just six months............

 

Just six months until it's all small clean warm waves, short wetsuits and long evenings. Patience.....

Happy New Year everyone

CP by Wavedreamer, Saunton Foil by Gulfstream

freshly mown..

A freshly shaped 10 foot Gulfstream saunton foil model, waiting on the racks while the foam dust settles.

I only make it over there every so often but it's always a pleasure to hang out with Jools at the gulfstream factory for an hour or so. He's always stoked on the latest batch of boards coming through and really cares about offering a proper handmade custom manufacturing service.

old faithful

Even though i have a few different longboards to choose from, some from the hands (or is that computer mouse) of some of the worlds foremost longboard shapers, over the last couple of days i was in the mood for something old and familiar. Like putting on an old comfortable pair of slippers, stepping onto my 9'4 Gulfstream log is just like coming home. This shape is pretty much what is now their saunton foil model but was a board i custom ordered 5 years ago, drawing on a few boards i'd had and liked before.

Its a magic board that requires almost no mental effort for me to get the best from and for small saunton this goes as well as anything else i own. I think anyone who's ever ridden it has loved it (eh thos?)

hand crafted goodness

Ironically positioned opposite the aforementioned Tiki shop is Gulfstream surfboards, a true old fashioned surfboard manufacturer where every board is 100% handshaped and finished locally and can be tailored to your exact needs at no extra cost. Over the last five years they have broadened from a focus mainly on shortboards (some of the best around) into an outfit that produce some of the best riding & finished traditional logs in the country, some superb two & four fin fish and plenty of other stuff, all tinted & glassed to californian standards. I know this will come off sounding like an advert for them but the boards speak for themselves, Jools, Skelly, Ellis & co are super nice people, great surfers and they are an example of how good true homegrown board building can be. Companies like Gulfstream are an important part of surfing & deserve your support.

Support your local shaper!

maximum fun potential..

One of the things i love about logging is that you don't need a lot of wave to have a good time. Sometimes it's good to be silly and remember that surfing is meant to be about getting away from the stress of life and having fun with friends.

photo courtesy of youngstu

shameless self promotion pt.2