Just add waves....

 ...preferably shoulder-high or bigger. Here's the new 7-6 HYB4/3 fresh from the factory.

This is a great board for "mature" surfers (you know who you are...) who need a little more float than the 6-6 "Big Boy" thruster gathering dust in the garage, or for the longboarder wanting to sample a little more speed and responsiveness in his/her surfing.
The HYB4/3 shapes feature a full outline with a 15-1/2" wide tail. The full outline is combined with a tightly-tucked 60/40 rail and a single concave bottom with "V" in the last 12". The double-wings help to pull in the tail in the last 12" and work with the "V" to keep turning loose and smooth.

The 4/3 or "5-fin" set-up allows the rider to choose either tri- or quad-fin performance. I like the TA Channel Islands Hexcore fins in front and TA LB Side Bites in the rear on my quad set-ups. The CI template is designed for riders over 180lbs, and offer incredible hold and drive. What I like about the 5-fin set-up is that it offers the rider a wide range of fin configurations, and with FCS plugs there is a huge inventory of fin templates available.

Give me a call or drop me an email if you see an HYB4/3 in your future and want to talk about it. Pricing for the HYB4/3 starts at $465 with quad composite/molded fins included.

Abstract art goes surfing...

Kirt loves his colors bright and bold, and with a Modern Art flavor a la Piet Mondrian. He's also a fan of sub-9' longboards, made for speed and responsiveness. This 8-10 Mini-Nova Speedster fills the bill nicely.

Dimensions: 8'10" 17-1/2" x 22-1/2" x 14" 3-1/8" NR5-1/2" TR3-5/8". Bottom has a nice continuous rocker with double-concaves and V in the tail. Amazing air-spray work by Ray Lucke of
Lucke Glassing in Camarillo, CA, with gloss and polish finish.

Designed with a 2+1 fin box configuration, Kirt surfs it more like a tri-fin with "schimitar" side bites and a 4-1/2" center fin.

Pickup day is always a happy day!

Coming soon to a break in VC...

Took a break in the busy summer season action to build a 7-6HYB4/3 "shop demo" . Here it is shaped, with fin boxes inserted and ready for glassing.

The HYB4/3 is a mid-sized hybrid shape with a single-concave bottom and "V" out the tail. Dimensions are
7-6 13-1/4"x21-3/4"x15" 2-7/8". The double-wing, round-pin tail helps to pull in the wide 15" tail and lends itself to easy turns and smooth cutbacks.

The 4/3 or "5-fin" configuration adds maximum versatility. The board can be surfed as a tri-fin or a quad, depending upon rider preference. I like to use FCS Fusion plugs because there is a wide selection of FCS-based fins to choose from, and the cant of the fins can be set differently.

There is also a 7-8 tri-fin, swallow-tail version of this board at the shop, but it going to a Westlake, CA surfer upon completion.

Surf Quote....

"Waves can't be the god of the sport; if they were, we would all live in Hawaii.  It has got to be getting out in it that counts -- surfing because you love to surf, and getting pumped full of life and whip and snap.  I used to ride junk waves all day long, training for the good moments.  You do this, and one day you are sitting out there all alone, waiting for a set, and someone will paddle up and ask how the surf is.  'Man,' you tell them, 'you should have been here an hour ago.'"

-Phil Edwards

Artwork Ken Auster

Phil Edwards is one of my surfer/shaper heroes. I think the Phil Edwards Model Hobie is one of the most beautiful LB shapes ever created. (He was responsible for the Hobie Cat design as well)

A grom and his board...

Wetsuit = $99
Board = $370
Pushing grandson into waves on his first "real" surfboard = Priceless