If you ride the board, please post your thoughts.
To start things off, here is a repost of what I wrote, a repost from Friend #1, a repost from the Janitor, and something new from surfcat.
Feb 1, 2013
Rode the Future Primitive 13 footer at Ocean Beach in San Francisco in the morning before work.
Small waves, waist high at best, pretty much no wind.
Paddle out was easy, paddle north to where the wavers were breaking was easy. Mass of board makes the spin up a little long, but once in motion, not tough to keep it going.
First ride was kinda similar to the one I rode in the picture, only the wave was much better. A quick breaking wave with a long paddle (to get the speed up) with a fast pop-up-and-scoot-towards-the-middle-of-the-board so I could get the rail set.
Once moving, a strangely effortless ride.
I say strange because of the work needed to get it into place and I just kind of expected there to be a need to keeping working. But no.
Getting the board back out was where the work was needed, but as I said, it was small so I just bulled my way back out. Rolling the board would probably be a good way to get through shorebreak. Letting go of it (with a leash on) and hoping for a lull isn’t going to always be the answer with this board.
Caught a few more, gaining confidence with each ride, yet had to tell myself to forget about the tail of the board just before popping up…get up, forget about the last 5 feet of it, imagine where you want to go, blah blah blah.
Such a different beast. So much inertia, so tempting to want to push it around like you’d do with less mass, so much apparent flex, and holy hell, I can’t turn this as easily as Roy does. I don’t know how anyone could have a few rides on it when coming from foam boards and expect to have an easy time of it…I think they could catch waves with it, sure, but ride it well and feel comfy with it?
At one point, I caught an outside slow mushy roller after it had broken, coasted a while, took in the sights, then readied myself for the reform on the inside bar, briefly wondered why that guy on the inside thought I was going to be able to avoid him if he tried for the wave, then whizzed past him in knee-high glory…felt like I nearly conked him even though we passed with 6 ft to spare….wouldn’t have had a second thought if I was on my fish.
Then Friend #1 borrowed it, eventually ending the session with it.
Feb 2, 2013
Same spot as day before.
Friend #1 took it out first.
Swells started rising. Nice long period small waves slowly built through the session. Little onshore wind, nothign to ruin the surface of the ocean.
When I got the board, there was a bunch of us at a good inside peak that slowly but surely was turning into an outside peak.
A few softer waves on the outside were ridden, and even though I could feel yesterday’s workout (all that mass and my aging body…Roy is to be congratulated on his fitness), the board moved swiftly and I never got stuck inside if I rode too far.
Got a number of looks but no direct derision. I am sure me cutting through the pack gave them the idea that anyone crazy enough to ride that thing deserves a lot of non-engagement.
As the swell built, the outside became steeper and faster and so much better.
Let a good number of the set waves go through to appease the crowd, and then wound up my chicken arms to track down the biggest wave I could catch.
That one was headhigh to overhead with me upright in the pocket. Certainly bigger and better than the wave in the photo…but alas no photographic proof.
I dropped in later than I wanted (paddled too fast and got ahead of it)., but again, hopped to my feet, forget the back half of the board, trust in the rocker, and holy crap I am going to pearl!, lean on the inside rail, nose doesn’t go under, fin doesn’t break out, board flexes, guys on the inside paddling for their life, grimaces of loathing/disgust/amazement/encouragement/shock/wonder fly past, and all to soon I am paddling back out for more.
Didn’t ride it bully style, just rode it like I do when I borrow longboards, which is to say, a little awkwardly.
Felt a little bad about that wave though, even though I took off on the peak, had let a bunch go by, I still felt like I had taken advantage of the situation. (Doubt I would have felt this way on any of my boards.)
So I paddled off the good peak to the empty, subpar peak, and promptly caught another great wave. Ah Ocean Beach.
Then figuring it made no difference what I did, paddled back over to the good peak, let a number of other good waves go by, and once again, telegraphing my move by starting way outside, built up ramming speed for another attack.
Pack clears out well in advance and I swoop in, again feeling like I am going to pearl with that much board, but the flex works, the rail slips down into its natural fit, fin holds, and some guy making the mistake of paddling back out through the peak goggles and bails while I keep going…as if I had much choice…it really feels like I don’t have all the much control but I realize I do, it is just that the manner in which I can effect change is so stretched compare to what I am used to.
The muscle memory thing is going to be a tough thing for people to overcome with this board; patience is mandatory, or maybe just more skill and experience with large wooden surfboards.
Three hours after the board hit the water, I am paddling south away from everyone so I can ride the by now solidly overhead waves to the sand.
An outside peak by a rip is the target. Lining up and timing the wave for this board this isn’t a skill I have perfected yet. I need more paddling distance to get the board up to speed so I can get into the wave comfortably (and not feel so rushed).
Let a few go by and realize that this wave isn’t going to be easy at all, even if I get in early; its a slowly building wave with very fast pitch ledge against a rippy current.
Crap.
But here I am, so I go.
And miss the 3rd wave of the set.
Out the back is the wave I didn’t want to see.
Double crap.
And I have strapped to me is a lot of mass.
Triple crap.
I can’t get around it, can’t get through it, not going to roll under it and have that tail and fin alternately behead me and puncture my chest in a likely tumble, so I race towards shore, or rather try to for a second before slipping off the side, push board sideway to lessen the flex when the wave hits it, swim for the bottom and hope the leash holds.
The jerk on the leg isn’t bad at all. Have felt worse, but the problem is the long drag underwater. That narrow tail doesn’t buoy one to the surface, and when I do come up, I flash on Roy’s photo of his freshly, expertly, stitched-up face; the end of the board is just right there, and the large fin doesn’t look that far away either.
I get on the board, aim for shore, and the fifth wave rolls into me, and after the bouncing slows, I stand and ride the chunky soup to shore only to get off balance on the inside reform and spaz out trying to stay upright.
Gardner a few looks of stupefaction on the way back to the car and hope it is due to the board and not a gash on my face.
Oh, this is what Friend#1 has to say:
"Introductory session Friday (3 feet, 13 seconds), caught one outside roller that by doing the hoppity-hop (quite easy to do on that thing given all the flex), I was able to connect it to the inside where things got more interesting. Pulled into a tube that all I could do was lean and then dive into the face to separate myself from that terrifying mass connected to my leg.
Saturday was perfectly set up with a 5 foot at 21 seconds swell building through the day. Had two trips out through the shorebreak as my only ride was another slow roller connection. This time the inside was bigger and more interesting, but again I didn’t have the skills to do much once I got set up in the pocket other than watch the lip pass me by and then dive to avoid the horror of that swinging wooden arch. On my Longboard, I would step to the nose to gain speed, but I didn’t feel like that would help on the Ghost. After heading back outside, I could see that the swell was filling in and so I opted for something more familiar, not to mention 4 feet shorter.
Saw Duncan catch one big outsider, and felt a pang of “damn, had I waited, I might have been on that one.” But that was quickly forgotten with each bomb I pulled into on my regular stick."
To start things off, here is a repost of what I wrote, a repost from Friend #1, a repost from the Janitor, and something new from surfcat.
Feb 1, 2013
Rode the Future Primitive 13 footer at Ocean Beach in San Francisco in the morning before work.
Small waves, waist high at best, pretty much no wind.
Paddle out was easy, paddle north to where the wavers were breaking was easy. Mass of board makes the spin up a little long, but once in motion, not tough to keep it going.
First ride was kinda similar to the one I rode in the picture, only the wave was much better. A quick breaking wave with a long paddle (to get the speed up) with a fast pop-up-and-scoot-towards-the-middle-of-the-board so I could get the rail set.
Once moving, a strangely effortless ride.
I say strange because of the work needed to get it into place and I just kind of expected there to be a need to keeping working. But no.
Getting the board back out was where the work was needed, but as I said, it was small so I just bulled my way back out. Rolling the board would probably be a good way to get through shorebreak. Letting go of it (with a leash on) and hoping for a lull isn’t going to always be the answer with this board.
Caught a few more, gaining confidence with each ride, yet had to tell myself to forget about the tail of the board just before popping up…get up, forget about the last 5 feet of it, imagine where you want to go, blah blah blah.
Such a different beast. So much inertia, so tempting to want to push it around like you’d do with less mass, so much apparent flex, and holy hell, I can’t turn this as easily as Roy does. I don’t know how anyone could have a few rides on it when coming from foam boards and expect to have an easy time of it…I think they could catch waves with it, sure, but ride it well and feel comfy with it?
At one point, I caught an outside slow mushy roller after it had broken, coasted a while, took in the sights, then readied myself for the reform on the inside bar, briefly wondered why that guy on the inside thought I was going to be able to avoid him if he tried for the wave, then whizzed past him in knee-high glory…felt like I nearly conked him even though we passed with 6 ft to spare….wouldn’t have had a second thought if I was on my fish.
Then Friend #1 borrowed it, eventually ending the session with it.
Feb 2, 2013
Same spot as day before.
Friend #1 took it out first.
Swells started rising. Nice long period small waves slowly built through the session. Little onshore wind, nothign to ruin the surface of the ocean.
When I got the board, there was a bunch of us at a good inside peak that slowly but surely was turning into an outside peak.
A few softer waves on the outside were ridden, and even though I could feel yesterday’s workout (all that mass and my aging body…Roy is to be congratulated on his fitness), the board moved swiftly and I never got stuck inside if I rode too far.
Got a number of looks but no direct derision. I am sure me cutting through the pack gave them the idea that anyone crazy enough to ride that thing deserves a lot of non-engagement.
As the swell built, the outside became steeper and faster and so much better.
Let a good number of the set waves go through to appease the crowd, and then wound up my chicken arms to track down the biggest wave I could catch.
That one was headhigh to overhead with me upright in the pocket. Certainly bigger and better than the wave in the photo…but alas no photographic proof.
I dropped in later than I wanted (paddled too fast and got ahead of it)., but again, hopped to my feet, forget the back half of the board, trust in the rocker, and holy crap I am going to pearl!, lean on the inside rail, nose doesn’t go under, fin doesn’t break out, board flexes, guys on the inside paddling for their life, grimaces of loathing/disgust/amazement/encouragement/shock/wonder fly past, and all to soon I am paddling back out for more.
Didn’t ride it bully style, just rode it like I do when I borrow longboards, which is to say, a little awkwardly.
Felt a little bad about that wave though, even though I took off on the peak, had let a bunch go by, I still felt like I had taken advantage of the situation. (Doubt I would have felt this way on any of my boards.)
So I paddled off the good peak to the empty, subpar peak, and promptly caught another great wave. Ah Ocean Beach.
Then figuring it made no difference what I did, paddled back over to the good peak, let a number of other good waves go by, and once again, telegraphing my move by starting way outside, built up ramming speed for another attack.
Pack clears out well in advance and I swoop in, again feeling like I am going to pearl with that much board, but the flex works, the rail slips down into its natural fit, fin holds, and some guy making the mistake of paddling back out through the peak goggles and bails while I keep going…as if I had much choice…it really feels like I don’t have all the much control but I realize I do, it is just that the manner in which I can effect change is so stretched compare to what I am used to.
The muscle memory thing is going to be a tough thing for people to overcome with this board; patience is mandatory, or maybe just more skill and experience with large wooden surfboards.
Three hours after the board hit the water, I am paddling south away from everyone so I can ride the by now solidly overhead waves to the sand.
An outside peak by a rip is the target. Lining up and timing the wave for this board this isn’t a skill I have perfected yet. I need more paddling distance to get the board up to speed so I can get into the wave comfortably (and not feel so rushed).
Let a few go by and realize that this wave isn’t going to be easy at all, even if I get in early; its a slowly building wave with very fast pitch ledge against a rippy current.
Crap.
But here I am, so I go.
And miss the 3rd wave of the set.
Out the back is the wave I didn’t want to see.
Double crap.
And I have strapped to me is a lot of mass.
Triple crap.
I can’t get around it, can’t get through it, not going to roll under it and have that tail and fin alternately behead me and puncture my chest in a likely tumble, so I race towards shore, or rather try to for a second before slipping off the side, push board sideway to lessen the flex when the wave hits it, swim for the bottom and hope the leash holds.
The jerk on the leg isn’t bad at all. Have felt worse, but the problem is the long drag underwater. That narrow tail doesn’t buoy one to the surface, and when I do come up, I flash on Roy’s photo of his freshly, expertly, stitched-up face; the end of the board is just right there, and the large fin doesn’t look that far away either.
I get on the board, aim for shore, and the fifth wave rolls into me, and after the bouncing slows, I stand and ride the chunky soup to shore only to get off balance on the inside reform and spaz out trying to stay upright.
Gardner a few looks of stupefaction on the way back to the car and hope it is due to the board and not a gash on my face.
Oh, this is what Friend#1 has to say:
"Introductory session Friday (3 feet, 13 seconds), caught one outside roller that by doing the hoppity-hop (quite easy to do on that thing given all the flex), I was able to connect it to the inside where things got more interesting. Pulled into a tube that all I could do was lean and then dive into the face to separate myself from that terrifying mass connected to my leg.
Saturday was perfectly set up with a 5 foot at 21 seconds swell building through the day. Had two trips out through the shorebreak as my only ride was another slow roller connection. This time the inside was bigger and more interesting, but again I didn’t have the skills to do much once I got set up in the pocket other than watch the lip pass me by and then dive to avoid the horror of that swinging wooden arch. On my Longboard, I would step to the nose to gain speed, but I didn’t feel like that would help on the Ghost. After heading back outside, I could see that the swell was filling in and so I opted for something more familiar, not to mention 4 feet shorter.
Saw Duncan catch one big outsider, and felt a pang of “damn, had I waited, I might have been on that one.” But that was quickly forgotten with each bomb I pulled into on my regular stick."
