Gothness

The super natural AK.

http://www.displacementfilm.com/

Aircraft Acrobatics

All hail the mat riders.

www.surfmat.com

Waxy

Make your own surf wax. Here's what you'll need:

1 hot plate.
1 old crusty pot that you'll never ever want to use again.
1 cup cake pan with baking paper baking cups.
1 block of pure bee's wax.
1 sticky handful of tree sap from your neighbors yard.
1 can of coconut oil.
Extras include color crayons for color or vanilla extract, jasmine oil, etc. for sent.

For cold water wax the proportions are:
50% bee's wax
40% coconut oil
10% tree sap
For warmer water wax add more bee's wax and less coconut oil.

Melt the bee's wax in the pot over the hot plate. Add in the tree sap, coconut oil and optional extras and mix it all up real good. Pour the concoction into the baking cups to form the individual bars. Let it sit for a hour to cool and you're set. -MR

Little Jumbo Dumbo

The story goes something like this. BM is down in Malibu hanging out with friend DP. DP has this old 5’-0” something kneeboard which he asks BM to paint some crap on it. So BM takes the board with those intentions but never gave it back. Sometime goes by and BM along with JL need to show some junk at an art showing put on by OP in SF. This board was sitting around so they used it in the show. It has the words GO HOME written on the deck in blood-dripping red spray paint. About a year after the show BM is cleaning out his studio and this board made its way into the garbage mound. So JL rescues it and asks me to glass some fins onto it since the previous one was broken off. I forget from who or where the whole idea came about but we decided on some ridiculously over sized keel fins. More of a joke then anything. The best part was walking it down the beach to the water and having all of these hardcore surfers staring at you with a WTF expression on there faces. So I finished glassing on the fins and sent out the photos to a few friends. One of my friends, CR, who I sent the photos to was in Australia at the time visiting TW learning the process of making wooden surfboards. It turns out that DP is also living in Australia and is also friends with TW. That night after dinner CR shows TW and DP the photos I e-mailed him. DP is blown away! First he couldn’t believe that someone would do something so stupid like that but gets a laugh out of it anyway. Then he realizes that, that board is his and he’s not laughing so hard now. DP makes the connection about the circle of friends and how the board moved around over all these years. To top it all off, he wants his board back but he hasn’t got it back and he probably will never get it back. I’m sure the first thing he does if he gets it back is hack of the fins and of course shake a strong fist at us. The board surfs like shit which everyone expected but we all gave it a go anyway. It’s like riding a raging bull down a muddy road. The last I heard of it was when AK took it out to only be defeated by the beast. -MR

El Rancho

Has there ever been that one surf spot you've dreamed of surfing? Ever time I come across some photos of this classic place, it intrigues me even more. Last winter I had some photos were sent to me by AK which I wish I could post but they're considered TOP SECRET. It's a shame because the photos display the waves at their best. So I'll leave you with these teasers. -MR

surfer: Skip Frye / photo by: Ron Stoner

photo by: unknown

surfer: Danny Hazard / photo by: unknown

photos: unknown

Foiled Fin for 9'-6"

I finished foiling and glassing that fin for the 9'-6" mentioned below. I came up with the template by messing around with some french curves and other fins. It's made of 1/2", finland birch marine ply that I picked up from WoodCraft--> http://www.woodcraft.com/. A 1/2"x12"x30" sheet cost about $15 and I can get about four fins from it depending on their size. Foiling a fin takes about 15 minutes and glassing it takes about 30 minutes. After it's foiled I then wrap two layers of 4oz. cloth on each side of the fin. It's fun, easy and cheap. This one cost about $9 in materials and surfing something you made is priceless. One of these days I'll get around to posting the step by step process. -MR

Trim Speed

The surf is chest to head high clean hollowing rights at my favorite spot down in Capitola. A nice one is coming in so I swing my board around and paddle for it. Dropped in at an angle with a low neutral stance Derek Hynd style. I fly down the face in a high trim line with the spray coming off my bow and into my eyes. I get sucked back into the pocket and can feel the lip covering my back and hitting the outside rail. It’s a steep face and I know it’s about to section in the same spot as the last waves I slid down earlier. It doesn’t matter, I still grab the rail tight and tuck down waiting for it to happen. Sure enough, just like the last waves before I didn’t make the section. Only if I was going a little bit faster. I know it’s possible to pass the section because I’ve been lucky enough to have done it in the past. If you ever succeed making the section you’re granted another 25 yards to run through an even hollower face on the inside. I like to think my board is the reason why I’m not going as fast as I should. You see, I’m riding my pig shape here and it wasn’t designed to surf that well in these type of waves. I pulled the widest part of the board back giving it hips so it can turn easier in the beach break waves that I normally ride. In these fast, hollow waves the hips do two things that don’t work in my favor. One; they create more drag and two; they get wobbly and want to slide-ass. So I came up with a solution and it’s something that I’ve been thinking about for awhile now. I’ve decided to have Bob Miller (www.bluecoilsurf.com) craft me this new surfboard, a 9’-6” pin tail with loads of trim speed. I did a little sketch and gave it to BM. The blank was ordered and he should start shaping it anytime now. Just in time for Fall. BM is a true craftsmen and his shapes fit my surfing style perfectly. I was inspired by the old Pipeline guns of the 60’s and the green gun that Tom Wegener surfed in the film Siestas y Olas. I hope I’m on the right track. I’m making the fin for it now and I’ll post pictures of that soon.

-MR