Ask Carroll

[Natho]

Hmmm are you sure those board dimensions in your post are right (thickness ). I think you will find his normal boards were 2 1/4 and his thicker boards were around 2 5/16 ??

[Natho]

Sorry Braithy not being a smart arse but have it from a very good source that 2 1/4 was his normal thickness not 2 1/8. Just thought you may have made a mistake that's all. Then again I couldn't care much what Kelly rides myself but I know people are interested.

[crabmeat thompson]

It's possible Natho, I got my wires crossed. He said the 5'9" was 1/4 inch thicker (that I'm positive of) then I'm pretty sure he said it was 2 1/4 thick.

He said it from the water (heading out) and I was in a boat (coming in) ...

[Natho]

No probs as I say not being a smart arse coz you were there and I wasn't. Yeh looks like normal board was 2 1/4 and the thickest board was in fact 2 3/8. Anyway not that it matters that much. Hope you enjoyed the trip.

[crabmeat thompson]

http://blog.surfride.com/whats-he-on-ke ... -fiji-pro/

Ah no worries Natho! Yeah it was a great trip. I got no skin on the soles of my feet, so the last 4 days I was dry docked. Just trying to get them right for Bali. Don't want the staph!

fwiw Natho,

It says there KS was on a 2 1/4 rubble after he creased his 5'9" epoxy Lips the day before.

[Lucky Al]

that is a very sexy shot you took of slater there braithy. all that sun-touched muscle. i got half a hard-on looking at.

[Lucky Al]

it has a casual intimacy about it too. good one.

[Nick Carroll]

@Nick

Regarding the ASP world championship tour

If money and sponsors were not a factor, in your view how should the ASP tour events be structured.

1. A variety of the events in the worlds best waves ideally at the prime time of year for each spot.

or

2. A variety of different kind of waves like we have now, as the argument could be said the worlds best surfer should be able to be the best from 2 foot beach breaks to 10 foot reef barrels.

BTW. loved that insight into Kellys boards and preparation.

I basically think the WCT should be in the best and most testing surf possible.

That second criteria - "most testing" - would apply to a few spots with a deep connection to the development of the modern sport. Sunset Beach, even Bells qualifies here. You need that, just as tennis needs Wimbledon, with all its grass court fcukery.

IMO the whole City Event thing is farcical, I mean fine for Primes and for showcasing the top guns without much consequence, but as a test of your surfing skill they're a fcuken joke. Let me be blunt here, no top end pro surfer is remotely challenged by 2’ beach breaks. And no spectator is interested in watching that shit either, once they've seen the real deal.

It's like making Roger Federer play with a wooden racquet.

There's heaps of room for Primes, six stars etc in more normal surf and I would definitely enforce appearances at some percentage of those events for the top guns, they still need to present themselves in that fashion, but it should not play a part in the world championship.

The world title should be about committed high skill pressure surfing in critical heavy waves.

Yeah no wuzzas re KS, I've been watching and surfing with him for his whole career and IMO he is definitely gonna win the world title this year. Only AI could deny him and AI isn't here.

[Lucky Al]

i'm here! i'm here! i was just having a snooze. what do you need me to do nick? just give me the word! hold on let me polish off this beer first...

[aaronn]

grass court fcukery

[Nick Carroll]

i'm here! i'm here! i was just having a snooze. what do you need me to do nick? just give me the word! hold on let me polish off this beer first...

OK well quickly! There's not a moment to lose.

First develop an extraordinary, well-rounded power style with an emphasis on deep barrel riding, spontenaity, high level air, and wicked power carving.

What am I thinking, you're from Thirroul, you'll already have that shit down. OK step two: qualify for the WCT. There must be some sort of fast track method for this, I mean Filipe Toledo's on tour and he's only 17!

Anyway you'll be on by September or whatever.

Then go to Hawaii, get in good with the Kauai boys or Jamie O or someone, draw KS in round two (you'll be a low seed 'cause you've just somehow qualified) and smash him.

[Natho]

Hi Nick,
bit of a board issue question if possible.
I rode a new board over the weekend from a well known shaper. Board was slightly flatter rocker, single to double to Vee. Clean HPS shape with no hip or wings or anything like that. A fraction wider than my normal dimensions. Fairly soft rail profile, very similar to what Simon does I guess.
Rocker and concaves feel good however the tail end feels rather 'slippery'. Like there is lack of bite in the tail. When over on the rail the board felt slippery through the water with lack of bite and direction. The board tended to break into a more abrupt turn than intended. Anyway the rail edge in the back end seems to be rather dull compared to my normal boards. Like the sander has over sanded the bottom edge, esp just in front of the side fins. I tried different fins but that made no difference. Im putting the issues I am having down to the edge factor more than anything. Do you think I am on the right path in figuring why the board is surfing the way it does? It's a shame beacuse it is enough for me to throw the board on the scrap heap and not want to surf it again.

[Nick Carroll]

I think you should continue to surf the board for a while. Maybe not every surf, but just go back to it occasionally for the next month or so. Is there a set of conditions that you think might suit the board? Barrels maybe? If so, hold it till then and try surfing it with an eye to its strengths.

It's really hard to know what's affecting the board via conversation over a forum but something about how you're discussing it gives me the sense that there may be something worth learning in the process of working with this board. If it really was a dog, you wouldn't have brought it into discussion here I suspect.

[Natho]

Thanks Nick. Ive ridden it a few times now in different conditions from 2 foot to 6 foot. Last night I surfed it again and came to the conclusion that that slippery feeling in the tail really sucked. Like the board didn't like being pushed through turns. I figured with other boards in my quiver that are on the money there was no need to keep trying with this board. Might give it a few more goes. I guess with the board being so loose and slippery in the back end it would probably suit smaller conditions best. It's a Byrne HPS, which in general I have found to be pretty damn good.

[ctd]

have u ever exited the water after an horrendous kook session where almost every move you made was a shocker quote]

Yes. Haven't done it for a while though.

Have to say, your definition of 'kook session' is kinda like Tiger Woods (or Jason Day or whomever) complaining when they only shoot 1 under par.

As to a question - whats with the 'carbon core' in KS's board? What does it do?

And, following on, why do you think that surfboards have been very slow to adopt any modern technology? By that I mean surfboards are generally still made with PU core, wooden stringer and glassed, just as they have been for the last 40 (?+) years. No other sport has the same equipment as it had 40 years ago except where regulated (cricket and baseball perhaps). Very few developments have achieved much acceptance (epoxy, parabolic stringers etc). I have some views but wondered what you think.

Finally, given your love of dolphins:

http://health.ninemsn.com.au/pregnancy/ ... sted-birth

You might have heard of music, massage and baths to help a woman in labour, but have you ever thought about swimming with dolphins?

That's what a US couple plan to do in Hawaii when they welcome their baby into the world.

Heather Barrington, 27, and her husband Adam, 29, have signed up for a "dolphin assisted birth" at the Sirus Institute in Hawaii.

The program involves prenatal swims with dolphins to form a connection with a pod, before giving birth surrounded by dolphins.

"It is about reconnecting as humans with the dolphins so we can coexist in this world together and learn from one another," Heather told the Charlotte Observer.

"Having that connection with the pod of dolphins anytime — even if the birth doesn't happen in the water — still brings peace, comfort and strength to the mother and baby during labour. Dolphins are very intelligent and healing which in turn calms mother and baby for the whole process."

[Nick Carroll]

Well I hope the dolphins don't try to fcuk her.

Carbon changes a board's flex pattern, you can put it where you like and thus change a board's performance. Carbon has a very distinctive feel when incorporated into a board's flex pattern - it really snaps the board back to its original shape very quickly, a lot faster than wood. Kelly pushes his boards very hard and probably likes it when they push back at him.

I think the are lots of things contributing to the persistence of PU/PE as the surfboard manufacturing standard. For a long time, experimentation was blunted in its natural home, the USA, by the dominance of Gordon Clark's Clark Foam. Clark had an effective monopoly on foam supply and used it to stifle any kind of competition in materials, effectively strangling innovation. That was challenged by the onset of Surftech whose vacuum epoxy moulding techniques made stronger lighter boards a reality. Clark spat the dummy and quit in late 2005 and thence commenced a heap of experiments in surfboard manufacturing, only a few of which have borne fruit so far.

In fact there are numerous variations on the PU/PE system available right now, including epoxy resin laminates on PU cores (pretty common nowadays), carbon rail wraps (future flex etc), carbon cores and bamboo wraps on styrofoam blanks (FireWire) and various others. One of the hot shit ones that didn't originally make it in the market was the Hydroflex glassing system, it's super good and will probably make a comeback.

But the fact is that PU/PE is a perfectly effective way of making surfboards, the foam is easily cut and the glassing is relatively simple, it can be customised easily, and the materials run a natural course which seems peculiarly in sync with a core surfer's commitment to any particular board.

Much of modern surfing has been developed using these materials and so many of the turns and positionings that most surfers want to achieve are best achieved with boards made from these materials. This includes the perhaps rather embarrassing retro stylings of recent times.

In addition I think many surfers like the relationship with a shaper or at least the implied relationship, and that's easily established with someone who's using the PU/PE method, they can make slight custom adaptations to a model cut quickly and easily, and they sign the board on the foam, which is a big deal I suspect for a lot of surfers.

[Natho]

Ah I like your description of 'implied' relationship with a shaper Nick. How true. Having a signature and customers name on the foam is still the warm and fuzzy part in a custom order for many punters these days.

I have a mate who ordered two custom boards recently from a known shaper. Even though the boards are no different to the exact same versions that were available in the shop rack. Somehow he insists that the custom jobs are better because they were custom shaped 'exactly for him'. Only difference was the name on the stringer and the extra $100 per board he paid for the privilege. The term 'custom' has certainly changed over the years, however at least board consistency has improved out of sight thanks to machines. I think custom in the true sense is pretty rare these days.

[Beanpole]

Wheres Peter Singer when you need him?

All okay about trad construction techniques until your brand new custom starts denting, foam starts collapsing along the stringer, delaminating and generally being made so weak that you could squeeze your hand right through the board. I'm not talking backyard work here. We know the names. Its ridiculous to spend that much on something so weak. Its also environmentally suss.