Evening Session - 1/27/2026

Marlon and I caught the evening surf (I needed to wash off all the sanding dust).

Tide was really low.  Light onshores (that weren't really altering the surf).

And the waves were chest high on the sets (but the sets were rather infrequent).

Marlon brought out the Evo - and he caught some good waves with it.  He was mostly on the Middles break.

I brought out the Cado again, this time with the Pivot version of the Taylor Knox NVS fins.

I think I surfed this board better with the rake version - but it really was difficult catching meaningful waves today - longboarders... and closeouts

I did catch some fun ones, but besides turns to get into a better position and running a few walls, the waves weren't presenting much opportunity today.

Roland was out on Foil Drive.

I think I'll use the Boogie fish next session - or the Sweet Potato with the Alpha Vector 3/2 quad set.

PW:5/FD:9/S:6

Garage Works - 1/23/2026

I worked on a couple of different projects this afternoon.

First up was getting the starboard finbox on the Firewire Machadocado to get tighter.  This finbox had the Wolverine fin loose yesterday, and when I fitted this fin set, the same thing was happening.  The looseness was lateral.

I used a strip of aluminum duct tape placed on the outside wall of the finbox and "done"!

Nice and tight now.

Then I sanded the entire surface of No.43 to make sure the next layers of epoxy would adhere.

I placed the tape dam, mixed up a batch of slow hardened epoxy, and used a new batch of International Orange pigment.

And this is the color I was going for.

I let the first coat get tacky, then mixed another batch of epoxy, this time with fast hardener, and more pigment.

This second coat really filled in the color to be nice and solid - similar to No.39

Tomorrow morning I'll get a last fill coat on to the bottom deck.  That'll have the first rough sanding happening Sunday morning.  I'll get through to 120 grit, clean the board of dust, place the labels and get a clear sealant coat on one side.  That'll have Monday seeing the other deck get clear coated, Tuesday the fine sanding and plugs day.  Then Wednesday as the final clear coat day.

Thursday I'll get the deck pads on, then the board will sit for a couple of days to get all gelled together.

It'll likely be next Saturday morning when this board gets wet for the first time!!!

Evening Session - 12/6/2024

Another SW swell is hitting - super awesome considering it's December.

Chest to head high on the sets - but even with a low tide, the waves were pretty fat and didn't want to break until it hit the inside (and then you would have to contend with closeouts).

If you keep the mindset that surfing is about finding the good in the situation you find yourself in, then there were good sections to be had.

Marlon brought out his newer longboard (Luna?).

I continued the Revo Max streak and had the NVS Taylor Knox Twins in today. 

The search is over - these fins did everything I needed them to - hold on the drop, drive and nimbleness in the bottom turn and release at the end of a top turn - all with my sore knee (so I know if was more the previous fins).

Now I can go and ride my other boards (the Cymatic and Great White Twin have been calling my name... I just wanted to get the Revo Max dialed in first).

W:145/PW:2/FD:87/F:5/S:29