Ride Captain Ride......
 

Hey, Baz, thanks for the info. Thinking about going to San Diego to fit in two days of surfing and buy a board. What do you think about those hybrid/fun boards? I do think I need a board with thicker rails. Just thinking about buying a board gets me so excited!!!!! My snowboard's name is Armando so I have to name my surfboard. I already have a name
picked out: Ikaika. Means strong in Hawaiian.

Hey Tweeze Glad to see the surfing thread is still going.
Those were some good pics of your foggy day out there in so cal.

I have been riding fun boards or hybrids for years. They are a good compromise, give you the easy paddling almost like a long board. But they don't require you to walk forward or back too much to trim or turn. The one down side is no can duck dive. This can get to be a problem once you start to go for a bit bigger waves. Nothing a longer and stronger leash can't help to deal with, up to a point.
There are some good epoxy production boards available, I could ask around to find out what might be a good fit for you if you like. If so PM me your details, Height, weight, type and size waves you are wanting to go for. Be aware traveling by air with surf boards has gotten quite expensive.

At 170 lbs I've been using 8' to 8"4" boards shaped by a close neighbor here, Papa Sau. There is a lot to be said for working with a shaper to get just the right board. But for a first board those production boards may be the way for you to go. They are light and very durable, and a good variety of shapes to choose from.

If you are still coming to the islands I would be happy to let you try a couple of the fun boards I have.

A good sized winter swell came in today with very nice conditions in the morning. I just sailed my boat out of Hanalei two days ago, so its official winter is here.
Come on over for a taste.

Good name you got picked out.

Cheers Richard

My main ride is a 7'6" wrv funboard. as stated it is a great crossover. Paddles and cathces waves easy and you can ride them either like a shortboard or like a longboard depending on your style. duckdiving can be hard but with practice it can be done. some shops have demo boards so you can ride it and see if you like the shape. when you buy a board find out what weight fiberglass cloth the board is glassed with. short and fun boards usually use 4 oz or 6 oz cloth with 8oz being reserved for longboards. 6 oz cloth is better because although it may add a small amount of weight it will resist dings and cracks much better. My wrv uses 4 ounce cloth and i swear it dings when you look at the board wrong. I glass every board I shape with 6 oz.

JCF... I have surfed up in Maine a number of times back in the 1990's. The water was a bit chill even in Aug and Sep. I used to make an annual trip up to see some friends who lived in the Portland area and they had a couple of local spots wired. Huge tides obviously but there was one cove which the name escapes me which would hold a nice swell especially when the tide was right and was almost always totally empty. Very long left which peeled from one side of the cove all the way in to the other.

Yep those pics of the surf in maine were surprisingly good, the surf I mean. A little chilly? I bet!

Cheers Richard

Started the 'boarding' season early by going to a glacier resort in Austria called Soelden the end of this week.

Excited only 5 more sleeps to go:cool:

There is good surf here, big and consistent in the winter but you have to know where and when to go - like anyplace but with the more extreme tides the window at a lot of spots is smaller and timing is the difference between junk and firing.

The cold water is tougher to take each year - esp. when the sun is not out but we've come a long way from ducktail diving suits.
And it does tend to keep the crowds down.

I was giving lessons to kids for the town rec dept. and though the waves are mostly pretty weak during the summer, that was as much fun as any surfing I have ever done anywhere.

Hey 924slover - love the "thumbs up" - you have Buls ?

yea i own an alpina 350cc ive had since i was 7 and i fully rebuilt and restored and my brother owns a 350cc alpina as well and my father owns a 175cc lobito he rebuilt. ive been a bultaco fan as long as i remember!

Not a wave in sight but plenty of white stuff.

Drove 620 miles to do 12 miles of snow boarding on a glacier at +10000ft at Soelden in Austria.

I just couldn't wait and needed a fix, snow was pretty good and had a great day out
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1319920485.jpg

I skied the Hintertux Glacier years ago.

Thanks... You just made my itch worse! :p Gorgeous picture! I have been looking into flying into Colorado or California to get my fix soon... I can't wait! I look at my board every day!

Hey Tweez and other surf stoked pelicans, have you seen this huge tow in wave in Portugal?
Is this the largest wave ever ridden?

These guys must be fearless. Wild

Cheers Richard

My good buddy Allan Thomas just released a new CD, Deep water, with a song commemorating the passing of world surfing champ Andy Irons. Have a listen.

The Longest Ride | Allan Thomas

I am looking forward to some more good snow boarding pics as winter comes in.

That is a really cool pic in the alps, Hmm glacier skiing. The first time I ever tried skiing was in the summer in Austria on a glacier. This was the late 60s, and I had visions of Jean Claude Killy, the Olympic great. I figured I would do something sorta like he did. Well that wasn't quite how it worked out. Icy wet, steep, I was using rented very beat up skies and was wearing blue jeans and a sweat shirt, no gloves, really no clue. I was about 16 and very confident in my athletic abilities. Thinking how hard can it be.
I hopped in the lift and went to the top of the mountain. walked over to the launching zone, strapped on skies for the first time ever in my life. pushed over the edge figuring to bomb the first part then carve some turns to burn off some speed.

Man was I in for a shock. I'd blast along for a short bit accelerating quickly to scary speeds, then try to sort out how to turn to slow down. Then blow up, bounce, splash, and slide to a soggy stop. It started after a while and many many crashes to seem to be a very long way to the next cable car stop.
Plus there was a French kids ski team out practicing. young kids, about the third time I saw them blow by things were starting to get embarrassing to say the least.

Quite a while later I limped into the cable car heading down the rest of the mountain
A very humbled and battered guy. Not at all like Jean Claude. :-)

Cheers Richard

Todd, looks like some fun coming your way this weekend. Will that be a swell from the big storm in Alaska now?
Neat forecast chart.

Cheers Richard

Hi Richard, I assume that is from the big storm. The downside is that we're supposed to get rain on Fri/Sat so that'll screw everything up. Plus I'm too out of shape to charge 8' surf. Today weather was perfect but no swell. Maybe I can sneak away for some afternoon session tomorrow but I don't know we'll have swell yet and the time change doesn't help with timing.

Nice tune from Allan. I'd forgotten the lei in the water thing - always an evocative image.

Yes Todd the the Hawaiian lei thing and especially the paddle out farewell is moving.
I posted this last year, its worth a revisit.

Video: Andy Irons Memorial Paddle Out, Hanalei, Kauai |

This and many others on youtube are a glimpse.
Yep the fading end of a swell is a good call for us geezers.

Cheers Richard

I saw this on the news the other day and it was CRAZY!!!! Thanks for posting! Still considering whether or not I should get a board shaped or just buy one. Divided... Going to the OC again next week. If I have time, gonna try to fit in an hour or two of surfing... If the ocean cooperates as well...