) Longer boards are faster than shorter boards3) Planing (flat bottom) hulls beat displacement (round bottom) hulls where planing is possible. Planing is only possible with wind or swell at your back. You cannot put a board on a plane with human power alone
So choose your style of fun. These boards are planing hulls designed for ocean down-winding.
Jacky's Board Gets a Workout – Again
Jacky on Jacky's board
Dwight on Jacky's board
The Race is this Weekend
Vacuum Bagging Practice
Trial run of my vacuum bagging setup. Some scrap foam and glass with a fake rocker jig inside the bag. When it happens for real, the rocker jig will be inside the bag. This locks down the rocker. My rocker jig has a 2" wide aluminum ruler screwed to the edge, creating a stable platform and smooth, precise rocker.
Busy Day Board Building
Rocker hot wired
Laying out template. Designed using AKU shaper software
Hot wire cutting template
Template cut done
Hanging tarp so I can make a huge mess
Shaping done, mess made
Finished shape
Why Quads Rule
I have been a quad fan since getting my first Stretch quad 2 years ago. I read the shapers forum daily and recently found some fascinating info from one of the grandfathers of quad. There are 2 or 3 shapers who are considered the grandfathers of quad by the industry. These guys are often used as the benchmark when another shaper jumps on the quad revival bandwagon. No joke, I know two stories about shapers who tried to copy Stretch boards and improve on them. The following quote from the shapers forum is not from Stretch, but another of the grandfathers sharing his knowledge of quads. POST BELOW Mr Champ KS (Kelly Slater) though, has been dabbling enthusiastically, open to info, is ripping and loves them. Funny how it will take a competition win to make the skeptics murmur their amazement and willingness to try one.. but which fin set up? Maybe the same as KSs (Kelly Slater) and where is that found…? If you have a Thruster with an average sized set of fins… and you add an extra back fin of the same size to make a four fin..where does the sketchiness come from?
It can only come from incorrect fin placement.
Due to many shapers making quads with fin positioning as in 'the good old days' where the rear fins were close to the rail, certain problems arise. To counteract rail-grabbing when using larger fins, they reduce fin size which means the board feels OK when on a rail but when flattened off it has a skatey insecure feel. Toeing the fins in more also helps to counteract the rail grabbing but accentuates the twin-fin 'throw the board from one side to the other' feel as opposed to a smooth rail to rail transition.
Positioning the fins away from the rail at the correct proportion to the tail width at 12" up means that larger rear fins can be used, the board will recenter itself between turns in a more 'Thrusterish' manner but will have all the added benefits of increased drive and holding power. Have the back fins closer also allows for a greater pivotal feel as when the board in forced in a flatter pivotal turn, the back fins help each other to move laterally. Too close together and you lose drive. Too far apart in relation to tail width, too much hold and twin-fin effect. Due to the long standing negativity towards quads of the past, there has been a tendency to try to fit them into the fishy retro market.
Quads are though, logically a better choice for wider shapes, (Sub Vector) the true set-up for full on power surfing. No need to nurse bottom turns and always ready for slamming a full railed gouge.
With correct fin positioning all the same maneuvers you do on your Thruster can be performed on your quad and more. Unfortunately for the established shaping elite's hierarchal order it's all a bit of a shake up and in some cases with the inquisitional members, a bit of an unwanted embarrassment. Generally through the 'Thruster' era, having a large quiver of 'Thrusters' was a way to ensure that you had the adequate board for the size of the waves you were riding. To handle the high speeds of big wave riding, a narrower tail is needed to bring the center fin closer to the surface level of the water. You will no doubt remember, thundering through the bowl section light on a rail and feel your tail fin dropping out of the wave, your board drift and roll over and you eat shite.. Maybe it happened in a bottom turn when you didn't weigh the tail down enough to submerge the tail fin. Commonly occurs with standard short-boards of normal width and wider and even with guns. Are you double setting and nursing your bottom turns on large waves or 'two- wooding'?!. Tail fins too close too each other in relation to tail width are no good because they cancel each other out on a heavily back-footed turn and lack drive. Just as is the tail fin of a 'Thruster' no good too far back or forward or of the wrong type, creating a too loose or a too stiff or whatever board. * Quads are faster due to having all fins driving through turns, or even just running across a wave face. All fins are propelling the board forward much like sails or propeller blades. This is because a board in these situations, is in a constant lateral drift and the water passing under the board, divides between the fins to pass out both sides of the tail while redirecting off the fins, rearward, to form thrust.
* The back fin of a thruster generally sits in the dividing line of this displaced water so provides no added speed but gives direction and control with a dragging effect…. With a Quad you can have looser but more secure guns as you can move the cluster further up the board in relation to the sweet spot. This is not possible with Thrusters as much because the tail fin will move further away from the rail line and will give the insecurity when it leaves the water. Often longer tail fins are used to compensate.
We compensate for the flaws of 'Thrusters' and only after riding a correctly made and correctly finned quad do we realize how limited we were with our three finned equipment. The limits with a quad will be your ability, and leg strength. You will drop into the wave late and with confidence and you will slam the bottom turn, either forward on the board or off the tail with security and added drive. Like anything made, take your shiny BMW for example, if that wheel alignment is out and the tyres are wrong, it may as well be a shopping trolley. It has taken many years to suss out the nitty gritty, and there are so many variables with quads. 
14 ft Race Board FOR SALE
Our all carbon race boards are up for sale. To be sold at my actual cost of materials. I'm allowing one to be taken now, and the other in about 4-6 weeks. Once one is sold, the other is off the market until I finish building the board I'm currently shaping. I don't care which board sells first, Jacky's or mine. If interested call or email. Contact info in my profile.
Cost of this board:$175 foam$200 epoxy resin$250 carbon fiber$50 E glass$10 fin box$16 Gore-tex vent$110 pad$49 fin$16 cabosil$20 Divinycell inserts for box and plugs$896 total cost of materials
Race Board Progress Update
I used AKU shaper software to plot a new rocker template. I printed the template full size yesterday on an engineering drawing printer. I liked this rocker better than the one I created using the old school technique of plotting the curve with nails and a stick, so I remade all my templates today. Hotwire and rocker jig for vacuum bagging.
EPS block arrived today
Enough foam for 3 boards. Advertised density 1 lb, actual 7/8 lb. Typical of general construction grade EPS to come in with actual density at the low tolerance limit. High dollar surfboard grade EPS, from top US makers comes in at true densities. The cheap light stuff is perfect for light race boards made from all carbon.
Supplies shown below-Carbon FiberE glassBreather FabricPeel PlyVacuum BagVacuum PumpEpoxy
Plan View Template Changes
Here is the new race board template laying on my current race board. I trimmed some fat from the hips, and fattened up the forward area.
Everybody Surfs Jacky's Board
Z surfs Jacky's board
Dwight surfs Jacky's board
Brian Autry surfs Jacky's board
Dwight surfs Jacky's board
Nice!
Face plant
Join Me
Lets put together an order for custom sub vectors at Surf House. So we can avoid shipping cost. Shipping multiple boards is the same cost as shipping one board. Multi board shipments allow shops to spread cost out and not have to pass it on to their customers.
Jacky’s board is so sweet, I need one, otherwise she'll never get to surf hers.
I’m going for the 9'6 Sub Vector using the stock width and thickness of 28 3/4 wide x 3 11/16 thick. The slight increase in length over my 9'3 will help when surfing the huge mushy inlet waves and the crazy light weight will allow it to still out perform my heavy 9'3 in smaller steep beach break surf.
If you'd like to see, feel, and hold Jacky's amazing board, just let me know and I'll drop it at the Surf House for afternoon viewing.
New Photos
Desperate man sneaking a ride on Jacky's board at the Cove
Oops, not looking to good
Paybacks a bitch
Boy these light boards snap quick.
z surfing the inlet last weekend
Z man
Z and CB1 lost in the inlet
CB1 swallowed whole
Inflatable Sub Vector- Sick!
I hope they are affordable! 
The Updates Keep Coming
The owner of the broken Naish just sent me these photos. It was not the AST model. It was last years high end model. Lets hope Naish changed things up for 2010. I’d love for Naish to respond. 
More Construction Details
More construction details for those with inquiring minds. I’ve add personal notes to all the images. The Starboard range is too complicated in my opinion. The consumer would be better served with fewer choices. 
No title
Update on Board Construction
My faith in Naish is restored. The board shown below is their AST construction. My mistake was seeing the wood graphic and thinking it was their high end construction. Most brands have added price point models to their lineup this season due to the high cost of SUPs. The AST construction is Naish’s price point model, so all is right in my world and my faith in Robbie is restored. I will leave this post below up, because so many people ask me about board construction and seem confused by it all. Now you can see exactly what you are paying big bucks for and what the deal is when you chose the cheaper option. Therefore, don’t come crying if you have issues with the cheaper options. If you’re a cruiser and not an abuser, the cheaper option is just fine. 
Board Construction – Things You Should Know
A recent post on the forum revealed a shocking interior view of a major, premium SUP brand, Naish. Not well known with surfers, but revered as god-like with the windsurfing crowd. My best wave board, back in the day, was a custom Naish that Robbies mom shipped to me.
You are looking at 1 lb EPS covered on the rail with just a few layers of fiberglass. This construction detail is well known to be Kmart type construction in the windsurfing community. Here is why. 1 lb EPS takes in water like crazy and doesn't let go. The large beads of foam allow water between the beads. Some foam companies claim to have reduced this issue with improved manufacturing tricks. But 1 lb foam is so soft, it will actually dent if you grip the bare foam too tight with your fingers. I know, my race boards are 1 lb EPS foam. That's why I use all carbon fiber to laminate them.
Below is what has always been considered the industry "standard" for quality construction. The tan colored layer of foam is near rock hard PVC foam. Sometimes called Divinycell. This tan PVC foam provides impact strength, breaking strength, and a penetration barrier against water absorption should you ding it. This PVC barrier foam is what makes it possible to build durable boards with light, soft, 1 lb EPS core foam, the white styrofoam.
Another example. On this board the PVC hard foam is green.
Here is a typical cheap board, built in the rails just like the yellow board above. This is probably a BIC or similar cheap-o board.
Now for some other constructions and ways around these issues.
1) Custom hand shaped boards build in the US, like Jacky's new custom sub vector built in CA. These boards use 1.5-2.0 lb foam. Increasing the density reduces water absorption and special processing on the foam, heat and pressure, increase its resistance to water should it be dinged. The wood center stringer provides the additional breaking strength needed with a moderate weight foam. No hard PVC foam required. Although it should be noted, this construction is not bomb proof and is generally best for experienced surfers who require the best and are willing to accept the compromises on board life.
2) Chinese hand glassed customs made from high density 2.5 lb EPS foam. This construction is currently used by C4 in the Pohaku range. With 2.5 lb foam you have no risk of water penetration and you avoid the costly addition of the PVC hard foam layer. The result is an economical alternative to producing a durable board for general consumer use.
Recently I've been slightly disenchanted with the heavy weight on my sub vector. You would expect as much, after surfing Jacky's feather light custom. But after seeing this Naish, my heavy sub vector doesn't look so dumb. I know for a fact the molded C4 Boardworks models are built with 100% wrapping on the EPS core with hard PVC foam, because I've seen one with a chunk of glass dug out exposing the PVC foam. I told the owner to keep surfing, the PVC foam was protecting the core.
I’m still shocked as I write this. 
Sub Vector Design Talk from the Man (Parmenter)
So, here's the ingredients for what I call a SUB-Vector:
*The planshape is more or less the same template as my original conventional Stubb-Vector line (dating from 1991) of high-performance 'hybrid' surfboards. This is comprised of a very balanced outline curve and a modernised version of a Michael Petersen-type Queensland point break stubby a'la "Morning of the Earth".
*The decks are concaved from rail to rail, and blend into twin tail footwells. Lower CG, more ergonomic and comfortable when standing, and gives the below rail profile; also, the footwells lessen tail volume and give enhance traction and comfort in high-G turns.
*To complement the scooped deck, the rails are all angular boxy rails along the lines of the old Brewer guns of the `70s. This provides a very crisp and sexy deckline from nose to tail, and the rail shape gives volume (and thus stability) when lying horizontal but grants a lesser profile and more penetration, more of a cutting rail, when laid over in a turn. The thickest part of this SUB-Vector design are the two rail extremities, thus making this design a sort of twin hull when it comes to stability——and combined with the planshape help keep the board from yawing when paddled hard on one side.
*Hard, tucked-under edges with a comparatively smaller radius that typical tanker or SUP knock-offs. This gives crisp handling and enhanced planing at lower speeds encountered in smaller or slower waves. Also helps pull the useable hull width to a maximum. There is some disagreement about hard edges versus soft in the surfing world, but all the fastest surfers and my personal favorites (MR, Fitzy, Reno, Lynchy, etc), all favor hard, crisp edges on their boards. All surfers who claim hard rails spin out are making the mistake of being too weak or unskilled to properly set the rails into the water and gain the ensuing holding power.
*Flat bottom rail to rail, and through to the entry and nose portion. Again, all about quick planing and fusing control harmony into the design. Flat bottoms feeding into harder rail edges and crisp vee panels are the least tempermental of all designs, and react the quickest from rail to rail. This is from the Brewer school and will never be outmoded. The 'exhaust' of water entering and then exiting the hull cannot be exceeded by any other planing hull shape.
*Scooped out inverted vee. This offers both the benefits of traditional flat vee panels with the added leverage of light concaves; the concaves also cut through the tail rocker curve and offer the water flow a straighter, more drag-free passage off the tail.
*The only thing the two newer models have that the 9'3" does not is the increased bottom rocker. This had to be curtailed in the 9'3" as it would have cut off a good amount of entry level suers who found it accessible.
So, what we have now is a range of boards bearing the same collection of components. The only difference is the lengths and volumes of each. Confusion has arisen only because the volume original 9'3" was tailored to bigger surfers, as sort of a gateway short SUP; thus, people think ithe SUB-Vector is just an oversized board. But my rationale is this: As a design, the 9'3" SUB-Vector was so short that it had to be bulked up. It has baby fat. As the line climbs up into the 9'6" and 10'0" range they lean out and rocker up and become more versatile.
The new models are emphatically NOT just for me and Brian and Todd——they are meant for the widest possible intermediate/advanced demographic that is looking for Level II of their SUP journey.Think Bruce raymond and guys like that. 160-lb guys will rip on them becasue they are so refined, but the volume and width and rail profiles will accomodate surfers up to 220+ lbs of intermediate ability. Because they are around 29" wide and 4" thick they will work for a much wider range of abilities than our other boards in the size range to date. However, because the boards are composed of so many potent features, they will be rippable for even us guys. These are the best boards I have shaped, bar none.
So, the Sub Vector line is not a fat boy's board just beccause the 9'3" was over-volumed: It is a series of highly-tuned SUP surfboards each bearing the same collection of unique-to-the-field components. 
For Sale – Jacky's old Board
Jacky's 9'0 bat tail C4 is For Sale. $700
Jacky surfed it a lot and it still looks beautiful.
For 2 years this was the only production board on the market low enough in volume, width, and thickness, for children and women to surf safely. Everything else is too corky for their body weight to have proper control in surf.
If you want the wife or child to have a good time out there, this board is their ticket to happiness. Trust me. Most paddle around on battleships that will kill them someday.
Jacky’s new board had to be custom made to get it small enough. $1700 if you want to go that route.
The Rocker Stick – Template
With the hotwire template now finished, it was time to transfer the rocker to this 1 x 10 and make my rocker stick. The rocker stick is laid on the bottom of the board during vacuum bagging to verify the rocker is still true.
This must be done because the board will be shaped from 1 lb foam with no stringer. Therefore the blank will literally be a limp noodle. At times you feel like a dog chasing your tail trying to hold the rocker. You spend endless hours laying the rocker out to perfection on a piece of masonite. Then you cut the masonite to create the hotwire guide. You hotwire the blank as clean and perfect as possible, then the blank flops around like a noodle.
When it comes time to laminate (glass it) the weight of the epoxy alone bends the blank. Due to the length, it takes 3 adjustable height shaping stands to bend the blank back into the correct rocker during lamination. This is when that rocker stick get used.
3rd Gen Race Board Project Begins
Here is the bottom curve being laid out.
Here is the deck curve being laid out
Template done and ready for cutting
These boards will be all carbon and vacuum bagged. I'm in no rush, so I'll be working only when the weather is ideal for working under the house and not much good for surfing. Estimated completion date is some time in October.
Since my last race board project, I've been in touch with a few blog followers looking forward to this next one. I'll be more detailed and frequent with the posts as this project continues.
I will also make an effort to track my cost better. I think you'll discover it's a lot more expensive, and a lot more work, than you think. That Naish Glide 14 footer may look like a steal after you follow this project. 
14 lb Sub Vector versus 24 lb
What does this 14 pound Sub Vector surf like compared to my 24 pounder?
Different would be an understatement.
At first I was confused by my senses and couldn't figure out why it felt odd. Then this morning we surfed masonboro in clean conditions and I figured out what was going on. This near zero weight board has no momentum. That is the downside. The upside, is when in the pocket, where momentum is a non issue, it surfs like a shortboard. You can snap any which way, as fast as you ever dreamed. You feel empowered like superman in the pocket.
It accelerates fast and catches waves easy, but looses glide just as fast.
If you want to surf a standup like a shortboard, custom EPS is the way to go. If you like to cruise longboard style, heavy pop-outs are the ticket.
I’m going to have at least one feather weight custom in my quiver. It's very cool. 
Jacky's Board Gets Wet
Jacky says it's everything she dreamed it would be. Fast, easy to catch waves and super stable in messy seas.
I got the wave of the day Z..
No where to go!
Payback time!
Jacky's Sub Vector is Here!
Downwinding Feels Like This
The New Sub Vectors Sound Sweet
Sunday Morning
Back to our standard small surf 
Our Little Diamond Head
http://carolinabeachsup.blogspot.com/ more photos from Saturday here 
Z man surfing our Diamond Head
For those that don't know, CB inlet has a lot in common with Diamond Head. It's famous in the windsurfing community for waves and high wind. So much so, windsurfers from all over NC and SC come here. From Charleston SC, to Charlotte NC, and in between, they come.
For SUP, it's also a lot like Diamond Head. Wonderful waves breaking a long distance. 
A Must Watch Video Series
Study these videos and your paddle skills will improve tremendously. I especially love the 3rd video, because it shows Evan getting it wrong, then getting it right.
Head High Sets
Awesome night of surfing at the house. Head high sets are here. It should be insane kitesurfing tomorrow and killer surfing Saturday morning.
More Weekend Photos
Autry and Z at the channel marker
Z wondering when the next one is coming
Z
Brad
CB1
Guess who?
Brad
Brian
Finish Photos – Jacky's Custom Sub Vector
Weight with pad 14 lbs. Ready for shipping from CA to NC.
9′0 x 27.5 x 3.87
Hurricane Bill HUGE at CB Inlet
Brian Autry
Brian Autry-look close and you'll see his scalp in the center of the photo
Gearing up for massive waves 3/4 mile off shore.
Brad so excited he ran all the way to the water!
These images were tiny specs cropped from huge photos taken with a long lens on a DSLR camera. It was impossible to get good images so far out to sea. Surfing near the channel markers.
Brian Autry
Brad
Brian Autry
We all had the session of the year today at CB inlet. Somehow Brad and Brian have a knack for being the best photos. Sorry about the rest of the crew not making the cut.
There may not be any surfing tomorrow. The town is closing the beach we use to access this surfing spot, for fear of everyones safety. Bummer! It is supposed to be twice as big tomorrow. Although I'm not sure anyones heart can stand much more. Our chests were pounding out there today.
One cool thing that happened tonight, was about a dozen prone surfers drove down to the inlet to watch us. They saw us surfing way out to sea, from their spot, the CB pier, about a mile down the beach. 
Morning Surf at CB Pier
Tomorrows surf spot. CB inlet. The break way off shore in this photo.
The ocean between sets. Flat!
Ouch!
Hurricane Bill
We caught an evening session at CB inlet in the first signs of Hurricane Bill swell. The sets are well defined now. It should be amazing the next 3 days. 
My HD Video Camera
Here is my HD video camera. It's a tiny little pocket still camera, that also shoots HD video using the .mov format.
My crystal ball says these still cameras that shoot video too, will make video cameras obsolete.
I also switched from PC to Mac. Once you go Mac, you'll never go back to a PC.
I took advantage of Apple's free iPod Touch with a MacBook Pro deal running right now. The iPod Touch just sold for close to retail on Ebay. With the tax free weekend in NC, and the back to school Apple discounts, this MacBook Pro was cheaper than a PC and loaded with way more useful software.
Windows Movie Maker can't handle HD video unless you upgrade to Vista Ultimate and then it can't use over 3GB of Ram without upgrading to x64. What a mess.
Mac goes x64 next month and the upgrade is less than $10 and iMovie handles HD video like a dream. 
Jacky's Custom Sub Vector
Here is a progress update on Jacky's custom 9'0 Sub Vector. This bad ass board has 5 "futures" boxes, no longboard box.
It is almost finished. Here it is prior to sanding off the leash plug and sanding the whole board. It currently weighs 12.5 lbs. That's about half the weight of mine. It will have a sanded finish, no gloss.
I see whole bunch of these sick light weight sub vectors in our future! Brad, the Brians, Z man, who wouldn't want one of these sick boards.
My plan is to demo the 9'6 production sub vector, then decide on my custom shape.
What a Difference a Day Makes
We arrived at dawn to glassy fun surf, then later headed down to CB inlet to check the waves. To our total shock, the surf sets were chest high and breaking 1/4 mile offshore. It turned into the best session in 9 months, not counting big Friday. Unfortunately the camera batteries were dead by the time we relocated to CB inlet.
It was so sick at the inlet, one lone prone surfer had paddled about 1 mile out to the channel marker to catch some magic rides.
We drove back to the inlet for a PM session and found nothing. I checked the tide app on my iPhone. The water depth this afternoon is 4.9ft. The water depth when the inlet was going off was 0.3-1.2 ft. Note to self, always check the inlet first when the water depth is under 1.2 ft. The tide app is priceless. 
Saturdays Epic Session – Not
Please excuse the metal rattling noise in the audio. I had a metal keychain type wrist strap on the camera housing. It made for some bad noises in the housing. I'll have that problem cured next time.
The new C4 sponge SUP is ideal for the beach house guest board. Or the wife and kid who prefer a board that's impossible to get hurt on and super stable. It's a pretty cool board. $750 retail and made in the US, not China.
Camera details at the end of the video.
HD Video Tonight
A quick video test at near dark. I'm stunned the video is so bright, because the light was very poor. 
New Toys
Today is my first day playing with my new MacBook Pro and iMovie. I made this test video using clips of our Oahu vacation last Jan. We haven't seen glassy conditions like this in 6 months.
This weekend look for my new HD video efforts. This one is standard def with my old camera. Tomorrow is my birthday, so Jacky's giving me a HD camera.
Awesome Morning for Bloopers
Z man ballet. Love it!
CB1
Oh Shit!
CB1 paid the price!
BA
Doesn’t look good…
Oh yeah!
A nice one for Z man
Gotcha!
Surf House Opens
Brad on the retail side
Jacky and Dot shopping clothing
Jacky tasting Dot's lunch
Yum, the food is excellent! Very much like Sweet & Savory in WB.
14 ft Naish Glide is Here
I stopped by Coastal Urge today to check out the 14 ft Glide. It is the hottest production race board on the market. He's why…….
I measured the rocker, so I can tell you how it stacks up against some others.
Naish 14': tail rocker ~ 2.5", nose rocker 8.75", 27.25" wide
Single concave only 1mm deep, going into slight vee of only 1mm.
Razor hard rails for 2/3 the length.
Surftech Bark 14': tail rocker 4", nose rocker 9.5", 29" wide
Rounded bottom full length, about 6mm high at center, giving a slight displacement bottom.
Soft rounded rails.
My Current Garage Built 14': tail rocker 2.87", nose rocker 8.75", 28" wide. Flat bottom, no concave.
Hard rails for 1/3 length, with a lot of tuck, and very soft beyond that.
My First Garage Built 14': tail rocker 1.75", nose rocker 8.75", 27.25" wide. Flat bottom, no concave.
Hard rails for 1/2 length, little tuck.
What does all this mean?
1) The Bark is the more user friendly ocean racer.
2) The Naish is the highest performance and the fastest shape. It will be more directionally stubborn too.
If you're hardcore, the Naish is a must have ocean racer!
If it wasn't for all the hard work and hours I've invested in learning to shape my own, I'd buy one for myself. Instead, I'll continue with my plan to build a new board this Fall using full carbon and vacuum bagging.
Naish Lowers Prices!
Check this news item! Just in from Coastal Urge. No excuse for not joining us on downwinders now.
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2010 Naish Glides Have Arrived:
You will never look at flat water the same way again. You will also look at windy days with a whole new perspective . . . squeezing in a “downwinder” every chance you get. From recreational and social paddling to fitness training and competitive racing, the Glide range from Naish sets a whole new standard in SUP. They’re stable, light, fast, strong, and beautiful. So the next time you’re heading to a surfless beach, lake, bay, sound, or Intracoastal Waterway. . . grab a Glide and get out there!
14′ Glide (inc. bag) $1,999.00
14′ Glide AST $1,599.00
12′ Glide (inc. bag) $1,699.00
12′ Glide AST $1,399.00
**Come to Coastal Urge to check these new Naish models out and make an appointment to try one for yourself with Coastal Urge's "try before you buy" program. New models from Naish arriving weekly**
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Correct Paddle Technique
I posted this video last Winter and wrote up what Todd Bradley taught us at the race clinic in Oahu. I took some crap from the non believers out there.
Today Evan posted another video of Todd's technique over on his site, Standuppaddlesurf.net
Follow the link and watch his awesome video.
Local Downwind Boards are Coming
Jacky stopped by Coastal Urge today and learned the local scene is about to explode with race boards. Jeoffrey at Coastal Urge just returned from the Outdoor Retailers show. Jeoffrey demoed all the hot new race boards.
In a very short time we'll have lots of 14 foot race boards on the water. All available for demo too!
The Naish 14 footer is the one I want to try. He has lots of hot new race fins too.
FINALLY, we'll have more locals into ocean downwinding. Prior to now, you pretty much had to build your own (like I did) if you wanted a board designed for ocean downwinding.
Kudos to Coastal Urge for being the leader in NC for SUP racing.
The September race sounds sick. He's keeping the entry fee low and providing another first class event that will up the standards again for running a race. 
Wild Run in 30 mph Wind
2 Downwinders today. It was blowing 20-25 at 9am for our first run and 30 mph for the afternoon second run.
If you watch closely, you can see how the board sometimes yaws suddenly left of right. It gets a bit out of control sometimes. I've been running 12 inch deep windsurf race fins lately. I think small 9 inch low drag fins are good for flat water racing, but when it gets wild the 12 inch feels way better. When it gets wild, the 9 incher gives the board a mind of its own at times. The 12 inch fin tracks way better.
Windy Today
Morning Video
Z the rock star 
Morning Stills
Brad catching a few, then heading back to the shop. They are working until midnight at the shop some nights. It should be open next weekend.
Just for you Z. hehe
Jacky about to get mowed down.
She just made it.
Weekend Downwinding Forecast
The wind won't be as good as today, but it should be good enough. We'll meet at the Gazebo on Saturday at 12:30. 
Jacky's Custom Sub Vector
It’s off to paint now. 
Monday's Downwinder
Monday night I hit the highest speed I've ever run in the strong wind we had. On one runner, I was on the tail and angled just perfect in the pocket zooming.
Not much on video though. I need to find some better camera angles.
I think these videos help me with ideas for my next board build.
Sunday's Downwinder
Sunday turned out better than Saturday. More runners and longer, faster glides. The video turned out boring, so no video upload today.
The beach at the gazebo was again closed due to sharks. We launched from the house instead. 
Today's Downwinder
The meet time for Sunday's downwinder is 12:30 at the gazebo. Although we'll not actually start from that spot tomorrow. That beach was closed today due to sharks. We can't launch there tomorrow because I'm a wanted man and don't want to be seen there tomorrow. Anyone who comes tomorrow will get to hear the inside story of todays adventure.
Very Cool
Saturday Morning Session
Swell is almost gone, but it is still fun out there. Sunrise session.
Jacky
Craig, Brad's partner at Surf House.
Brad
Weekend Downwinding Forecast
The forecast is good for Saturday and Sunday, with Sunday having the slight edge in wind direction and strength. Plus Sunday gives my knee an extra day of heeling. So we'll plan on being at the gazebo on Sunday at 12:30 to make a run. 
BIG Friday
I surfed from 6-7am this morning, then snapped a few photos and rushed off to work.
The lighting was poor, so forgive the quality.
hehe
The Forecast Swell is Showing!
I tested the knee by taking a few waves tonight. I can't watch with swell here. I played through the pain. Knee feels stable surfing. But getting rag dolled doesn't feel very good. That hurts the knee. We'll see how it feels tomorrow.
Jacky in front of the house today.
Afternoon Session
Hanging at the House
Jacky surfing at home. Me crippled on the beach.
Neighborhood kid Jack, trying Jacky's board. He's 10 years old.
The Hobie Crew were out surfing. They're from the neighborhood next to ours.
Best Looking Board Ever?
This beautiful paint job just arrived this week at the Surf House.
The Surf House is not open yet, but I'll bet you could track down the boys and buy this Sub Vector before somebody else snags it. I heard C4 is out of many models until late August. I guess the economic slump hasn't hit the SUP market. 
Saturday Morning
BA, no where to go
CB1
Z man
CB1 decided not to take Z out
BA
No surfing for me. My knee is hurting real bad. 
Saturday Downwinder CANCELLED
My knee is hurting so bad, I can barely walk this morning. Jacky has family in town, so she can't go either. 
25-30 mph wind at my back tonight
I used Jacky's board. It's narrow, with a pointy tail. It didn't feel fast to me today. I think being more wobbly on the her board might actually hurt my planing. How can you plane consistently when you have moments of wild side to side wobble?
Anyone else think it might be better to go wider and more stable, so you plane more consistently?
It wasn't as good as other days I've run. I kept running into the wave in front of me and killing my plane. I just could not avoid the next wave. They were steep, so I couldn't climb it and I could not steer to the side tonight.
Here is the video. My knee is very sore tonight.
My speed average was 6 mph.
Weekend Downwinding Forecast
The downwinder is ON for Saturday.
Meet time is 12:30 at the gazebo. 
A Bad-Ass Sub Vector
8'0 Custom
Wouldn’t we all like to demo this baby!
Jacky’s board was machine cut yesterday. It might get scrubbed today. 
Cabrinha Joins the Bandwagon
Message to Kitesurfers: Stopping fighting it, come to the dark side.
Cabrinha has! hehe
SUP Cup Video
The video finally surfaces!
The race start….
Fin Analysis
It's time to take a closer look into why the Controller Quads feel so different from the Vector II 450s.
There were some surprising hidden differences.
Vector II 450s with heavy cant and asymmetric fronts. Nothing hidden here.
The matching 375 rear fins that come with Vector II 450 sets. Heavy cant matching the fronts and symmetric foils. Nothing unusaul here.
Controller Quad Fronts. Asymmetric foils, but reduced cant
Controller rears. NO cant AND Asymmetric foils
198 Racers in the Maui Downwinder Sunday
Downwinding is getting HUGE.
Photos here.
http://tracydudley.com/Surf/Maliko_Race/index.html
Results here.
http://www.pacificsportevents.com/Races/Nash%20Maui%20Paddleboard/2009/Overall_09.htm 
Sub Vector Fins
Yesterday I swapped Sub Vectors with CB1 while surfing the inlet. CB1 had these Vector IIs installed. My Sub Vector had the Controllers installed.
I caught a juicy chest high wave on CB1s board. I laid hard into the bottom turn and Vector IIs twitched several times. It reminded me of the feel when a windsurf fin twitches as it wants to spin out, but doesn't quite fully let go.
Hands down, the Controllers blow away the Vector IIs. I have no idea why they don't cut it on our SUPs, but they work great on my Stretch 6'3". Maybe SUPs place way more load on the fins and we need the stiffer fiberglass construction. Maybe its the more aggressive tow-in foil the Controllers run at the rear that allow it to handle higher loads.
Controller Quads below
Sunday Downwinder
The wind was blowing 20 mph by 12:30 this afternoon, so we rushed to drop the truck and made a downwind run before any storms messed with the wind. We probably should have waited until 3 pm because it blew a lot harder later and no storms developed today.
We had fun, even if only blowing 20. Jacky was fast today. I could not catch her. The best I could do was just keeping up.
We swapped boards so I could test the speed difference. Jacky's board is fastest.
Inlet Session this Morning
Weekend Downwinding Forecast
Saturday looks bad. Sunday there is a slight chance. The forecast is not solid enough to say the downwinder is on for Sunday. I suggest anyone wanting to make a run Sunday, call me Sunday morning to discuss the prospects of making a run. I'll be reachable after our morning surf session. The cell number is shown in my profile. 
Big Night
These are the small ones. I was too busy surfing when it was bigger.
All surfing in front of the house tonight. 3rd fun night this week!
Oops
Where is she?
Thanks Curtis and Chris
Tonight I surfed my Sub Vector with Futures Controller Quads.
We had a chest high northeaster.
My board rocked!
Thanks for the tip Curtis (in Oahu). These fins are so expensive, I dragged my feet on the purchase when Chris (in Topsail) said they were good. But two people saying they were good, was enough to get me off the fence. 
July 5th Downwinder
A fun downwinder with some new camera angles
4th of July Quiz
View from our house
4th of July Madness
What happened to our beach?
Daily access fees were raised to $20 and it's still madness out there. 
Weekend Downwinding Forecast
The downwinder is canceled for this weekend. Saturday the wind will be light. Sunday's forecast looks possible, but NOAA is counting on some complicated things to happen for the wind to go strong SW. A low pressure to vanish and a warm front to pop up. Complicated weather events usually don't make for reliable wind predictions. Beach traffic will be a nightmare too. 
Surf House – Update
A few teaser photos of the progress inside. The shop has made a lot of progress since these were taken. It won't be much longer.
The kitchen and cafe area under construction
SUP World Cup
Dejavu for windsurfers.
Robbie worshiped.
Blowing up huge in Europe.
http://www.originalwindsurfer.com/site/main_1976.html 
Old Times
Me, windsurfing during hurricane Edward a longgggg time ago. North End of CB.
Z in Kure Beach.
CB1 at the North End of CB
Note: no prone surfers anywhere nearby, by choice. 
Windsurfers and Kitesurfers Don't Know Shit
This is not about what you might think…
In the post below this, you'll notice I'm stoked about a head high floater I made yesterday. Some might say whoop-dee-do.
Jacky and I have been water rats since 1979. We live for the water. Yet we never learned to prone surf. We've always surfed under the power of the wind, either windsurfing or kitesurfing. From mast high (15ft) surf, to knee high, we loved it all.
Then SUP comes along and changes everything we thought we knew about surf. We didn't know shit. Surfing is a completely different animal when you have only gravity to make it work.
Most of our fellow water lovers are also life long surfers, who only know how to surf under wind power. We were among the first to make the switch. Now I've watched many others follow our same path to relearning everything we thought we knew about surfing.
I see the same joys and troubles as each of us make the switch. Just this weekend, I watched another fellow windsurfer/kitesurfing almost kill his poor daughter as he gave bad coaching on when to paddle as the wave approached. I said noooooo as I watched the disaster unfold.
Surfing by gravity is so much fun. I'm so thrilled surfing upright was invented. Without it, we never would have discovered surfing by gravity. Because frankly, we hated crawling. I guess that hatred for crawling came from 30 years of having a superior upright view.
Surfing by gravity is starting to ruin surfing by wind power. All I think about when kitesurfing, is where can I throw this kite. 
Incredible Waves all Day
Here is the morning session. It was bigger during our afternoon session at the house. Sick day. I had my highest floater ever this afternoon. A head high drop.
Jacky
Dwight
Dwight
Still shots by CB1 
Morning Photos by CB1
Dwight
Dwight
Hunter
Brad
Morning Session at CB Pier
Weekend Downwinding Forecast
The downwinder is canceled for this weekend. The forecast does not meet the wind minimums. 
Birth of a New Surf Shop
One day not too long ago, the Cove Surf Shop vanished. This turned into a golden opportunity for Brad and Craig to open the Surf House Cafe and Shop.
The Cove Surf shop as it looked just after it vanished in Carolina Beach
The mess inside, the day the new owners began work creating the Surf House
Brad and Craig at work inside.
To see the almost finished Surf House, check out their web site and blog.
http://www.surfhousenc.com/Home_Page.html
http://surfhousenc.blogspot.com/
The Surf House will be THE place for everything C4, plus good food before and after your surf session. 
Trick Sub Vectors
Stringerless ultra light suspension blanks. Available only when you order a custom Sub Vector.
Drool
Sexy!
Custom Sub Vector. Got mine ordered, now go get yours………
Look What I Found
All the new C4 color combos. These are so sweet, I hope they drop the old classic colors. Who'd want the old graphics when you can have one of these, right?
The Polynesian and Metallic are my new favorites!
Also note the Pantone Guide color numbers are provided. That means anyone can walk into a paint store and just give them the Pantone number and walk out with a perfect matching touch up paint.
A Whole Lot of Paddling Today
1st a 7am surf session
2nd a womens only paddle clinic
3rd a 7 mile downwinder. The first run of our Downwind Swell Chasing Series.
We met at 1 pm at the gazebo. The ocean was lit up with ragging whitecaps. At least 20 knots. By the time we made the car drop and waited on one late arrival, high level cloudiness had killed the wind. We had about 10 knots max at the beginning of the run, dropping to 5 knots at the end. We had fun. Maybe next weekend we'll get some real wind. We're moving the meet time up to 12:30 to account for the extra time it takes to make the car drops in heavy beach traffic. That should get us in the water about 1:30
Oops, whitecapping hard now.
We're downwinding today!
Call 297-4567 if you are coming.
Dwight 
Weekend Downwinding Forecast
The gazebo we meet at…….
Saturday looks like the best day for downwinding in a long time. SW winds at 15-20 knots are expected. The tide level will be very low, making the beach break small and friendly.
Jacky and I will be at the Fort Fisher gazebo on Saturday at 1 pm. If you want to join us, please come.
Race Photos and Results
http://www.onslowbaychallenge.blogspot.com/ 
Summer SUP Downwind Swell Chasing Series
Summer SUP Downwind Swell Chasing Series
The Concept: Create a system for lovers of SUP downwinding to meet and run together on windy weekends.
When: Any Saturday or Sunday afternoon when the wind is blowing 15 knots minimum from the S or SW.
Where: For now, we'll meet at 1 pm on the Gazebo, at the second cove in Fort Fisher. This is the Gazebo staring you in the face as you drive 1/4 mile past the civil war fort. You can't miss it. Free parking is available all around the rock lined beach overlook.
How: Those showing up to run, will decide the distance based on the comfort level of those involved, and the wind strength for that day. Car pooling arrangements will be decided on the spot. Car drops will be made following the 1 pm meeting. You can expect the actual run to start about 1:45 and finish around 3 pm.
Check this blog each Friday for the weekend downwinding forecast. I'll give my prediction on the likelihood of a downwinder going off. Living here allows me to compare the forecast wind with the real wind, then I use my crystal ball.
Cost: FREE
Prizes: NONE. This is for people just looking to chase some swells with a few friends.
Downwind Runs we often do:
7 miles- Fort Fisher to the Carolina Beach North End pier
5 miles- Fort Fisher to the Marriott Hotel
4 miles- Our house to the North End pier
3 miles- Fort Fisher to our house (We often stop here when the wind dies on us)
What to expect: We typically run about about 2 pier lengths off shore following the coast. Sometimes much farther out to catch more of the SW wind. Jacky and I carry Camelbaks with Co2 inflatable life belts hidden inside. PFDs are required when running way off shore, outside what can reasonably be called the surf zone. Only when within the surf zone, is it legal to be without a PFD. It's completely up to you whether you comply. We don't care one way or the other. But we do recommend nobody show up without a leash. Nobody should count on others to save them should you loose your board. In 30 knots, it's near impossible to paddle upwind to save anyone.
I hope to see a few friends join us downwind swell chasing this summer. Feel free to call me or Jacky during the weekend to confirm the run is happening. My cell is 297-4567. Jacky is 264-1552.
Dwight 
Awesome Sunday
We had a blast today. I was lazy with the camera though. I even twisted the arm of Quinn and Al and got them on my Sub Vector. They did great for prone surfers trying to SUP. Meanwhile, I longboarded on Quinn's board. It reminded me how superior concave decks are. Those domed decks feel like greased pigs, whether SUPs or prone surfboards, they all suck. Concave decks are the future.
Unoffical Race Results
I just talked with Brad Jones. Check back soon for Brad's first hand account here.
1st place Mike Owens (on Owens own design)
2nd place Brad Jones (on C4 Holoholo) a close 2nd…..
Those two lead the whole race.
Winning time ~2 hr 18 minutes over 12 miles in wind less than 10. 
Saturday Morning Fun
We skipped the race today and went surfing instead. The decision was made after doing yesterdays downwind run and feeling a little ill from it. Near heat stroke for me. Face was red when I finished. When I rested during the run, I felt woozy. Mid 90's and marginal wind is hard on the body. Today's forecast was more extreme heat and even less wind!
Jacky
Z man
Brian
Oops
http//carolinabeachsup.blogspot.com/
More photos from today can be found here. 
A Little 4 Mile Run Today
Wind started out good on the run, but then got light, then picked up about when we finished. Z reports the same fluky wind kiting at WB too. 14 meter kites.
We blew off work early today to enjoy the beautiful weather. We launched at the house and finished at the CB pier.
Race Forecast Changed Again-Morning Update
Update: There are signs of hope this morning at sunrise. The SW wind is already blowing at our house. That is a classic sign of a strong sea breeze coming this afternoon. That is what we want to see. A return to normal. If we see the same signs of wind tomorrow morning, it's going to be good!
Here is this areas best wind speed indicator for a SW wind. Ignore the direction indicator, it's wrong. But the speed is very accurate for my beach. It's blowing 19 mph at sunrise! 100% stronger than forecast. This is the magic of SW wind in our area.
http://www.baldheadweather.com/
Here is the wind forecast from the 2 big dogs, NOAA and Intellicast. Other sites just regurgitate what NOAA says.
We’re leaning toward skipping the race. We'll save $100 and avoid hours of torture. If we're wrong and the wind does blow, we can always downwind at home. We were really looking forward to this, but you can't control the wind.
Race Forecast
The forecast just improved. SW is what we want. It always blows harder than forecast when it blows SW.
Thursday Downwinder
If this forecast holds, Thursday looks good for our first downwinder in a long time.
5pm start, our house to the North End Pier. We hope to have a few people join us.
The big race is Saturday, and the forecast wind direction is perfect for giving us the magic wind. By magic wind, I'm talking about our standard summer sea breeze that blows 50-100% stronger than forecast.
Downwinding Safety
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090607/BREAKING01/90607037/Missing+paddleboarder+found+safe This was the standard 9 mile Oahu downwind ocean run, done for fun each weekend.
The article inspired to me to write about downwinding safety. I have done about 15 ocean runs in winds up to 35 mph.
1) Don't even think about trying it without a leash. We run up to one mile offshore doing ocean runs and can become separated by over a mile. You should plan for the worst, and expect to be on your own out there. It's not possible for someone to reverse direction and paddle upwind to save you in 30 knots. If you're worried about leash drag, get a short coil leash. Jacky and I use Bully's paddleboard coil leash.
2) Take your cell phone. Water proof bags are available at Great Outdoor Provision for less than $20.
3) Carry water. We've done runs with and without Camelbaks. We always finish feeling good when we take the Camelbaks. We usually finish beat without them. A little sip every 20 minutes really does make a difference.
4) We carry Co2 inflatable life belts in our Camelbaks. PFDs are required by law when doing off shore ocean downwinders. Enforcement of the law is inconsistent. Most get away without using one. We feel better knowing it's with us.
Next week I'll announce a weekly Downwind Swell Chasing Series to take place each Saturday throughout the summer, wind permitting.
Be safe out there. 
FOR SALE 82" XPR Racing Paddle
The reason for the sale is my "surf" paddle is a Quickblade. I found it unnatural to adjust to a different blade style, so I changed my "race" paddle to match my surf paddle, a Quickblade. That may sound silly, but not really when you've been doing it as long as I have. I am very particular about changes in feel with my paddle. If you're wondering what's so different about the C4 and Quickblade "blade" shape, it's the tallness of the C4. The Quickblade is a short blade.
$200
If anyone wants to demo this paddle at the race next weekend, let me know. 
Onslow Bay Challenge Rescheduled
Yeah! Rescheduled for next Saturday.
Maybe this freak weather will be gone by then and we'll return to our normal SW wind pattern. 
Updated Race Forecast
A headwind of 11 mph for the 11AM start. 12 miles upwind is crazy. I hope they schedule a rain date.
I’d like to see races run like the big time contests run at Pipe and Makaha. With holding periods to allow for fun conditions to materialize. But it's not up to me. I'm to old to get involved.
I used to run races back in windsurfing's heyday. I organized and ran the High Wind Slalom Series at the Fortfisher Basin. We raced every weekend during the month of June, but only when the forecast allowed shortboards, and sails below 6.0 to race. We averaged racing conditions 3 out of 4 weekends each summer. 
Race Board Design
Jacky and I did a 4 mile ocean downwinder today with the Surftech Bark 14 footer. The board is very nice. It gets on a plane easy, connecting runners with ease. Stability is nice. I'd rate it nicer than the Boardworks Vortice. Not to be confused with the hollow, very fast, XP Vortice. But it should be nicer, the design is a full year newer.
I have been studying board designs and where they are going. Just in case I decide to shape new race boards this Winter. I'm willing to buy a production board, should I find one that blows my mind. This Bark was nice, and had one feature I found superior to my board, but the other performance features were about the same, just different.
The feature that impressed me was the template. The width/volume is biased toward the front. I think this promotes early planing and reduces pearling. I could feel that extra meat up front really help when the nose drops and the tail lifts, and you know it's time to paddle and catch that runner. The more pointy nose, balanced templates (F-14, Naish 14 footer, and my home built board) can't ride the nose as hard, making powering onto a plane more tricky skill wise.
What does it all mean? IF I ever build one myself again, it will have this style template. If any of my buds want to join us downwinding, I'd tell them to buy the Bark. For now, it's the best of the production 14s available on the east coast.
One final thought. If you haven't tried the Elite Racer from Quickblade, you must! Jacky was using this paddle. When we swapped paddles, the difference was amazing. The weightless Elite Racer allows you to maintain an insanely fast paddle cadence. Weight matters big time for racing strokes.
Foote with width/volume up front. I like it!
F-14 without width/volume up front. A balanced template.
Naish 14 without width/volume up front. But I like the tail design!
Bark with width/volume up front. I like it!
The Big Race
Forecast went to crap again. E wind at 2pm Saturday.
The big race is this Saturday.
Fun and Small
Jacky's New Ride
A turbo diesel wagon with roof racks for SUP transport. Current diesel price $2.17/gal 
SUP RACE CLUB
SUP RACE CLUB
Who: All standup paddleboarders are welcome to join, it's free.
What: Coastal Urge is organizing a year-round SUP Race Club to train for all our up-coming races and build a local SUP racing community. Just show up after work on Wednesdays and the Coastal Urge staff will clock your time around the 3.5mile Harbor Island SUP race route. Hang around after wards for a cold drink at the Fish House with food and drink specials for all SUP Race Club members. Stay in shape this summer, make new friends, and train for our upcoming race the first annual Southeast SUP Championship in September.
Where: Meeting every-other Wednesday at the Fish House, get on the water between 5pm-6pm to have your time clocked.
When: Starts next Wednesday June 3rd at 5pm. Following dates; June 17th, July 1st, July, 15th, July 29th, August 12, August, 26th…. 
More SUP CUP photos
These photos courtesy of Coastal Urge. Jacky and I at the finish line.
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http://www.luminanews.com/article.asp?aid=4306&iid=167&sud=43
Newspaper article here 
Sub Vector Fins
I did a lot of fin testing this weekend on my sub vector.
For front fins I tested
Vector II 450
Vector II 460
Vector II 550
For rear fins I tested
375
400
437
The results are:
Vector II 550s created way too much drag. Board was slower and I could feel it dragging.
Vector II 450 and 460 too close to call.
375s in the rear for tiny waves. Makes the board pivot/snap/slide and spin the best, but looses drive.
400s best all around blend of drive and looseness.
437s best for head high high waves and big driving bottom turns.
I’m going to keep 460s in the front and swap between 400 and 437 in the rear depending on wave size and power. It takes some effort to get 437 rears. You have to buy replacement rears from a thruster setup.
If you're wondering about 2+1, forget about it. I tested 2+1 versus quads in identical 9'0 C4 bat tails. 2+1 was too draggy. So much so, you could feel it just paddling. Long live quads! Want more drive, use a larger rear fin and stay quad all the way baby! 
Fun Morning
For Sale: C4 XPR Race Paddle
Jacky's XPR Racing Paddle is For Sale. Only used a few times. Price is $199 Firm
Ideal cruising paddle for your better half. Super light.
74″ Long
The one-piece XPR racing paddle is strong and light. The FLEX TIP carbon/Kevlar blade whips a bit of extra kick into every stroke. The 8.5" blade width provides plenty of power surface and the extra thin diamond tip blade provides super clean entry on every stroke. 
Race Results
Intracoastal SUP CUP 2009 Men’s 12’6 and under1 Mike Owens 44:202 Chris Hill 44:363 Jason Colclough 46:144 David Lisle 46:295 John Beausang 46:506 Tim Smith 46:547 Sean Hardesty 47:218 Stan Clinard 47:589 Ian Balding 49:3610 Mark Anders 50:0011 Matt Catino 50:0512 Brad Howard 50:3013 Jeremy Owens 52:0714 James Bain 52:1715 Todd Bostian 52:2116 Clark Shay 52:3417 David Wilson 52:4418 Bryan Batten 53:0419 Galen Westman 53:1720 Kevin Vangritis 55:0321 Mac Barnhart 55:2522 Rob Cornwell 56:2023 William Pope 56:2524 Mark Pace 56:5225 Mike Abernathy 57:1726 Chris Oneal 59:4527 Mike Travis 60:0028 Zo Tipton 60.1729 Chip Howell 60:40 Women’s 12’6 and under1 Tara Miller 55:492 Lori Herring 62:123 Kimberly James 64:29 14’ and over1 Brannon Smith 54:442 Dwight Fisher 55:11
3 Jackie Fisher 56:17
6'6 SUP
This is real high performance surfing. This guy stokes the fire for going way shorter.
Ku Hoe Waterman Video from Soul Surf Media on Vimeo. 
Downwinding Clinic
Awesome video showcasing the downwind clinics put on by Wet Feet Hawaii. If you're ever in Oahu, you must visit this shop. We attended the 1st of the 4 clinics they ran. Watch closely and you can learn how to catch swell.
Jeffrey, we need downwind races too! Not just Harbor Island loops.
Click FULL SCREEN and HI-DEF buttons
SUPAH Downwind Clinic, Hawaii Kai to Kahala – Feb 2009 from Soul Surf Media on Vimeo. 
Kitesurfing News
Sky Solbach spent the weekend at our house, so I thought I'd give you some kitesurfing news.
Kite raceboards will all change to ride like windsurf boards, flat, edging on the fin. Not tilting the board and edging like we do now. At the US Nationals, Sean Farley had a new board designed to ride like a windsurfer, flat, or slightly edged over to toe side, like a windsurfer points. This new concept in board design destroyed the competition, winning something like 18 races. It also beat the windsurfers to the upwind mark, comparing times run on the same course. It beat the windsurfers downwind too, for total domination around the course.
As for kites, look for the 2010 Rebel to arrive a little early this year. The kites were finished slightly early in Australia. 
SUP Life in Hawaii
This is the best GoPro Video I've seen
Disaster from Beau Toichi on Vimeo. 
Coastal Urge SUP CUP Race Results
http://www.coastalurge.com/
Race Results 12'6 Class
1st) Mike Owens using a hollow board he built himself. He was also the winner of the Fall race. Prize was a 10' Laird Surftech.
2nd) Chris Hill on a Munoz. Chris is the man behind the June 6th 12 mile Onslow Bay ocean race. His prize was a Kialoa paddle.
3rd) Jason, owner of Side Arm Surf Shop, also on a Munoz
Race Results 14' & up Class
1st) Brannon Smith on my home built 14 footer. The board I was going to race if it didn't sell before the event. Brannon bought it last Wednesday. Brannon won a Quickblade paddle.
2nd) Me. I won Kaenon sunglasses. Really nice ones too! I got passed on the final leg and lost by 100 feet to Brannon. I turn 55 in August, that's my excuse.
3rd) Jacky. She won a Patagonia bag
In the 12'6 class, prizes were given down to 23rd or 24th place. There was $5000 in prizes given away.
Total number of racers was maybe 50? Double the Fall race.
Coastal Urge has done a wonderful job of promoting the sport and running these races. For the $25 entry fee, you're missing out big time if you don't join us next time.
Blue Water Grill, the starting spot for the race at 7:30 AM. Nobody here yet!
Not much video today. Sorry.
Race Reminder
Skippers meeting is 8:15 Saturday morning at Blue Water Cafe.
This restaurant is on the other side of the waterway from where we started the last race.
See you there.
Wind is forecast to be SSE at 10 mph. Yuk! 
Killer Morning
Holy Cow! Someone caught me on camera. Sub Vector
Brian Autry, Sub Vector
Brad Jones, 9'0 C4
Brad nose walking the 9'0 C4
Z on the Sub Vector
Jacky
Brad, Brian, and z
34,000 hits in the past year. Thanks for stopping by. I never dreamed this would get so big. 
6 Mile Downwinder
READ THIS FIRST
The downwinder goes like this. We race about one mile, I sit and wait for Jacky to catch up, then repeat, until we finish. This is why the video keeps showing me passing Jacky.
Jacky is loving it. She's planing and going fast, unfortunately I keep getting faster too. In a few more weeks her skill will improve and I'll stop getting faster. Then we'll be able to catch runners together.
In non planing conditions she beats me. I'll be slow at next weekends flat water race. I need wind and swell to be fast.
Jacky said she saw either an alligator, or the Loch Ness monster during her run.
Downwinding Rules!
In this video, my camera is mounted under the cargo net, pointed to my left side. Watch how I catch Jacky and pass her. Jacky's board is technically capable of more speed than mine, but she's only done 4 downwinders, while I've probably done 15.
Downwinding requires anyone who does it, to learn the technique of catching swells and staying on a plane. Knowing how to surf is of no help. It is nothing like catching a wave in the surf. Anyone treating it like surfing, will loose the race.
Listen to the sound of my board planing.
We did 8 miles today. Two runs of 4 miles. It was cake. I could do 12 miles no problem if the wind blows! Jacky is dead tired and taking Advil. I'm fresh and ready for more. For those that don't know Jacky, she normally has more endurance than me and most of the guys on the water. The difference is nothing more than practice doing downwinders in the ocean. For rookies showing up and trying to run 12 miles in the ocean on June 6th, you'll be spent long before the finish.
Insane Downwinder Today
Jacky's Board
Jacky and I just finished doing a 4 mile downwinder in 30 mph wind. It was our best downwinder ever! I caught one runner that allowed me to surf from the tail pad, on a large swell, going like a rocket. Another memorable runner came with no visible swell under me, yet I was planing and kept my board on a plane for what seemed like a full minute. It was classic Todd Bradley spinning the ball technique.
The more downwinders we do, the more our skills improve. Downwinders are all about skill. Without skill, you don't catch many runners and your rides are short. I can now understand how pros are on near continuous planing runs in this amount of wind.
We both think the 12 mile race on June 6th is too long a distance. 4 miles of racing is comfortable. 8 miles will kill most of us. 12 miles is not a race, it's a survival game. I want to have enough energy to catch runners and not be forced to limp along the last 4 miles, half dead. We may not enter the race. 
SUPcup in 2 weeks!
Only 2 weeks until the first race of the season. If my 14' flat water racer doesn't sell in the next 2 weeks, I'll race it myself and kick some butt. It might be just a few butts, but I can assure you I won't be last.
FOR SALE 14' Race SUP
My first build, a 14 footer, is For Sale at my cost of materials.
This board has a full perimeter carbon rail.
It is super fast in flat water. The rocker matches a typical racing prone paddleboard, with extra nose scoop for chop.
Write me at fishersfortblog@bellsouth.net if interested.
Buyer must pick it up at my home.
Feature on C4s Shaper
Jacky Ripping the Pier
Jacky, Bat Tail
Jacky
Jacky and Keith
Brian, Sub Vector
Brad, Slingblade
Fun Morning at the Pier
Here is the BIG RACE coming this Summer
I’ve had several people ask me where Onslow Bay is. People who live here!
Check the photo below.
WINDY downwinder tonight
It was so windy tonight, I almost turned chicken and walked back to the truck. I could not hold onto the board in the strong wind. It almost knocked me flat on the beach.
But, I did go for it. Catching runners was easy.
I’m beginning to figure out the best way to catch runners is to wait until you get that "feeling" you're about to catch one, without doing anything, then add some paddle power and you're in. Trying to force yourself into a runner is a waste of time. You can't force it. The "feel" is something you only develop with time doing downwinders. 
Video from this Morning
Surf was excellent this morning, but I was lazy with the camera.
Masonboro Surfing
We surfed Masonboro Island today.
Here we are loading the boat for the trip
Here we are arriving at Masonboro
A little video of our surfing
Downwinding
This is what downwinding is all about. The perfect thrill when it's too windy to kite. Bring it on, 40 knots, 50 knots, who cares, we can handle it!
Videos are Back!
After the fun morning session the wind came up, so the new race board got tested. Here it is. 27 3/4 wide x 4 3/4 thick. More stable than board number 1. More rocker than board number 1. It felt perfect in the 18-20 mph wind today. I caught many runners and two really long rides. Both of my best runners came when spinning the ball, as taught by Todd Bradley.
No title
Board #2
The finbox and inserts are going in tonight.
Board weighs 26.5 lbs before sanding.
You only have to suffer one more week with my board building posts. After #3 is completed, I'm retiring from shaping and going back to SURFING.
I’ve missed a lot of surfing time trying to get these boards done. 
Board #3 Started and #2 Almost Done
Board #2 (my board) with deck lamination done. Carbon deck is reinforced with scraps from doing bottom. Board was going to be yellow, but that was scrapped. Now it will be painted white like a pop out. Thanks go out to Blane for helping me avoid some mistakes. Blane's a regular on the shapers forum.
Board #3 (Jacky's Board) with carbon bottom laminated
All CARBON
All carbon bottom and rails on this one.
I did my first downwinder in HIGH wind this afternoon. The wind was SW 35-40 mph.
Now I get it. I was catching runners and surfing swell 1 mile offshore. I was falling constantly. It was super challenging, and definitely the next big thrill in stand up.
My board worked fine. I'm glad I didn't get that XP Vortice. I don't think I could handle the narrow width of that board in today's conditions. My next board, with 1/2" extra width in the middle, and a wider tail, should be ideal for today's conditions.
It took 20 minutes to go 2 miles. Normally that run takes one hour on my sub vector. 
C4 Microsoft Video with Jacky
Jacky made the final cut. Look for her at the 3:07 mark, behind Brian. This is the video Todd invited us to join during our vacation in Oahu. It's amazing how slick the final product is.
C4 Waterman Rides the Wave to Success, Use Technology to Double Business 
Race Boards 2 and 3 Shaped
Shaping is done for boards 2 and 3. Shown here just after applying spackle. Fine sanding tomorrow.
Race Boards Number 2 and 3
Jacky and my race boards are hot wired and ready for shaping tomorrow. These two boards are the REAL ones.
The first one I built was just for practice and testing. It will likely be sold for the cost of materials.
These FINAL boards will be clear lamination's, with all carbon bottom and rails, with color in the deck. Carbon will be inlaid under the paddle stance spot too.
Jacky’s has a narrow tail, with overall width at 27 1/4". Mine is 27 3/4 wide with wider tail for extra stability. Thickness was reduced to 4 3/4 from 5" on the first one.
I'm Glad the Finbox is Strong
I took the raceboard for a downwinder today. The wind was blowing hard, then died 5 minutes into my run. Crap! I need wind to catch runners!
Anyway, when I finally came ashore, I caught a tiny piece of swell (not a breaking wave) and it took off like a missile. I was going so fast, I figured I had no chance to stop gracefully. I ripped my leash off while screaming toward the beach and bailed. The board flew up the beach without me. My need to spaz out was prompted by the urgency to get in while I could. The sets were huge today. I came ashore during a brief break in the sets. 
No title
Brad and I paddled out CB inlet this morning for a downwinder. BAD IDEA!
The wind in our faces combined with the relentless swell coming in the inlet made it an endless nightmare of waves. It would have been way smarter to paddle out straight off the beach and be free of the waves quickly.
I turned around once we made it to the buoys and downwinded back down the inlet. I was able to catch swell and get rides pretty easy. The board is FAST and GLIDES. But it also pearls big time. It's definitely a better flat water racer. I need to make some design changes for the next one.
Kiting was great though! 
Race Board Photos
It's almost done. After these photos were taken, I sanded it one more time. It will get repainted tomorrow evening for the final time, I hope!
The deck pads are NOT stuck down yet
New Blogs to Me
Here are some blogs worth checking out.
http://carolinabeachsup.blogspot.com/ A new blog from one of the CB surf crew.
http://lifeamphibious.blogspot.com/ A fellow kitesurfer and SUP surfer. Some interesting stuff on this one. 
My Board Design Details
Below is the Bill Foote designed 14 ft race board. This is a board everyone who tries it, loves it. Including Stoneaxe, who participated in the Kenalu Raceboard Showcase. This is Rand's board from the standupzone. He had this one built after one demo on a similar board. Rand's prior boards were the XP Vortice, and several custom SIC race boards. So it was high praise coming from a guy with that extensive quiver history, to say he had to have this Foote board. That was my first clue to go with a windsurf rocker. Foote is an old windsurf board builder, so I assumed the rocker had some windsurf knowledge in it.
Another photo of the Foote, in process of being built.
My template was copied from this photo. This is the new F-14 production board. Considered one of the hot new fast boards for the coming racing season. It was very easy to print this photo, determine the scale, then take dimensions right off the photo. I wanted to use the F-14 template instead of Foote's wide tail template, but still wanted the clean release square tail, so my tail is square, but only a few inches wide at the back. It was my belief the narrow tail would make my board faster in non planing conditions, than Foote's wide tail.
My rocker was created by measuring a windsurfer. The windsurfer I measured was shorter than 14ft, so I had to project that rocker out farther to see where it ended up. Once I had that info, I compared it to this standard blank available from American Blanks. The rockers matched from mid point back. The nose rocker on the windsurfer was way more. Therefore I added 2" of nose rocker to this blank. Width was reduced to match what the top production race boards are doing. Between 26 1/2 and 27 wide.
Next I looked into prone paddleboard rockers to see how flat they were. These are the boards made for California racing. They use 1 1/2" of tail rocker. I didn't want to go that flat, because my board was designed for swell chasing. This just confirmed I was where I wanted to be with 2" of total tail rocker from the mid point (7 ft up).
This is how I created it. I'm stoked it turned out fast as hell. 
Water Test of the 14 ft Race Board
It's FAST
The board has exceeded my wildest expectations.
This was definitely worth the effort.
It felt fast upwind too. Amazing, because until today, upwind always felt like torture.
Sorry about the iphone photos. I was in a rush to get on the water.
Here is Brad coming down the waterway.
Here is Brad passing by.
Here is Brad trying to stop. You actually have to throw on the brakes with this board. It glides fast.
Next step is to actually finish the board.
It still has round soft rails in the back, and the bottom still hasn't been sanded perfectly flat. So it's going to get FASTER.
FYI, the sharp rails in the back of a board are built up using tape and resin. That will be done later this week. Then it needs some paint and a deck pad.
This was the quick and dirty test, just to see if this was a waste of time. I'm thrilled to know it's not. Now I'll order fiberglass for board number 2 and start shaping that one next week.
Stability and volume feel perfect in the flat water. I'll do an ocean downwinder tomorrow evening to confirm everything is OK for rough water.
The board is 26 3/4 wide.
I saw a huge school of sharks tonight circling in the eddy currents where Snows Cut meets the Intercoastal. Needless to say, I didn't paddle at that spot. 
Done Sanding
Daylight Savings could not have come at a better time.
After sanding, I fixed the few places I sanded through. If I don't find any places I missed tomorrow, I just may water test it.
I’d like to make a test run while we've got the SW winds blowing.
Later in the week I'll paint and deck it. For tomorrows test, I'll rely on booties for deck traction.
The neighbors were staring at the redneck sanding in his driveway.
Finished weight is 29 lbs. 
Garage Built 14' SUP Update
Sand coat curing now. Sand tomorrow. Water test next weekend.
My New Board Brand
This logo will be on my new board 
Why I'm Building a Downwind Board
http://www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=48247&whichpage=3
40 knots at your six and no land in sight. Just you and a few buds swell chasing the perfect storm.
Follow the link and read the story of these Aussie swell chasers. Be sure to read page 2 and page 3 of the post.
New Rocker Jig Design
This rocker jig is built from gas spring parts. A gas spring is what holds the hatch open on your car.
The white channel is from the shelving found in your bedroom closet. The bungee adds stability prior to tightening the wing nuts.
Click this photo for details on the exact parts to buy and the cost. I used www.mcmaster.com to get my gas spring parts.
http://ncpaddlesurfer.blogspot.com/2007/12/rocker-jig.html Here is my old rocker jig based on a popular design found on the web. It's OK for goofing around, but is useless for serious work.
My new rocker jig locks down secure and precise. I can map the exact profile of a rocker. 
Our Future
Get on board or get out of the way because SUP is taking over.
Day 3 – Garage Built 14' Race SUP
Shaping is done. A big thanks go to my surfing bud Igor for lending me his F2 windsurfer. The shape is windsurf inspired, not surfboard.
What a mess it made of the garage!
The final shape, ready for spackle
Day 2 – Garage Built 14' Race SUP
Head High Surfing got in the way of my shaping today, so limited progress in the shaping room (a.k.a the garage). But, boy the surfing was insane. Dawn patrol netted us pure glass in thick fog and no crowds. In fact, we had the waves at the pier all to ourselves.
Template laid out
Ready for cutting
All cut and ready for final shaping tomorrow
The mini hotwire used for the rail cut
My Race Board
My race board is FINALLY done. Paint, decals, pad, cargo retainers, 100% done.
Here is the windsurf fin I'm using. A race blade with swept tip, to prevent catching on a sand bar and ripping the box out.
