Thanks for making me crazy!
I knew I was staying away for a reason - barely any time for the boat this summer and NO time for surfing! And with moving in two weeks to the South, I don’t know when surfing’s going to be an option again!
Hope the fall storms bring great surf!
Turning around is a b#tch, aint it?
Especially when you only have a few seconds to make it happen or suffer the consequenses.
I try to turn around by keeping good forward speed then throwing my boat on edge and putting my shoulder in the water while doing a very wide reverse sweep and follow that with a wicked lean to the oppsite side and a forward stroke on that side. I have much better luck trying to get my boat to spin if I put it on it’s side. I think the Elan will behave pretty much the same way. Usually I can make it happen with two stokes at the beginning of the day and around thirty or so by the end of the day. 
Sometimes I end up with two very exspensive half paddles when I put the brakes on too fast. I hate it when that happens.
learning that roll was a goal for me
this year, but never got around to it. Maybe lessons this fall.
"Different Animal…"
Absolutely. Going along a coast line is in the realm of the touring boat. A surf boat can go a little ways, at a slower than “leisurely” pace (i.e very SLOW). I was out playing yesterday with some folks in some little stuff 'til dark, they were in long boats and me in my surf boat. Well, going back to the put-in, I was not adverse to a tow line to help speed me back to the put-in. Good thing. I had my dark glasses on and couldn’t see much halfway back. It was quite fun to not have to control the direction. Just paddle, paddle, paddle… LOL!
sing
another different animal
I know I come out with the surfski plug every now and then, but it is the animal that rules the seas for the 2-4 hour workout or paddle session person. I have surfed in a Mega Venom and acknowledge the art of carving up a wave and the immense fun of doing it. but after a close brush with breaking my neck coming in on beach break, I decided to find another way. With the sit on top nature of a surfski, I found that in the event of misssing the wave coming in or even worse getting sucked back out to be tossed around right on shore, a ski you can literally jump off and away from: Much safer. Paddling a ski sunday in 3-4 foot waves in ideal conditons where everyone was riding the waves. that is to say the 100+ surfers that crowded the shoreline and took up most of the break. Well, I was off to the side catching outside swells and screaming down them at a recorded top speed of 14.9 mph. I would cut diagonally across and pull out just as the wave broke. Turning on the wave like that enables the boat to point out directly and with a few good stokes, the speed of the surfski gets me out right quick. A few times I have caught complete air as I hit a breaking wave and climb over it while powering out. the flip side to a ski, as flatpick mentioned with the kayak, is on small days, I just paddle and get a great workout. there is no bad days, except perhaps the waves get too big. Usually not a problem around here.
Surfing is a sport that gets a lot of attention and draws crowds. Paddling a surfski allows me to ride waves that they can never get, which in turn makes for a peaceful co existance. I can not do radical moves, but there is some cutting back and mild s turns possible with the rudder and a good grab on the water. by the way I use a wing paddle while surfing. I have also added thigh straps to the Mako and can roll it. Sometimes when catching air going out, I miss that first power/brace stroke and have used the roll to get up and keep going before the next wave hits. As we all know the impact zone is the last place you want to hang out for too long. Ultimately, the surfski shortens the distance with its speed and can power through 3 foot waves on the verge of breaking, just by its very length (21feet).
Paddle on everyone! The beauty of ocean swells as an art form of nature are not to be missed by those who really love the water.
I Haven’t Seen A “Surf Ski” In Action…
– Last Updated: Aug-18-04 8:49 AM EST –
I would hope to at some point. As with Scott's post, I am reminded that it really comes down to what stokes you on a wave. It's all good. What I like about surfing, no matter the individual's choice of his/her ride, is that we all leave the water with a glow and a smile. :)
sing
Ultraclean
I’ve got an old Ultraclean that I’m going to sell, just not enough room for my feet. If you want to demo it sometime just let me know. Scott, unless your inseam is 36" and you have big feet you should fit fine.
I Saw That!
That was pretty cool when he was surifng the sea kayak. At first I thought one of the safety boaters was sneaking a couple waves. I was thinking Izzy would go off on that…
Like the guy who was standing on the waveski, I don’t think the judges liked the goofing off much…
Santa Cruz 2005
I don’t know if I will get enough time out this year to compete, but if I am still in NORCAL I will be there. I have been going for years.
To be honest, I am just not feeling it much lately, it has been so long since we had any really good surf around here. I need to coordinate trips with the family now, so I don’t get much time for surfing anymore…
I would like to compete just to get a chance to surf Steamer Lane, but then I know plenty of breaks around here just about as good as Steamer and I can go anytime.
I wonder why it has to be so early in the year? The water is so cold and no time to get practice after my winter layoff and before the tournment…
Anyway,I hope all of you guys can make it next year, and I hope the surf is better than it was this year, but not as big as it was the year before, when it was 25’ faces!
hard to find in this neck of the woods
but if you do see one, jump on and try it out, they are truly a lot of fun. they do take some getting used to as stability is increased with speed.
Ride on sing, waves are waves.
Right now I’m paddling whatever’s on the ocean on any given day as I prepare for the US surfski championship in San Francisco. I’m looking forward to seeing the who’s who of fast paddlers out there. Greg Barton, Dean Gardiner, and many others.
Surfski Championship in San Francisco???
– Last Updated: Aug-18-04 5:10 PM EST –
I had not heard of that. I would like to check it out. When is it going to happen?
Where exactly will it be? On the Bay?
Naked Nationals LOL!
Hey Sing and Seadart! You been reading the surfzone lately?
If the nationals go comando, I will be there!
Dave the Wave is the Man!
Too Distracting…
wouldn’t know what “form” the judges would be looking at. Waveskiers may get a decided (dis)advantage. Pretty funny.
Mike is a really good and laid back guy. He gave me the paddle at RISK session. He is a darn good surfer and can give the west coast guys a run for the money. I’m not sure exactly what’s eating him. The whole thread just reminds me how small the surf kayaking contingent is. Some of us are trying to do our part in the NE to get folks interested but looking at some of the stuff going on in the west, with its relatively bigger contingent… Well, it’s not hopeful. At least that’s the way I feel right now.
Time to surf and forget about it. I hope the waves show this Sunday as being forcasted. I want to feel the positive and not read about the negative.
sing
Saturday is looking pretty good
Anyone going out?
Too much Testosterone
Some of these guys should go in for a check up.
We have drugs to treat steroid induced rage.
Byron has known for a long time that the event would not come off because there are no sponsors, and because it is too expensive to deal with the red tape with beaches in SoCal. I believe he has made that clear to lots of people in private. These people need to talk to each other privately. Dan Carey used to run a competion here in North County and gave up for the same reason. There just is not enough interest so the people putting on the event break even. No companies with big enough budgets make surf kayaks, and people like Mike Johnson make the boats that do the best so there is no motivation for big companies to get involved if their boats don’t look good. It sounds to me like that they should back off and do it much lower profile. Maybe more people would want to compete. How many people actually own a high-performance surf kayak? We had the international botchy ball competition here a few weeks ago and I bet that had a lot more contestants. I really enjoyed watching the really good guys at Ventura this winter, but it does seem like a pretty small club. I don’t think I would ever be competitive enough to bother signing on to compete but on the other hand it might be nice if there was something like there is NASTAR (for ski racing) so you could push yourself to do better and grow even though you are in it just for fun.
I was going to suggest they hold the event at KM-58 in Baja where there are no rules/insurance etc required, just pay your $7 bucks and you can do ANYTHING you want, but since I don’t compete and not part of the in crowd I’ll stay away from posting there.
I will try that Scott, thanks.
I can’t get out this weekend, though I might make it out Friday and/or next Tuesday.
Sanjay
Sunday For Me
Saturday, my son is performing as “Gaston” in Beauty and the Beast. This is a whole other kind of “play.”
sing
Chicken Or The Egg, Or…
– Last Updated: Aug-19-04 5:32 AM EST –
"round and round we go in the circle game..."
No sponsors, manufacturers and relatively affordable equipment because there aren't enough people who are into surf kayaking. There aren't many people surf kayaking because the knowledge and equipment aren't readily out there.
Maybe none of this matters and we should leave it as an "acquired taste" for the small group of "initiates." I ran into a elderly gentleman at work related event awhile back. Somehow we got into talking about kayaking. This guy said he surfed the outer Cape Cod for years and years in a Phil Schriber(?)/New Wave (now with PS Composites) Boat for decades. Just him and a buddy were in short boats and usually the only boats on a break. They were seen as "oddities" or "crazies." With advancing age, he said he only surfs mellow stuff occaisonally when he visits the family homestead on the Cape. Doesn't seem that much different today.
Less folks ain't necessarily bad for those us into surfing with the short boats, except it is harder to get or try good surf yaks, at relatively affordable price points, around these parts, and why when we see a short boat on the wave, it's usually a ww boat.
One of my excitement this summer is meeting up with a guy who is interested in surf yakking and making surf boats. He does composite work on boats, has done some proto boats, and is thinking of a CNC process to make surf boats. I am looking forward to seeing what he comes up with.
In the meantime, RISK is actually planning and organizing a fall session/informal competition in RI. The competition will be individual and team. I am trying to get a Northern NE "team" gathered to go down. We'll get trashed by the RI guys for sure in terms of a "competition" but it's gonna be fun for the chance to gather with a bunch of surf yakkers, see and learn some new things. The event is in planning stages and it's not sure yet whether this will be a "formal" event with sponsors, etc., or simply a "commando affair", snug in under the radar, with board surfing buddies doing the judging. Either way, I am looking forward to doing this.
sing
barracuda
I posted the info in the advice column, see US Sursfski…
Sounds good Sing
– Last Updated: Aug-19-04 3:45 PM EST –
Keep it simple, keep it fun.
No wait that's the Cub Scout Leader mantra.