Gionni's Green Machine

This big boy quad is the second generation in Gionni's quest for a floaty yet maneuverable short board. He got a good 5 years out of his last one so he was due. This time around we added some tail rocker to give it a tighter turning radius.



We also used the Simon Anderson quad fins for more grip and drive and, in Gionni's words, "I'm loving the new board. It turns great and can still move down the line when I want it to. Stoked!"

Self Standing Blank

Ernie from US Blanks was delivering foam yesterday. As he was pulling blanks from the truck, I saw this blank and thought, "what the heck is that thing for?"

So I did a little research and found out the blank was for legendary shaper and forward thinker Joel Woods. Joel is best known for the Intruder series he did for O'Neills in the 60s. He also created a variety of asymmetrical shapes and foils that suited the right point breaks here in Santa Cruz.



This blank is for a reproduction of one of those shapes. I can't wait to see how the thing turns out. For me the blank in it's raw form, with it's balsa outrigger and offset stringers, stands on it's own. It really starts one thinking of the possibilities of wood, foam, and fun.

Wild and Wooly

After a nice run of surf and weather this fall and early winter, the door has now been kicked in and through it a series of storms has been pummeling the coast with heavy surf, wind, and rain. This annual scouring of the cliffs and beaches is a reminder that the sands of time wait for no one.



When the not so "pacific" ocean is on the march, it inspires awe and respect for it's moods and unrelenting power. A few days brought the low pressure close to shore which meant steep wave periods that sent rouge waves steamrolling through parts of the ocean that rarely see breaking waves.



A highlight is that the major rivers are now running and the much anticipated sand flow is in motion. Could it be a river mouth year? Well, as one sage curmudgeon once told me, if there is a big ole log jam flowing down the San Lorenzo River, there most likely will also be a big ole (surfboard) log jam at the river mouth this spring.

Rock Candy

Even Willy Wonka would be hard pressed to come up with tastier treats then these three longboards fresh from the factory.



Tim wanted a racy performance longboard for chasing the overhead waves that sweep the lineup at Pleasure Point and outlying areas. We used my favorite Phil Edwards' template, gave it a crisper edge along the tail, and made it a tri fin. With a color job like this, Tim will have no worries about getting fired up to charge the set waves.



Bill wanted an all around Cruzer that would trim and nose ride well. He also wanted something beefy that would handle the open waters off Ocean Beach. The triple stringer pin tail was a natural choice.



For Drew, we copied one of his favorite boards. This time around we added a double barrel concave through the back third of board for extra speed and drive and we also beefed up the glass job.





Three longboards with three different designs and intended uses, but they all say "hail" to the beauty of a glossed and polished surfboard.

Easy Rider in Puerto Rico

Allyn got a warm welcome in PR, scoring some great surf.



Here he slides into a nice windswept wall. In his words, "the board worked great at Wildo, just as planned. Smooth and stable on the big drops."

He then asks, "can you make me another one for here. Identical. Same yellow bottom, plain white top, all the rest the same?"

Well the answer is yes, but I may have to personally deliver this one.

And the Band Played On

This was the last waltz for Gary Stachan in his role as a California State Park Ranger, including a long running gig as head ranger at Año Nuevo State Park. After 34 years of service, Gary is retiring. To celebrate he threw a classic shindig full of music, food, and good friends.



As a hardcore surfer and accomplished waterman, Gary has been outstanding in his field. He has always stood tall in the forest of bureaucrats and has embodied the meaning of stewardship of our state's wild places.



During his tenure, the parks along the North Coast have been transformed into real gems of stunning beauty that are well planned, accessible, and most importantly, still natural and wild. Gary was profiled in the summer 2006 Surfer's Journal. It's a good glimpse of a waterman's life as a California State Park Ranger.



How many rangers do you see in a surfboard print button down wearing a lei? Even though Gary will no longer be the front man at Año, rest assured that he has found his voice and will continue to hit the right note in more ways than one (more surfing and kitesurfing!)



I know that for my family, his work along this coast has made our lives richer. Let's hope that Sacramento and the people of California follow his tune and the song remains the same.

Feliz Año Nuevo

Easy Rider

Allyn makes his annual migration to the warm waters of Puerto Rico and wanted a serious Fun Gun for cruising the bigger waves at places like Wilderness. We set it up with 5 boxes so he could try it as a quad and also gave it a heavy glass job to deal with the strong winds and bump that come with bigger waves in PR.

It's Good To Be Loved

Leslie, the SwimArt open water swim coach, had her surfboard swiped recently. But she wasn't without a board for long thanks to these amazing speedo clad polar bears who banded together and had me build her a custom board complete with business logo. The next time you're out surfing Fort Point and you see a few bright colored swim caps bobbing around, you might have to reassess your definition of "hardcore"!

Trouble in Paradise

Steve sends this photo and some insight into what folks living in paradise are faced with when things get rocking in the big pond (and being a surfer, he also took note of the surf potential and local customs).

"I recently went to survey the damage caused by the tsunami in American Samoa. It was my first time working in a disaster area and it was kind of heavy. Some of the villages were completely wiped out. The Samoan people were unbelievably friendly and were quickly cleaning up and rebuilding their homes and lives. Everyone had an incredible story to tell about their experience with the tsunami. I attached a photo I thought you might be interested in, tsunami damge and a perfect wave in the background.

Unfortunately too much survey gear to bring a board!! I know, hard to believe. Plus there are basically no surfers on American Samoa. No surf shops. No boards to rent. Not even a surf sticker anywhere. But there are plenty of spots and we saw alot of perfect set-ups. Most of the spots appear to be high tide only shallow reef ledges. There was quite a bit of wind at the places with the most swell as well. The wave in the photo was a few feet overhead, spitting and makeable. At low tide, every wave ended on dry reef. Respect is key in Samoa. You can't just pull up and surf. You have to find the village Chief (Matai) and ask for permission to basically even just hang out. The people are super friendly and there are no problems, but you have to ask."

2009 Sunset

Rebecca and Buell sent this photo from their recent Baja adventure and it reminded me that the sun is setting on 2009. Where has the time gone? This past month I've had a full plate. The blog got pushed to the back burner as board orders, holidays, and family fun time began to boil over.

I feel at times that I haven't done justice to all the great feedback I get from my customers. So for these last few days of 2009, my hope is to share a few of the great stories and photos from the year.