East Coast girls are hip.....

I'm pleased to share with you my first US acquisition since relocating from Sydney.
A 6'2 Wave Riding Vehicle triple fly channel bottom, swallow tail, star fin system, twin fin. This board was built on the East Coast and its the first East Coast board I've ever had my hands on. Its nice and thick and features unique channels in the tail that don't extend any further than the fins.
My 'assistant' limited my ability to get a lot of detail shots for you, so I promise there will be more to come.
It goes really well in small mushy conditions, which should come as no surprise given its roots. WRV even sell a t-shirt that pokes fun at local conditions.

The same way basket ball players buy the same shoes as their favorite professional players, surfers generally order boards that are the same dimensions that the top 44 are riding.
This was great during the 80's when the pro tour spent most of its time at Huntington, Bondi, Chiba , Newquay and that crappy beach break in Brazil. Beaches that have similar conditions to my home breaks of Manly and Bondi and now San Diego, most of the year.
But it was a disaster for ordinary surfers when they invented the 'WCT dream tour'. Not only had pro surfers become true athletes but they were only riding boards built for conditions that most of us would see only a handful of times a year.


This boards design was based on that of a cigarette smoking, beer drinking 80's pro (not cheyne, maybe simon?!) who surfed comps in 2 foot sloppy beach breaks and it therefore is absolutely perfect for me!








More pics.....

MR's competition quiver

Hunting around in my new friend's shed I was blown away to see a stack of boards I recognized.

A STACK!! of MR's personal competition boards from the 80's complete with Mango and Victory Wetsuit decals still with original 80's deck grip.

He said "oh that's nothing"

"I've got an original - Mark Richards- Team Bolt- SKY-twin fin" and there it was tucked away over in the corner.

MR at Tamarama by Sean Davey

OH MY GOD- WHATS THIS??!!

.......so stoked.......

Rusty

I was lucky enough to get to visit Rusty Preisendorfer yesterday in San Diego and sneak behind the curtains and get a look at where the magician perfects his tricks. A kinder gentleman you will never meet. A true poet warrior.


Knowing of my passion for 80's twin fins, Rusty showed me a recent acquisition of his, an early bat tail twinny he shaped back in the old days at Canyon.


Where the magic happens.


Scary big boards.


There was history everywhere.


Half the top 44's home numbers are up on that wall.


Local break.


Local culture.


Trip planning.

Fine example of the species.

Here we find an excellent example of the the species.
Original early 1980's Simon Anderson shaped Energy Thruster with all the characteristics you would want and expect.

Order- Innovation period polyurathane foam and fibreglass surfboard.
Family- Northern beaches, Sydney. University of Narrabeen.
Genus- Energy (simonus andersaurus)
Species- Thruster

Classic markings. Subtle hips. Big fat square ass.

Phil has this for sale on ebay.

Leucadia

Lightning Bolt Twin Fin Fetish

I made a friend on the weekend who shares my fetish for 80's Lightning Bolt twin fins. We were like two 12 year old grommies getting completely stoked out in the shed.






Sadly, I had to leave my collection behind in Australia.

Innovation isn't alway pretty

Innovation in surfboard design isn't always pretty nor is it always functional. Sometimes you've got to push things to their logical extreme to work out where the right balance is.





The hollow fins are a nice touch.

Observations of a tsunami

It was interesting to observe the effects of the horrific Japanese tsunami on Californian coast the 11th of March.
The Coast Guard were reporting the the wave was due to hit San Diego at 8.45am.
The Fire Department were in position, the Lifeguards cleared the beach with flashing lights on their truck and the choppers buzzed the coast.
At approx 8.42, when the tide was meant to be pushing in, it drained out equal to that of a mild low tide. 3 or 4 mins latter the water level returned to the high tide mark.
The hearts of all San Diego go out to the people of northern Japan affected by the disaster.