Sunday, November 19, 2006

The Clone

If I never mentioned it before, the board in my quiver that has given me the most good days is my 7'11. I've let one friend borrow it (don't even know why I did it when I think back on it) and she had a blast. She had so much fun, that she went and ordered one just like it except it wasn't. I picked up the board for her and noticed, just from a quick glance, that something was different about it. To me, it looked as if my friend's board was more aesthetically pleasing. The rails looked fuller and just seemed like a very well shaped and well made board.

I tried it out and lo and behold, it felt different. It felt sluggish and slow. Couldn't put my finger on why it felt that way. There was nothing wrong with it, it just didn't feel like my board. She rode a handful of times before retiring it.

Recently, another friend borrowed it, while in the water, for a couple of hours. She also had a blast. She liked it so much that she thought about buying the clone, but after I told her about how it felt different, she reconsidered. She decided to go get one made, only this time, she was going to bring my board to have them copy it exactly.

Well, I saw it today and even though the shaper constantly referred to my magic board for dimensions and such, it came out different. Again, I would have to say, it was more aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

I should clarify things. When I first picked up my board, the stringer looked off center, a bit to the right. The rails felt thin for the size, almost as if there was a bit too much foam was shaved off. It didn't look right, but I just took it anyway. One of my other friends saw it the first day and remarked about the stringer being off center, so it wasn't just me.

However, when you ride it, it rides like a dream. The board catches waves well, but felt loose. I've had very few bad days on that board (though some were definitely less stellar than others). Everyone who's ridden it mention how fun it is. Don't know what it is.

So, the 2nd clone, looks like a nice board. I want to try it out on a slightly larger swell. My friend has said that she has caught a bunch of waves on it already, but has mentioned that it feels more stable than my board. I'm crossing my fingers for a bit more of a swell to test it out, not just to test ride, but to ride for me!!

Anyway, the last few days were fun. It was small both days, but some chest high sets come through. All the waves were clean with lefts and rights. The water is still warm, but then again, so is the weather over all. I am sure it topped the mid 80's today and it's November! The water must be around 64 or so and I was getting a bit hot under the collar once the sun burned through the fog. The tide was high, so that meant a late morning session was in order. I surfed 3 hours both days, paddling for anything. I caught some really fun rights and kooked a bunch of smaller waves. I sort of get up slowly on small waves, usually amazed that I've started planing. Once the shock wears off, I get up slowly and then try to turn as hard as possible only to find me eating it. It's a bit hard to turn when there's very little speed. Still, had fun!

Summary:
Water was warm, about 64.
Wind was calm, though picked up a bit more on Saturday around 11ish.
Waves were small, but clean with plenty of shoulders to be had.
Sky was clear after the fog burned off.
Tide was high.
Crowd was moderate, but it's slowly thinning out due to the small swell or that people might be thinking it's too cold to get in the water in the autumnal months.

Four days of surfing next weekend!

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

When you don't surf well, that happens. If you surf well enough a few changes won't hurt your surfing if you get used to it. It might be key to take a lesson or two.

2:43 PM  
Blogger Dan said...

A lesson wouldn't be a bad idea per se, but I think I've gone past that stage. Just have better days than others. Of course, that might just be my ego talking.

10:19 PM  

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