East Coast Orca

“Tim here is a shot of the orca someone sent me.”Merrick.

Photo Mikal Boukhari

Nice one Merrick.

Reverse lap tint

    

Asymmetrical 5’8” single fin

      

Look at each half as an individual… you know it makes sense.

5’8” x 20 1/2” x 2 3/8” with double concave spiral V and hull nose.

Will be an Indigo reverse lap single fin + “drifta” style out-riggers.

Asymmetric happiness

Rode the asymmetric today in nicely overhead point surf, backside – still loving it!

North Atlantic Right Board

This is my new Long(ish)board… it finally graced the waves last weekend and what a baptism. I LOVE this board, everything from the shape and tint to the accidental resin bleeds on the nose concave panel.

I was surfing a right hand reef at about head-high. This is probably the easiest wave catcher i have ever had and the board was so manoeuvrable and drivey i really did wonder whether I would ever bother with a shortboard again (which i did later this week but that’s another review).

It delivered in  every area. Even roundhouse cutbacks, which on an 8’10 for a shortboarder is saying something. I even had a few cover-ups as the board rode so beautifully high and tight in the pocket. I guess it further reinforces my belief that asymmetrics really are the best way to go.          

East Coast EVOs

Atlantic POD and Orca sent over to Florida just before Christmas. With export packing by yours truly I am pleased to say they arrived without a scratch. Looking forward to more 2013 reviews from Merrick soon.

   Merrick had a couple of Freakfish off me a while ago, the Hendrix ink work was fun to do.

80 grit…

Just been attacking the “Longish” with 80 grit… sanding really is an overlooked art… so easy to sand through and create a weak point on the rail;. I like the way Daz has been showing me to do this one, he calls it an  Australian Hot coat… just do the rails and fins… then finish with a gloss coat. Hope to have this one ready for pinlines  and ink by the end of the week with any luck.

Hot

Today’s hot coat on the asymmetric long(ish)… laps only. These will be sanded back before a final gloss coat… all in the interests of reduced weight but equal strength.

Going to be a logo free deck with a little ink on it…

Fin asymmetry

More tint

Concave tint

Metallic silver grey asymmetric

New pigment i am trying… not as metallic as the copper bronze but a lovely colour…

More asymmetry

    

BONZER wins Smithy Invitational

It was double overhead plus at Welcombe. Ig Wilkinson had come through the first super heavy heat on a very retro 6 ft twin fin and was wondering what to ride for the finals.

Whilst the other 3 finalists chose old faithfuls Ig, with a little encouragement from literary master and photo journalist Lee Robertson (thanks for the pic Lee), thought “I know  I’ll try a bonzer, and why not that weird looking asymmetric Tim is always banging on about.”

He won with smooth powerful carves, big turns on even bigger faces. To me he looked immediately comfortable and was able to lay down turns comfortably across the powerful walls. He won the contest with ride of the day, a massive right that broke from way out back all the way to the inside, surfer and board always ahead, always in control.

Ig really impressed me with his surfing, but also with his open mindedness. Thanks, respect, and congrats.

Orca

Orca – the asymmetric bonzer - finally finished – not been a rush due to my knees, but now it is complete i am so excited to ride it and see how it performs… see if the theories are realised in its performance… probably the most excited I have been since the Joker.

Original link with all the concepts is here

              

Enough pics?