Saturday: down to 6 ft 14-17 sec 300 deg and sets still reasonably sparse, and still really clean. This is what happens when I move away...this looks to be the cleanest overhead plus swell in 5+ years. This one will be unique in how clean the swell is, and you may be disappointed in the sparseness of the sets. But at least you'll be able to paddle back out easily after getting Caught on the Inside.
Note. I am moving out, this site will not be updated after Nov 17th. The move is not to a place that is conducive to surfing, but there were too many other “life” factors supporting it. The decision to move wasn’t tough in light of that, but I will miss surf and the friends and acquaintances I’ve made in the last decade. Keep the stoke and spirit of aloha going.
Shoots. You were one of the guys I would have liked to catch a surf with. I saw Dower yesterday & he said the same thing. We both read your page…he tipped me off about the change.
Seems if he wanted to let us know, he’d post such sometime in the last month.
Hope he’s not moving to North Dakota.
LeeDD, you now live and surf a LOT further from me. The fin systems are still coming… single is available, and the three fin sets are in production.
As to what is up with that, I got a great job offer in a place that had a lot to offer me and my family…not much in the way of surf…except for short road trip weekend kinda stuff.
With the three fin systems, I am still pondering the first generation fin design. Experienced riders really like it, less experienced riders a little less…it is quite loose and very fast. Exactly what you’d expect if every turn was a two-fin turn (as hard turns are when you get the outside rail fin up). So every turn is really thrusty. But you lose some hold on moderate turns because the outside rail fin isn’t blocking the turn (which translates well into hold but very poorly into thrust). Basically, a lot of thrust gained and some hold lost. The same impression is left when you head vert into the lip. The tail carries a lot less drag, so you have to whip the nose around a lot quicker on the lip. To a good very surfer “the breaks are off”. But it is a lot more touchy for someone still getting used to hitting the lip vert.
The fin options are
make fins comparable to current fins, and let people feel it out in the first sets (fins may be changed after the fact)
Use bigger rail and rear fins, possibly add a half inch depth and base. This would give back the hold and probably give more thrust, but would add some weight in the fins.
Moderate the collapsing of the outside rail fin, so that the design doesn’t take it to the limit. The current prototype lets the fin rotate in toe-out about 4 degrees (which is much more than standard toe-in of 3.2 degrees). It can be reduced pretty easily, which would give back some hold and make it less thrusty.
The other noticeable feedback is on riding it backside. Without the outside rail fin active, the center of resistance is much closer to the rail. Like a twin fin. Actually, in between a twin and a thruster, but a thruster rider may have problems adapting to backside riding because the center of fin resistance is so much closer to the rail.
Anyways…I left a heads up on my site for a few weeks…its been a fun decade in SF, but time for me to move on.