Followed with interest the thread last week about blanks for tow boards. Though I’d post this photo of a recently completed tow board designed for 18 to 25 foot surf - the “small” end of the tow surf realm. 5’ 10" x 17 /2" x 2 3/8" Shaped from a Clark Foam 63H / tow density foam / 1/4" + 1/4" Bass T band / custom rocker Glassed with 4 layers of 6 oz Hexel RWG top and bottom Futures Fin System Finished weight 14 lbs Tow in is a spectacular addition to surfing. It’s essential, from my perspective, that tow surfers honor the realm of paddle surfers. In the Hawaiin Islands tow in has grown with responsibility and surfing resources have been shared by all involved. Elite Hawaiin tow surfers have cultivated a community of safety and responsibility. There have been a significant number of unfortunate incidents between tow in and paddle surfers in Central California polarizing surfers and the surf community. There is such a strong distinction between tow in and paddle conditions. There is truly very little, if any, overlap in conditions. It’s amazing that these incidents have occured. I sincerely hope to see surfers on the California coast share the resources as they’re doing in Hawaii. A recent article in the LA Times covers some of the issues involved. See the link below for some interesting views and reader comments on the issues. http://www.latimes.com/features/outdoors/la-os-bigwaves9sep09171419.story 
Other than the whole issue of people not accepting it because it involves a powered vehicle, the current way to help is switching to 4stroke jetski’s. Everyone is starting to pump them out, they’re just as fast etc. And tremendously better for the environment than their 2stroke counterparts.
I agree with you that tow in surfing is a great addition to the sport. I haven’t ever tried it, but I know my own personality. If I do try it, I’ll be hooked instantly. I can’t wait to try it. I’ll start with a regular board on moderately big surf (maybe fifteen foot faces). I’ll probably do it this winter with some friends in North County. When the surf gets big here (well, what I call big) then there are a lot of empty line-ups. So it will be safe for a two-kook or two to give it a shot without hurting anyone. And we’ll do it in surf that we would probably paddle into anyway, just to start. I think the Central California surfers (many of which like to call themselves Northern California, even though NorCal starts on the northern side of the Bay) have a chip on their shoulders. They come from a place (Santa Cruz mostly) that is nice, but isn’t what most surfers would consider their first choice for living and surfing. The air is cold, the water is cold, it rains too much, blows out easily, and has great white sharks. Hawaiian, on the other hand, know that they are in paradise, and don’t have to be loud an obnoxious. Plus, Hawaii is filled with Aloha (even though some Californians would have you believe otherwise), and they share very well. I have always thought Hawaaians were very generous people. They respond quickly to respect and, especially, admiration. When I go to Hawaii, the first thing out of my mouth when I paddle out is hello, followed by several sincere compliments about Hawaii and the surfers who are catching waves. It works. Plus, these are people who have been doing it for hundreds of years. They aren’t going to let some joker come in on a jet ski and tear the place up. They have respect for the ocean and for surfing. The NorCal guys (and especially the guys at Todos) came in with an attitude to start, often towing when others were still paddling. They were impatient, verbally abusive and demanding. Do you think anyone at Waimea Bay would have tollerated that crap for a second? Heck, no, but the “NorCal” guys just jumped in and told everyone to beat it. Now they are paying for it with imposed restrictions. I will not, of course, discount their abilities. WOW! Those guys are amazing! Another thing that bothers me is the building lack of respect for paddle surfers by the industry. Now the big money awards are going to tow-in surfers instead of paddle-in. When Taylor Knox won 50,000 dollars, we were all impressed, but this year (2003) the high award (about 65k) went to a tow-in surfer, while the top paddle surfer (Toby Cunningham) got five grand. It takes big balls to tow into a 65 foot wave, but bigger balls to paddle into a 25 foot wave, and the paddle surfer has to catch it (difficult) and make the drop (more difficult) and then hope to make the shoulder. The tow in surfer, while brave, only needs to let go of the rope to catch the wave. If this current trend continues, then I suppose the best pitcher will be using a remote controlled pitching machine. Or, the slam dunk winner at the NBA all star game will be someone using a trampoline, and the NFL will start using velcro gloves and footballs covered in velcro to make the wide receivers better than ever.
Tow surfing looks very impressive - but i have a few concerns: 1) jetskis just pour their unburnt fuel and oil directly into the water. 2) jetskis use the same amount of fuel in one hour as your car does in about 40. 3) If four stroke engines are better then good - but it still shoud only really happen in waves that you can’t paddle into. I don’t think that jetskis and paddle surfers mix well. As a surfer i like to respect the environment that i know and love - and try my best not to mess it up. I don’t tow and wouldn’t out of sheer respect for the sea.