Full circle-coming back to where it all began

Cuttlefish · Post by **Cuttlefish** » Sun Apr 18, 2010 6:21 pm

After 30 years of riding footboards I'm about to come back to riding a kneeboard. Been riding shortboards, fish, eggs, longboards and wanted to get back to my roots.
Just been talking to David Parkes about a 2nd hand board which should suit me and hopefully next week I'll be on it. Has to have some ding repairs first.
It is a 5'10 X 23 (ish) X 2&1/2 quad fish and I'm 47 yrs old, 6'1" and 200lbs (90kgs) and will use fins/flippers with it.
I'm keen to go and pick it up and David will let me take it for a wave so that I'll be sure it paddles well enough (the riding part may take a little memory jolting I think).
Had a great time reading through much of the design and general kneeboarding threads here.
I learnt to ride waves on a Crozier slab single and then his twins.
looking forward to learning along the way from the community here and hopefully catching up with some of the local Sunshine coast (Qld-Oz) crew who post on here.
It's going to be very interesting to see how the advancements in board design have changed things from what I remember.....

Kev · Post by **Kev** » Sun Apr 18, 2010 6:28 pm

get in touch with Shelfbreak or bwqld or wanderer
these a points score once a month
DON'T worry about points ... it's all about getting together

use the chance to ride a variety of boards

I'll be up there this winter and any/all of my boards will be available to ride

I'm 6'4" and 90kgs and use flippers too
it's all good

Stanley · Post by **Stanley** » Mon Apr 19, 2010 4:32 am

Yess Kev you do use flippers and still get your self in the wrong positions.

It was only the other day when i was surfing Portsea. I thought I could hear a crow carrying on FERK FARK FARK FARK Nope it wasn't a crow, you guessed it it was Kev .

It work well to our favor as the stand up surfers thought "whose this crazy" and left the waves we were surfing.

Great job mate

Cuttlefish · Post by **Cuttlefish** » Mon Apr 19, 2010 11:49 am

Thanks for the offer of trying some of your boards Kev.
Went into Inside Edge (surf shop) at Maroochydore yesterday to see if Brian had some Hot Buttered Octafins after reading about them on here.
Sure enough he has them and even offered to let me have a kneeboard stashed in the rafters of his shop to ride.
For anyone who's a student of surfboard history the rafters of his shop are chocka (that's full) of old boards. Mostly stand up but he even has a couple of spoons up there.
After all Alexandra Headland just up the road was a testing ground for GG back in the day.
I will no doubt get to meet some of the local crew soon enough.
Have chatted to some of the kneelos when I've seen them out in the water before and so they will recognise the face but not my board.
Will have to go and see the spectacle of the Points score.
Do they work in negative values for newbies?

skansand · Post by **skansand** » Mon Apr 19, 2010 1:19 pm

Lets see this board!

that sounds like a cool surf shop,

Kev · Post by **Kev** » Mon Apr 19, 2010 1:27 pm

Cuttlefish wrote:... the spectacle of the Points score.
Do they work in negative values for newbies?

no need to worry about that
it's so relaxed you'll get points for making the judges laugh
... that's how I get points !!

some pictures of some sessions from a couple of years back
http://www.diyfactory.com/surf/SCKC01.htm

look to the past sessions
http://www.diyfactory.com/surf/SCKC_Aug08.htm
http://www.diyfactory.com/surf/SCKC_Sep08.htm
http://www.diyfactory.com/surf/SCKC_Oct08.htm

Alex is too crowded and not worth it
Moffat on a big day, Cartwright for a relaxing walk
and don't tell anyone
Firetail Crt at that place that starts will W

Cuttlefish · Post by **Cuttlefish** » Tue Apr 20, 2010 11:24 am

Didn't take Brian up on the offer of riding one of his boards yet.
The spoons I can go and take photos of.
Probably need to email them to someone to post on here as I'm pretty computer challenged.
Did take a 6' Out the back board out yesterday at Maroochydore (Sharks actually) though.
Classic: every wave was 2' overhead.
Found it very hard to paddle and not particularly easy to catch waves which was the opposite of what I was expecting.
Though duckdiving was brilliant with flippers/fins on. Kick or two coming back up and the feel of propulsion was great.
The board was set up as a thruster with the Shapers fins in a MR large sides and a small trailer.
Found it a little stiff but my last board was a twinnie.
Being epoxy I was expecting it to paddle better and I actually had a 5'10" fish made by them which I rode for a year before the deck was heavily footwelled and delaming but it paddled like a canoe.
I'll try again on Thursday.
Keen to get the W spot on a good clean swell when I have my own board and have dialled it in.
Lots of places around the coast where I know a kneelo is going to be in his/her element.
A mate I surf with a lot lives at Coolum so the Pt there right on the first section would be good in the couple of times it breaks every year.
Happy to say I made every drop which I wasn't expecting. The feeling of speed was as I remember.
Used Hydro tech II's as flippers and feel the blades aren't stiff enough for my liking so looking around for some better options.
Tried a pair of HB Octa's on at Brian's shop and they felt comfortable but really heavy. My lcalves are prone to cramping when riding stand ups so will have to choose wisely.
Also tried on a pair of POD I's which have a smooth top and they felt much lighter and still comfortable with a short stiff blade.
Going to check out some Vipers and then decide.
Used to use Duck feet but haven't seen any around.
Good to have swell at the moment.

Kev · Post by **Kev** » Tue Apr 20, 2010 12:45 pm

a few things in that post to cover

the 6' board not being what you expected
... would need to know more about it to comment

paddling a catching waves can be more than just length
entry rocker and overall rocker and even rail foil ... and thickness all play a part

it only takes one thing to be off and it can put the brakes on

Fins
for a while I was on the large fins, I have a varied collection
I'm now off the MR and LMT large fins as i found on the larger and speedier waves the larger fins would put the brakes on the quick sections (probably due to the toe in)

I'm back to smaller YU and GAM with a variety of centers and Shapers 3 and 5 ...GX and the MR stinger
and WORK harder to engage that rail

One of these days I'll get an epoxy board to see what all the fuss is about

Flippers
OctoBlade from HB ... bought over the net ... thanks MJ
less thrust than ChurchHills
soft ... left is right
cramping is marginally better than CH's
???
and I find then lighter than the others ... so I'm confused there
never tried PODs

very warm here, both weather and water, swell, offshore and much fewer schooolies, Liiids, Grommers
too many Logs
and SUPs .... arrggghhh

Cuttlefish · Post by **Cuttlefish** » Tue Apr 20, 2010 2:49 pm

I suprised myself by the weight of the HB's.
I'll have to have another look though.
Regarding the paddling of the 6'er I had read comments from the Sunny coast crew who tried them that at least one of them preferred the 6'2" they make.
I was given the 6'er as it is the owner of Out the Back's personal board.
Felt like the larger fins had too much hold for me at this stage. However they do have plugs for a quad set up.
The Parkes that Dave reckons will be allright for me is a quad so I'm waiting until I get my mitts on that.

When I had the 5'10" stand up fish I swapped with a guy out at Granite one day who had the same board in a 6'2". Found the 5'10" paddled noticeably better and owner of the longer board was amazed to find this as well. Exactly what you're saying with balance of planshape, foil, rocker.

Bit of a fan of epoxy. Have had carbon fibre/epoxy boards from Dick Van Straalen and they are special. My 8 Dick Van Straalen all rounder has never not made a section at Nationals @ Noosa.
The carbon fibre board made by Analbirth has all the makings of a rocket.

Cuttlefish · Post by **Cuttlefish** » Tue Apr 27, 2010 5:14 pm

Update: Captain's log April 28th, 2010.
The stealth fighter has landed.
Yes fans of speed, manouvreability and as an added bonus; durability I am now the proud owner of an Al Bruce (Analbirth) designed, Dave Parkes shaped EPS and carbon fibre quad fin fish.
For those who've never ridden a board made out of these materials grab the chance if you ever have one.