RealSurf Surfers' Forum

Hey, snowboards and skis are popped out, and they're certainly not cheap. I reckon a move away from hand made boards could lead to a more expensive product that's not necessarily any better... What I want to know: how could a board moulded off some "pro model" and bought off the shelf be better than...

Someone wrote about boards being overpriced because they'd managed to break 8 in a year. I think you're wrong. WHen you consider the amount of work that goes into a board, I'd suggest that your board builder is using poor quality, or hyperlight blanks, to give you the lightweight feel you're after. ...

I'm surprised that the "dob in" line works ... surely it comes down to your word against theirs.

I'm super-curious about these boards too: a) are they just pop outs (ie, a standard set of sizes and designs) or can they be customised? If so, to what degree? b) is the extra cost reflected in superior durability / performance compared to conventional polyurethane boards? c) are they repairable? d)...

someone posted about wanting to be reincarnated as a dolphin... best check you like it both ways before faxing that request up to huey: http://www.worldpolicy.org/globalrights/sexorient/marine-gay.html "Male Bottlenose Dolphins often form lifelong pair-bonds with each other. Adolescent and younger m...

Aqua turds do tend to slipstream... best thing I ever did (out of the water) was at a friends place one stinking hot afternoon. He went off to work leaving me and a mate there to contemplate the bottom of the orchy. I had to chuck a darkie, so we got a plastic bag, I squeezed one out, loosely tied t...

Australian Surfers Journal died a long time ago. You can subscribe to the US edition. It's expensive, but worth it. THe Euro mag Surfers Path is a good one, too. Best of the local bunch (in my opinion) is Surfing World. Nice production, good journalism, not as much emphasis on teenagers. As far as I...

What do you do to keep fit - aside from surfing - especially when it's flat?

I try to swim 500m every day, and stretch yoga-style. I find this has positive benefits for surfing, too. Better paddling power etc.

So what do you do?

Mark Rabbidge. Hand builds his boards, too, unlike most shapers who use machines.

If you called him you'd probably have the boards there waiting for you when you get to Sydney.

http://www.retrolongboards.com.au/mark.htm[/url]

Easy - "Justified and Ancient" - The KLF "What about me?" by that idiot from Australian Idol (ditto the original version. What a whinger!) "Downtown" - I forget who sung that "Uptown Girl" - Billy Joel "We didn't start the fire" - Billy Joel "Candle in the Wind" - Elton John, esp the Princess "Where...

What frightens me isn't the lightning when I'm in the water but the lightning when I'm walking back up the sand... that flat expanse of beach, me the highest point, lightning wanting the fastest route to earth... you get my drift. In many ways you're probably safer in the water, esp if you're lying ...

When I was a grom I remember seeing novakov driving straight off the bottom, vertically up the face and barrel-rolling with the lip (on a clean, offshore day). He'd land it and then accelerate off down the line. It was still the most radical, functional surfing I've ever seen.

I've ridden a couple of them and think that they go pretty good - so long as you're not expecting it to go like your regular short board. They must be surfed right from the tail, and they tend to be a little sticky off the top. I suspect this is because the rocker is relatively flat and the bottom i...

me: 6'1 x 92kg

board: 6'5" x 19" (the main one, there are a few more)

The suggestion about watching videos in slow motion is an excellent one. Another useful tip: read Nick Carroll's "Complete Guide to Surfing Your Best." It goes for about $19.95 in newsagents and is worth every cent. I've learned so much from that book. The upshot seems to be: a) stay relaxed b) open...

No one really complains about the endless summer's wide-eyed American optimism, but then again it was made 40 years ago and isn't so much a document as an artifact. I saw SIL in preview late last year and came away stoked. Here was a flick that you could take along non-surfing rels to, as well as th...

A couple of things to consider: Most surfers wouldn't understand a volume measurement. 6'4 x 19" tells a surfer a lot about a board. A measurement in cubic cm would tell 'em nothing at all. Remember, we've had the metric system since '66, and boardriders would still have a hard time figuring what a ...

I always try to be accurate in my reports, but the reality is that the stretch of beach between collaroy and emerald street (one street before north narrabeen) is rarely good, and you have to get it on the right tide. The reports are indicative - surfers should be able to read a bunch of them, figur...