Good Times

Our newest surfer. 10 yr old Sydney.
Z
Jacky
Packed beach.
C4s new adjustable paddle. Works slick.


Falling a lot from fishersfort on Vimeo.

Glassy Fun this Morning

Aug 30 North End CB from fishersfort on Vimeo.

Ya should have been there....

We found a few glassy chest high waves tonight at the KB pier. We checked the North End, the CB pier, but KB was the place to be. Much glassier down here.

Jacky is claiming her biggest waves ever! The catch to this tale, is all the other times she was faced with waves this good, she bailed, or fell. The difference between then and now is her new C4 9'0. She is STOKED.

Messy Surf

Messy surf this weekend. I think we're going on 10 days of on shore wind. Yuk!

On a happy note, we scored two free FF tickets on Delta to Oahu this January. We're leaving kites home. This will be a surf trip.

Last Weekend

No surfing today, so here is something from last weekend. Me on the 10 BK Pro.

Jacky's Newly Painted Paddle

This is a Shaka Pu'u cut down 1/2 narrower than stock.

Fun Morning at CB Inlet

Aug 16 CB Inlet from fishersfort on Vimeo.

C4 Carry Handle Improvement

Handle Hole Plug in C4 Bat Tail 9'0 from fishersfort on Vimeo.

I love the new handle holes in our C4s, but they do scare me. Twice in 10 sessions now, my toes have dropped into the hole.

I don't want a broken toe! I already have one toe that will never bend again for the rest of my life because it was broken a few years ago. It hurts like a bitch when it gets bent beyond what it can take.

My home made plug is a white nylon block drilled and grooved on the bottom for bungee clearance. I stuck a small piece of deck padding on the top side. The bungee is held in place with a small drop of epoxy in the bottom of the hole.

Rocker Comparison C4 versus PSH

Here is my rocker jig sitting on the 9'6 production PSH. The jig is set to the rocker of a C4 9'0 Bat Tail.

The rocker aft of center roughly matches on both boards. The rocker forward of center is pretty close until you reach the nose, then the C4 has way more scope.

When you place a straight edge across the middle, side to side, the C4 is flat in the middle with a slight roll (or chine) near the rail. The PSH is single concave in the middle.

What does this mean? Nothing, its just fun to compare and know the difference.

By the way, this comparison only applies to these two sizes. My C4 10 BK pro has a straighter rocker than my 10 PSH.

C4 goes QUAD

Jacky's new ride. 9'0 bat tail C4 QUAD. Yes, C4 has gone 5 fin on all the high end sticks.


Where's the nose?

Potato Chip!

Fun Times at CB Inlet

My Shaka Pu'u paddle blade all sexed up.

Great weekend of glassy endless rides.


CB Inlet Aug 10 from fishersfort on Vimeo.

Magic Surf

Sorry no photos yet. Might be getting a photo taken by a friend later.

Mirror glassy waist high surf all morning with super long rides near the CB inlet. Surfed 3 1/2 hours without rest on the 10' BK Pro. I love this board. Tried it thruster and quad. I prefer quad. Faster!

P.S. the PSH is SOLD.

10' PSH versus 10' C4 BK Pro

I made the mistake of walking into the local surf shop selling C4. I spotted a beautiful BK Pro on the rack. They offered me a deal I could not refuse.

I surfed it this morning and tonight in small waves. Here are my first impressions of how it compares to my 10 x 29 hand glassed PSH.

C4 heavier.
PSH super light, which explains all the repairs it has needed.

Paddling, C4 goes much straighter. I feel like I can paddle all day on the same side. My paddle technique is better too. The narrower (27") C4 allows me a more vertical paddle stroke.
PSH, 3 paddle strokes per side max.

Punching through surf paddling out. C4 wins here too. I love the nose shape. All boards need a similar nose.

Catching waves. The C4 wins again. I can paddle into waves with less effort and catch waves that are more swell, than a real wave.

Surfing, the PSH wins. It turns quicker, with less effort. I'm getting better swinging the C4 around with each session, but it does take more strength and more paddle help to really rip in small surf.

Pearling. Tie. Each board makes late drops with ease. Two of the best out there for this.

Paddling down wind with a strong breeze at my back. The C4 is easier. The flatter rocker makes it more pitch stable.

Stability side to side. PSH wins. But, C4 is also comfortable. Not tired at all. Easy to ride at 200 lbs. Stabilty in pitch, C4 wins.

Conclusion, the PSH is a more hard core ripper and better surfer. The C4 is easier to deal with and catch waves. Both are fun, just different.

I surfed the C4 quad and thruster. I need better waves to pick my fin preference.

Grip Makes you a Superhero

Grip, you need it on your paddle too. Jacky finally gave in and allowed me to put ReDeck traction grip on her paddle shaft. I've been using it all summer. Today she felt the power, like a ninja warrior with her paddle.

Do yourself a favor and super charge your paddle shaft with abrasive grip. You'll wonder how you ever went without.

Same goes for deck pads too. Today I rode Jacky's 9'6 PSH with NSI deck pad. It felt like a greased pig. On my board, I'm used to standing on Dakine's longboard pads inset into my deck pad. The same way all the guys at Paddle Surf Hawaii do it. The Dakine pad is textured like a stomp pad, with an aggressive diamond pattern. What a difference this makes in your surfing.

Check back tomorrow for info on my new board! Yep, new board in the house.

Pop Out Board Repair

Jacky dropped her 9'6 PSH on the driveway and dinged the tail. This lead me in search of better do it myself board repair skill. Thanks to www.boardlady.com for some tips, I've just completed my best repair job effort to date.

My first step was getting a Pantone color guide. They cost over $100 new, or $25 used on Ebay. Printing professionals are required to replace their Pantone guides each year. It's a quality control rule (possible color fade with age). That is why used ones are easy to find. Pantones includes every color you could ever want. Find your match, then go to Home Depot for some exterior gloss latex and you're half way there.

Next step was buying an airbrush to apply the paint. Cost $20. Set the air compressor at 25 psi, thin the paint with 20% water and I was ready to paint!

The actual board repair was done with Marine-Tex, then feathered with gel coat putty.

The last step is yet to be done. Polish to a gloss and blend the paint edge. The gloss paint came out flat due to spraying really light coats with the airbrush.