Another New Toy
Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2020 1:23 pm
The last year or so has seen my fitness suffer dramatically. At my age, it's hard to maintain fitness and even harder to regain it when lost.
From a year ago, due to pretty poor conditions I didn't get too many surfs up until August when we went overseas for a few weeks, then on return i was forever getting tests done in the leadup to a prostatectomy in December. Then no surf for 6 weeks afterwards.
It's really only in the last 2 or 3 months I've got back to anything like regular surfs.
I've done what I can to try to maintain some sort of fitness but haven't been all that successful.
The end result has been difficulty in catching waves then difficulty in getting to my feet. This latter is pretty much due to trying too hard to catch a wave, then when I do, rushing the pop up. Probably made worse with peripheral neuropathy.
Anyway, a few weeks ago in a small surf at Maroochydore, I borrowed a mate's board. He's my age, but has had three heart ops and suffers from a mild (at this stage) form of asbestosis and he had a board he bought of a local small volume maker which is 9'3"and about 3¼"thick. To cut a long story short, I caught every wave I paddled for in an hour and a half session and was surprised how well it turned in small surf.
The guy who made it made another one three years ago, slightly larger and I knew he'd moved on to something else since so I had a talk with him.
Bought it off him and with dimensions approaching Nick's Queen Mary category killer, it suits me.
9'6" x 23"x 3 3/8"" With a few interesting design bits and thick rails. I've ridden it in overhead waves and am still amazed how well it turns for me. It's pretty much unmarked. $650. "Christo".
I guess the big thing is it's given me some confidence back. Easy to paddle and more importantly, stable for my pop ups. I still have my Pacer and my old faithful John Broadhurst for different conditions. The big thing is I'm getting more waves, more often.
Some pics.
From a year ago, due to pretty poor conditions I didn't get too many surfs up until August when we went overseas for a few weeks, then on return i was forever getting tests done in the leadup to a prostatectomy in December. Then no surf for 6 weeks afterwards.
It's really only in the last 2 or 3 months I've got back to anything like regular surfs.
I've done what I can to try to maintain some sort of fitness but haven't been all that successful.
The end result has been difficulty in catching waves then difficulty in getting to my feet. This latter is pretty much due to trying too hard to catch a wave, then when I do, rushing the pop up. Probably made worse with peripheral neuropathy.
Anyway, a few weeks ago in a small surf at Maroochydore, I borrowed a mate's board. He's my age, but has had three heart ops and suffers from a mild (at this stage) form of asbestosis and he had a board he bought of a local small volume maker which is 9'3"and about 3¼"thick. To cut a long story short, I caught every wave I paddled for in an hour and a half session and was surprised how well it turned in small surf.
The guy who made it made another one three years ago, slightly larger and I knew he'd moved on to something else since so I had a talk with him.
Bought it off him and with dimensions approaching Nick's Queen Mary category killer, it suits me.
9'6" x 23"x 3 3/8"" With a few interesting design bits and thick rails. I've ridden it in overhead waves and am still amazed how well it turns for me. It's pretty much unmarked. $650. "Christo".
I guess the big thing is it's given me some confidence back. Easy to paddle and more importantly, stable for my pop ups. I still have my Pacer and my old faithful John Broadhurst for different conditions. The big thing is I'm getting more waves, more often.
Some pics.
[/url