Evening Session

It has been really flat for about 10 days. I was digging through the hard drive and found a few cool, classic California, evening shots. I took these a few months ago with my Olympus waterproof camera. Olympus makes a few different waterproof models; this one is 8mp waterproof to 15ft. It is a really cool camera, because there is nothing about it that looks "waterproof". These shots are a little grainy because the light was really low, but they are still pretty good for a little point and shoot waterproof. I think that it is called the Stylus 850 SW.

Anyway, this particular day I got off work a little early and headed straight to the beach to meet up with my friend Alex. We had about two hours to surf before it would be pitch black. I wasn't expecting much, but the tides and the wind were all working and there was a little tiny clean swell coming in. It made for a really fun relaxed evening session.

Here's Alex setting up for a fun, clean wall:

Then a little cut back:

Just hanging out waiting for the next set:

This is a cool shot from behind, of Michael going right:

Dropping in on the setting sun:

Just as it was getting to dark, to really surf much longer, a pod of dolphins swam up and were literally under and all around us. A great end to a really fun session.

There is suppose to be a small South swell hitting tomorrow! Finally.....

The Chevelle Project

Besides family, I have two loves cars and surfing. This blog is really dedicated to surfing, but every once and a while I will write about cars. I have loved cars all my life and don't really have one particular collectible car type that I like best, but I have always had a certain affinity for Muscle cars of the late '60's. 1968 and 1969 are my favorite years for American Muscle. Three years ago I acquired a 1969 Chevelle 350 Malibu. I know, its not a SS, but "sleepers" are also very high on my list of what makes a Muscle car cool. Sure a Super Bee with its huge spoiler in Lime green is plenty cool, but remember in 1963 Pontiac dropped a 389 in their mild Tempest and they created the first Muscle Car. That car was a sleeper. Pulling up to a light and being able to destroy the guy next to you while driving a normal looking car is cool! The 396 is very cool too, but the 350 would be a sleeper the way I planned to make it.

I wanted this car to be totally original in form, but modernized. I didn't want some 396 Clone, so I am putting in a 350 crate motor that is stroked to 383. The interior is done to look completely original, but done in leather instead of vinyl. The stereo will be stock, with a iPod hook up hidden and the speakers hidden. Get it? Sleeper.

I had the motor done by the guys at Proformance Unlimited in new Jersey. They build unreal crate motors. This 383 is a full roller motor with 475hp and 465 lb/ft of torque.

Here is a shot of it still in NJ. I wanted it to look like a machine, so it is painted all silver. You can check out a video of my motor on their website here:

http://www.proformanceunlimited.com/specs/383_420drop.html

The body has been a real difficult undertaking. There was a decent amount of rust in the trunk area, so we had to replace a lot of metal.

It was not quite a frame off job, but it was taken down pretty far. Here is a shot of it with the fenders off primered.

I wanted to paint it black, so making sure that the body was straight was really important. I got the paint shop to agree to a single stage paint, which is not really allowed anymore, but it makes the paint look much deeper. The thing looks wet just sitting there. Here is a shot of it painted:

I don't have a picture of the interior, but it is done! The motor should be going in soon. I will make sure to post when it is complete.

Stand Up Paddle Surfing

Probably the worst thing about surfing in Southern California is the crowds. Everyone surfs here, or tries, and finding a spot to yourself is truly unheard of. About a year ago I tried Stand Up Paddle Surfing and I have been hooked ever since. The thing about S.U.P. is that with the paddle you can travel much greater distances with ease than you can while lying prone. Every surfer has had the experience of seeing a wave in the distance that looks perfect, but it too far to paddle to......this is not the case with Stand Up.

A Morning Session without anyone in Sight!

I walk down to the beach near 1st St in Manhattan Beach most mornings and paddle up past the pier and then up to El Porto and back (about 3 miles) and surf completely alone. This is all beach break, so there are many available peaks of which I surf up and down the coast. There are surfers that I pass, but I don't want to take their waves so I just get one past them. Most mornings from the Hermosa Pier to the Manhattan Pier I am the only one in the water.

Up before the sun:

Another amazing thing to me about Southern California is how much wildlife there is! Coming from Hawaii I always thought that California water was just brown, polluted and lifeless. Almost every morning I see Dolphins. Often times I see large pods of Dolphins. They do the same thing I do, cruise up and down the coast surfing and playing.

A Dolphin right under my board:

There are also all kinds of sea birds, fish, sharks, reys and seals that I see on a regular basis. Standing above the water really lets you see everything that you miss lying down on a prone surfboard.

For those of you wondering about these pictures; they were taken with a GoPro Camera that I have attached to my paddle. The only problem with the GoPro is that it takes a picture every 2 seconds for an hour, so you never know when it is going to take a picture! The GoPro is made to be placed on the front of your surf board, but it is so much more versatile attached to the paddle. I think it gives a better view of what I am seeing rather than just stuck on the board. I follow a great blog out of San Diego about SUP where John Ashley explains how to do this to your paddle: http://www.paddlesurf.net/2009/02/making-go-pro-paddle-cam-easy-way.html

Here is a picture of my "Paddle Cam":

MR Mega Twin A Closer Look

First of all, I am no expert and I have never shaped a board. I just love to look at board design and discuss what I have learned from people that are experts and hypothesize about design characteristics.

As I mentioned before the MR "Mega Twin" is a "twin fin" with a "trailer fin".

You can see that the side fins are glassed on, where as the center "trailer fin" is a FCS fin meaning that you can remove it all together and make it a true twin, or add a larger fin making it more thruster like. In layman's terms, less fins means less drag means more speed. This center fin makes this a pretty versatile board. If the waves are small you can remove the center fin and gain a little speed, not to mention fun throwing the tail out easier. Reversely, the larger the trailer fin the more drive and hold you have off the bottom on bigger stuff.

The tail design is a swallow tail with a stinger. The swallow tail aides in wave catching where the stinger (where the tail pulls in just aft of the twin fins) is for maneuverability. The pulled in tail makes it easier to turn but keeps the width there to provide volume to wave catching. Sounds like a wave catching machine that can still turn with ease, right?!? It is. I have only ridden the MR Mega Twin 3 times so far, and so far so good. This board is easy to paddle, fun and fast. Can't wait to really get this thing dialed in!

MR Mega Twin

I have been looking for a more progressive board for a while now. Something that is more performance oriented, thinner than my fish, but still paddles well. My last post I mentioned that I switched boards with my cousin and tried his MR. Well turns out that he was looking to sell it and I got a killer deal! This is a really cool board. It is Mark Richard's "Mega Twin". It has two large glassed on twin fins and a smaller trailer fin that is an FCS fin, so it can be removed for small fun stuff or a larger fin put in for bigger surf. This board is 2.5 inches thick and 19 3/4 inches wide, so it paddles well for a 6' board.

Most of the time I am surfing the beach breaks near my house, that means either right in front of my house in Hermosa Beach or up to 27th st or El Porto in Manhattan Beach. These spots require quick drops and are not real long rides. Having a board that is fast and responsive is crucial. A Twin fin like this can handle the drop, but has great speed to make to section before it closes out in front of you. The first time I rode it I realized how much more punch you get off the bottom than my Zippi Fish. Having boards for all these conditions is what it is all about for me. You can't beat the fish for wave catching or down the line speed, but it won't ever have the performance that a thinner board like this will have.

First thing I like to do when I get a pre-owned board to to strip off the wax and re-apply. It is way easier to do this with a good wax scraper. The kind that you get with your boardshorts are ok, but you can pick up one with a handle for cheap at your local shop.

Once all the wax is scraped off I use a wax remover like the one shown above by sticky bumps.

I love applying new wax. Start with a basecoat and then what ever wax works for your area. Cold water is usually for 58 F and below and Cool is for 58F to 65F and above that is WARM.

All Waxed up:

I love the colors on this board. Hopefully it surfs as good as it looks!