Aloha friends, Well, just back home in Ireland with our national championships soon due. Through surfingireland.net we were able to stop the Government passing a law to make surfers wear life jackets and criminalising our sport, thanks to all here who may have written to or emailed our minister. As always, I have been messing with new ideas and developments. I have yet to contact Tony, but bad news on the fat penguin front. The homeblown stringerless blank broke in transit, and I only just found out, so that will need to wait a little longer while I arrange the delivery of a second one to bufoboards in Holland. Will this saga never end? However, watertank model tests went very well, and I am very excited about having it in the water by December. It is very promising. The 4 way fin system (4wfs.com) has proved excellent, a very adjustable and solid system with a great future ahead of it as soon as shapers start to put it in boards. It is cheaper than FCS and, as abeliver in free trade and fair work practice Id like to add it is made in south africa, not china. The system really should appeal to progressive surfers from the intermediate level up as it allows a surfer to adjust toe, splay and longitudinal adjustment. I’d suggest shapers should try it out on their own ‘all rounder’ boards and try it for themselves. The great thing about it is that it can be retro-fitted in place of glassed in and FCS systems. The new tail pad from outerreef sports (http://www.outerreefsports.com/) looked cheap at first, but then we tried it, it really works fantasticly well, so its worth checking out.It aint pretty, but it works like a charm, so, as design improves in terms of style, even the fashion victims will be able to take advantage of it. For now, the pad will appeal to those who want a higher performance. I dont know how much pads cost in the US, but here in Europe the guys have created a new product that is superior to anything I have tried and will compete well on the market with better known types, good luck to them, there on to a winner. By the end of the month I hope to have rebuilt surfingireland.net. There will be a link in the shapers bay section to this message board in the form of “ask a shaper” so I hope you guys can help out Irish surfers. The sport is still growing here and we are still learning.Some of the questions may seem elemental to you, but the answers will help us. I hope it will also promote friendship and forge links between Irish and US surfers, so we can work together on issues affecting surfing. I would also really apprieciate articles on things like concept, ding repair, shaping etc. from all and any of you. I guess the next news from me will be on completion of a fat penguin, but it will be done. All the best Simon http://www.surfingireland.net 