I have some of your questions too.
I have several friends who surf Lake Michigan somewhere on the southern part of the Michigan coast line. Hopefully they can get me started. It would be nice if there were a rip that you can go out on if you need to. But we shall see. I bought the boat from NRS.
Rip
I just bought it last week on e-bay for $250. I was surprised that nobody was bidding on it. It looks like most people want the short park and play style. I’m curious how it will do getting out past the breaking waves. The place that I surf at is a bay and always gets a nice rip current that should help.
South Haven Mi. beach cam
Looks good right now (10;0 am). Some waves are pier height, but it looks disorganized at the moment. Supposed to be 2-4s today and getting smaller.
There’s a drop-down box in the upper right corner to choose where you want to look, check the pier.
http://www.mlive.com/beachcam/
Rip Currents
– Last Updated: Sep-25-04 10:12 AM EST –
once you have waves 3' plus, there be noticeable rips somewhere. Look for spots where waves seem to slow down, are smaller, break lightly, or don't break at all.
Getting out through the break zone: Here's what I learned in the past year through the school of hard knocks.
1. Look at the waves and anticipate where the break is going to happen. Head towards that spot.
2. When you see a wave coming, and it doesn't look ready to break, sprint like hell and climb it. Sometimes as you climb up, you can see the wave begin to break. Immediately duck forward and aim the paddle right into the wave. Most cases, you'll punch right through the curl. If you stay straight up, even on a 2' breaking wave, a direct hit on the head/chest can knock the wind out of you. A bigger one will knock you over and suck you out of the boat. I have this happened twice now.
3. As you head towards a wave and are not yet at it's base, or if it's really big, and you notice it's going to break, your best bet is to immediately tuck into a set up position and roll over. The wave will collapse on your hull instead of you. You'll carried back a bit but not much because your body acts as a sea anchor. Roll up once you feel the turbulence passing, and sprint like hell 'cause the next one is coming. If the the wave starts to break, and it's still abit out in front, you may opt not to duck and roll, but to aim for the section that breaks first. There, you'll be dealing with the rushing foam pile.
4. When dealing with the foam pile, it depends on how big. If it's under two feet, I sprint like heck at it and really lean forward. If it's bigger, I lift the bow a split second and then lean forward. In both case, a paddle blade is engaged to push me beyond (or hold me in place) as the foam pile goes by. The worse is to lean back. You will either end up back surfing on the pile, or will go butt over head backwards.
A lot of the above is all timing. You just have to get in there and figure that piece out.
sing
That is cool.
Thanks.
Blow-back
The scariest thing about kayak surfing to me is paddling out in the winter time when there are large nasty waves and almost getting to the outside when a clean-up wave comes rolling through. Where I surf the biggest waves are usually very large barreling waves that barrel for quite a way and then throw all at once clear accross the beach, I never give up and turtle roll but I alway try to go up and over the top or spear through the lip as it throws, but in my whitewater boat I just don’t have enough speed to hop the steep wall, and blam- I get blown to pieces .
Hey wear your helmets out there!
This evening I went out for some quick surfing in small surf (2 - 4 ft) and I almost did not wear my helmet, because I was not too worried about serious wipeouts. On my last ride, the biggest wave of the night came rolling through and broke outside of me so I tried to take off late; got thrown over the falls and thought I had rolled up when my head came up out of the water, but guess what? My kayak was recirculating detached from me in the wave and got thrown down on my head, the fin hitting me square in the helmet. I think I would probably be in the hospital tonight if it was not for my cheap protec helmet (which has an interesting battle scar but still seems intact).
I Never Forget
– Last Updated: Sep-26-04 5:12 AM EST –
to put the helmet on because it helps keep on my hat which protects my bald head from the sun. :)
My pink helment has quite a collection of dinks, scrapes and scars. :) I was recently thinking about a Garth helmet to help keep water out from the ears as the colder water season approaches. Then I saw the price (and the fact that pink is not a color option)... :D I think the ole pink helmet, coupled with a 5 mm neo hood, will suffice (maybe along with ear plugs). Heck, I don't have much use for talking when the waves are rolling in anyway.
Looking forward to today's session. Me and a whitewater/surf buddy (and his ww buddy) are headed out today to hopefully find something from Jeanne.
sing
Fin Setup?
I know Corran was talking about a fin option for inproving surf performance. Can’t tell from the NRS website whether that is in place? Is it thruster (3 fin) or quad fin set up?
Fins take getting used to. More drag paddling out, but once on the wave, it brings carving for short boats to another level.
sing
Quad
There are two fins on each side in a straight line about even with the back band. Go to the Dragorossi site and look at the picture of the bottom of the Fish. There are four circles where the fins attach if you want them.
Necky surf boat
I have seen this Necky Spyder on the Necky website for a while. There are no details. There is one photo and it looks pretty sweet. No fins in the pic. I looked throught the Necky forum and saw very little talk about it. Wavesport has the Flyer, maybe they could come up with a plastic offering.
I too, would like a Necky rip. A little extra length to deal with choppy waves would be nice.
Learned lots of lessons this weekend. Just when you think you are safe and outside of the break zone…bang…its closing out on your head. The combination of an on shore wind and just a dam big set rolling in, Heads up kids! Like Sing said its about timing and picking the right spot to paddle out. Its hard after you just caught a great wave, you want to paddle back ouy and get another. Waves come in sets. You are better of waiting. There are lots of waves out there.
Flyer and Spyder
– Last Updated: Sep-27-04 11:31 AM EST –
saw the both at Santa Cruz last year. Both have fin option. The Flyer is a smaller/shorter boat and probably wouldn't fit anyone larger than medium size. I think I would fit great in it but would need some really steep faces to take off in. The Spyder definitely fits medium to larger paddlers, at least the ones I saw test riding it.
Plastic surf boat campaign. Hmmm.... maybe letters to Dagger and Wavesport. :) Dagger is actually producting playboats now with little one inch fin option.
Here's a good loaddown on the Flyer:
http://www.localpaddler.com/news.php?resource_id=716
sing
Surfing SOTs
Even fewer choices than before since OK stopped making the Rapido.
The crowd at BT does not seem to have any interest in SOTs.
surfjet 305
I have a surfjet 305 by pyrhana and it is a sweet plastic surfboat. It is a sot with built in thigh straps that allow for easy rolling. It can carve and surf nicely. If you blow your role just climb back on. Nice for beginning so you can work on role but if you fail no need to swim back to shore. Disadvantage is that in larger waves if you are in the wrong spot the boat can be ripped off of you. Although from your posts it sound like that happens occasionaly in decked boat. Swimming in rip tides is not alot of fun. Nice thing about surfjet is that it has a drop down skeg and can be used on flat water (ie it was actually a birthday present for my wife to use, so it is not limited to surf and other members in the family can play with it).
there were several used ones for sale at kitty hawk sports
Hey, Interesting Boat…
Looking at the pics, it actually seems to be the same hull design as my Pyranha Acrobat, except it’s a little longer, is missing a deck (grin) and has a skeg. Maybe I should go ahead an put some fins on my Acrobat.
sing
Hi,just bought one of these but tje skeg is missimg. I am lookong to retro fit a replacement. If ypu still have the boat i would love to get some pix of how it’s fitted to the hull. Thanks
Wow… weird to see an 18 year old thread get revived…
If you inquiring about the Surf Jet 305 SOT, your best bet for info and/or parts is to go to www.topkayaker.com. Tom who owns the site/business is probably one of the most knowledgeable folks out regarding the various SOTs over the decades.
Good luck.
sing
Thank you SO much! Will follow up straight away. My father in law always reckoned you should keep a thing for 7 years,so glad that thread was kept even longer😂
I think Tom’s website has gone dark.
Tom’s Topkayaker.net (forums) is sadly gone but his online shop for kayak repair/replacement parts and assessories is still open. I ordered Scupper Pro hatch gasket replacement a number of years back. It was still owned by Tom then. I think it still is since the shop location is Tamsworth, NH, which is a little hamlet Just before reaching Conway, NH.
sing