We just had a beautiful, classic fall weekend in New England. Saturday and Sunday were clones of each other. Bit of frost overnight, covering the boat and car.
However, as the sun started rising higher to the southeast, the temps inched its way into the 40s by mid-morning and 50s after noon hour. Clear blue skies, with an offshore (wsw) breeze cleaning up the easterly swells in the 3’-4’ range. Water temperature was still a balmy 55 degrees.
Must admit, watching the boardies, there was a part of me that really wanted to be out on the waves and making moves on the waveski. However, after the bad showing last weekend with the longboat, I really want to redeem myself. It’s part ego but also part challenge. I just don’t like going out and having a bad outing, session, workout, or whatever physical activity and then leaving it at that. I am compelled to take another crack and improve on the performance if I can.
So, I did have much improved surfing with the longboat this weekend. Better control, longer rides and just a bit more laid back than the first longboat session. What made it better? Any one or more of the following factors: smaller waves (than the 6-7’ of the first session); pulling my footpegs closer to the seat which splayed my thighs into the knee braces for tighter fit and control; and resorting to a Euro (a new 4-piece 192 cm AquaBound Shred ww) rather than the GP.
Here is the 7:20 minute video (teaser-stuff happens at the end, and shows once again why I think a SOT is better/safer option than a SINK for surfing):
You right! The skeg (or lack of) deployment was also a factor. I checked periodically to make sure it was not not down and locking my stern in place. I was to do some long carves by using and alternating outside edge in combination with onside rudder.
It was pretty fun. The implosion was not so much. It just reminded me why I have largely moved away from surfing kayaks to waveskis, especially for winter surf. You can’t get blown out of a belted seat of a waveski. A waveski doesn’t sink and you can always remount, even in the break zone. As long as you don’t let go of it.
I am hoping to get some more longboat sessions in before the winter conditons arrive. I need to pretty much relearn and refine my longboat surfing techniques.
I was actually not awared of the implosion immediately. I am pretty used to maytagging in the surf zone and didn’t take that as indication of anything (except bad edge control). In the impact zone, i am usually taken up with looking around to see where and when the next breaking wave was coming from. I was befuddled why the boat was feeling so tippy and seemingly sluggish. As I was looking glancing towards the cresting wave, I saw and then realized that the cockpit was flooded. It’s sort of a moment of disbelief, realization and then apprehension that, “Oh Shooosh! This is going to suck.”
Along the line of “getting some while you can”, went out for an early morning session. Again, off shore breeze against beautiful 3’ footers in the 10-11 second range.
The good thing about having footage of oneself is that one can critically dissect technique by review video. Better thing is to have surf sessions really close together so that one can really remember, hone in and try to refine specific techniques in question.
The main thing for me to correct, was a very “lazy” stern rudder developed over a decade plus of just committed wavesking. My “stern rudder” is more often just a skimming (convex) blade on the wave surface to help keep balance as I shift one one waveski rail (edge or chine in kayak parlance) to the other. The skimming rudder basically helps to maintain balance while I shift rail to rail. But it is really the waveski rails that carve into the waveface and provide clear directional changes.
However, with the longer kayak and relatively less pronounced chine (rail), the stern rudder is actually more critical in initiating and facilitating the directional changes. The kayak chine does not/cannot carve into a wave as would a waveski rail. This means relying more on the stern rudder and the importance of having the the rudder blade more vertical (perpendicular) into the wave rather than just skimming on or near the top, as I have become more used to. Made a big difference this morning.
The other learning – I favored way short paddles for waveskiing (length just gets in the way). My usual waveski paddle is 180 cm. I tried this paddle with a longboat and know that I got no length/leverage from it for ruddering. Using the 192 cm Aquabound Shred, I notice better capability in digging the blade deeper and further back towards the stern. Got more leverage but it took a lot of muscle. I suspect that a longer paddler, around 200 cm, would probably be better for the longboat surfing. Short enough to still be able to have a higher cadence (than with a longer paddle) but still long enough to offer more mechanical leverage in a stern rudder.
Mahalo for another fine morning session. Waves still out there for several more days.
Looks very good, spot also looks familiar. Yeah it’s fun to mix it up with other kinds of boats, but I always come back to waveskis. Best high speed adrenaline to beat-down pain ratio.
Yeah, I do love so much more waveskiing over longboat surfing. Maybe it’s developed fluency. Just feels more like I am dancing on the wave with a waveski. With the longboat, at my current skills level, I feel like I am pleading with the boat… “Please, please… carve and turn… Yes, yes… away from that poor unsuspecting boardie paddling out…”
Well, I am committed to regaining and furthering the longboat skills. Something possessed me. I have on order a Sterling Progression Kayak coming after the new year. For the price of that sucker, I darn better be able handle it competently, if not skillfully, in the surf zone. Don’t want to be that ole dude (which I am), driving a Masaratti convertable down Highway 1, with top down, at 30 MPH… LOL!
The implosion was not so much. It just reminded me why I have largely moved away from surfing kayaks to waveskis, especially for winter surf. You can’t get blown out of a belted seat of a waveski. A waveski doesn’t sink and you can always remount, even in the break zone. As long as you don’t let go of it.
