Porpoise 2

After some revisions and test rides by Anthony, discussions with my guru-panel (Phil & Nigel) we have concluded that the area for improvement is fin placement. There was always going to be a lot of force going through them with the narrow base (and I have already cracked the rovings) but the proximity to the bonzer EVO3 sides is the real issue… so its off with all of them and then back on with some reinforcement. I am going to reduce the size of the bonzer side EVO3s to the same as the front EVO5 set up, AND most crucially give them more space between them… it has felt like the water at times is having to squeeze between them and this may account for the feeling of drag just before take off, which isn’t ideal for a lazy paddler like me. So an extra 1/2 inch gap should sort that out.

Anthony has been riding it quite a bit and is really loving it… he grabs it whenever he can and seems to just flow into a ridiculous number of long walled up waves. It’s definitely his small wave board of choice just exactly as it is… but for me the lazy paddler the reduction in drag will be welcome and should improve the boards already great speed.

There is definitely something special going on with this board, it just feels great under you when paddling and riding and seems to smooth out whatever your normal style is… and yet you can still whack it off the top when you feel inclined.

Devil is in the detail

Just one of my recent favourites... amber resin tint by myself and Jason, pinlines by Chris Harris, and pen artwork by yours truly.

Wedges

I have to say that almost a week of clean swell, great light winds and sunshine are pretty rare but it all came together last week. I didn’t get in as often as i would have liked (“responsibilities”) but I got my share. Highlight was at a known beach break I'll call “Wedges” which had a wedging take off and a fast wall with plenty of juice. The freakfish was just awesome and i was stoked to have some guy ask me about it based on how it was surfing… it was handling late-late drops, and then just shooting round the sections into nice big carves and hooks, all backhand. I just loved it.

The porpoise is on the other hand in need of some mods. The biggest issue for me is that it doesn’t seem to get up planing as quickly as i would like. On the plus sides it is very drivey off the bottom and gets round sections beautifully, but it feels stiff off the top.  It’s the projected rake, so I'm going to sand the fins off and place them further up the board by a full inch, remove the EVO3 sides and replace them with EVO5 fronts only… all this should loosen the board up a bit and provide a little less drag which will help a little with wave entry speed too.

Anyways, I'm stoked to build an improved Porpoise, so someone please order one :)

All time favourite…

Just loved this spray when i first saw it. Still love it today… Hot Stuff

Image of Rabbit, 1979, from Australian SW #178

French fancy with a fondant filling...

A new porpoise just got its stripes...

Surf at last…

Sun is out (a bit) surf is up (a bit choppy but very gratefully received) and the lifeguards are back on the beaches… reminding me of fun summers gone by… here's a pic from my last summer (2008) on the beaches of North  Cornwall…  big-up to all the crew, I'll see you in the surf.

 

T-shirts coming soon

Had a chat with Mikey at Seed the other day when i dropped some of the old quiver into Revolver for sale… and looks like I’m going to be getting some nice healthy t-shirts done (as soon as i have done a drawing for them!)… it will be a small run for friends and people who ride my boards only, so if you think you might want one drop me a line an your size. 

In the meantime here’s a favourite pic of Duncan’s (left) and Malcolm’s (right) 1977 bonzers I  scanned in from one of my old Surfer Magazines… classic outlines that are just as valid today as they were back then…

GT Cleanline

Having met Mark of Glass Tiger at the St Merryn Surf Jumble the other week we are now working on a collaboration board - a 6'4" Cleanline bonzer 5 for Pete in Scotland, whose lucky enough to be based around Fraserbrough's icey peaks. I went down to Mark's on Friday to get a better understanding of his process before i shape the core... I have to say its very exciting and great to find someone who is really trying to make boards without drawbacks for the environment or performance...

Nothing new under the sun...

I was browsing Duncan and Malcolm's site this evening and came across an interesting photo which proves the saying "there is nothing new under the sun"...

An early bonzer by Malcolm contrasted against a modern high performance | My "new" shapes: 6'0" Porpoise Vs. 6'10" Cleanline.

Porpoise christening…

First porpoise with the tubercle fins was tested yesterday at a small but clean Boobys Bay… it was only just big enough to surf but the odd waist high set came through and overcame the stiff offshore NEs. The board absolutely flew – really surprising was how it just loved to get up and go, all rides backside, flying across the face with more speed and lift than i had expected. I made lots of long lefts into the shallows with the board seeming to keep speed and flow throughout. The only drawback so far was on take off, a feeling of the board hanging in the lip, though this may have been the wide nose combined with the wind. Otherwise it felt very fluid especially considering the low rocker and straight tail outline. Pretty difficult to gauge the performance characteristics on such small waves but it definitely is a fun ride, just how different, how drivey, and whether it has any drawbacks we will have to wait until we get some more serious surf… hopefully soon…

More porpoise...

5'4" x 19 1/4" x 2 1/4" Porpoise

Slop busting bonzer…

Sloppy day at my local bay on an all time favourite, my 6’0” x 20 1/2” x 2 7/8” BumbleBee from Malcom… on this occasion ridden with a blaspheming 8” Soul-flex rear fin positioned just short of the trailing edge of the bonzer sides.

Rumour has it bonzers only go in perfect waves – personally I enjoy them in all conditions.

PS Big up to Tash who got these shots…

SOLD - Amber EVO5 bonzer

6'10" x 20 1/2" x 2 3/4" Cleanline EVO5 in amber resin tint with blue flash. Fins in American Ash.Another demo board so contact me if you'd like to try this one out. Designed to get in early in the bigger stuff and then carve all over the face. Ideal travel board.

Just been sold to Richard in Ireland to tackle some serious Gary William juice...

Quiver for sale...

Having a bit of a clean out so the following boards are up for grabs... from near to far...

• Ocean Magic 7'0" diamond tail, shaped by Nigel Semmens with bonzer TS EVO3 fins. Lovely retro board that Nigel and I collaborated on for medium to large surf with glide and fluidity as the objective. Despite having taken it out at several of Cornwall's larger surf spots this board is in As-New condition; resin tint on bottom, spray on deck, glossed and polished, and hardly a heel impression. Collectable... £300
• Rockit 7'4" Pintail 5 fin Great travel board as the 5 fin set up will go in anything. I took this board to SE Oz  and then onto the Mentawais. 6oz glass job and As-New condition. A collectable... £250
• Campbell Bros 6'6" POD Bonzer 5 SOLD- 2007 Malcolm Campbell glassed at Ocean Magic... showing some battle scars but still the perfect introduction to bonzers... best roundhouse cutback board ever - (until I came up with the FreakFish). Collectable...£350 for a piece of surfing history.
• Jim Banks 6'10 thruster Indo-special shaped for my trips to Sumatra. A special board with special memories of some of the best barrels of my life. Comes with Speed Fins including a spare set of fronts... another collectable (my garage just isn't big enough) in beautiful condition, no dings just a few dents... £255
• Rockit 7'4" pintail thruster SOLD I had shaped by Phil for my time in the Caribbean. This board lost out to Hurricane Mitch and shows it, but it is still a magic board and ideal for someone who would like a reliable gun that they can play on or just a cheap board that will go in just about anything... if it doesn't sell I'll probably knock the fins off  it as they are worth the money alone, (from C-Fins with carbon inlays)...

on Porpoise...

Porpoise bonzer EVO4 with tubercle fins: 6’0 x 22” x 2 5/8” low entry rocker with concave soft-channel running from the chest and under the front foot (V’d off the rails for roll and the concave for turbulence to overcome the width and enhance rail to rail flow)  into the double concave V with bonzer channels between the fins (guide the water flow)... with a little spiral V kick in the tail to keep it loose... just a little "almost" summer madness...

6'4" Cleanline bonzer EVO5

6'4" x 19 3/8" x 2 7/16" Cleanline bonzer EVO5  for Anthony... this is his high performance board so fingers crossed for some swell soon.

For my daughter...

Thought you might enjoy the artwork i did on her first birthday present...