Saturday, December 15, 2007

SLINGSHOT INTO THE FUTURE

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Solo session 'til it was hard to see this evening... have now experienced the legendary "5th gear"— could really feel it kick in when i needed something extra to get around a section. Shit, maybe that was only 4th! Whatever the case, it was something I haven't felt before and I'm sure this design has a lot more to show me in the future.
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Thanks to Warm Jet for putting "Red 5", his Campbell Bros. Bumble Bee, under my feet.
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22 comments:

Unknown said...

same a.m. spot, bc?

gonna be there myself, and from what i predict, I'll be makin alittle 'trouble' with the 5fin myself.

R.T. said...

yep!

bring it!

unidentified said...

I love it!
Another tribesman a comin'!
On to Bonzer HQ next week for yer order!
s
You should still try a'troublemaker'.

Anonymous said...

http://www.californiacoastline.org/cgi-bin/image.cgi?image=200603121&mode=big&lastmode=sequential&flags=0&year=2006



rape

pranaglider said...

Glad you are enjoying the bonzers, strange how people don't think they work. They do work better in good waves but then everything does. Oh and thanks for the add.

R.T. said...

no prob, prana.

Graham said...

You nailed it on head prana.. they don't generally work where we roll simply because the juice isn't always there.. I may be down there with a 5 fin pod in hand tomorrow if conditions prove as predicted..

pranaglider said...

twin, the secret spot where kaser and jet spend their mornings is more to the bonzer 5th gear's liking. I wish I knew about them when I was a local there. But then I wish I knew about mats then too ;)

pranaglider said...

one more thing, regarding the bonzers listen to warmJet on these matters. I think he has a million of them tucked away...

R.T. said...

hmmm... i know what you are meaning to say twinfin, i agree every design has it's optimal use per conditions and when i get my bonzer i will be getting it for the juicy days, but w/out trying to sound overly sensitive and w/ my utmost and sincere respect, i think we should be careful about generalizing with use of "don't generally work where we roll". i think you should articulate what you are trying to say without using "don't.. work" in the sentence. it's all relative and what doesn't jive for one person in one set of conditions can ride/feel great for another. it's such a personal, subjective thing. if we listened to most naysayers we wouldn't be enjoying hulls in the beachbreak!

luv ya brother. hope to join you in the morn!

pranaglider said...

I hope you guys scored and it wasn't too windy.

R.T. and Twin, I know you are not in disagreement but I think you are looking at different parts of the same elephant. Bonzers, hull and fish for that matter always seem to do better at speed. Ya know, once you are throwing your third or fourth turn. That is why these designs do better at points and that some people feel that they don't work at all (non point surfers). The trick is to get a board that suits the conditions. If you want a bonzer to work well "where we roll" ( which by the way has been picking up the NW and SW swell quite nicely as of late) you want to go with a stubbie shape with the bonzer bottom and fins ( bumble bee or egg). The hull shape will need a touch more rocker and maybe OMG a touch of vee. Sorry to have gone on soooo long but this is a very interesting topic and you have presented interesting ideas. Maybe I should have just said "horses for courses" and left it at that. Regards

R.T. said...

prana,

yes, i'm definitely not arguing w/ twin— he's my brother. just healthy discussion here.

all i'm saying is the designs we are talking about are bigger than our singular experiences and therefore when we as individuals talk about them we should refrain from saying that they do or don't "work" in a particular wave, or anywhere, inregards to what someone else will experience. like what you are saying about the fish. how many times have i heard someone say "they are only for small waves", but i find a fish feels great to me in overhead conditions. or how many times have i taken my fish out in juice and heard someone say "you don' need that out here today", and i'm just laughing to myself 'cuase when you start talking like that the truth is that none of us really need any board, just our bodies to surf. in one set of conditions different people can be looking for different experiences and it is often when you take a board out in conditions that someone says "it doesn't work in" is when you personally discover something new. as i'm sure you'll agree: surfing is fluid, there are no concrete terms.

appreciate your input.

and as a matter of fact it was the bumble bee that felt good to me "where we roll". which brings up a good point when talking about board experiences... the type of outline and foam distribution is just as big a player as the fin pattern. as such there becomes way too many variables involved to judge just a fin pattern/design as not "working" somewhere.

pranaglider said...

Exactly.

"the truth is that none of us really need any board, just our bodies to surf"

no truer words...

R.T. said...

...and to take it even further, on rare occassions (rare for me at least), one can find contentment to just mind surf while dry on the beach. oddly enough, while being the "easiest" form of "riding", it is probably the hardest thing to achieve satisfaction from as a surfer. something i am learning to get better at in my navigations of time and space as a new dad.

pranaglider said...

You bring up a interesting point. What are our past adventures but memories, no concretness, no now. They have the same properties as "mind surfing". The only diff being the muscle memory of the actions and the "reality" of actual surfing vs mind surfing. But I try not to be too hung up on reality...

Congrats on the new dad part

oh and nice off the lip over on BrownFish's site.

R.T. said...

yep, letting go of control over reality vs. being the master of my own reality can be like playing tennis with an opponent that is myself... at a certain point the best game plan is surrender.

i'm not a brand new dad. my daughter is 19 months. but in relative terms of time, plus considering the things i am still learning about fatherhood, i still consider myself new to it. Twin has a boy about the same age as my girl, and he's had to opt for a few mind surf sessions himself... Twin, where are ya buddy?

thanks for the lippy compliment.

Graham said...

Taking two steps back to address the bonzer discussion, R.T., I get what you are saying and I am not here to dictate the quality of anyone's wave riding experience and what it should or should not be.

Im stoked you are into the bonzer!

My comment on bonzers and where I feel they work best was based on memories and experience on a personal level where you and I regularly surf. In fact, reading this post is what inspired my response and dug up my bonzer wave memories and my fond attachment to them.

Bottom line is.. to shift into the 5th gear.. I need the juice to get it moving. As one close friend of ours has also remarked, "five is alot of fins to be dragging through the water". On the flip side, I have had some fun on a friends Bumblebee in small conditions. Regardless, my hat is off to anyone who gets their stoke from the bonzer, the fish, the hull or the true appreciation for the planing experience.

To have the access to these experiences in my life is golden. Even if it just means sitting on the beach and placing my mind in the onlookers seat, taking mental snapshots for current reflection on the present or later recall ..

Get your good vibe where you can find it!

R.T. said...

i know you ain't tryin' to dictate... nor am i... good to hear your further thoughts. see ya where we roll sat morn.

unidentified said...

Fellas!!!, Fellas!!!
All good stuff.
And as for mind surf? Seems that's the only game I got at the moment so thanks for bringing it up.
I was forced to get off on RT's stoke on a session yesterday at Bonzer HQ, where he rode and ripped a tiny Nine Lights Quad, Diamond stub.
My Bee is very disapointed in me for doing so much 'hulling'.
I tried to explain to her but got the silent treatment and now must
put in some serious tribe time to get back in the house.
Can't wait to see the new RT BEE!!!
Going to be something special I feel. Goin super HP BEE.
All together a good am anyway.

R.T. said...

thanks for the props jet!

you're so modest about your own surfing!

can't wait to see how the thinned out bee experiment comes out as well! you'll have to try it too.

J.P. said...

I've found that bonzers work well in mushy waves with the lightweight bamboo fins. Marlin is still messing around with bamboo center box fins but all 5 glassed on work really killer.

R.T. said...

thanks for the input j.p.

i'm definitely interested in 101 fins.

is it just me, or does it seem like there's more 101 fin templates seen in board photos on surfysurfy than are actually showcased on the 101 website itself?

i'll call 101's number to get the details on fin availability. thanks.