Early November Swell

Some snaps from a few trips to the waters edge in early November. 

John Cherry Fin

I was in need of a seven inch fin that would loosen up the Egg. I did some research and determined that a seven inch Skip Frye would do the trick. The problem was you can't really buy a pre-made 7 inch Frye. This would have to be custom and if that's the case why stick with fiberglass. After more research I found John Cherry Wood Craft who makes custom wood fins. I was super stoked to find that John makes a marine plywood center box fin. After a couple of emails to John the job was on and here is the result. Stoke!

Function and aesthetics come together in this fin. The woodgrain and shape are beautiful while the flex characteristics make it super functional for the slight hull egg.

I'm itching to get in the water and try this combo out. I have a feeling this will blow my mind.

Below are two photos John email while in progress. I appreciated the communication I had with John while the fin was being made. When the fin was done he sent more photos with it installed in a board so I could see it in context. To keep up to date on John's work tune into his blog Cherry Surfboards Blog. 

Along with making custom fins John is a hell of a shaper. I particularly like his Simm-21 boards. Below is a pic from John's blog of his booth at Sacred Craft. The yellow and green boards are the Simm-21. The green one looks mighty fine, mighty fine indeed! 

Skateboard Animation

My good friend Vince posted this on FB yesterday. It blew my mind so I would like to share it here. Enjoy.

Skateboardanimation from Tilman Singer on Vimeo.

Ryan Lovelace: ThougHull

This video is of Trevor Gordon riding one of Ryan Lovelace's ThrougHull boards and is stoking me out!

Trevor and the ThrougHull from Ryan Lovelace on Vimeo.

Solo Bouldering 11/14/11

Some pictures of the walls from last nights solo bouldering session.

Kookbox Pop up in NYC

Over the weekend Kookbox participated in a pop up shop in downtown Manhattan. I stopped by to feel up the boards and see what else Kookbox offers. For starters the boards are super legit. The fish and quad pin are in collaboration with Jeff McCallum and are super sweet. Both seem like very useful boards for these parts. The space was small but the stoke was high. The Kookox website is under redesign but you can stay up to date with the latest on their Facebook page.

I picked up a Kookbox hoodie. They are fleeced lined made of heavy cotton and hand made in Canada. I'll write a review on this once the springs comes but so far it's keeping me quite warm. I also had my eye on there rubber tops that are made in Japan. Maybe for next summer. Kookbox is one of those companies that have style and quality all the while keeping it home grown and grass roots. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next. 

This post first appeared in Aquatic Apes.

Climbing at Brooklyn Boulders

I was introduced to climbing back in the spring of 2007. It was something I always wanted to try and looked like a lot of fun. I climbed at Hanger 18 in Upland CA from the spring through the summer. I was climbing at least three days a week and training in between. I was getting really comfortable with being on the wall and learning the strategies to conserve energy on the way up. 

I was at the point where I was ready to start climbing outside. There was a crew of peeps that hit Joshua Tree that I was going to hook up with. Then I met my wife and moved to New York City. At the time there was not a climbing gym that was easy for me to get to and there was no way that I was going to Chelsea Piers. Then Brooklyn Boulders opened their doors and hope was restored. 

For various reasons it took me up until a few weeks ago to check it out. My brother Robert and I have been looking for an activity that we can to together and stay fit. Many years ago we used to work out at the local Worlds Gym. We were on a strict diet and routine and got really fit. We both care about fitness but have found times in our lives where it was hard to maintain. One day we just decided there is no time like the present so we went for it. It was a humbling experience to put it lightly. I had the memory of knowing how to climb and the feelings that come with that but lacked the strength.

On day one it was all we could go to boulder a V-0. We even tried a V-0-. We were in the overhang room so the problems are a little harder. It was tough and we were sore the next day but couldn't wait to get back and solve harder problems. Day two was a little better. We sailed through V-0s and started on V-1s and working on technique.

By day three it was game on and we were full on hitting all of the V-0s and V-1s we could. I even took down a V-1+ which was a small but needed confidence booster. We spent a lot of time working problems to find the most efficient way to get to the top the down climb in order  back to the beginning. 

Last night I made a solo trip and hit it pretty hard after a nice warm up. I started with a V-1+ then soon after took down a V-2. My confidence, strength and skill is slowly returning. I hope be able to take down some V-3s and V-4s in the near future. At some point after the new year Robert and I are going to start top roping. Good times ahead for sure.

These images are from day three and four.

The Progress Project Surfboard Bag

The Progress Project eco-friendly, recycled billboard surfboard bag.

      

When it came time to purchase a board bag for the Egg, I looked in all the usual places online and really was not satisfied with my choices. While clicking around, my friend Vanessa in LA recommended Wave Tribe as a place to find products that are made with sustainability in mind. Sustainability is near and dear to my heart so I checked it out with a gusto. Through Wave Tribe I found board bags made out of used billboards by The Progress Project. After I placed my order with WT I receved an email from Noah at TPP to get the details of my board and asked about my color preferences. I sent along some paint chips then he sent back samples that came within the range. After looking into TPP a little bit more, I found more reasons to be stoked about what they are doing. They are a small family-owned business that believes in sustainability and giving back to the community. They actually sponsor students and give 5% off profits to non-profits and charities. As a way to keep their business model supportive of our economy, they only use materials made is the US and subcontract to US companies. Needless to say TPP has a great busness model... but what about the product?  

The build quality is on par with the best bags on the market, if not better. The billboard material is inherently weather-proof. The seams are all double-stitched and the pad for the shoulder strap matches the bag – really nice attention to detail. The bag is constructed with recycled PET zipper & binding nylon stitching, padded with 1/8" closed cell foam. It is UV-treated, tear- and mildew-resistant. When I first unpacked the bag and looked it over I had the sense that whoever made it really put a lot of thought into it. There are places where a small company can cut corners to keep profits up, but none were evident here. Just a solid product made with care. 

                                      

The zippers are all heavy duty, stainless steel YKK zip pulls. The opening is big enough to easily and comfortably slide the board in. There is a nice little tail pocket that keeps everything snug and in place. A little further into the bag is a fair-sized pocket with a velcro seal to hold smaller items like wax, side bites and sunscreen. There is a small tab at the nose to help move the bag around while traveling. The center fin slot is fully adjustable with zippers on both ends and a reinforced tab at the base.

The end result is a sturdy thoughtful and well-made bag that I look forward to using. The best part is the bag has a lifetime warranty. How is that for confidence? The process of working with Noah was a real pleasure. I received emails informing me where things were in the process and when I could expect the bag the arrive. It's the little personal things that make all the difference. They even signed and addressed the bag to me. Now I have a real attachemnt to the bag and the people who made it. I'm  a fan! And they don't just make board bags. They also make messenger bags, laptop bags and even iPad covers, which I have my eye on. Like them on Facebook and see what it's all about.

This post first appeared on Aquatic Apes.

A post card from Wednesday 10/5

We hit the water with a gusto and for a brief moment it was good. The ocean had different plans and the swell dropped. Some people got out. Others, mostly newbies got in with hulking longboards. With time to spare Freaky Born and I grabbed the fins and hand plane and I took turns poaching a few from the falling longboarders. 

This post first appeared on Aquatic Apes.

Jack plain arrived

There was a knock at the door today and to my surprise it was my Jack Plane form Grain! 

This post first appeared in Aquatic Apes.