My orange 5' 7 " 'stubbie's' launching...

General Discussion
1

Well, on Saturday just gone, good ol’ “Hicksy” and the family brought around both my boards… the greenblue pin , and the orange "stub ". [THANKS, buddy !!]…

Yesterday the surf was pus, so I had a day to wax, legrope , and fin the stubbie.

[because I first shaped it back in July, the “stubbie” was the one I’ve been hanging out to ride the longest !]

So, I was up at 4.30am this morning [it’s now 8.28am here in wozzieland.]…in the water by 5am !

surf 2-3’ with the very occassional rare one sneaking through around head high.

very shallow, some fast dredgy takeoffs…this board will be good for my surfing, by the feel of it so far.

Paddles well for it’s 5’7 , floats really well [2 1/2" thick]. The extra weight (total 3 layers glass, 6 layers resin, and a single fin box [12"] ), seemed to help ‘hold’ it in the face on [sideways] takeoffs today.

With its 7 1/2" squaretail pod [“tail block”] , it felt a bit slidey off the top backhand [this could also be because of the thick rails though]. But after riding a considerably stiffer 7’ single fin for months, I must confess to actually not minding sliding turns [did I REALLY just write that ??!!]

I caught 8 lefts and only two rights [I’m a natural footer], so I can’t really comment on its performance on rights…I ate **** [ ] BIG time on my first wave [one of the rights].

Well, I think I’ll be riding this exclusively for a while, being the surf may still be a bit too gutless for the narrower ‘green pin’… but I AM curious as to how THAT will ride also !

Things I would change in the next stub…

1] more nose and tail rocker [use a new blank!]

2] 19- 19 1/2 " maximum, instead of 20" wide…possibly 2 3/8 " thick , too ,instead of whatever it is now [about 2 5/8 by the callipers]

3] less vee in the bottom, more flat bottomed from nose down to about front foot spot

4] 6’ instead of 5’7

5] thinner, more modern rails [shaping good rails always seem to be my bugbear!]

6] slightly thinner tail block

and…most important…

7]…to be able to ride it in good point break wave ! [instead of shifting gutless shallow beachbreak]

as more comes to hand, updates will happen…

I’m off to drop off a film now, which has a shot or two of the stubbie’s bottom on it…

ben

2

Kooooool!!

you need more rights…

No seal?..

They bottom shot looks real niiice!!!

Have Fun,

Josh.

3

Well, it was my second surf on it today…some clean fun little lefts, a couple of fast rights [waist to chest high [sets]].

A mate said he was surprised by the ease with which it caught waves. (A couple of rights that held up DID feel fast to me.) Managed one decent non-sliding cuttie on a right…something I was hoping to feel !

On the lefts, I noticed that when bending my knees more and getting lower when [trying to ] go off the lip [‘reo’s] , the board pivoted sharply, and felt solid. [The fact I’d been riding in a bowl [skating] helped with that, I think…my skatey is also wide and short ["old school’?!!]

The vee I can definately feel loosening up the tail.

enjoyable ! 



I had fun today, in fact if it wasn't for my stoked 22yo mate talking me into it , I may have wasted a day indoors instead of getting some fun waves and a good skate in the arvo [bowl session again]...thanks, Shane !

fun fun fun …‘chip’

4

Chip,

I really like the one on the right. Nice outline.

5

thanks Solo !

yep, that’s the ‘stub’. It was a 5’10 ‘fish’ blank, until I removed the 3" deep ‘butt crack’ [OUCH !!! poor board !] and it became “the stub”…

One day I was looking at one of my old photos of my 6’ stubbie from a few years previous, and thought…" time for another one " !! [Glad I did!]

ben

6

Ben ,

Good onya for getting amongst it on your own creation, and I’m glad it works as good as you wanted it too.

Having been a single-fin fanatic myself as you know, all I can say is that I’m sure it is hiding quite a few secret performance characteristics, just waiting for you to discover them.

And the next one will be better, and so on, etc.

I know you can’t be, but you sound like a fifteen year old grommet who found a new toy. Many stale, ininspired people should follow your example of stoke. Goodonya mate!!! Catch a wave for me.

7

I am a 15yo grommet… I am Iam …

…just my 43yo body that tries to tell me otherwise…

Today , after yesterday’s slam in the bowl [skating after my morning stub sesh], and a day at Hicksy’s grinding and cutting fins, my body is definately saying…"you ARE a 43 YEAR OLD …you are you are "

… Still, it’s fun TRYING to keep up with my [younger] skate and surf mates …they are probably just as responsible for me tying to stay limber, surf faster , and ride shorter boards !

  thanks for the kind words , Wildy

…even if it’s only a dribbler, I’ll DEFINATELY catch a wave for you !

          ben

p.s. - you’re not the first person on this forum, and where I live , to mistake me for a grommet…I take it as a compliment whenever anyone says that ! [I know a lot of people my age who don’t surf anymore , who used to rip !]

8

Hey Chip, you’ve just given away a trade secret.

Back in the day, ha ha, the best thing for my surfing, and my stoke, was to surf with some sort of progressive motivation, and that meant surfing with other people that had lots of energy and enthusiasm, generally younger guys.

Anyone out there who thinks their surfing needs a lift should take this into account. (And stretch, get fit, surf junk, etc, etc, etc)

9

here you go, ‘Gatordave’ and ‘Teamzephyr’ […sorry to hear about your hand, Jake…hope it heals quickly !]

Today I did the ‘forward trim thing’, to test for nose rail bog factor. yep. Backhand it did. Forehand, felt fine !

On my forehand [rights], standing halfway up the board with feet close together felt GREAT !! [M.P. at Kirra, "M.O.T.E " strategy…]

I can’t WAIT to get the stub into some lined up waves !!

ben

… crappy surf today , but I’m trying to have / make it fun , anyway !!

" share the stoke…"

p.s. - [ ? another semi “trade-secret” ?] riding a stubbie wide skateboard in bowls is helping me surf my stubbie surfboard …

…did someone say 'soul arch ’ ???

10

Don’t you just wish you were an east coaster… Double Island, Noosa, Kirra, Snapper/Rainbow/Greenmounght Supabank! Currumbin, Burleigh, Wategoes, The Pass, Broken Head, Lennox,Crescent, Merewether, Fairybower…the list goes on and ON!!

All perfect right point breaks Perfect for that stubbie…

Oh well atleast youve got ‘Triggs’ (hahahahaha)

Just joking!

Cool Shot of that bowl too!

Josh,

MERRY XMAS EVERYONE!

11

…the other thing riding this stubbie in small summer waves [at the moment] is doing is : it is making me paddle harder…the 7’ single had made me lazy !

So, hopefully, it’s developing

faster reflexes

better timing

quicker / later takeoffs

more manouevreability

…not bad things to work on, really.

chip

p.s. Josh, I WAS an ’ east coaster’ … for 20 years [before you were born !]

12

… the surf is still tiny here , but sucky low tide righthanders [forehand for me] at times this morning.

Made a conscious effort to paddle hard[er] , take off quickly, open stance, crouch , and weight forward …

Very happy with the results.

Board went fast.

Didn’t catch a front edge [as I thought I would] and…

made a section I would have found difficult on my 7’er.

…I can’t wait to ride it with the winged keel next , in bigger than waist to chest high waves, hopefully !

 ben
13

If you’re gonna use a winged keel stay away from kelp, and legropes, pain in the arse.

14

hi Greg !

Yep… NO kelp here [unlike in Vicco ,where you used to surf ‘back in the daze’…Now, was that in 1977 ? No WONDER you rode SINGLE fins !! hehehaha]

And I now put my legrope plugs on the DECK !! Revolutionary , mate ! [Instead of a hole through the fin…seems to lessen drag , and prevent the leggie getting caught in / on the fin]

…thanks for the tips though Greg !

    ben