the DaVinci Code revisited...

...while its not exactly "The Last Supper", there is some sort of hidden meaning in this paint pen art. At first glance it looks like some undecipherable monster on this new Speed Demon III, but when you flip it upside down...ah skeet skeet skeet. Lets see Tom Hanks act his way out of this one.

the new Allison HP longboard...

... I got to be honest. I cringe when I here the phrase "high performance longboard". Second to only "jumbo shrimp" when it comes to oxymorons, if you ask me. But after seeing these new HP longboards courtesy of Will Allison, I may be mistaken.Here's what shaper Will Allison has to say about his new HP longboard:

These boards were meant to break the straight line without sacrificing the benefits of riding a longboard. Increased maneuverability has got to be more fun! A little less weight is accomplished by using one single 4 oz. on the bottom and a full 6 oz., in conjunction with another full length 4 oz. on the deck. Double stringers still give the live feeling and adds a lot of strength. A single concave under the nose gives lift for maximum noseriding which feeds into a double concave through the tail section, which means less drag and means snappier bottom turns and less loss of speed during cutbacks. A substantial "V" is also incorporated through the tail to break the frictional drag of a flat bottom, and allows the board to roll up on that plane and turn. Hope you enjoy them.

Thanks and Aloha,

Will

*TRY THIS AT HOME...

...surfing is a pretty mindless activity. It's more about feel and instinct than it is about planning out maneuvers on your wave, unless you're a contest robot. With that being the case, your time out of the water is where you can delve deep into the mechanics of surfing and your equipment. I've found that being proactive with your equipment opens many doors to your surfing capabilities. There lies the beauty in handmade fiberglass surfboards. You can take any old board, and besides changing fins to liven it up, you can get deep into design with the easy stuff already done for you (it already has rocker, a solid template, it's glassed...) Adding a little hard edge to your rail with some resin will add a little more bite to your turns. Retro-fitting an old thruster into a quad will allow you to experiment with four-fins before taking the plunge on a brand new quad. You can even add some carbon flaps along the tail rail to stiffen a board up and get more spring out of your bottom turns. So many possibilities, it's all in your hands.

Above, we have the flex-tail experiment. The "Popout Bandit" has the natural gift for shaping. Out of 10 or so boards he's shaped, only one was a dud and it done on purpose (long story). This particular quad he shaped was being neglected (largely in part to his 25+ board quiver) and he had some ideas brewing. What better way to give a board new life and get it back in the rotation than a little experiment with a flex tail. Cut the glass, scoop out some foam, shave the stringer, re-glass the tail and add some foam rubber padding on the tail for cushion. It may work, it may not. But you'll never know until you try...

respect, aiight...

...respect is big part of surfing, in and out of the water. I wasn't here for the swell of the year last week, but from what I hear it was pure mayhem in the water. Too many people, and not enough waves or etiquette. In Mexico, those that don't abide by the natural laws of surfing are dealt with.

The 1,000 word plus sarcasm-rich response is pretty funny (11th down?) Enjoy and learn something here:

The Hand of Second Point Justice

the nutcracker...sweet...

...just in time for the holiday season. Not such a "Joyous Noel" swell for this guy. Is that you Cuff? Photo courtesy Nancy Hussey of www.follywaves.com

it takes a pro...

...it takes a professional photographer to make me look good in the water. This photo was taken on Surfy Surfy Sunday in beautiful ********, a secret spot in San Diego, by Maggie Marsek. Check out her website to see some more high quality shots.

in the commercial it went through mud...

...in reality it gets stuck. I've lost to puddles of water myself, but I always steer clear of mud. Waves were good this day too. I wonder if the owner went out surfing or waited for the tow truck?

Folly Beach West...

...if Folly Beach was in California, it would be Ocean Beach in San Diego. Dirty hippies (which I love), a quirky little vibe (most likely drug induced) and a world famous eatery (like Planet Follywood) are the common themes. Hodad's holding it down for Ocean Beach.

sleeping aloft a cloud of dog farts...

...don't know if anyone else is having this problem. My dog keeps eating these acorns which give him the most god-awful gas ever. After cropdusting me with air biscuits all night while I was on the couch, he brought it to the bedroom. It took me at least 2 hours to get to sleep because every few minutes he would squeak one out, each hitting a different octave and having a distinct odor. Most of them were "oaky" to the palate while others were quite "briary", every last one of them showed signs of "cork taint". He accidentally played Mozart's 5th, which is what finally put me to sleep.

5'8" Channel Islands Biscuit

WEEN!!!

travel day tomorrow...

...tomorrow is my travel day back to SC. It's not that I'm afraid of flying but being all couped up like chicken for 12 hours doesn't appeal to me. I get real eggy close to travel days. At least you can get some trippy photos.

another reason to keep Nike out of surfing...

...because they will make this a reality. Think Frisbee golf, dude. Frisbee golf.

somebody's doing something...

...I mentioned this in the last issue of Mckevlin's Lines. Here's an update.

my true love...

...the real reason I keep coming back to San Diego. Hope you guys liquid shred the hell out those waves today and have a great weekend!